Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Unlike Senator Keogan, I commend the LGFA. I went through the guidelines it published last Friday in detail.They must be commended for their overall sensitive and well-rounded approach to welcoming transgender players into the code. It is not easy to develop a policy, but the reality is that trans women are already playing ladies’ football. It is already there and it is nothing to be afraid of. The Ladies Gaelic Football Association, LGFA, has done a very decent job in its policy.

The other issue I want to raise is the forced expulsion of Europe’s leading trade unionist from Tunisia on Saturday. Esther Lynch is the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, ETUC, and on Saturday she attended a protest in Tunisia. Tunisia was one of the few bright hopes coming out of the Arab Spring, but the President there has become increasingly authoritarian and aggressive towards trade union rights and trade unionists. That has culminated in all sorts of attacks and intimidation, as well as the forced expulsion of Esther Lynch on Saturday. I want to acknowledge that both the Taoiseach’s office and the Tánaiste were very helpful to her personally. Obviously, it was a shocking incident. I acknowledge that they responded and made a very clear statement that trade union rights need to be respected.

The last issue I want to raise is today's announcement of the cost-of-living measures. Some €1.2 billion was designed to give a little bit to a lot of people, and a lot to the hospitality sector. We all want to maintain jobs in the hospitality sector, and we want to ensure businesses that are finding themselves in difficulty through no fault of their own are being supported. However, can it be justified that 20% of the cost-of-living package will go to just one sector? Some 20% of the €1.2 billion will be going to prop up some very big players in the hospitality sector. We know the revenue per room exceeds the pre-pandemic rates. There are other hospitality employers who are having a difficult time, but for all the talk of a targeted package, there was no targeting within hospitality.

It is a deflection away from the real problems in hospitality. First, they can no longer live with a business model that is founded on a cost of operation that prevailed 18 months ago. This is a business model that depends on minimum-wage labour. The State cannot even get its act together to pay those hotels that are hosting refugees at this point in time. Today was a missed opportunity to put together permanent measures to help people and workers within the hospitality sector.