Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Members who contributed and welcome the students to the Gallery. I hope they have found their time here to be of interest.

First this morning was Senator Fitzpatrick who raised the ongoing conflict between Israel and the people of Gaza. We are all in agreement with her remarks that what is happening there is abhorrent. It is deeply disappointing, to put it mildly, that Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have refused to agree to a ceasefire. There was great hope that potential agreement for a cessation of hostilities was on the table to get aid to people there. There is a primary role for the United States to step in. Everyone is expecting the US Government to do what it can because clearly very few people will be listened to by the Israeli Government. I appreciate the Americans have made regular visits in recent weeks.

The Senator also raised the ongoing issue of arson attacks, as did Senator Hoey. It is correct to say they are criminal acts and the penalty for committing arson is up to ten years in prison. It is a serious offence, but there can be challenges in finding the perpetrators because of the nature of the crime committed and sometimes the difficulty in gathering evidence. We rely on people with first-hand knowledge to come forward. People will often be aware of what happened and who is responsible. An Garda Síochána is doing everything it can to find the perpetrators of these events. We even see what happened in Kildare when the premises was not even being considered by the Department of integration. It just goes to show the poisonous effect of misinformation on social media and the impact it can have on people's behaviour. We all need to be vigilant for that.

Senator Currie raised the issue of the discourse surrounding immigration and the need to acknowledge that our society and communities have a significant number of migrants and non-Irish people working in our health and ICT sectors, farming and food production and retail. We need that and having a catch-all conversation and putting everything together is disingenuous to the issue.

She also raised the issue of BusConnects and asked for support to get an airport link with Blanchardstown. It has been pushed out to 2025. I suggest the Senator table a Commencement matter in that regard as it is quite a specific question.

Senator Craughwell raised the issue of the Taiwanese airspace and flight paths being closed by the Chinese Government which is regrettable. He also highlighted Ireland's security issues and stated that some would identify Ireland as Europe's weakest link when it comes to security matters.

Senators Gavan, Malcolm Byrne and Joe O'Reilly all raised the issue of the Northern Ireland Executive. They wished First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly the very best as they embark on power sharing after two years of the absence of the Assembly and Executive. It was a historic day and it is good that the democratic mandate delivered by the people two years ago has now been realised. It was quite symbolic to see two women in those positions. They looked genuinely interested in working together for the betterment of the people of Northern Ireland and that is what politics is all about.

Senator Gavan also raised the issue of University Hospital Limerick, as did Senators Maria Byrne and Conway. The challenges are obvious.To have anyone on a trolley is unacceptable, but to hit 150 is unacceptable. We thought we would not see that day happen. It is acknowledged that there has been more investment in University Hospital Limerick than in any other hospital in the country. There have been 1,000 extra staff over the lifetime of this Government. Extra beds have been provided. The Minister has been down there on numerous occasions. There is new management. It is clear for people to see that the Minister is doing everything he can try to resolve the situation. I understand there are difficulties with discharges at the weekend, which is having a knock-on effect. I have no doubt that GP shortages or difficulty accessing GPs, step-down facilities and home care packages has an impact on the numbers presenting to the accident and emergency department who do not need to be there. Whatever is happening, there is a need to try to get it under control. The Minister for Health and the Government are working tirelessly to do that. It is an extremely difficult situation for staff and patients to be in. We all want the matter to be resolved. Every effort is being made to do that.

Senator Malcolm Byrne welcomed the restoration of power-sharing. He drew our attention to a story in the Irish Independentaround GP shortages and has asked for a debate on that issue. He acknowledged that the number of GP training places has been increased under the Government and the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. We have a growing population and the demographics are putting extra pressure on the system. We have an aging population which increases the demand for GPs at a time when we need to get more into the system. While we are increasing the number of and investing in GP services, due to demographics it is difficult to catch up and get ahead. That is a priority for the Minister, Deputy Donnelly.

Senator Maria Byrne spoke about the issue at UHL. I understand she has written a letter to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. As I have said, I am sure he is considering it. I acknowledge the points he made around the emergency situation in Limerick and the need to try to address it quickly and get things under control.

Senator Boyhan drew our attention to a UCD and UCC seminar next week on water safety and quality.

Senator Dolan asked for support for flood relief projects in the Ballinasloe area and acknowledges the difficulties for families in those situations. That is well acknowledged. There might be a lack of insurance because of where people are living. Senator Lombard has raised a similar issue. It is a difficult challenge to resolve, in that we have seen significant adverse weather events and increased levels of flooding in parts of the country where flooding was previously not such a problem. Due to the lack of insurance for those properties, a difficulty is created for Government in terms of how we deal with this going forward. I do not think we will be able to reverse engines in terms of flooding problems. It is a matter for the OPW and the local authority in the area to try to pull together some ideas to deal with the short-term, as well as the medium and long-term, issues. We need to determine how we deal with this in the future and try to assist those families and businesses that have been affected.

Senators O'Donovan and Ward spoke about the Irish basketball team and its game with the Israeli basketball team, and wider issues around the conflict in Gaza. I addressed those at the beginning of my response. I have a great deal of sympathy for the players and team who are just there to play a game and should not be caught up in this conflict. It is not of their making. I have no doubt they will share the same views as us in this House as to what is happening in Gaza and the need for a ceasefire, aid and the release of hostages. It is an appalling indictment of humanity as to what is persisting in that area that we still have not seen a cessation of the conflict.

Senators Hoey and Ward raised the issue of bogus self-employment platforms and the full worker protection that was due to come to those in the gig economy. My understanding is that there has been a disagreement on the wording. There is still a commitment at EU level to deliver on the directive to extend full employee and social protection rights to those working in the gig economy, which has exploded in the past decade. During the Covid period, there was an increase in people working in the gig sector, whether in food delivery or other services. I understand up to 12 member states have a difficulty with the wording of the directive. There is an acceptance that it is unlikely to be included in the term of this European Parliament and will move to the next European Parliament. The focus in member states will now probably turn to June. Overall, there is still a commitment from the Government for a directive in this area. It is important that wording is agreed because even if Ireland agreed to the directive today, there would still be 11 other member states not in agreement. I understand France has been particularly strong in voicing its opposition to the directive. As we know, at a European level, things operate by consensus. There is a bit of work to do yet to get that right and get it over the line. It is something I would support. We have to extend proper workers rights to those in the gig economy and those who are classified as self-employed when they actually are not. I am thinking of taxi drivers, for example, who work for Lynk or FreeNow. It is a new area which has developed and we are still catching up in trying to deal with it and putting the right policy platform and regulations in place.

Senator Lombard spoke about the flooding issues.

Senators Gallagher, Murphy and O'Reilly all wished Dr. Rory O'Hanlon the very best of birthdays as he turned 90 recently. He is a former Minister and Oireachtas Member. I had the pleasure of meeting him recently. He is a lovely man. He is in great health and great spirits and still very much involved in politics at local level. I wish him the very best.

Senator Gallagher also extended his sympathies to the family of former Taoiseach, John Bruton. I want to take the opportunity to extend my sympathies to the family of the former Taoiseach, his friends, community and the Fine Gael Party on the loss of a very distinguished public servant. He gave many years to public life and has clearly left his mark on individual members of his party, many of whom recounted personal phone calls and advice and assistance along their political journeys. It is the mark of a party person and a team player. It is a great credit to him and his family.

Senator Warfield spoke about the licensing laws. It might be worth submitting a Commencement matter to get an update. It is still the intention to bring that Bill through. We have to see reform of our licensing laws. He is correct to point out that very few premises will want to open that late. However, the impact on transport, public safety and public order of having everybody flood out on the streets at the same time is quite obvious. We have to trust that the public will be sensible when there is access to those facilities and those premises beyond midnight or 2 a.m. People should be allowed to socialise a bit later in the night if they want to. I think that Bill will come through but it might be worth submitting a Commencement matter to get an updated position on it.

Senator Conway raised the issue of UHL and the challenge around scoliosis there. It is really difficult to watch the children and families who are still waiting on surgeries and assistance. It is just appalling. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, is doing everything he can to get those surgeries performed. It is very challenging to get the waiting list dealt with because multidisciplinary teams are required. If we need to go beyond our own jurisdiction and purchase services elsewhere to get children seen to and to clear the list, I would certainly support that.

Senator Murphy also raised the issue of forestry's ongoing challenges and what has happened in Scotland. It might also be worth submitting a Commencement matter to deal with this with the Minister of State from this House who has direct responsibility for it. It is posing a challenge in many rural communities in counties Roscommon and Mayo and other parts of the country. There are conflicting policies in that we want to plant more trees because of the climate issue and to reduce our carbon emissions but we also need to be cognisant of doing it in the right way and ensuring that we are not taking up valuable farmland. We need to bring communities with us on this issue. That is the balance we are trying to strike and I am not sure that we are always striking the right balance. However, it is a very worthwhile issue to keep raising on the floor of the House. It is not the first time the Senator has raised the issue.

Senator McGahon raised the issue of apprenticeships and the fact that there is no apprenticeship for tiling. There are particular pinch points in terms of tradespeople. It is difficult to get blocklayers, tilers and plasterers. There is a shortage of those skills. They are essential skills for the building of homes as we try to deliver on Housing for All and increase our housing supply. The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, who has direct responsibility for apprenticeships, has been doing a lot of work over the past four years to increase the number of places and to advertise them. We have seen increased numbers of people coming into apprenticeship programmes. People can see a viable career and future after completing an apprenticeship. It takes a number of years to turn things around and have people coming through who are qualified and ready to work but I take on board the Senator's points.

Senator O'Reilly made an interesting point on the Northern Ireland Assembly being back up and running and the shared island initiative in the Department of the Taoiseach, which was initiated by the Tánaiste. The Senator suggested that we could look at the grading of the sports capital programme and have an element of it that relates to all-island clubs. This is a very interesting proposal. It would certainly be worth raising with the Minister of State with responsibility for sport, Deputy Thomas Byrne. I am sure he would be interested in having a discussion about it. The sports capital programme applications are closed for now. We are in the current cycle so the Minister of State would not be able adjust the current adjudication process. Certainly for the future, it merits being considered. I am sure that he would be keen to have a conversation about it.