Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I welcome the decision of the Supreme Court yesterday in the case of Johnny O'Meara and his family, who took what was a very difficult case for them, I am sure, Mr. O'Meara having lost his life partner and the mother of his three children. Unfortunately, the State challenged the case every step of the way and did so again in the Supreme Court at a time when we are preparing to go out to campaign to change what we understand to be the conventional notion of what a family is. I know there is potential for moral hazard and there are other consequences that may flow from this, but it should not be beyond the capacity of the State to ensure that where the loving embrace of a family existed, regardless of whether or not the parents were married, had signed a piece of paper, etc., there could have been a way that would have dealt with that without putting them through what they had to go through. Thankfully, however, they have found justice, and let us hope that others like them will be facilitated. I hope the State does not take the view that the widow's pension should now kick in only from the next point of application, that it should go right back to the beginning in this case. It is not easy for one person on his or her own to raise a family in the struggles and the issues that arise, not just the loss of the other partner.

I also call for a debate in this House, as I have done on a number of occasions, on the issue of immigration and migration. It is the right Chamber for it. I hope we can do so in an open and fair manner. There are real, significant issues out there. The debate is being infiltrated by the hard right, but there are also genuine and real concerns among people that need to be addressed and, unfortunately, some people are jumping to conclusions based on sound bites they are hearing. We have it in this House nearly every week.