Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators who contributed.

Senator Kyne rose to speak, as he has done numerous times, about issues pertaining to Inland Fisheries Ireland. He once again requested a debate on the matter. I have requested that debate but have not been successful in securing it with the Minister. The Senator has raised some serious issues relating to governance and equity in how Inland Fisheries Ireland does its business. I hope that his words are being listened to and heard where they need to be. There are questions to be answered. I will again make the request to the Minister to have that discussion. As Senator Kyne pointed out, he is not raising these issues lightly, but because he truly believes that doing so is in the public interest. I concur with those remarks.

Senator Dooley spoke about the “RTÉ Investigates” programme, which I am sure everyone watched last night or has read the reports on. It was shocking to watch the footage that emerged. I am sure we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg with what people managed to catch on video and that there are many other instances that have not been caught. The planning system and planning process have already seen challenges, but people need to trust in the system. We are making considerable changes in terms of the climate agenda and how we do our planning. Senators have consistently raised issues around rural planning and one-off housing, including the challenges in getting homes built. I note from watching the show last night that many of the contributors were, for obvious reasons, very cautious in their language in how they responded to what they had seen. They might have been fearful of ending up in the courts on defamation proceedings, but in this House, I suppose we can say it more as it is. From what I saw last night, there were clear attempts to influence the planning process, not for environmental reasons, but for money and to line one’s pockets. To put it mildly, it was disappointing to see what came out last night.Sometimes developers are painted in a very poor light and generally not fairly so. We need people to build homes, housing estates and housing developments and the fact that a barrier would be put in their way is an issue. The fact that the planning system takes so long to deal with complaints of that nature or with people making observations or submitting objections needs to be addressed because it is a breeding ground for allowing people to be a bit cute in how they approach their objections and how they deal with people who are trying to progress housing projects. I have no doubt there will be a significant reaction from the Minister to what he saw last night. We will request a debate. The Planning and Development Bill has only gone through Second Stage in the Dáil so it will be quite some time before it gets to us. It has to go through Committee Stage in the other House too but I will request a debate on planning in general. At this stage, that debate will not happen before the new year and we will have that big Bill coming through this House next year as well.

The Senator also spoke about GAAGO, as did Senator Lombard and the Cathaoirleach. We are all concerned with the direction in which the GAA is going and disappointed with the number of matches that will be behind a paywall next year, given the significant costs involved. The Tánaiste has strongly expressed his concern that people are being prevented or blocked from watching the national game unless they can pay for it on a pay-per-view basis. The amount of money involved is significant and I am concerned that the GAA might lose the room on this. The initial idea behind GAAGO was to allow people living abroad to watch the game, to keep it alive and to allow the diaspora to have access. That was a really good, well-intentioned endeavour but it seems to have morphed into something else now and there are questions to be answered. It might be an issue for the Oireachtas committee on sport to delve into further.

Senator Clonan spoke about the Snunu family's visa applications. He gave us a really harrowing account of what those three children and their mum are going through. I will write to the Minister to try to get those applications expedited. I do not know why they are taking so long. I do not have any more details other than those put on the record by Senator Clonan but I will link in with him on it afterwards. He also raised the disability Green Paper, which he has done previously in the House, as has Senator Gavan. It is a discussion paper and it is going to be discussed further. I appreciate there are different views on it. Hopefully we will get an opportunity in the new year to have a debate on it and I have requested same with the Minister's office.

Senators Gavan and Black raised the issue of the ongoing conflict in Palestine and in Gaza in particular and the resumption of fighting there. Everybody is completely appalled at what is going on. We had hoped that the ceasefire would be maintained. Indeed, with each extra day there was more hope and it was great to see the release of hostages and of prisoners from Israel. It is a really terrible situation. Our Government has done a good job on this issue to date. Sometimes we have been in the minority at EU level but we are using our voice, as a member state and a small country, to try to advocate for peace. We are a country for peace and we believe in a two-state solution and the right of both the Israelis anfd Palestinians to co-exist peacefully, side by side. I know that seems a long way off right now but we should never lose sight of the fact that as a country we are a voice for peace. The Government's record reflects that position, which is the position of the Irish people.

Senator Dolan spoke about the Parkinson's Association of Ireland and the fantastic work it does. She has also requested a debate with the Minister for agriculture, Deputy McConalogue on the star rating for cattle. I suggest that a Commencement matter might be the wiser option first as the Senator raises quite a specific topic.

Senator Keogan spoke about immigration. I will not get into the details of the comment as there has already been a back and forth with the Chair on it but I have already requested a debate on immigration. It has been requested by Senator Keogan and others in previous weeks and I am hopeful that we can have that debate in the new year. It will not happen before the end of the year but hopefully we will come to it in the new term. There is considerable interest across the House in having a discussion on immigration. It is a big challenge for the State. So far, as a country, we have done a good job although we are not getting everything right. There are huge numbers coming in and we are finding that challenging to deal with because we have a housing crisis as well as an immigration challenge. It is a real challenge for us but overall, as a country, we have responded with humanity, compassion and care. We have done a good job to date in managing exceptional numbers, the likes of which we have never seen before. It is a topic that we will discuss. It is important that middle-ground politicians talk about these issues as well and that we do not leave it to the extremes to have conversations, particularly where there might be a vacuum of information. It is important that facts are given and that we have that discussion in both Houses of the Oireachtas.

Senator Conway spoke about guide dogs being precluded from certain public areas and of the need to remind people that the law states that guide dogs are permitted in all areas.He also spoke about St. Brendan’s secondary school in Killarney and the launch of a toolkit there to allow more people who are visually impaired to participate in PE. He was pleased to launch that with David Clifford and others in Killarney. It sounds like a fantastic toolkit. He spoke about the inclusivity of the school. It was a proud moment for him to attend the school on that occasion.

Senator Currie spoke about issues pertaining to the justice Minister and the Garda. The motion she referenced is a matter for the other House. I concur with the Senator’s remarks that accountability is required across the board and that, sometimes, those in glasshouses should not throw stones.

Finally, Senator Lombard again spoke about the GAA issue, in particular from the Cork aspect. Many of their games appear to be planned to be behind the paywall. He has taken the view that perhaps Cork was selected because it is a big population centre. That might be a matter the sports committee should look at. I think it is in the public interest to have a further debate and get more clarity. Many questions have been asked about the money that is coming in, such as where it is going and why it is needed. Senator Dooley made the important point that many of these sports facilities around the country, as we know, are funded by the State by sports capital. It is important to remember that in the context of making sure people have access to their national game, be that football or hurling.