Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach and all the Members who raised issues. Senator O'Loughlin spoke about the Defence Forces, as did Senator McDowell and others, and commended the bravery, exceptional professionalism and skill displayed off the coast of Cork yesterday. What may have looked, from the footage, like an easy operation was far from it. In treacherous conditions, they managed to land on the ship and get hold of that large consignment of drugs, which, as somebody noted earlier on the radio, would have brought years of misery, given the quantity. I commend them on their work. I believe they mobilised within hours, and were on site and had the task completed within less than two hours. It was a phenomenal operation, assisted by the Air Corps and the Naval Service, with Revenue and the Defence Forces involved as well. It was a day to proud of and it was the first time the Army Ranger Wing was deployed in our own jurisdiction, so it was a remarkable day.

Nevertheless, it brought to the fore the ongoing challenges in the Defence Forces. As Senator McDowell and others highlighted, the fact only two of the eight naval ships we do have can be manned is a problem for us. Potentially, we are the weak link for attempts to get drugs into Europe from South America. Our maritime waters are five times larger than our land territory, so we have a lot of waters to police and secure. It is important that, as a State, we do that because it protects our citizens and State assets and is also a part of our role as a member state. Yesterday’s operation, therefore, brings to the fore the ongoing challenges, which the Tánaiste is very much focused on addressing.

Senator O'Loughlin also welcomed the establishment of the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency under the Department of Justice. I commend the Minister on her work in that area. She has done considerable work on the issue of violence against women and domestic violence, which is to be commended, and the establishment of the agency was long overdue. The Senator also called for funding for infrastructure in Newbridge in the upcoming budget.

Senators Mullen, Malcolm Byrne and McDowell spoke about staffing issues in higher education. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science will come before the House next Wednesday for a discussion on both that issue and student accommodation, which was raised yesterday. We need to heed the warnings now and try to put in place a plan to address those challenges.

Senator Gavan spoke about housing, as he often does. It is an ongoing challenge. The homelessness figures are nothing to be proud of and we are all deeply concerned about them. In the three years the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has been in office, he has been radical and transformative with the schemes he has brought in and the level of investment in housing. During his tenure, he has done his best to increase the number of completions and commencements, which has happened. There has been an increase in the population and disruptions to supply chains and construction was closed. There have been a lot of exceptional challenges over the past three years and despite that, houses and homes are being delivered. Notwithstanding that, there are significant challenges in terms of the homelessness figures and those on the housing waiting lists, which is a top priority for all of the Government to address. I take on board the points raised about University Hospital Limerick. I have requested a debate with the Minister for Health and we will, I hope, get a debate with him as soon as possible on both that issue and on the winter plan, which was requested yesterday.

Senator Lombard spoke about a bus service from Kinsale to Cork. I am not familiar with the details of that issue but my understanding is the NTA is the best place to get information, as opposed to the Minister for Transport, regarding bus stops because that is where I have previously got such information. Nevertheless, I am sure the Minister will assist where appropriate. The Senator also asked for a debate on agriculture with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, which I have requested, in the context of the impact on crops and grain from the inclement weather.

Senator Malcolm Byrne spoke about the issue of deepfakes and misinformation, a big challenge that will be a concern for all parties and Independents going into elections next year and beyond. We will certainly request a debate with the Minister and I support the Senator's call for the establishment of a select committee. As is the case in the establishment of any of these committees, however, it is about resourcing and getting staff and a secretariat to establish it, but perhaps we can discuss how we might get that moving.

Senator Kyne requested a debate on Inland Fisheries Ireland and referred to challenges, as he has done on many occasions to his credit. I cannot answer the question, and people will draw their own conclusions, as to why a post was advertised at a more senior level with no educational requirements, while a less senior post did have educational requirements. It is possible that the position has been earmarked for somebody and the criteria being advertised may have been drafted to suit the person who may be in mind for the job. I certainly hope that is not the case, and if there is any evidence to support those types of practices, any such organisation should reflect on that because it does not create a level playing field or give an equal opportunity to people to apply for those roles, for which everybody should have an opportunity to apply should they meet the qualifying criteria that would usually pertain to a role. That is something to keep an eye on and Senator Kyne has done a good job at highlighting the ongoing challenges there.

Senator Keogan asked for a debate on housing. We will try to get a debate with the Minister as soon as possible. It was raised by a number of Senators both yesterday and today. On the ongoing challenges, I would take a more positive view, in that we have to believe we can solve the problem. If we move to a space where we say the issue can never be solved in our lifetime, that would be a poor place for politics to be in. It is the job of the Government to find solutions and be inventive as to how we can solve this problem because people depend on our delivering solutions in housing.

Senator Blaney highlighted the call from the Northern and Western Regional Assembly for the north west to be classified by the European Commission as a region in transition and the need to invest positively in the area to bring it on to a par with other regions. I certainly agree with his remarks.

Senator Boylan spoke about energy bills and those falling into difficulty. This is a concern for the Government and, in the previous budget, considerable assistance was given not just to those receiving social welfare payments, with increases in the fuel allowance, but also through a universal payment in the form of energy credits. Energy prices were acknowledged by the Government as a challenge for all households, and it was dealt with in the budget, with significant funding put in to support households. In the feedback I received, while I cannot speak for everyone else, people appreciated that that had been acknowledged and that money had been put there to support people. The same will be done in this budget. I do not have the details of the budget, given it is being drafted the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, but there will be support for households in meeting energy costs.The Government has acknowledged that is an ongoing concern for most households, not just people on social welfare, who are the most vulnerable, but also middle-income workers. Many people who are working, and households where two people are working, are still finding it difficult. It is important that we look after as many as possible and extend that support as far as we possibly can.

I take on board the points on the cost of renewables. In fairness to this Government and Minister, there has been a significant focus on renewables in the past three years. We have moved quite fast in terms of wind energy but we are catching up. More should have been done over the past decade in terms of wind energy and renewables. We are trying to catch up a little bit on that. I do not think anybody can doubt the current Minister's passion and belief in renewables and putting policies in place to support that. The ambition or aspiration for the country is that we could be a net exporter of and world leader in wind energy. We have the capability to do that. The west and north west is the windiest part of Ireland. The technology is not quite there yet for offshore floating technology, but it is on the way and has been used in other parts of the world. We will get there with that, but there are challenges and it is costly. That is the direction in which we are going.

I take on board the point made by Senator McDowell about the Defence Forces being a constitutional force and that there is a duty on Government to support the Defence Forces. We will request a debate with the Minister on that.

Senator Maria Byrne welcomed the Garda station for Castletroy. There have been challenges in that area over a longer period. It is great to see that acknowledge and I hope it will be delivered without much delay.

Senator Gallagher welcomed the work by the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers on its seller's pack. I want to commend Senator Davitt and Deputy MacSharry, who will table proposed legislation in the Dáil next week or the week after.

Senator Boyhan spoke about the legislative programme. I looked through it. Senator Carrigy will be interested to hear that we have always made it very clear to the Chief Whip's office that we are open for business and would love to see more Bills starting out in the Seanad. That is not a difficulty on our side. Where a request is made, it is acceded to. I will certainly relay the point to the Chief Whip, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, that we will be quite happy to take more Bills through here. There is a busy schedule of work ahead for both Houses for the autumn session. It was good to see the work programme outlined in the document that was circulated earlier today.

Senator McGahon spoke about excise duty increases and challenges on the Border, which he articulated very well.

Senator Black spoke about underpaid criminal barristers. Many of us attended the briefing by the Bar Council this morning. It is looking for pay restoration. Barristers are the only element of the criminal justice system that have not received pay restoration. The point was made that when they are in the courtroom, the judges, the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, the Courts Service staff and the Garda members have received pay restoration, but a barrister is the only person in the room who has not. My view is that they have been patient, reasonable and measured. They are not looking for pay restoration to happen in one go; rather, they want a process initiated where it can happen over time. Barristers are entitled to have that process outlined to them and costs provided. I have contacted the Minister for Justice to get some details on that because, as Senator Black said, the Minister has outlined her support for that, as have the DPP and the Department of Justice. The ask is now for the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to fund that and get it started. The strike next Tuesday is unprecedented, however. It will cause disruption to criminal justice matters across the country. That is the intention of a strike, otherwise it will not be noticed. Barristers are where they are, having exhausted all other avenues and they did not take this decision lightly. My understanding is that they have alerted all stakeholders involved in trial processes and other arrangements. Everybody is on notice of what is happening next week. Barristers have been very conscious of that. I want to put on the record my support for their campaign. It is to be hoped the Minister will have a plan in place to deal with the issue without further delay.

Senator Eugene Murphy spoke about the N5 bypass for Ballaghaderreen, a welcome announcement from the Minister yesterday. There will be huge investment in the area. The road is way below par and is not the standard one would expect of a national route. I welcome the €450 million investment for the area. Senator Carrigy also welcomed the announcement. It is important for the region. Those of us who are on those roads know very well the difficulty in getting through them. There are also challenges with the Longford-Mullingar bypass in terms of upgrading roads to the standard they need to be for today. That is important.

Senator Carrigy spoke about ECCE providers. At a meeting with the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party yesterday, the Minister was constructive. The point being raised, which many of us in the House would agree, is that the core funding was intended to reduce fees for parents, which it has done. We achieved that as a Government, in that fees have come down by 25% this year and more will be done in the next budget. That is to be commended and the Minister is to be commended on his work in that regard over the past three years. He has done tremendous work in the space of childcare and there has been record investment, along the lines of €400 million, in that three-year period. However, core funding, as the Minister has said, is designed to support capacity. That means larger providers get a greater share of core funding, to the disadvantage of smaller providers. The point I and many others made yesterday was that in rural parts of the country, and smaller towns and villages, the only show in town is a smaller provider. We do not have the Giraffes or other chains in such parts of the country. A one-size-fits-all approach will cause problems. The message was received and the Minister understood the challenges in that regard. It would be a sad day to think that the childcare sector in the country would not have smaller providers. They have been the backbone of childcare for many years and do fantastic work. Their early intervention work, which has not yet been fully recognised, involves smaller providers spotting children who need early intervention such as speech and language or occupational therapies. They play a fantastic role. There is an acceptance that we have come a long way as a country in terms of childcare and have done fantastic work. We have a long way to go yet. In attempting to retrofit what is a private system and make it public, and make it look and operate like a public system, there will be challenges. Smaller providers feel that they need more support. A lot of the larger providers are doing quite well and are quite happy. We need to make some changes. That is achievable and doable.

The protesters yesterday are to be commended for the manner in which they demonstrated. It was in stark contrast to what happened last week. They were courteous, respectful, engaging and polite. They were a pleasure to go out and meet and engaged with those of all parties and none. It was a fantastic demonstration on how to make your voice heard and protest at the Houses of the Oireachtas. We want to thank them for that, and for the respect that was shown across both sides.