Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Well, I am incredibly pleased, not only for Deputy Humphreys, but for the children that will benefit from that announcement.

Senators Clonan and Craughwell both spoke about the Women of Honour. Not only am I genuinely pleased for the four women but for all the women they represent about the recognition and acknowledgement they got yesterday. I totally agree with the Senators. One of the most worrying things I saw in yesterday's headlines was that the Chief of Staff stated that neither he nor the Ministers knew how bad it was, because he was briefing the Ministers. It is simply not good enough. It is not reflective of what - I hate the phrase "the dogs in the street" - people were talking about on the ground to their friends, families and colleagues.

I concur that it is right and proper that the Chief of Staff is invited to appear before the Oireachtas committee because that is the only forum in which Senators will have an opportunity to ask questions and get answers. I will write to the Chair of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, as I am sure the Senators also have or will. There is a long way to go on this issue.

When we consider some of the revelations, such as the report on St. John Ambulance that was released in the past ten days or so, it is clear we have historical malignance in Irish society. That is probably not unique to Irish people, but it has certainly been prevalent. The more we try to deny it and cover it up, the more pain and trauma we suffer. That applies not only to the people who are directly involved, but to society. I welcome the report and believe we need a statutory inquiry, not only for those four women, but for all the women in the Defence Forces. I agree with the Senators' synopsis.

Senator Ahearn welcomed the €8 million funding for Clár. It is open for applications, not only from County Tipperary but from all counties and I wish them well. Senator Murphy also spoke about the Women of Honour - I apologise I did not include him in that - and he also cited his support for sheep farmers.

Senator Lombard is looking for a debate about Garda recruitment. It is welcome. We have the money, not only for an additional 1,000 gardaí to be recruited this year, but for the overspill from last year when they were not recruited. It is worrying that at the time we are trying to recruit, that Garda representatives are telling us how difficult a job it is. To counter that, we need to address those issues with speed for those who are thinking about joining.

Senator Fitzpatrick welcomed phase 3 of the Royal Canal Greenway works and is seeking a date for the start of works on the 1916 national monument which I will request from the Minister. Senator Hoey spoke about the Speak Out Against Racism report that was released yesterday by the Irish Council for International Students. What is most striking, apart from the 63% Senator Hoey spoke about, is the feeling people have that they should not bother reporting it because nothing will happen. We need to strive to ensure that is not the reality. The information we all need to report is captured on ireport.ie. I thank Senator Hoey for raising the matter and offering to give us all a copy of the report as it will be a welcome read.

Senator Gavan mentioned that tomorrow is Show Racism the Red Card day. I see he is wearing a red top. I commend him on that. It is incumbent on all of us to speak out tomorrow in any way we can to dispel what has been a growing, negative, nasty element in society. It has only been in the past few months, thankfully, but we need to stop it sharply.

I acknowledge what the Senator said about the gentleman on the radio. We had a debate on homelessness for two hours yesterday evening. Many people contributed to it, but I will certainly organise another one, as we know this issue will not be resolved in the two weeks over Easter. We need to keep the progress and difficulties on the public record. I will organise that as soon as I can.

Senator Kyne spoke about the sheep sector and our Fianna Fáil leader spoke about a horrific incident that happened in Kildare yesterday after which a lovely horse had to be put down because of the injuries it received when a sulky travelled over unsuitable terrain. I suggest that probably no terrain is suitable for sulkies in Ireland. Some official sports organisations do pony and trap and horse and trap racing. A request has been lodged for a large amount of funding for a national stadium and we should put our efforts into that.

Senator Chambers also highlighted how cancer treatment hair loss is recognised by the State but only the hair on the head is acknowledged. Perhaps we should look at overall wellbeing and fund solutions for eyebrows on the medical card for women and men who lose them during treatment.I suggest that Senator O'Loughlin is right that probably all terrain in Ireland is not suitable for sulkies. We have official sports organisations that do pony-and-trap and horse-and-trap racing. They have requested a very large amount of funding to have a national stadium. If we could put our efforts into that, it would probably be far better.

Senator O'Loughlin also highlighted that hair loss resulting from cancer treatment is recognised by State schemes but that it is only loss of the hair on the head that is acknowledged. Maybe we should look at overall well-being and include on the medical card treatments for eyebrows for those women and men who lose them during cancer treatment.