Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for all their interventions on the Order of Business. I will go through them from the top down.

Senator Seery Kearney moved an amendment to the Order of Business relating to the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person (Amendment) (Spiking) Bill 2023 – First Stage. I want to indicate that I am accepting that amendment. In moving it, the Senator made a compelling case around the issue of spiking, the risk of sexual exploitation, the bizarre idea among some people that it could be fun and the need for an information campaign. I completely agree with her that it is a very serious matter. People should not leave a premises with somebody they do not know. She is absolutely correct in all the points she makes and she made the case strongly. As a father of three children, I totally get this. It is one of our great fears. The Senator has a daughter who is in a different age category, but it is a fear of any parent that his or child could be the victim. It is an idiotic parent who thinks his or her child is in some way immune from normal social practices, in some way wiser than everyone else and will spot these things. The Senator is absolutely right. I support this entirely.

The Senator also mentioned, as did Senator Dolan in seconding it, the role of Young Fine Gael in this. They deserve great credit for pioneering this. The Deputy Leader, Senator Regina Doherty, has displayed a great personal interest in this and has run with it strongly. She merits recognition in this regard as well. I thank Senator Seery Kearney for that.Senator Seery Kearney will certainly have my vocal support when it comes to the floor. Senator Blaney supported the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person (Amendment) (Spiking) Bill and referred to the issue as terrifying. I agree with him. It is good to see the Bill is supported across the House because it is in the best interests of society that we deal with this immediately both in terms of an information campaign, education of people in this regard and in terms of the penal system.

Senator Blaney raised the issue of policing in Donegal. What he raised is extraordinarily serious in that on a desktop analysis it can look like the right way to go but we need the input of people such as him who realise what it is like on the ground and the implications. He said two thirds of Donegal could go without a proper policing service. That is unacceptable and should not be the case. It occurred to me that the specifics of this might be a subject for a Commencement matter. However, that is for Senator Blaney’s experienced self to evaluate. I support him entirely and will convey to the Leader that there is an interest in a debate. A regular debate on policing and justice is important and should be feature of the programme of the House. I will make the Leader aware. I thank Senator Blaney for raising this important matter because we need a proper policing service. The fact that people are dispersed is not a rationale - indeed it is far from a justification - for denying them proper policing.

Senator Mullen raised the question that has come into extraordinary focus with the illegal, wrong war and barbaric invasion of Ukraine and the horrors that go with that. Our hearts, minds and prayers are with the Ukrainian people. In that context, the Senator raised the question of neutrality. I get what he is saying. My party colleagues will be aware that I spoke about this at our parliamentary party meetings. I get the idea that we can be a moral force as a neutral state but we can use that neutrality for peace. Senator Mullen might be overly cynical about the forum that has been established. I attended a briefing on it at the foreign affairs committee. From what I observed at the briefing and the detail of who will address it, the format and so on, and the fact that any of us here can be present, there is a genuine effort there to tease out the issues. We could dismiss it too lightly. Having said that I understand the points the Senator made. It is the case that polling data still supports neutrality in the country. He cited the illegal war.

Senator Gavan cited the need to continue to increase pensions. Being the generous man that he is, he will acknowledge that my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, and her predecessor, Deputy Regina Doherty, have consistently increased pensions. That has to continue. I am not saying this in any partisan sense, the current and previous Administrations created the conditions with the corporation tax and others to bring in international investment and created the stable economic conditions to make it an attractive option. We have a good education system. There are so many things right. We got the foreign direct investment, FDI, and, thank God, with that a bountiful supply of money. There might be a debate in the media that misses the point. That is not the fault of Senator Gavan. The debate in the media at the moment suggests it is an either-or situation in that we either reduce taxation or we deal with social welfare and services generally. Actually, thankfully the situation is such that we are in the happy position that we will be fit to do both. We will be able to increase pension rates - the Senator is right, they should be increased and I congratulate him on raising the issue - and, we will be able to improve services, which we will come to that later with all our contributions, and we will be able to deal with the tax issue. That is the happy position we are in. Pensions must be a part of that. He is also correct about the minimum wage. There is a recommendation today on that. We have progressed and should go on progressing on the minimum wage. This ties into the point on horticulture. The minimum wage has to increase and I hope that will be a feature of the budget. I accept the points that Senator Gavan raised.

Senator Sherlock also cited the minimum wage issue. I agree entirely with her and feel passionate about this myself. The Cathaoirleach will recall that I raised this in the House a few times. We need much more rapid assessments for children with special needs. We need major investment in this regard. There is a problem with supply of professionals but we need to attract the professionals. I agree with her it is not ideal to privatise these services. That should not be a policy position; that should be a desperate response in an desperate situation. The idea is to get the professional staff, psychologists and back-up people. We should speed up the services. Grant-aiding the schools may be a method that has to be considered. The assessments are too cumbersome and detailed. There has to be a scientific basis. I know practising teachers, and the Cathaoirleach was a teacher himself for many years, and a good one, in the career guidance field. The Cathaoirleach will be aware that most teachers are fit to diagnose these conditions themselves but they have to get the official sanction. The system is far too cumbersome and needs investment and movement. I agree with Senator Sherlock on that.

Senator Fitzpatrick rightly welcomed Mr. Jim Gavin to the chair of the north-east inner city task force. He will bring the qualities of leadership to it that he brought to the Dublin football team. He did great things on that and there is no reason to doubt he will bring that special quality of quiet leadership. He has a unique personal style of quiet, low-key leadership. It is needed. I am proud that my former colleague features in the newspaper today with a rock star from the south. Enda Kenny was involved in setting up this task force at the outset with Deputy Paschal Donohoe during the previous Administration. I am pleased about that. Senator Fitzpatrick is a huge supporter of this and I support her. We welcome Jim Gavin and wish him well. I support Senator Fitzpatrick in any effort to give cash, help and direct involvement to the inner city. She is not wrong about any of that. We need to prioritise it. She is a fearless champion of the inner city.

Senator Aisling Dolan eloquently seconded the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person (Amendment) (Spiking) Bill 2023. She is correct about the "Gaelic in the Joy" programme. It is heart-warming, heart-rending and wonderful to watch. It is a great joint initiative of the GAA stars involved and RTÉ. She made the broader point that it poses the point about the need for a rehabilitative prison system. That is necessary. We are in a happy position in this country now where we can do more on this We definitely need a prison system that is rehabilitative, bringing new empowerment to people, giving them a new focus on their lives and a new confidence, purpose and vision for themselves. Prison should be as much about that as anything else. There has to be the penal dimension sadly but there should be much more focus on rehabilitation. This is an example of how well it works.

I would be in great domestic trouble if I did not support her good wishes to Roscommon on Sunday. I have more than a passing interest there. I am married to a member of an extraordinarily strong GAA family in Roscommon. They are fanatical. Their first love is sport. They live for sport and the GAA. I could not go home if I had not seconded that, in case some of them are watching. They are also very hard-working people so I doubt they are watching, but who knows? In case one of them spotted this, I had better congratulate Roscommon.

If I can move from that happy note to Senator Craughwell, I could not agree with him more. Senator Blaney indicated support as well, regarding Private Seán Rooney and the family. The family should go to the United Nations. I believe the Cathaoirleach indicated that he might take initiatives in that regard too.I totally support Senator Craughwell in this. It should be done. The family should be centre stage here. It is enough to have the tragic loss of Private Rooney without just sending them something in the post. I fully agree with that and it should be done. The Senator is right in drawing attention to the 91 people who lost their lives in defence of the State or in defence of the value of peacekeeping internationally, which is incompatible with the neutrality that was discussed earlier.

The Jadotville issue is very important. In my own village or town of Bailieborough, Sean Gregory, who was a veteran of Jadotville. is recently deceased. He is from a great Army family. His son Tony went on to be a distinguished member of the Army after him. Sean Gregory was one of those people who were forgotten, mistreated and demonised after Jadotville, when in fact they were brave and good soldiers. Senator Craughwell is correct and we should be honouring the people involved in Jadotville and their families in every conceivable way.

My constituency colleague and neighbour, Senator Gallagher, raised the issue of the firefighters. I could not agree with him more. We need to keep them, particularly in these days of labour shortages. One of the happy and unintended consequences of economic success and prosperity is a huge issue with labour shortages. We must make it attractive to be a paramedic or a firefighter, and to be in all of the services which keep us going on a day-to-day basis. We cannot be without our firefighters and there should be reform in general terms to support their wishes. However, there should also be an increase in their pay. Senator Gallagher is right there. I think he has a particular appreciation of the need for the emergency services from his professional background many years ago and I agree with him on that.

Senator Currie is absolutely correct about the car parking at the airport. It is lovely to see people on the move and all of that and it is lovely to have people in that place where they are travelling again. It is shocking and I agree with the Senator that it is bizarre that we are not able to access the 6,000 parking spaces. Senator Currie thinks outside the box. Those of us who work closely with her know that. She is right that the DAA should lease the car park as an interim measure pending all the other things. Certainly, that should be conveyed to the Minister. I suggest the Senator considers tabling a Commencement matter on this so the Minister could come in to answer it specifically.