Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Members who contributed to the Order of Business. Senators Conway and Murphy spoke about the cost-of-living measures announced by the Government yesterday. There was a general welcome for what was a broad suite of measures totalling €1.2 billion. Many of them are targeted at the most vulnerable but there were some universal measures as well. The extension for a short period of the 9% VAT rate for hospitality was also broadly welcomed.

Senator Conway raised an important issue of bulk gas not being included in the energy scheme for businesses and I share his concerns in that regard. Many businesses, particularly in rural areas, do not have piped gas and rely on bulk purchase. I will make those views known to the Minister.

Senator Murphy also spoke about the attacks on gardaí we have witnessed in recent days, not just in Ballyfermot. We have seen an increase in attacks on members of the force. Senators Wall, Davitt, Seery Kearney and Craughwell raised the same issue. It is, therefore, fair to say that across parties and across the House there are genuine concerns about the direction of travel in this regard and the increasing abuse of members of the Garda. According to the Garda Representative Association, GRA, some 1,000 members of the force are assaulted annually, with 300 of these assaults involving injuries that require time off work. It is an escalating issue and I will request a debate at the earliest opportunity with the Minister for Justice. The protection of gardaí and Garda numbers is the bread and butter of the Department of Justice. This area needs to be a serious priority and needs to be given consideration. The issue of declining numbers was raised by Senator Craughwell in particular.

We can now draw comparisons between An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. We have an opportunity to turn it around for An Garda Síochána, whereas we allowed the strength of the Defence Forces to dwindle to such a level that it will take us a long time to resolve the issue. We need to listen seriously to members of the Defence Forces and the GRA. Senator Wall mentioned the task force the GRA has asked for and that request should be acceded to. It is a reasonable one as a task force would allow us to hear the views of members and understand why we are not getting enough people to join the force. Senator Craughwell also raised the issue of pensions and I agree with him that this is a significant factor for members of the Garda choosing to leave the force early rather than see out their full careers. That may be an issue we will have to revisit.

Senator Boyhan welcomed the debating on the heritage Bill later today and drew our attention to this morning's launch of Our Place in Time by the Heritage Council. He again raised Inland Fisheries Ireland, an issue that has also been raised numerous times by Senator Kyne, and reiterated his request that the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, come to the Chamber to answer questions on the matter. I have made a request to the Minister to come to the Chamber and while he has agreed to do so, he will not be available until the end of March. We will liaise with the Minister's office to see if we can bring that debate forward. We also understand that there will be a week when the Minister will be abroad on ministerial duty, so it may not be possible to get him into the Chamber at an earlier time.

Senator Ó Donnghaile spoke about the election of Jarlath Burns as president of the GAA. He also spoke about Féile an Earraigh and Féile an Phobail. He drew our attention to the many events that will be running as part of Féile an Earraigh from 1 March to 19 March and asked for the support of the House.

Senator Wall spoke about healthcare workers and the difficulties they are facing.The Labour Party Private Members' motion later today will address that issue and give Members an opportunity to discuss it in more detail with the Minister. I commend the Labour Party on bringing the motion to the House and facilitating that debate for Members.

Senator Wall also raised the need to expand the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act to cater for online abuse. I would welcome an opportunity to debate a Private Members' Bill on that issue, be it from the Senator or others.

I take on board the point Senator Wall made about the Croí Cónaithe grant. I understand there are a number of ways to demonstrate vacancy, such as getting a water reading for a house if it is still connected to show minimal usage and that nobody has been using water. People can also get something from the ESB to show that there has been minimal usage of electricity or it has been turned off. I have engaged on this with a number of people in my area. The issue has not been flagged directly with me. There is need to show vacancy because that is the whole point of the scheme. I encourage those having difficulty to liaise with the officer in the council dealing with such matters because there are a couple of avenues, rather than just one, to show vacancy.

Senator Davitt spoke about issues in Ballyfermot and about the ESB. He referred to the high prices being charged for business and ordinary customers and the delay in passing on the reduction in wholesale prices.

Senator Seery Kearney spoke about St. John Ambulance. I am aware that Dr. Geoffrey Shannon's report is awaiting publication. As it is not a departmental or ministerial report, and was commissioned by St. John Ambulance, the Minister has no responsibility in terms of pushing for publication. I urge the organisation to publish the report. It has been 13 weeks since it was completed and those involved deserve to see the content of the report.

Senator Maria Byrne again raised the issue of the shortage of school places. We had a debate in the Chamber with the Minister on that matter last week. I understand the Minister, Deputy Foley, is engaging, through her Department, to try to secure school places for the 26 children affected. I fully appreciate how stressful and challenging it is for the families involved. It is not a situation anybody wants to see for any child in the State.

Senator Paddy Burke raised an issue raised by Senator Kyne yesterday, namely Garda vetting. I suggested to Senator Kyne that it might be worth putting forward a Commencement Matter on this, but perhaps the two Senators could submit a Commencement Matter on the particular issue as it is quite niche. I understand Garda vetting is quite cumbersome, depending on where people are located, and can be a barrier to accessing employment, which is something we need to address and try to find a solution to.

Senator Ward spoke about accessibility at DART stations for those with a disability. There will be statements on the rail network on Thursday at 11.45 a.m. That might be an opportunity to raise the matter directly with the Minister. It is not the direct responsibility of the Minister, but comes under the remit of the Department of Transport in a broader sense.

Senator Lombard spoke about the NCT. I am informed that the Senator submitted a Commencement Matter, but it was ruled out of order as the Minister has said he has no direct responsibility for the NCT. I am unsure as to how we can advance the matter more fully. I might speak to the Senator after the Order of Business to see if there is another avenue we can take. It was a decision of the Minister that meant the Commencement Matter was ruled out of order rather than the House not facilitating it.

Senator Garrett Ahearn has asked for a debate with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which I will request at the earliest opportunity. He raised issues in the sheep sector, which were raised by other Members last week.

Senator Sean Kyne spoke about cost inflation in terms of delivering road projects in rural areas. It is a concern. He also welcomed the Moycullen bypass and the positive impact it will have in his area.

Senator Robbie Gallagher has put on the record of the House that 44,500 HSE workers are awaiting increases in their pensions due to a delay in upgrading the HSE IT system. That sounds strange, to say the least. I ask the Senator to submit a Commencement Matter on the issue. If that does not provide a sufficient response, I will look to engage with him and the HSE to try to advance the issue on behalf of those workers. I would certainly like to see that matter resolved.

Senator Craughwell spoke about a pension issue in the Garda. We will request that debate with the Minister for Justice at the earliest opportunity.

Senator Niall Blaney spoke about the ongoing challenges with the Northern Ireland protocol, resolving the Brexit issue for Northern Ireland and getting agreement between the UK and the EU. He referred to the unhelpful, to put it mildly, intervention by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson into the debate. People can see it for what it is, namely somebody who does not want a resolution because perhaps he was unable to achieve it during his term in office. Most people on all sides of the debate will see the merit of trying to resolve the issue at the earliest opportunity. We certainly hope to see politics in the North back up and running to where it should be without any further delays.