Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The first person to speak was Senator Ardagh who congratulated Senator Carrigy, as did most Members this morning, on the fantastic achievement by the Oireachtas, which was really driven by Joint Committee on Autism chaired by Senator Carrigy, and other colleagues as well, in particular, Senator Ardagh, who put much work into educating all of us on the importance of being more inclusive as a Parliament and leading the way in being one of the first parliaments to become autism friendly. I know from conversations with Senator Carrigy that he put in a good bit of work behind the scenes in getting people to participate in that training. As everyone is very busy and there is lots going on, to get people to take that time out to do that hour of training was of huge benefit. The numbers came through in the end with which I am delighted. It was a lovely email to get from the Oireachtas that we had achieved that accolade. Well done to all involved. It is nice to see that work has paid off and will benefit people. It will make us more inclusive and thoughtful of others as we continue with our work in here. Buzzing around the place as we often do, it is important to stop and reflect on how we interact with other people. Well done on that. It is lovely to hear so many colleagues across the House acknowledge the work that was and the contribution. As it does not happen every day, it is nice to see that as well. It shows the collegiality of the House, which is very important.

Senator Ardagh also spoke about something that is not so new now but that is becoming more prolific, which is the use of the buy now, pay later option. We see it in many fast fashion websites and the likes of Amazon and these places. It allows people to rack up bills that they think they can pay at the time and maybe will not be able to pay. It is something for the Central Bank of Ireland and Department of Finance to look at. The Senator rightly pointed out the level of scam text messages, which have reached levels whereby it is making it difficult for genuine text messages to come through from organisations. People do not know what to believe or trust. It is an ongoing challenge. We have done a good job to date and people are very alert. Even older people are more alert now to what might be coming through. The best way we can protect people is through education and dialogue and by highlighting that these are just part and parcel of life now. However, the Senator is right in saying that the banks need to do their best to protect customers where scams do manage to break through.

Senator Carrigy asked for a debate around forestry, which I will request. Obviously, the Minister with responsibility is a Member of this House so we will see if we can get the debate through on that. It is an ongoing challenge and a big issue in rural areas. As we are not hitting the numbers we would like to hit, we just need to keep a watching brief on that.

Senator Clonan proposed an amendment to the Order of Business, which was seconded by Senator Craughwell, which I will not be accepting today. I note the points raised by the Senator, however. I also want to acknowledge the point he made around changing space in the Oireachtas. We are always fighting for space in here, but we have to prioritise what is important. That should be dealt with by the facilities unit. There are spaces available that could be repurposed to facilitate what the Senator is asking for. We have to lead now and speak with actions following on from what we just achieved with the Joint Committee on Autism. I also share the Senator's desire to see the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities fully ratified. We all have to push for that to happen. It is regrettable that it has not been done to date but work is under way. It is about keeping it on the agenda and continuing to raise it, which the Senator always does.

Senator Wall spoke about the NTA and the development that came through in the last couple of hours whereby we will see a reduction in fares, which is a good news story for the many thousands of people commuting from those areas. I acknowledge the work done by this Government overall in terms of reducing fares. We reduced fares by 20% for all commuters right across the country back in 2022. We have just seen the extension of the student and young persons travel card up to the age of 26 with a 50% reduction in fares. People can now get a train from Mayo to Dublin for €8.80, which is fantastic value. Therefore, we are doing a lot of work to make rail travel and commuting more affordable for all our citizens, not just those who commute every day but even those right across the country and down the west and people further afield who might be making trips to the capital or other towns for school or medical appointments. It is also about getting to the younger generation and creating good habits. If people start using a train in their late teens and early 20s to get to school or college or work, they are more likely to continue that habit into later years and hopefully leave the car at home a little bit more. It is part of the bigger picture in terms of encouraging use of public transport and, obviously, the investment in public transport and getting the level of service we would like to have. That will always be an ongoing challenge because there is money attached to that and it costs money to do it. It can be seen that this Government is prioritising that, however. The Department is to be commended on that work. I welcome those fare reductions.

I take on board the point the Senator raised about the M7 and N7. It is not a nice space to travel through when trying to get to and from work and many people are stuck in long commutes. We saw recent data published a few days ago that shows the average commute is getting longer in terms of hours spent in the car. We need to do more to get that time down because that is impacting on family life, work-life balance and people's mental health. It is an ongoing challenge. We are going in the right direction but it takes investment and time. It takes local public representatives to keep raising local services to get them on the map, so everyone is playing their part.

Senator Malcolm Byrne spoke about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine perpetrated by Russia's illegal invasion and asked for a debate on same. It is really important that we keep that issue top of the agenda. With what is happening in the Middle East, to an extent, what is happening in Ukraine is not getting the same level of coverage. People's capacity is limited in terms of what they can take in and consume in terms of the news cycle.It is important that we continue to talk about that issue. We will request a regular and ongoing debate on it. I take on board the point the Senator very eloquently made on the use of language when it comes to talking about migration and immigration and how we deal with refugees and asylum seekers. He referred to a point made by a local secondary teacher in his area that young people and children who have come here from other countries do not feel safe. That is regrettable. It is something about which we have to be very mindful. I have requested a debate in the House on migration, because it has been requested by lots of Members, even before Christmas, and I anticipated that it would come up again. We are seeking such a debate. The request has gone in but I just have not been give a date yet. I am sure that we will get a debate. That will allow us to air a number of issues that have come up and will continue to come up as we try to manage this ongoing challenge but do so in a humanitarian manner as well and make sure that we do things in the right way for all citizens.

Senator Kyne welcomed the opening of Dexcom in Athenry and the creation of 1,000 new jobs in that area, which will service the region. It was a really good news day and fantastic to see high-quality jobs coming to the west and Galway. The Senator is correct that people will travel from counties Roscommon and Mayo to work for that company as well. He is also correct about the investment in the area and in road infrastructure and the links with Connacht Rugby. All of that lends itself to making it a prime location for businesses to locate and to provide good quality jobs. While the region is still in transition and we are still looking to do more, it is clear that there is a desire by lots of companies to locate in the west, not just because of the educated workforce but also the work-life balance and the quality of life offered to employees. I am sure it is one of many good news stories we will see happen in the future. I wish the company and those who will work there well.

I reiterate my support also for what the Senator said about the importance of extending the western rail corridor to allow people who get a job in the company or those who want to work there to get a train from Mayo to Galway for work. That is something we should aspire to deliver in the short term because it has been sought for a long time.

Senator Craughwell seconded the amendment tabled by Senator Clonan. I disagree with him that we are abusing the democratic process in that regard, but we can agree to disagree. We did have three and a half hours of a debate previously and we have four hours scheduled for it today. I am confident that we will get through the amendments. Considerable time has been provided for debate - far more than was allocated in the other House. The right of Members to speak is certainly being facilitated.

The Senator also made some comments about the referendum Bill. That was well debated yesterday. There will be plenty of debate beyond these Houses on the two referenda on 8 March. Everyone will get a chance to have their say when we go to the polls on 8 March.