Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Perhaps the length of the Order of Business has been somewhat impacted by the Tánaiste's comments yesterday and the Taoiseach's comments this morning, which have sent Members flying to constituencies to start knocking on doors. It is not surprising in some ways. Mr. Maloney and the Canadian delegation are very welcome to the Chamber. It is lovely to have them here and to hear the history that has been outlined by Senator Daly, our Leas-Chathaoirleach, of the long-standing connection between Canada and Ireland and the friendship we have. My sister lives in Vancouver and my other sister is just back from Vancouver, having lived there for a number of years. There are very close connections between Canada and the Irish people. The members of the delegation are most welcome. I hope they enjoy their visit to the Houses of the Oireachtas. I am sure they have other meetings today as well. I hope they enjoy the hospitality for which Ireland is quite famous.

I wish to make one slight adjustment or correction to the Order of Business: No. 3, Family Courts Bill 2022 - Report and Final Stages, will be taken at 11.45 a.m. and No. 4, Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024 - Second Stage will begin directly thereafter at 12.45 p.m.

I thank both Senators for their contributions here this morning. Senator Mary Fitzpatrick extended sympathies to the family of Liam Payne, the One Direction artist. It is really shocking and I believe there was a lot of pressure online in recent times. We do not know the full details but we extend our condolences and sympathies to his family, his child and all of his community.

Senator Fitzpatrick also spoke about the ongoing work of our Minister for Defence, the Tánaiste, Deputy Martin, in relation to the Irish UNIFIL troops who are serving in Lebanon in very precarious and dangerous circumstances between Lebanon and Israel. We know from the Minister for Defence that there is an ongoing, continuous assessment of the situation on the ground there. Obviously, Irish troops have been there for decades. It is one of the longest-standing posts to which we send troops. It is obviously of deep concern to families here. Other members of our Defence Forces are waiting to travel to UNIFIL locations as part of their work. Our thoughts are with the families and those serving right now in UNIFIL. It is utterly disgraceful to see the Israel Defense Forces firing on UNIFIL sites. It is a flagrant breach of international law. It demonstrates that there is somebody at the helm of the Israeli Government who is intent on doing whatever he wants and likes without adhering to international law, to which we all have to adhere. If the rules are broken by one country, where is the incentive for others to abide by the rules that we hold very dear? I am thinking particularly of the values we hold here such as the rule of law, the protection of human rights and democracy.I wish our troops well as they continue in very perilous conditions with UNIFIL.

The Senator also spoke about the rise in house prices. We have had recent reports and the rise in past few months has been quite significant. The Senator is right to point out that there have been significant Government supports to assist people getting on the property ladder, particularly first-time buyers. There are very targeted supports, such as the first home scheme and the help-to-buy scheme which have helped and continue to help many thousands of people to get their first home. That is very important. The additional funding made available to the Land Development Agency in the recent budget is evidence of this Government's strong commitment to continue to build homes and to deliver on housing. It is a top priority for the Government.

Senator Keogan spoke about the Irish Penal Reform Trust and overcrowding in prisons. It is a significant issue. Almost all our prisons, particularly our women's prisons, are way above capacity, meaning that conditions are poor. This can be dangerous not just for the inmates but also for the Prison Service staff working in those prisons. It is really important that the capacity is adhered to and that overcrowding is addressed.

I recall two visits to Mountjoy with colleagues from the House. We met with the governor who has worked on the front line of the Prison Service for many years. He made the very interesting point that people coming in and spending less than a year in prison often - I am slightly paraphrasing - do not really rehabilitate during that period. There is no access to services during that period. We are sending people back out into the community. What are the chances that they will not reoffend or that there is an improvement in the situation for society? That needs to be looked at.

There is no point bringing people in on a constant rotation where there is no benefit to society if it is just a continuing revolving door of people coming in and out. It is important that we address overcrowding but we also need to look at the benefits to society around how we deal with people who are breaking the law. Rehabilitation is part of it. Ultimately, we want to stop people reoffending because if they reoffend there are more victims. It makes sense to try to prevent that from happening. People going out on early release is a particularly sensitive area because we always have to think about the victims of those crimes and how that works in that context. That needs to be considered.

A Leas-Chathaoirligh, I am conscious that another Member has come into the Chamber. Given the short Order of Business we have had, I am happy to take the Member's contribution before I conclude if that is acceptable.