Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I want to wish everyone a happy St. Brigid's Day and to thank Senator O'Loughlin in Kildare for organising that event to make St. Brigid's crosses. It is a nice idea which I welcome.

I am conscious today, speaking to both the Leader and the Cathaoirleach, that the three Ministers, Deputy McConalogue and his two Ministers of State, are currently in Portlaoise where the Minister is already giving an outline to a conference called National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture. This is very important and was headlined and discussed in agriland.ie, the Irish Farmers' Journaland a few other publications. It is also mentioned today on the radio. What was interesting was that the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, said that he is very concerned at the lack of women coming through semi-State companies. Perhaps it is not a question of coming forward but of not getting that opportunity of having those appointments confirmed. He was anxious, was going to be very proactive in this area, and was going to insist that he would not ratify appointments of board members if there was not a good, logical reason there was not an equal number or why many of these women were not coming through, particularly in the area of the agri-enterprises and agrifood sector.We know women play a huge and significant part in all forms of agriculture. I commend the Minister on all of that. However, I thought it was worth noting that there is only one woman from any of the political parties on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, of which I am a member, and that is Senator Lynn Boylan on my left here, who is an exceptionally good member. There is a challenge and an opportunity there and I mean that genuinely. There is a real opportunity for the parties to go back and look at why no woman has come forward or been allowed come forward. I do not suggest they are being stopped but it is a question. Committee members do not have to stay for five years: the committee stays. Maybe we have to look at that. Why have the other parties not had any women coming forward on the agricultural panel? They are elected on the panel but somehow they are not making onto the committee. I put that as a challenge.

Finally, I seek a debate on town, village and urban renewal. There was much talk in recent days about it and I had a Commencement matter debate on the topic yesterday. I will finish on this point. I raised with the Minister that €1.5 billion was announced for regeneration and we now know we have had the first and second calls. Yesterday we were talking about the third call and there will be a fourth. Out of all of that, in a circular to all the sitting county managers, which some chief executives forwarded to me, was a confirmation that only €144 million has been spent so far. It could be said projects have been worked up but I seek a debate. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage drew up a report on urban regeneration that had 39 recommendations and which requested that this matter would come to both Houses for a debate. It is time we had a debate. I have already sent a circular to the Cathaoirleach's office on that report that we might discuss at some time in the next few months, as was requested by the committee.