Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the establishment of the special committee on autism, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion regarding the establishment of the special committee on international surrogacy, to be taken on conclusion of No. 1, without debate; No. 3, Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person (Amendment) (Stalking) Bill 2021 – Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 1 p.m., and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 1.45 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by Government; No. 4, Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 [Dáil] – Second Stage, to be taken at 2 p.m., and to conclude at 4 p.m., with the opening contribution of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes each and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes each and the Minister to be given not less than five minutes to reply to the debate; No. 97, motion 2, motion regarding the Uyghur tribunal, to be taken at 4 p.m. and notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, to conclude at 5.30 p.m., if not previously concluded; and No. 5, Private Members' business, Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Bill 2022 – Second Stage, to be taken at 5.45 p.m. with time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours.

Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to discuss the judicial reviews taken against the Galway city outer ring road. This road has been promised to Galway for decades. In that time, every other major Irish city and even smaller cities have developed their road network, while Galway has not. These judicial reviews will now further delay what has already been a ridiculously long process to get to this stage. It is essential that these reviews are carried out with urgency. It is extremely disappointing to see Green Party representatives support these reviews and advocate against the ring road.

The ring road, as we all know, is part of the programme for Government. The document was negotiated by three parties, none of which got everything it wanted. It is not appropriate for members of a party in government to advocate against projects which form part of the programme for Government. If such projects were a deal breaker, the time to raise them was two years ago.

As everybody knows, traffic is now so bad in Galway that I am aware of companies, when deciding where to set up, choose other cities largely based on traffic congestion. The lack of a bypass has damaged the local economy to a significant degree, already. I fully support public transport and cycling and agree there is room for improvement in infrastructure in those areas, but the simple fact is that Galway city's population will increase considerably over the coming years and is estimated to be in excess of 120,000 in ten years' time.

Our road network is incapable of handling the current level of traffic and with the population growth of 50% or more, it will be completely inadequate. Galway's current poor road infrastructure is a disservice to the people of the region, a major threat to the regional economy and considerable risk to the future and development of the region, especially as a lead region in the west.

Given the importance of the project, not just to Galway city, but to the entire region, including the 40,000 people living in Connemara and the tens of thousands of tourists who visit our region every year, I hope these judicial reviews will be carried out quickly to allow this project to move on, as quickly as possible.

I ask the Leader to request the Minister for Transport to come before this House immediately to indicate his full support for the Galway city outer ring road, as was given two years ago in the programme for Government.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I too would like to raise the issue of the Galway city ring road. I have supported this project and its precursor, the Galway city bypass, for all of my political career. It is regrettable that two judicial reviews have been lodged as of now, with perhaps more to come. The one from Galway city race committee makes clear that the committee supports the road but has issues with the planning conditions, although it is still regrettable that an application for a judicial review was lodged.

The Galway transport strategy is supported by both local authorities in Galway, the city and county councils. Indeed, it was supported by Galway County Council unanimously. The strategy involves a range of measures being put in place to support public transport, including a new quality bus corridor through the grounds of the hospital, up University Road and through the Salmon Weir, use of which by private vehicles will be restricted. A range of measures under BusConnects have been committed to, including on the Dublin Road and elsewhere. A number of greenway projects are also included in the strategy but are in limbo in terms of final consent. Hopefully, yesterday's Supreme Court decision on the south Kerry greenway will act as a driver and incentive to develop and allow planning applications to be lodged for greenways across the country, including from Galway city to Moycullen and Oughterard.

It is a source of regret that judicial reviews have been lodged, although it is not surprising. Unfortunately, in this country at the moment, we have a high level of judicial reviews for everything. It has become a bit of an industry which is regrettable. I certainly welcome the decision of the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Peter Burke, to consider and reform the planning laws in a range of areas, including housing and critical infrastructure.

As we talk about alternatives to roads, we have to also look at the fare structures on buses. The adult daily return fare from Carna or Carraroe to Galway city is €20, for example. One can get to Dublin for less than that. That is not an incentive to use public transport. I welcome the initiative that has been put in place by my Green Party colleagues to provide reduced fares for students but we have to look at expanding that if we are serious about encouraging people to use buses as an alternative. That accepted, the Galway city ring road is vitally important to the people of Galway, the development of the city and quality of life. I hope that quick decisions can be made.

Finally, in this day and age, the use of cash and coins is greatly reduced but on toll roads in many different parts of the country there are coin-only toll booths and one cannot swipe a card. Perhaps we could write to TII or the operators of the toll booths to ensure that all booths have facilities to tap a card.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I want to raise the issue of the divestment of schools. The debate has sprung up again about the divestment of schools in this country, that is, schools removing themselves from the patronage of the Catholic Church. This debate has been springing up every now and again for the past few years, often when there is a slow news day.

As of 2021, of the national total of 3,126 standard schools, 88% had Catholic patrons, 5.7% were controlled by the Church of Ireland, 1% were controlled by other religious organisations while 5.4% were not affiliated with any particular religion. In 2018, the then Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, set up the oddly named "school reconfiguration for diversity" process to facilitate transfers of existing schools from religious patronage to that of secular bodies. Since then only 12 primary schools have taken up this offer, although more multi-denominational schools have been established or sanctioned than divested.

The programme for Government commits to achieving at least 400 multi-denominational schools by 2030 to improve parental choice. How does the Minister plan to achieve this? This House would be a good place for a debate on this issue. The transfer of patronage happens on a school-by-school basis, based on dialogue between the local bishop and the local State-run education and training board, ETB. This means that divestment only occurs where there is an actual grassroots call for it from parents in an area. Effecting change only where change is asked for will never allow the State to hit its target. The obvious way forward is a centralised consultation between the Minister and her Department and representatives of the ETBs and the Catholic bishops and archbishops, in tandem with localised surveys carried out by each school of families in its catchment area. These surveys would determine what groups want and what solution fits best.

I would love to see more diversity in schooling in Ireland. I am sure the Islamic Foundation of Ireland would love to be patron of more schools for Muslim children. There must be also be a desire among Hindu, Jewish or Orthodox residents in Ireland to see their beliefs reflected in schooling too. Maybe then we could have truly Catholic schools under a less thinly spread patronage and these too would be in high demand. A national survey carried out as recently as 2019 showed that 78% of parents supported the continued role of the Catholic Church in shaping the ethos of their children's school, with 9% saying that the church should have a much more active role. These parents want schools to reflect their beliefs as well.

I ask that the Minister for Education be invited to the House for a serious conversation on divestment and how the Department is planning to take religion out of our schools, while allowing those who want to have religion in schools to participate in that way.

Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party)
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I welcome the Acting Leader. I find myself in a situation where I disagree with all three previous speakers and I do not even know where to start.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Start at the beginning.

Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party)
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Business as usual seems to be the order of the day for the previous speakers. I have long said that I am against the Galway ring road, not because I am against all roads but because we are in the middle of a climate crisis. This is an old solution and new roads on this kind of scale have not been shown to reduce congestion. In fact, they lead to more congestion as we get more sprawl. That said, the attacks on the justice system in relation to judicial reviews by Senator Kyne's party colleague, the Minister of State Deputy Peter Burke, who said that judicial reviews are a moneymaking racket or words to that effect are unwarranted. The parties that take these reviews are often charities. They do it because they are entitled to do so and we should not prevent them from doing so. In fact, we will get to a better planning system if we take these reviews seriously and go through the process. The reason for the increase in judicial reviews is poor planning law, such as the strategic housing development provisions which are now ended. That is what the increase in the last few years was about.

Galway is not like other cities in this country. It does not have large cities on either side of it. A road that would probably cost around €1 billion is oversized for the problem. It is the lack of investment by my colleague's parties - there are Galway Senators sitting on either side of me - over the last couple of decades in anything else that is the problem. They have promised the people of Galway something they have failed to deliver but they have also failed to deliver in areas like public transport. That is where we need to be looking. Only 8% of people in Galway are using bus corridors at the moment. We need to roll those out and we also need to roll out BusConnects and Connecting Ireland.

Where I would agree with Senator Kyne is in relation to the cost of public transport. I would love to see the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, looking at reducing the cost of public transport overall as one of the measures to address the cost of living. We have a couple of crises at the moment. One is the cost of living crisis and another is the climate crisis. We have to deal with both. We have to be serious and not just have business as usual. That is what I am hearing all around me. People are not prepared to take the necessary measures. We have Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors in Galway who are against a temporary cycle lane in Salthill bringing forward a motion next Monday. It seems to be one thing after the other when it comes to these two parties denying that we have to move forward and deal with this crisis.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I raise the issue of childcare workers. The most recent SIPTU survey was quite shocking. It was an extensive survey of 10% of workers in the sector. Some 66% of childcare workers earn less than the living wage. Perhaps more shocking is the fact that managers are paid less than €15 an hour in many cases. Some 42% of managers earn less than €15 an hour. Imagine how hard it is to be a manager in a childcare or early education centre. That is all we are paying them. That tells me the model is fundamentally flawed. Sinn Féin has been arguing for several years that we need a new, State-led model of childcare and early learning. One in five workers in the childcare sector works a second job. That is a shocking statistic. That is the reality and it is because they are so poorly paid. That is before I even mention the thousands who must sign on every summer because they are let go. This has been going on for years.

I declare an interest. I am a SIPTU member who worked on the original Big Start campaign. That is one of the reasons I am so passionate about this matter. I have met many of these workers and I know how poorly paid they are and how insecure their contracts are. There will, hopefully, be some progress this year in terms of establishing a sectoral employment order. I hope that happens quickly. Most of those people have no pension or sick pay. How can that be acceptable in 2022?

The more fundamental point I want to make is the following. The big theme this week is the cost of living. Sinn Féin put forward a proposal costed by the Department of Finance last October to reduce the cost of childcare by one third this year and by one third next year by moving to a State-run early years childcare model. That is a radical proposal and would not please everybody but it is the right thing to do. We talked about setting up a sustainability and capacity fund. It was costed by the Department of Finance at €86.1 million. A full year would cost €167.85 million. That could significantly reduce the cost of childcare for hard-pressed families. Anyone who listened to "Morning Ireland" earlier heard mothers talking about how expensive childcare is and how they are struggling with the cost of living. Rather than piecemeal efforts to address the cost of living, why not adopt a radical proposal to develop a State-led childcare sector? That is what the workers in the sector are crying out for. This time next year, will those workers have pensions, sick pay and a living wage? If not, why? Surely our priorities must start with those workers who do incredibly important work.

I am asking the Deputy Leader to organise a debate on this issue as a matter of urgency. Let us have a debate so we can move this conversation forward and ensure justice for childcare workers so we do not have to endure another depressing SIPTU survey this time next year.

Annie Hoey (Labour)
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I rise to argue for the need of students to be prioritised in Government discussions on the cost of living. Students have been at the coalface of the rental crisis for years with some now paying into the thousands or, even more tragically, living in homelessness while trying to get their qualifications. I was glad to hear that the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, will bring proposals to the Cabinet on the cost of fees but we must be honest and say that the road ran out a long time ago on the funding crisis in higher education. The Cassells report, published in 2016, which I have mentioned before in this Chamber, has provided us with a pathway for an education system that is fully publicly funded and free at the point of entry. It is beyond time we implemented those recommendations.

Furthermore, while the Government considers how to mitigate the cost of living, it is worth remembering that students are some of the most poorly paid workers in Ireland and usually occupy seasonal and precarious jobs. I will not even go into what that sector has looked like over the past two years. My colleague, Deputy Nash, rightly spoke yesterday about the need for a living wage in Ireland. Our students are desperately in need of same. I ask the Deputy Leader of the House to invite the Minister, Deputy Harris, to this Chamber to discuss the future funding for higher education and how we are going to take care of our students struggling with the cost of living. Now that we have a full, dedicated seat at Cabinet for further and higher education, I see no reason why they should not be given due priority and consideration.

I will also take a moment to reflect on something that came up yesterday at the Sub-Committee on Mental Health. We were having a discussion with GPs and the topic of the prescribing of medication for mental health came up. A GP told an anecdote on the issue. When a friend of hers was in Australia, she was prescribing medication in approximately 30% of the cases of people who came to her with mental health issues. In Ireland, the same doctor is prescribing in nearly 100% of cases. That is because the requisite resources for talk therapies or social prescribing are not available to GPs at primary care level. That was shocking. I asked if GPs are overly relying on prescribing because there are no other resources available to them at primary care level. There was a conversation in that committee meeting on the topic, and I encourage Senators to listen back to it. It is a bad indictment of our healthcare system and our mental health system, in particular, that GPs are left with no option but to rely solely on medication to treat people when we all know of, and all evidence points to, the need for a combination of talk therapies, medicines, treatments and a whole suite of things we know will have a benefit for people who are suffering with mental health issues. I ask the Acting Leader to invite the relevant Minister to the House for a debate on our mental health services, particularly in a primary care setting. The whole thing is scandalous. I was shocked to hear a GP say that GPs have no choice and prescribing medication is the only way they can take care of their patients.

Lynn Ruane (Independent)
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I have come to the Chamber disheartened. I am not yet defeated but I am feeling quite defeated in a sense because of the lack of a date for the citizens' assembly on drug use in Ireland. Of course, the issues that will next be considered by citizens' assemblies are important but the issue of a directly elected mayor does not come with the same urgency as the issue on drugs.

To give some context, someone will die of an overdose every day this year. It will happen every day. The citizens' assemblies that are to be set up may have a quick turnaround and finish their work in nine months but every single day those assemblies are running, someone will die of an overdose. That is without mentioning the other impacts and harm caused by drugs and the lack of services for dual diagnoses. There is a lack of detoxification beds and aftercare beds. There is no access to a locked zone. The only treatment we have for assisted therapy in this country is methadone when Suboxone is available. We can talk about heroin-assisting treatments and trauma-informed care. The Keltoi facility closed to allow for Covid-19 beds and has not reopened. That provided the only trauma-informed care for addiction in the country. Where are there consumption sites and safe injecting facilities?

I have been engaging on this issue for 25 years. I used drugs when I was a child and then became a person who ran and developed addiction services. I now work on drugs policy. The lack of urgency on this issue is baffling. It comes down to the fact that the 319 deaths that will happen between today and Christmas Day do not impact the people in this Chamber or the Lower House in the same way they impact our communities. Some communities will feel every inch of those 319 deaths because addiction, chronic use and dependency are responses to deprivation and inequality. My fear is that we are not treating the matter with the urgency it needs because the focus will then be taken off the drug user and will be placed firmly back on the policymakers when we realise it is the inequality of one's conditions that leads to chronic use. We would then have to make real decisions about how we treat society, introduce legislation and make policies that negatively impact the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in this country. The moment we have a citizens' assembly in respect of this issue, we will see that there is zero evidence for how we implement drug policy or services in this country. Big decisions will then have to be made by the Government. I am asking the Government to take those decisions on. We cannot wait for nine months for the proposed citizens' assemblies to finish and for a citizens' assembly on drugs to be established because another 319 people will die while we are waiting.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Well said.

Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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I stand to congratulate the Government on the national retrofit plan. The funding for the plan is unprecedented. It is fantastic that we are being proactive in improving people's homes, making them warmer, better, far more efficient and cheaper to run. I worked in the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in Dundalk years ago. I have since been interested in, and have worked on, a State-backed loan system. Green-energy, low-interest loans have been talked about for a long time. I am looking forward to hearing the details of the scheme when they are announced in the autumn.The Government is moving in the right direction in working to help lower income families. The number of energy upgrades will increase from 177 last year to 400 this year and €109 million has been allocated for free upgrades. That is an incredible allocation that will go a long way towards ensuring families are living in better and warmer homes. As someone who was reared among tradespeople, I am well aware of the great opportunities for work in this area for leaving certificate and other students. The life of a trades person is really worthwhile. During my lifetime, I have dabbled in tiling, plumbing and in other areas and I will continue to do so. There is a really good job and a worthwhile career at the end of an apprenticeship. I would encourage students who are interested in working towards a better, warmer, cleaner and cheaper Ireland to take up an apprenticeship in this area. As I said, it is really worthwhile work.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I wholeheartedly agree with Senator Ruane on the urgent need to hold a citizens' assembly on drug use in Ireland. It is committed to in the programme for Government and it should have happened by now. It is far more important than a citizens' assembly on whether or not we should have a directly elected Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Let us get our priorities right. In not holding the citizens' assembly on drug use in Ireland we are not getting our priorities right. We need to send out from this House the clear message that we want that citizens' assembly to happen and to happen urgently and not in nine months' time. As rightly stated by Senator Ruane, every day people are losing their lives. By the end of the year, more than 370 people in this country will have lost their lives as a result of drug addiction. That is far more important than the election of the Lord Mayor of Dublin. The work of a citizens' assembly should be on issues such as drugs because that is work that will save lives.

We are reopening as a society and tourists are returning to our country. Fáilte Ireland ran a very successful event yesterday on the future of tourism, etc., but I am concerned that restaurants and gastro pubs are not a part of the brief of Fáilte Ireland. When I to places like Westport, the first thing I do is book the restaurants I would like to go to because of the demand. That demand arises from the phenomenal work being done by restaurant owners and chefs in this country, together with the fantastic agrifood and fish suppliers that feed into this industry, which employs tens of thousands of people. The Restaurants Association of Ireland has sought the extension of Fáilte Ireland's brief to the restaurant and gastro pub sector. That is appropriate. The Cathaoirleach's home town of Kenmare is famous for food. Food is a major part of the offering of towns and villages across this country. It is a major part of the tourism product. We need to extend Fáilte Ireland's brief to that area. I would like the acting Leader to write to the Minister with responsibility for tourism, Deputy Martin, in that regard.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I welcome Senator O'Loughlin as today's Acting Leader. I followed some of today's debate from my office. It was interesting to hear the take of three Government Senators, all from Galway, in regard to the Galway ring road. It shows there is always a tension and a dynamic at play in government, which we are beginning to see played out on the floor of the Seanad. I respect the Senators are from three different parties. Senator Crowe made the most valid point when he spoke about what had been signed up to, published and agreed. As time moves on in the evolution of this particular Government, that seems to be a bit frayed. It is an interesting space to watch.

I, too, raise the issue of Galway, in particular Galway County Council and the refusal of An Bord Pleanála to consent to a wind farm in the Slieve Aughty Mountains in County Galway, which is a beautiful place. I visited it very recently with Independent councillor, Geraldine Donohue, who lives close by and represents that area and I heard first-hand the concerns of the people there. I understand their concerns. Galway County Council told the ESB to seek substitute consent, effectively retrospective compliance with the EU directives and environmental impact assessments. An Bord Pleanála has refused to grant a substitute consent for the 70 turbines at Derrybrien wind farm development at the Slieve Aughty Mountains in Galway, which was built and operated by a subsidiary company of the ESB. The State has now amassed fines of €17 million related to the wind farm, the European Court of Justice having found the development to be in breach of environmental safeguards and regulations in regard to the construction of wind farms.

I will park all of that and move a little further down into County Clare where, again, Government party members are opposing a wind farm. There is an inconsistency of policy. Can we have a debate on the guidelines on energy to be published because this seems to be the kernel of the issue?

Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail)
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I raise an issue that I regret is not of the same importance as an issue raised earlier by my colleague, Senator Ruane. As mentioned by her, every day someone dies from a drug overdose. It is terrifying. As others said, we have to take this on board. As a House, we should be rallying behind our colleague, Senator Ruane, championing the issue of a citizens' assembly on drugs.

Having listened to Senator Ruane, I am a little mortified to raise the issue of dog litter, but it is the issue I came to the House today to raise. Dog litter is an issue for people. According to a response to a question tabled by Councillor Keith Connolly in 2021, there were no fines for dog litter. In 2014, we had 18 litter wardens. We now have only 13 litter wardens. Dog litter is a huge scourge in our urban areas and our landscape generally. In 2017, I brought forward the Litter Pollution (Amendment) Bill which seeks to increase fines in line with inflation and makes it an offence to not pick up after one's dog. It is hoped this will be put on a statutory footing to allow people bring claims against individuals if harm is caused to them due to dog fouling.

We are all familiar with the disease toxocariasis which in the main affects children who pick up dog littler. It is hoped it will be possible to progress this Bill to Committee Stage. I commend Leitrim County Council on its pilot of DNA profiling of dog litter in an attempt to tackle the scourge of dog litter around country. While this is the issue I came to the House to raise, I fully support the issue raised by Senator Ruane and others.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I compliment the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the Government on the recent announcement of the new package in regard to heat insulation and retrofitting of houses. I would like the Acting Leader to invite the Minister to this House as a matter of urgency to discuss that package. Many people will not be able to avail of the deep retrofit, but I know many of them could carry it out over a timeframe of four or five years. For example, they could over time insulate their attics and have solar panels and heat pumps installed but they need a plan that would give them a breather to carry out that deep retrofit over five or so years. While the one-stop-shops are a good idea and they will deliver the message spelled out by the Government, the plan needs to provide for flexibility such that people can carry out the retrofit over a period of time. Deep retrofit of 500,000 homes over the next couple of years will bring enormous benefit. It will bring great comfort to many people in terms of where they live.I very much welcome the package and I ask the Acting Leader to arrange a debate in the House at the earliest opportunity.

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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We all woke up to the news of a depressing daft.ie report this morning. It shows that rents throughout the State are continuing to increase and renters faced a 10% increase over 2021. In some areas, rents are soaring by more than 20%. Before Ministers rush to tell people to shop around, they should know the daft.ie report confirms what ordinary people already know, that is, that there is little to no affordable rental accommodation in most places, while the average rent now stands at €1,524. While the focus this week has been on energy in the context of the cost-of-living crisis, the single most important measure the Government could take for people would be to reduce the cost of accommodation, particularly rents. The rent cap that is in place is not working. We need a ban on rent increases for all existing and new tenancies and the Government needs to put money back in renters' pockets through a refundable tax credit worth one month’s rent.

The Government must also accept its social and affordable rental targets for 2022 are not good enough and lift the ban on councils buying homes with housing assistance payment, HAP, or rental accommodation scheme, RAS, tenants in situwhere the landlord is selling up. This is forcing families into homelessness while the properties are then sold to investment funds, which lease the same properties back to the council. The investment funds are laughing at us at this point. We are allowing extortion to happen under our noses. Similarly, the BNP Paribas Real Estate report shows cuckoo funds are outbidding households by a massive premium, paying as much as 32% more for each residence they bought last year.

People are feeling this from all angles and, clearly, the Government is not doing enough. I would like a debate on how we are going to tackle the cost of living from an accommodation perspective.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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While Sinn Féin and its friends, the investors, are laughing at renters, the Government is not. The Government is spending €900 million of taxpayers' money to support more than 100,000 renters. On top of that, it has committed €20 billion to increase the social and affordable housing stock and to give people a chance to own their own homes.

Two citizens' assemblies were announced yesterday, one on biodiversity and another on the prospect of a directly elected mayor for Dublin. There should not be a hierarchy of citizens' assemblies. The process works very well, is very constructive and has led to great change in our society. We absolutely need a citizens' assembly on drugs-----

Lynn Ruane (Independent)
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There has to be a hierarchy.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I do not agree with that.

Lynn Ruane (Independent)
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There has to be a hierarchy.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Fitzpatrick, without interruption.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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There is a commitment within the Government to holding a citizens' assembly on drugs. I absolutely support that and it is one on which we should ask the Minister for Health to update this House in regard to when it will be convened.

I welcome the commitment of €8 billion to retrofit homes. It will allow people who own their own homes, or who own and operate public buildings and community facilities, to make those buildings warmer, more affordable and healthier, and allow us all to reduce our climate footprint. It is important those homeowners be supported through the one-stop shop. State-backed, low-interest loans will help bridge whatever gap may be left to allow people to undertake the works. There is a doubling of investment in the retrofitting of homes of people who are experiencing fuel poverty in order that those who are most acutely impacted by rising fuel prices will be directly supported.

None of us likes paying taxes but most of us accept there is a climate crisis. A total of 25% of our carbon comes from the built residential housing stock. This programme will help people reduce their costs, make their homes warmer, live healthier lives and take a bit of climate action. It is to be welcomed and supported and I encourage everybody to apply for it and take advantage of it.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the package that was announced by the Government to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes with lower energy bills. The measures address barriers to undertaking retrofits that have been reported by homeowners and those in the industry and reflect the step change in pace and scale that will be needed to achieve our target of 500,000 energy upgrades. The cost of these supports will be in the region of €8 billion of a commitment from the Government, from €267 million this year up to €2 billion in 2030. While I welcome the announcement, we need to ensure the programme will be rolled out quickly in the coming months. We must ensure everybody will be able to avail of the grants and, therefore, we must guarantee the immediate availability of low-interest loans.

In respect of our most vulnerable citizens, while I welcome the announcement that people on low incomes will be able to avail of these schemes free of charge, we need to see a major investment in the warmer homes scheme, which is targeted at households in fuel poverty. As I said recently in this Chamber, the average waiting time throughout the country for warmer homes scheme applications stands at approximately 26 months. In my county, 56 homeowners are awaiting works through the warmer homes scheme, while the average wait time in the county for applications allocated to contractors is currently 22 months. The retrofit scheme must seek to clear the backlog in the warmer homes scheme, given many of these people live in older homes that, in most cases, have no insulation.

On the RTB, which was mentioned, I fully agree we need a full overhaul of the board. It has no teeth or power and is not properly resourced. I will soon table a Commencement matter on the subject. The RTB should support not only renters but also landlords, given the vast majority of landlords own only one property. They are needed in order to make houses available for rent, so they too have to be protected.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I agree with my colleague, Senator Carrigy, regarding the backlog in the warmer homes scheme. It is important we deal with that issue.

Like other Senators, I welcome the retrofitting programme. While there will be snags, there is nothing that cannot be worked out. The one-stop shop idea is fantastic because it will bring the programme to the people, who can visit the shop to discuss their circumstances in the context of retrofitting. Of course, the fact people can break up the retrofit, begin with one part of their home and spend less money will suit many people. A key aspect of the scheme's success will relate to low-cost money. We need loans to be made available at a low cost. I understand that is something the Government is working on and it will be needed to help people with the finances. This is a good news story and whatever issues, snags or questions people have will be addressed by the one-stop shops, which will be very helpful to people.

I have raised the next issue previously, but this time it relates to an unfortunate incident that happened in the Deputy Leader's county. I refer to the outrageous attacks on older people, one of which happened in Celbridge last night. Not only are these people being robbed but they are being hurt and injured. All of us - the Minister for Justice and every one of us as legislators - have to deal with these perpetrators. What is happening to older people is utterly cruel. Not only are they frightened but they are being harmed in their homes. I am not being alarmist but they are happening all too frequently. Ours is quite a safe country but it cannot be allowed to continue that our people are being attacked in their homes like this. I am sure everyone agrees it must be stamped out. The provision of free legal aid needs to be reconsidered, as do the sentencing laws. I hope we will deal with the issue as quickly as possible.

Barry Ward (Fine Gael)
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I have raised a number of times in the House the issue of water quality, not just around our coasts and in our rivers but in particular where people swim. During lockdown, many people availed of the opportunity to swim in the sea, rivers and lakes, and they do so sometimes at their peril.They do so sometimes at their peril. I am coming from Dún Laoghaire where Dublin Bay creates its own problems. We have had unfortunate incidents of water pollution in the past. The councils carry out regular water testing but it is not regular enough and the results take too long. For example, a sample was taken on 31 January. We have had a number of samples that show excellent water quality and that is welcome. The next sample will not be taken until next Monday, 14 February. Those results will not be available until the middle or later next week. If the sample on Monday is bad and E. coli or bacteria is found in the water, which cause people concerns about swimming, they will not know until people have been swimming in the water for two or three days. I would like the House to debate what we will do at national level about water quality in our seas, rivers and lakes. Why are we not properly treating the sewage that is coming out of Poolbeg, for example? Is there proper UV treatment to eliminate bacteria as it is flowing out into our seas? Are there other management things that we should be putting in place? People who swim in the sea, rivers or lakes are entitled to expect high quality bathing water. On an island like Ireland, where we claim to be a green country that looks after its environment, we need to secure this and people are entitled to expect nothing less. I would welcome a debate with the relevant Minister to discuss what needs to be done to let people swim with security in our waters.

Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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Consultation on the Ballinasloe flood relief project with the OPW starts today. Ballinasloe was devastated by floods in 2009 and again in 2015. Millions of euro worth of damage was done. I am sure many here from the west will remember that. St. Michael's Square, businesses and Derrymullen were underwater. It was huge. As a result of that, Ballinasloe was prioritised under CFRAM, the catchment-based flood risk assessment and management programme. That was wonderful. In 2011 there were scoping exercises. In 2016 there was a preliminary report. There were consultation days last year and today the next consultation starts. This has gone on for years and nearly decades but we are getting just two weeks for a public consultation period. I have spoken to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, about this. During lockdown, the OPW could only do virtual assessments. We hope to see that on the website but as of now there is still nothing on the website. We need to see an in-person engagement with Arup, the liaison consultants on engineering, about what this means. I mention emerging options for the routes around Ballinasloe.

It is fantastic to see this project being progressed. However, the information is available only in physical copies and the maps are only available in the library and the municipal district which are only open for limited times during the day, including the weekend. It is very important that an exercise similar to the last consultation where the liaison consultants were available during the day and in the evening to engage with the community happens again, perhaps in the local hotel. It is also important that we liaise with the person on the ground who will meet those with concerns in the community. Galway County Council has someone involved in this, who is based in the city. The consultants are based outside the county. It is crucial that we see this happen in the local area and see this development happen. It will take a number of years but we need positive engagement with the community at this early stage.

Emer Currie (Fine Gael)
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I pay tribute to the incredible hard work done by the board of management of Hartstown community centre. For the last three years, it has worked long hours and made great sacrifices to look after the centre. Over the years the centre has provided vital services from childcare to Sue's reiki and mental health support. There are clubs, dance classes and a stage that is not being used now because it requires renovation. This place is the heart of Hartstown. We know community centres like it all over the country. An audit in 2019 showed it needed urgent repairs and renovation to keep it open. The board of management did what it has always done and fundraised to complete the work needed keep the doors open. It knows the scale of the work required. It has phased reports. It applied for a sports capital grant, for which we all have our fingers crossed this week. It has worked through Covid.

The centre is on church grounds. It was actually built by prisoners in 1985. It is an incredible building. It is run by the community for the community. However, in law the church owns it. That has been a barrier to getting the funds needed to get it up to the spec that is required. I am really glad to say that after a long time, the archdiocese and Fingal County Council are now in direct negotiations about ownership. That is fantastic but it needs to be done urgently. The board of management has been working around the clock for three years. It needs this to be resolved and after that it needs the funding. There is a pot of €5 million from the Departments of Social Protection and Rural and Community Development for community centres like this but there are community centres all over the island which need investment. We need to prioritise that funding for groups like this. We need Fingal and the archdiocese to sort it out. We need to retain the community focus and the people who have driven this community centre need to stay at the heart of this. I call for urgency on this. Again, I thank the centre and its volunteers.

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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Over recent weeks people across the country have been shocked and upset by the sad passing of Ashling Murphy and the subsequent alleged assaults against women in Kilkenny and across the country. People have been rightly upset and moved. However, on the alleged assault in Fermoy, there is somewhat of a positive story in that the two young 16-year-old boys intervened. They made a decision there and then to intervene to support and protect the young woman. We, as a State, need to be strong on law. If found guilty, people need to be punished and when people perform acts of bravery, that needs to be acknowledged. This House, the Cathaoirleach and the Ceann Comhairle have an opportunity to award national bravery awards to people who put their own lives at risk to protect others. At the moment, considering how people feel about domestic abuse and violence against women, I cannot think of a better example to show the country than two young boys of 16 years and they need to be acknowledged by the State. I have a two-year-old boy and if you were the parents of these boys, you would obviously be worried about the decision they made but would you not have a great sense of pride that you had raised children who made a split decision to protect a vulnerable young girl? We, as a State, and even the President, but certainly the Cathaoirleach and the Ceann Comhairle, have an opportunity to ensure that if people do good deeds and make quick decisions to protect people, the State recognises it. It shows the importance of educating people on how you speak to people and to women, in particular, and how you treat them. It is getting through. These boys knew that what was happening was wrong and they intervened straight away. The more we can do to acknowledge that, the more that these things can be prevented.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising that. The bravery awards are open for nomination by every Member and citizen.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I support the call for a debate on retrofitting and I welcome the funding. It is wonderful to think that we will spend so much money and that people will be able to have warmer homes. However, some people may not be in a position to pay for it all in one go. There is talk of low-interest loans but I believe they will not be in place until some time around the summer. We need a debate in the House in order that we can put forward proposals that could be looked at.

I welcome the commitment by the Minister for Justice to provide more than 400 refuge beds.We all saw the "RTÉ Investigates" programme the other evening and what it highlighted about domestic violence. It is most welcome that some of these beds will be in the nine counties that currently have no services. We have a number of beds in Limerick that service the mid-west, because not every county in the region has a refuge service. This is something that is to be welcomed because the breaches of court rulings and the number of people that have come back and harmed women are frightening. They are two things that I would welcome.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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My good friend and colleague, the late Senator, Feargal Quinn, welcomed my two grand-daughters, Ellie and Isabel, into the world when they were born. He is not here today so I have to welcome Alice, who was born into the world at 5 p.m. yesterday and wish her the best as she travels through the world.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I offer my congratulations.

Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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I also extend my congratulations.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I too offer my congratulations.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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The Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces has reported. I know the Acting Leader, Senator O'Loughlin, will have an interest in that today. One of the things that can happen straight away is that they can follow through on the recommendation that the Permanent Defence Forces Representative Association, PDFORRA, and the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, if it wishes, can now affiliate to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. The quicker that happens the better. I have held my counsel on it for the past six years because it was important that it came from the official side. That has happened now, and both of those organisations should be allowed to affiliate should they wish to do so. It is vitally important for the negotiations and pay rounds that will start in the coming months.

This week, the Minister announced an independent investigation into an event that took place at McKee Barracks. It is in the public media, and I will not get into the ins and outs of it, but what it has done is undermined the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces. He had initiated an investigation and officers were charged and admonished. There is a potential for a court martial coming forward. By bringing in a third party to carry out an investigation now we have a serious problem of double jeopardy. This could finish up in the courts. I have no idea what the Minister was thinking or who advised him at the time to initiate a separate investigation. The Military Police are statutorily in place to carry out investigations and there is a military judge and a military courts system. There are penalties that can be awarded by the military. There is an appeals mechanism. There is no place for somebody coming in from the outside. Should it be an issue for the Garda to be involved in, it falls to the Chief of Staff to decide that, not a Minister. We need to have a discussion on that at some stage in the near future.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator, and granddad. I call on the Leader of the House to respond to the Order of Business.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I will try to get through this as quickly as possible. A number of interesting issues were raised. We started with Senator Crowe speaking about the judicial review on the Galway ring road. He said that Galway has been left behind in terms of infrastructure and the ring road is necessary both from the point of view of business, commuters and tourism. As somebody who has attempted to traverse the traffic in Galway, I agree with him 100%. As Senators Crowe and Kyne outlined, this was agreed in the programme for Government. I fully appreciate how disappointing it is to see another judicial review. We do need the Minister to come to the House and we will certainly request that he comes.

Senator Kyne also supported the ring road project and the need for it. He also mentioned that the cost of public transport must be sufficiently competitive that people will avail of it when they can. I fully agree with that. He also made a point about the need for access to paying by smartphone at toll booths. We should not need to have coins for all toll booths. That is certainly something we will pass on.

Senator Keogan spoke about the divestment of schools in terms of school patronage. She remarked that only 12 primary schools had taken part in spite of a programme for Government commitment regarding more divestment. Her key question was how the Minister plans to achieve this. We can ask the Minister to come and talk about it. I know about the issue from schools I liaise with. I agree that parents should have an element of choice in terms of schools and the ethos of schools their children attend, but in several church-led schools it is very difficult to get volunteers to go on boards of management. That is part of the problem. Where there is a very good administrative network set up, such as with education and training boards, it can be easier to manage the many different aspects of a school. We will seek such a debate.

Senators Pauline O'Reilly and Boyhan gave the other side of the story regarding the Galway ring road. Senator O'Reilly said she is concerned about more congestion. I do not agree with that personally, but that is her view and she is entitled to it. She is also concerned about an attack on the judicial process. We note that and we look forward to a lengthy and interesting debate between all of those involved.

Senator Gavan spoke about the Big Start campaign for the early years sector, which was launched this morning. I listened to a little of it before I came in here. He is correct that the statistics he mentioned are shocking, with 66% of workers earning less than the living wage. Some managers earn €15 an hour and one in five people must have a second job. That is not even looking at the fact that many do not have a pension or sick pay and they do not work during holiday time.

This is one of the most fundamental conversations we need to have in society, in government, in this House and in the other House. It is important to note that on 7 December the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, announced major reforms and spoke about core funding and establishing a Government regulation order to improve pay and conditions in the sector. It is vital for the functioning of society and business. We will send the message to the Minister on that issue.

Senator Hoey spoke about students and the funding crisis they have both in terms of the cost of living impacting on them and the fact that there is a possibility of fees being reduced. We all support that, but we must ensure that colleges and universities are not left without core funding. This brings us right back to the Cassells report. Six years later there is no report on it. I understand that at the time the Minister did seek economic funding from the European Commission. I also understand that is back with the Department. It is vitally important that we have a debate on that issue.

Senator Hoey also mentioned the Joint Sub-Committee on Mental Health and the difference in the prescribing of medication between Australia and Ireland. I have no doubt the doctor said that but I find it very hard to believe that almost 100% of people in Ireland get prescriptions. From a conversation yesterday, I know that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is doing an audit of CAMHS because of the situation in south Kerry. One of the three areas being examined relates to prescription, to make sure that there is not over-prescribing. We cannot have a system that is relying on that. We must have a situation that looks at all other areas and techniques. There is a programme for Government commitment on SUSI eligibility. That is important and it is ongoing at the moment.

Senator Ruane spoke about being nearly defeated but never defeated. I would never see her being defeated by anything because of her passion, involvement and interest in the subjects she champions. I urge her to keep us all on our toes. I know she will continue to do so.

Citizens' assemblies are very important for the conversations we have in society. We have seen the benefit of them both within society and politically.Often I feel that what comes from the citizens' assemblies really is ahead of the whole political curve and I welcome the one on biodiversity. The one on education is hugely important and I hope we see that advance in 2022.

Senator Ruane said, "someone will die of an overdose every day this year". That just shows us the huge urgency regarding this matter, and that is without all of the other impacts on people's lives. We all know lives that are absolutely being destroyed by addiction and by drugs. We need to put a huge focus on this matter. I disagree that there is a lack of urgency because there is work happening behind the scenes and we need to show that. We will seek a debate on this matter.

The Senator mentioned that she thinks addiction and chronic drug use are a response to inequality. That may well be but I do not think we can take it just like that because every sector and community knows about addiction, drug use and the havoc all of that causes.

Senators McGreehan, Murphy, Paddy Burke, Fitzpatrick and Carrigy spoke about the national retrofitting plan. They mentioned that it is important to be proactive, and increase and support people to avail of the plan through the one-stop shop and other ways. All of them spoke about the need to provide low interest loans. They also emphasised the need to encourage people to take up trades in order that we can deliver this very ambitious programme.

Senator Conway supported Senator Ruane in her call for a citizens' assembly. He spoke about the disparity whereby restaurants and gastropubs have not been included in the Fáilte Ireland brief. He called on them to be included and I can approach the Minister about the matter. It makes sense because when we support tourism we are encouraging people to eat in the towns that they go to and support local cuisine.

Senator Boyhan responded to the tension between the Galway Senators, who come from all different parties. He spoke about wind farms and about Government party members being opposed to wind farms in counties Galway and Clare. I opposed the establishment of wind farms in County Kildare because I felt that the narrow roads infrastructure was unsuitable. There is a place for wind farms and in my view they are more suitable to being located offshore. We need to consider energy guidelines and we will ask for a debate on this matter.

Senator Ardagh supported the call made by Senator Ruane. She said it is an important issue and I agree. Apart from the health issue, for anybody in a wheelchair or anybody who must push a buggy getting dog dirt caught up in the spokes of a wheel is awful and soul destroying. We need to do far more to tackle the problem of dog fouling. The Senator mentioned that Leitrim County Council has piloted a DNA profiling system. I do not know how that will work but I am interested in learning about the technology.

Senator Boylan spoke about daft.ieand rent increases. Yes, there are rent increases. We need to reduce accommodation costs and the Government is doing a lot to resolve the issue, which was outlined by Senator Fitzpatrick. Yesterday, when I was in Kildare, I was happy to talk about the cost rental scheme and the fact that there will be 180 houses in Newbridge and Kildare where people can avail of a minimum of 25% below the market price in rent. I understand that the scheme hopes to deliver almost 5,000 houses around Ireland. We have to consider many ways to tackle housing issues. It is a fact that 20,000 houses were delivered last year and 30,000 units were commenced. When we take that into account, even Part V in terms of social and affordable housing, then that is a very good start but the Senator said it was not and sought a debate. Last Thursday night there was an interesting debate on this matter on "Prime Time” to which we could refer.

Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about the investment in housing and the retrofitting plan. Senator Carrigy spoke about the warmer homes scheme and the fact that there is a 22-month wait, which is appalling. He mentioned that the RTB needs to be overhauled to support balance, and support landlords and tenants, with which I agree. When we are in a situation where we depend on landlords to provide houses to rent then we need to ensure that there is a balance of rights.

Senator Murphy spoke about the outrageous attacks on older citizens, which is an issue that Senator Crowe has raised previously in this House. The thefts and harm are absolutely shocking. Senator Murphy is correct to say that we need to consider sentencing and legal aid. We also need to consider the bail laws. We should also call for a debate on this matter and invite the Minister for Justice to come to this House.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Ward spoke about water quality, especially the quality of water in which to swim. He is correct that many people took to the waters during the pandemic, which was wonderful to see and I declare that I was not one of them. The Senator spoke about the gap between sampling and giving results so people may find themselves swimming in water that is contaminated and that will have an impact on health. The Senator is 100% right that we need to narrow the gap. People need to know that it is safe to swim so we must properly treat sewage. We need a debate on the quality of water for swimming and we shall look for that debate.

Senator Dolan spoke about Ballinasloe being prioritised and that there is a narrow two weeks for consultation. She is right that we need proper and appropriate engagement between engineers and officials, and the citizens of the area. That does need to happen in a locality where people can engage and discuss. I suggest that it would be worthwhile if she tabled a Commencement matter on the topic.

Senator Currie spoke about Hartstown community centre and the vital services it provides. We are so lucky to have places like that centre around the country because they are the vibrant heart of communities. I know that because I am involved in the community centre in Rathangan. It is a fantastic place that has facilities that can be availed of by everyone in the community and provides a range of classes etc.

I wish to refer to the fact that an audit was done in 2019, which again raised the need for urgent repairs, but there was an issue because the community centre is located on church ground. Again, we had that situation. That is an ongoing situation around the country because a lot of communities centres are former churches or the property of churches. The leases have been generous but people need things to go further so that they can draw down funding. This is a issue and we need to prioritise funding to retain a community focus in community centres.

Senator Ahearn spoke about the two 16-year-old boys in Fermoy who went to the aid of a young girl who was being attacked. Certainly, we need to enforce positive behaviour and call it out. I say that because far too often, and rightly so, we call out negative behaviour. Therefore, when we see positive behaviour we need to call that out and reinforce same. I agree with his good suggestion to put forward the names of these two boys to receive an award for their act of bravery.

Senator Maria Byrne spoke about the Minister for Justice in terms of refuges. We are way behind in terms of the Istanbul Convention. As we all know, nine counties have no refuges so the commitment to providing 400 beds is very welcome. We also need a commitment to provide ancillary services. Teach Tearmainn in County Kildare, with which I am familiar, has been fortunate to get extra funding to provide counselling to children etc. Refuges can do a lot more than just provide a safe refuge, which is hugely important in itself.

I congratulate Senator Craughwell on being a grandad to his granddaughter Alice. He spoke about the commission on defence report. I have not seen it yet but I am greatly interested in it as I come from County Kildare. I fully support PDFORRA and RACO members being able to affiliate to ICTU as that is hugely important.

In terms of the Minister seeking an independent review on what happened in McKee Barracks, to be perfectly honest if that did not happen then people would call for an independent review so I do not believe the Minister has undermined the Chief of Staff whatsoever. We cannot have it both ways. There are calls for independent reviews and investigations all the time. That is what the Minister has done and I support him.