Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank colleagues. Senator Kyne asked me to investigate or at least discuss the matter of the Aramark employees who had been promised the €1,000 payment for their Covid-19 service and who have not yet received it. He asked me to find out what is going on with the Minister. I will certainly send him a note today.

Senator Kyne is also looking for a debate on the extension of the waste action plan for a circular economy to all households, particularly the brown bins. The cynic in me tells me that given there are some companies who will try to start to charge for brown bins, it will not be too long before this is rolled out to all households. However I take Senator Kyne's point and will certainly raise it with the Minister.

Senator Craughwell brought to our attention the reports from the address by the Garda Commissioner to the GRA yesterday. I too thought it was ironic that the Garda Commissioner said he is not the only one who needs to compromise. That compromise will only happen at the table, as the Senator suggested. Given that the GRA and the AGSI have both said they are willing to compromise, I think it is foolish that we are now sending that dispute to the Workplace Relations Commission. I know they fought for the opportunity to use those State mechanisms for years but I believe, as I think the Senator does, it can be resolved around the table. Although it is an operational matter, I will ask the Minister if there is any way he can intervene and I will come back to the Senator on that.

Senator Lombard brought attention to a really bizarre decision made by the State Examinations Commission, which has acknowledged that we have children and young adults who, as students, are doing their leaving and junior certificate examinations and need extra resources to help them to fulfil their potential, but is trying to tie both of their hands behind their backs so that they cannot do their best. I will certainly bring this issue to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, and ask for a debate on the issue.

Senator Mullen raised his disquiet about the recommendations arising from the three-year review of the abortion legislation that was introduced a number of years ago. The only assurance I can give the Senator is that all of those recommendations will be sent to the Oireachtas Committee on Health, where there will be plenty of time for airing them. That committee can decide who they would like to invite to discuss the recommendation. I suspect and hope that people who have dissenting views on the recommendations will make their views heard and we will ultimately have a balanced approach once the decisions have been made.

Senator Alice-Mary Higgins spoke about the illegal farming, if that is the right word, of phosphate in Western Sahara by the Moroccan Government. She specifically asked me to bring to the attention of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, the need for any products arriving to Ireland from those occupied territories to be labelled with their source so we can all be aware of what we are buying.

Senator Cummins spoke in an educated way this morning about the impact that the housing grants are having. The vacant property and derelict property grants allow people to refurbish houses. They can be combined with the energy grants. We support the help-to-buy scheme, under which 40,000 families have been able to avail of a four-year tax reclaim over recent years.

Senator Keogan is looking for a debate on tax incentives to live in commuter towns, and I believe in cities, with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath. I will try to arrange that.

Senator Maria Byrne spoke about St. Ita's respite home and the great reports it received recently. She also mentioned the Riverfest which is taking place on the River Shannon in Limerick this weekend.

I was really struck by the remarks of Senator Dooley, who eloquently described the heroic nature of the actions of Jimmy Nicholl. In bringing those actions to our attention, he said that most people would probably not know about them. I did not know about them but that is not to say anything. I think we should have a mechanism whereby people's bravery and courageous actions can be taken into account. I might bring that to the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight to see if there is anything we can do in this House.