Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank those Members who contributed to the Order of Business. First to speak this morning was Senator Fiona O'Loughlin. She welcomed the announcement yesterday by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Jack Chambers, of the summer economic statement, which outlines the budgetary parameters for the upcoming budget in a few months' time. The Senator made the point that the economy has been well managed, there is space to do some work on the budget and that the Government has done a good job in making sure that the public finances are kept in a healthy space.

The Senator also drew our attention to the Grand Canal in Kildare and a pilot project that re-opened a waterway that had not been travelled on for more than 50 years. It is great to see the waterway back up and running. The Senator also raised concerns around legislation coming through for Airbnbs that might prevent some Airbnbs in a rent-pressure zone remaining open. She suggested there might be exemptions made on a case-by-case basis, where appropriate.

Senator Mary Seery Kearney raised the issue of the apartment defects scheme, which she has done on numerous occasions. She was accompanied in the House by Sam and Odette Doran of the Not Our Fault campaign who are in the Gallery. The Senator has asked for an update and more progress because while welcoming the fact that a good scheme has been put in place, extra requirements have been placed on homeowners that were not envisaged at the outset.

Senator Keogan mentioned the UK's Cass review on gender identity services and I concur with the Senator's remarks. I think the review throws up a lot of issues. The UK is often ahead of us in terms of dealing with issues and challenges due to its size of the country and its population. If we can learn from our nearest neighbour in respect of mistakes that they may have made, and changes that they are making to their system, then I think we should do that. I certainly agree that 2026 seems like a very faraway date if we know we have an issue to deal with.It is good that Dr. Cass has stated that puberty blockers should not automatically be prescribed and should not be the first port of call. The consequences of puberty blockers for later in life are significant, severe, life-limiting and life-changing if their prescription is shown not to be the right call. It should not be done lightly.

This is a complex area and I do not pretend to be an expert in it. We are all still learning. However, the protection of children must be paramount. If a body of work has been done over a significant period of time with proper expertise from which we can learn, we should absolutely be learning from it and not repeating the mistakes that have been made elsewhere. There are certainly questions to be asked in this State about how we have dealt with those issues to date. I will certainly request a debate on the matter but it will not happen until the new term because we have a packed agenda for next week with the planning Bill.

Senator Garvey raised concerns about the national planning framework and what she views as the Dublin-centric approach to planning. In her view, all roads still lead to Dublin. She makes a valid point in that there is definitely a deficit of infrastructure in parts of the country, particularly in the west, where Senator Garvey lives, and in the north west, where I live. There is work to be done to bring the infrastructure up to the same level as other parts of the country. That work is under way. There needs to be investment in developing our regions. Providing more balanced development across the country is of benefit to all regions.

Senator Gavan spoke about the bravery of Ms Natasha O'Brien. She has been spoken about in this House on a number of occasions. To her credit, she is a fantastic woman who has done the State and women a great service. I have seen some of the commentary online, which is disturbing and worrying. There is an element of victim blaming and suggestions that she somehow brought the assault on herself, was deserving of it or that there is more to the story. The facts were laid before the courts so we know what happened. The facts are not disputed. Her attacker, the convicted man in question, pleaded guilty. There is no question as to what happened. The Senator is right that there seems to a trend whereby certain people become a part of various negative campaigns. There is definitely a lot of hatred out there. We have to remind ourselves that, thankfully, social media is not real life. However, it is worrying that such online commentary is increasing. For somebody who is the victim of a crime, it is more traumatising to have to read those comments. Thankfully, those people are in the minority in the country but they are a very vocal minority because they have a platform. Social media companies have a significant role to play to moderate their platforms and to ensure that people are safe.

I take on board the points made by the Senator in respect of early years education. We have done a good job of work in the early years sector over the past four years. There have been improvements to pay and conditions. A significant amount of Government funding has gone into the early years sector. There has also been a reduction in the costs to parents. However, we have a long way to go. We were coming from a very low base and are behind the curve in comparison with many EU countries. We have come a good bit of the way but have a long way to go yet.

The issue of the early years sector and the provision of childcare was raised from a different angle yesterday. It is not just about childcare. "Early years education" is the correct term. It would be good to see early years education and childcare provision come under the Department of Education, as opposed to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. There are too many aspects to the latter Department and the issue would fit better within the Department of Education. That is its natural home. I would love to see that movement happen under the next government, whenever it is formed.

There is pressure in respect of places and the turnover of staff in the sector. It is a predominantly female profession and has been undervalued for a long time. That is changing. There has been acknowledgement from the Government that the job is crucial to the education of our children and young people. It will take time to increase the remuneration of employees in that sector but it is on the way. I would like for it to happen at an accelerated pace to try to deal with the level of turnover. I made the point yesterday that I would also like to see more support for parents who would like to stay at home and mind their children. I would like for that to become a viable choice and not only for those who have the money to do so. We know that for financial reasons, it is not an option for some people. It is about parental choice and ensuring that we maintain staff in the sector to provide that choice for children and parents.

Senator O'Donovan asked for a debate on Uisce Éireann. We will look at that in the new term. The Senator raised concerns about the capacity of Uisce Éireann to deal with increasing demand and the job it has to facilitate the development and building of houses. That is an important body of work that must be done for the State. It is important that there is financial support available and that Uisce Éireann has the capacity and resources to deliver what is needed.

Senator Lombard asked for a debate on an age-friendly public transport service. He said that a lot of information is available online but that is not always accessible to the more mature members of our society.

Senator Craughwell raised concerns about the search and rescue contract, the preparedness of Bristow and the time being made available to the crew coming in. I take on board the Senator's comments in that regard.

Senator Gallagher raised an interesting point. I was not aware that the reimbursement under the cross-border healthcare directive for cataract surgery has been halved, as of 1 July. That is concerning. People are accessing healthcare services in the North because the waiting lists here are still too long for those key surgeries. A reduction of €800 is significant for somebody who has to pay for themselves. They were probably still paying a little bit anyway when €1,900 was available. The Senator might consider it worthwhile to prepare a Commencement matter on that point to try to get some more information and detail as to why that decision was made and the reasoning and evidence behind it.

Senator Clonan welcomed Nikki Bradley to the House. I had the pleasure of meeting her outside the Chamber and it is great to see her in Leinster House. I take on board the point the Senator made. There are many good things happening in our health service and we deliver well in some areas. We have the longest life expectancy in Europe. We are living longer. There are many good things. We have done well in respect of cancer care and cardiac and stroke issues. However, when it comes to paediatric care, we are falling short on the scoliosis issue. It is not just the Minister of Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, who has tried to work in that regard. Previous Ministers for Health promised to end waiting lists. I do not know what we are finding difficult to deal with. I understand it is difficult to get the surgeons required to do this work because it is so complex. At this stage, children must be prioritised and their healthcare must come first. I am not aware of the detail of the case of the two-year-old about whom the Senator spoke. If what he said on the floor of the House is what happened, it is absolutely appalling.