Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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Our guests are very welcome. The Order of Business is No. a1, Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 - all Stages, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to conclusion after one hour and 45 minutes by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by Government; the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister in the debate on Second Stage shall not exceed ten minutes, the contributions of group spokespersons shall not exceed five minutes, those of all other Senators shall not exceed three minutes, Senators may share time, and the Minister shall be given not less than eight minutes to reply to the debate; and Committee and remaining Stages to be taken immediately thereafter; and No. 1, motion for early signature of Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022, to be taken without debate on conclusion of No. a1.

Regina Doherty (Fine Gael)
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Today and this week mark baby loss awareness week and it is now in its 20th year. It is a wonderful opportunity to bring people together as a community in a safe and supportive space to support anybody who has been touched by pregnancy and baby loss and to allow people to share their experiences, feel connected and share each others' grief. It is probably a little known fact that one in four pregnancies in Ireland results in the loss of a baby. It is a devastating loss to parents and to the family, and anybody who knows that loss knows it only too well. A collaboration of charities and agencies across Ireland, through baby loss awareness week, try to raise the awareness of key issues affecting those people and families who experience pregnancy loss and baby loss.

One of the really severe issues that exists in Ireland is that the State does not recognise the existence of a large number of the babies who are lost during pregnancy. Two people who have become good friends of mine and have worked tirelessly over recent years, Caroline and Martin Smith, are in the House today and I thank the Cathaoirleach for welcoming them. They genuinely have worked tirelessly to address the issue that has hurt them and so many other families like them over the years, that is, the State refusing to recognise their loss and the member of their family who is much loved, their son Stephen. Stephen was born seven years ago next week. He was 420 g at birth and Caroline was 20 weeks and two days pregnant. Despite Caroline giving birth to Stephen, the State does not see him as ever having existed because he did not reach the milestones as set down in the stillbirth definition by the WHO. There are many families like Caroline and Martin and many little babies like Stephen. I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like to live with the grief of loss when your own State does not even recognise that your much-loved baby, from the first hiccup to today, ever even existed.

Today, I am seeking leave to amend the Order of Business to introduce, with my colleague Senator Seery Kearney, a Bill called the Civil Registration (Amendment) (Certificate of Life) Bill. It is on behalf of Martin and Caroline and their son Stephen and all the other Stephens in Ireland that I do this. I want the State to establish a non-statutory register that allows these births, these lives and these losses to be recognised by the State in order that families can grief, move on, and live with the devastating loss without the obstruction of the State not recognising the citizen who is and was and has passed.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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The Leader has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 16 be taken before No. 1.

Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)
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The Leader will be aware, and we have read in today's newspapers, that the Irish dancing organisation at the centre of the feis fixing scandal has received a report from Mr. Justice Peart. We now understand that the next phase of that will be an internal process within that organisation. Parents and teachers who have contacted me over recent weeks and again this morning are deeply unhappy with the way matters have transpired. The information, or leaks if you want, which led to this investigation was provided to the organisation back in July. It took until September for it to involve itself in a process by appointing the judge and only after the same information started to make its way into the public domain through social media. The teachers and parents who have spoken to me have no faith in the process now under way. Teachers have been meeting around the country over the past few nights. As I understand it, there are some 2,000 Irish dancing teachers across the world, with about 800 in Ireland. They are deeply unhappy with what has happened. A relatively small number of teachers and judges have been involved in this. The teachers want a resolution.

While the State does not provide funding to An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha, Conradh na Gaeilge is the patron body of this organisation. I appeal to Conradh na Gaeilge to use whatever good offices are available to it to try to bring some sense to bear here. We need a proper transparent process. I am hopeful that, collectively, the organisation and its patron will ensure the report being prepared by the judge is passed to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin.

Since An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha is registered as a charity, I believe the judge's report should go to the Charities Regulator at a minimum. I and the teachers who are not involved in this - and only a very small number are involved - hope the management of the organisation will appear before the Oireachtas joint committee. I understand such a request is about to be made and from what I hear, there seems to be some resistance from within the organisation. This process needs to be open and transparent.

Let us not forget that this organisation is the international guardian of Irish dancing. Within its charter it sees its role as promoting the Irish language. Many in this House have an interest in the Irish language and we want to see it promoted. We want to see Irish dancing and our culture promoted. We do not need anything that undermines that. This is a very serious issue that must be addressed. I hope that what I have outlined can be brought to pass. I ask the Leader to request that the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, come to the House at the earliest opportunity to discuss this matter.

If the Cathaoirleach will indulge me, I will raise one other matter. The budget reintroduced the 13.5% VAT rate for the hospitality sector, which includes hotels and restaurants. This came on the back of what many of us identified as price gouging by hotels in Dublin. For example, when there is a shortage of rooms or hotels get to their last couple of rooms they jack up their prices, doubling and trebling them at weekends. This is unacceptable behaviour. The Cathaoirleach represents a constituency like mine that is steeped in tourism and has lot of hotels. There is no Dublin hotel in County Clare and none in Kerry either. Nor would hotels in Clare or Kerry be able to sustain those prices. Significant pressure is being put on other hotels as a result of the actions of hotels in this city. I would like a debate in the House with the Minister for Finance on the possibility of splitting hotel rooms in Dublin from the rest of the country. If that is not possible, we should split hotels and hotel rooms - accommodation - from the food sector. We recently heard from Adrian Cummins of the Restaurants Association of Ireland that it had never before seen the number of closures coming down the tracks. We need to address that. Having supported the industry during tough times using taxpayers' money, we do not want these entities to close as a result of the changes in the VAT structure.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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It is strange that every time I come into the Seanad for the Order of Business, something derails my line of thought. Senator Doherty has certainly derailed mine today. I have a sister who lost two children at full term. I cannot begin to tell the House the pain that she has felt in her life at the loss of those children. I fully support what Senator Doherty is trying to do. I offer my deepest sympathies to Caroline and Martin Smith, who are in the Gallery.

I congratulate the Acting Leader on his elevation. I spent four days in Estonia at the Tallinn Digital Summit, the lead summit in the area of cybersecurity and digital security. I was rather disappointed that there was no other Irish representative present from official Ireland. The summit was attended by prime ministers, ministers and senior civil servants from all over the world. One of the key topics for those whom I met, as an Irishman, was Ireland's lack of defence capability, given that 95% of the world's data cross the Atlantic into Europe. We do not know what is going on beneath our sea and it has been the fault of countless Governments for running our Defence Forces into the ground.

I reviewed the recent statement made by the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, in the House. I was not here for the debate with him. He does not answer questions but talks down the clock. That is all the Minister does. I then opened a newspaper to see that a private security firm had been employed to look at the cables coming into Ireland. It was somewhat hard to understand whether this involved electrical cables, gas pipes or data cables. It does not matter. Are we at the stage now where we outsource the security of the State to some private security company? That is beyond acceptable. For this reason, I wish to move an amendment to the Order of Business to ask the Minister to come to the House - I do not care if it is at 10 o'clock tonight - to explain to the people of Ireland how we have allowed our country to finish up in a situation where our Naval Service is virtually inoperable, we do not have an air force and depend instead on the RAF and we-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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The Minister was in the Seanad last week. He is here more often than Senator Craughwell is.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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I am aware that my colleagues want to talk about my trip to Qatar. I am quite prepared to give a detailed report next week on that. It is a cheap shot but leaving that aside-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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The Minister appeared before the House last week to discuss the Defence Forces.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Please allow Senator Craughwell to continue without interruption. Senator Buttimer knows the rules on the Order of Business.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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The bottom line is this. What an embarrassment that this State, in which we constantly talk about our sovereignty and neutrality and hear all the other nonsense about the defence of the State, is unable to protect the very lifeblood of data that come through this country or the economic zone for which we are responsible? People speak about the "cloud" as if it was up there. It is not. It is beneath sea and is coming in off our west coast. We have no idea what is going on there.

We must remember one thing, however. In the middle of a war in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Government was able to roll out a digital system that allows citizens to access some 7,000 government services. So humbled were the Estonians by that, and they are the leaders in digital technology in the world, at the recent conference that they said they hoped to emulate in Estonia what has happened in Ukraine. When we tried to introduce a public service card here some years ago, as the Cathaoirleach will recall, it caused consternation. At the hotel in Estonia, I was speaking to a young woman who told me she gets supermarket discounts using her public service identity card. She is able to bank with the card and can electronically sign documents with it. Where are we going in this country? The defence of the country is my key concern. We need the Minister to come to the House and actually answer questions rather than talk down-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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He was here last week.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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I am well aware that he was here last week. There are times when other Ministers are here and Senator Buttimer is not. I was away on business and the Senator can like it or lump it. The Minister needs to come to the House to explain. The story only broke in the last few days.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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On a point of order, I was not referring to Senator Craughwell's travels. I was referring to the fact that we had a debate on the Defence Forces in the House last week. That is what I was referring to.

Mark Wall (Labour)
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I welcome Caroline and Martin Smith to the House today. I thank Senators Doherty and Seery Kearney for introducing vital legislation, which I look forward to supporting as it goes through the House.

I support my colleague Senator Craughwell. In fairness, it is correct that the Minister was in the House last week. He was answering questions when the bells rang for a vote and unfortunately he had to go. He offered to come back to the House. Senator Craughwell's call should be supported and I am sure the Minister will come back to answer those questions. As I said, he was in the middle of answering some detailed questions but unfortunately the bell rang and he had to stop.

It is good to see the Acting Leader in the Chair. I raise the issue of the entitlements of surviving cohabitants to a widow's or widower's pension. I raise it again in light of a recent High Court decision in which a Tipperary man, Mr. John O'Meara, was refused a widower's pension following the death of his loving partner of 20 years.According to RTÉ, "It was the role of the Oireachtas to decide exactly who should benefit from this pension, the judge said, adding that the making of such decisions 'is not a role which this court can legitimately play.'"

I introduced a Bill on behalf of the Labour Party in October 2021 to address this exact situation, entitled the Social Welfare (Surviving Cohabitant's Pension) Bill 2021. The Bill, as introduced, sought to amend the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 to entitle surviving cohabitants to a contributory widow's pension and to provide for related matters. The concept of family, as we all know in this House, has changed. It is time to bring Ireland into the 21st century. We all want families to be treated fairly, whether they are married or not. It is estimated there are 150,000 or more cohabiting couples in this country. The 2016 census showed there are more than 75,000 cohabiting couples in Ireland with child dependants, meaning these families will also lose out on the €8,000 grant provided to a widower with dependent children on the death of a married partner. I ask the Acting Leader for time in the House to discuss this important matter with the Minister for Social Protection.

As the Acting Leader is aware, I have spoken many times in this House about rural transport. I welcome the introduction of the new 821 rural link service in Kildare South that will link Newbridge with the town of Naas and the train station there. This new service is to be welcomed in that it will provide a seven-day Local Link public transport service to the villages of Kilmeague, Robertstown and Carragh for the first time, as well as an increased service for Milltown, Allenwood and Prosperous. I have continually raised over recent years the lack of public transport services from these villages. It is one of the biggest issues that has been raised with me by local residents. I wish to thank Kildare Rural Transport Link, its manager, Alan Kerry, and indeed the National Transport Authority, NTA, for listening to locals and public representatives. I look forward to the new service commencing next Monday, 17 October.

Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
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I want to begin by honouring the Smith family and thanking them for their tireless work. I hope that Baby Stephen is the first to be registered. I believe that should happen. He can lead the way for so many other babies who need to be recognised. I am thankful to the Leader for allowing me to be a co-sponsor of the Bill. A certificate of life is an extremely important thing for people who have experienced loss. From the moment the two lines appear on a pregnancy test, a lifetime is lived with that baby. Walks in the park are imagined. There is discussion of schools that will be attended. Names are speculated about. There are considerations of sharing the news with wider family. That couple, the family and the mother go through that whole experience. It is very important that that life is recognised by the State, because when that life is no more, the loss is great. We are seven years on and Baby Stephen is as much a part of the Smith family today as he was then.

I am 14 years on from my first miscarriage. On 29 December every year, we go to the grave of my grandparents because I do not have anywhere else to go. There is no other place where my first baby can be remembered. We lay a wreath and remember, as a family, the lifetime that was lived in that period of time our baby was due and was a member of our family, and continues to be a member of our family. Today is a very significant day. It is a real honour to be part of it. I thank the Smith family for all of the work they have done and for all of the recognition they are going to bring for themselves, for Stephen and for all of the other families in this country who deserve the recognition of their grieving and their loss.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for seconding the proposal and for sharing her story, which is, unfortunately, the story of so many.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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First, I welcome the Smith family to the House. It is great to see them here. I also thank the Leader, Senator Doherty, and Senator Seery Kearney for their proposed legislation. I look forward to supporting it. It is timely, appropriate and necessary. I particularly thank Senator Seery Kearney for sharing. We are not very close in emotional aspects of anyone's life. It makes it very real when the lived experience and emotion is brought to the House. I acknowledge that and thank Senator Seery Kearney and the Leader for it. I wish Senator Gallagher well. It is great to see him in the Leader's chair and I wish him well with that.

Yesterday we had a heated debate about peat. I will not go into it now. Suffice it to say the Acting Leader has been very active in it in terms of horticulture. It was a very heated debate. I advised the people from the representative bodies of the horticultural sector and the agrifood sector who attended that meeting that they need to get political and they pull the lever on their Deputies, Senators and sitting county councillors in their communities. They are simply not being listened to. I flagged a bit of hope to them in relation to the words of the Tánaiste who said that the issue simply has to be resolved. He recognises the difficulties. I thank him and the members of his party who have faced up to that. There is a great frustration and a need to do something about it. I would like us to have a debate on the matter if possible.

I would like to highlight the publication of the report on Issues Impacting Dog Welfare in Ireland, which will be launched at 1 p.m. in the audiovisual room. Many Senators are members of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The report is a very substantive piece of work. There is great interest in animal welfare in Ireland and within these Houses. I commend the report to Senators. If they are available, I invite them to come to the audiovisual room at 1 p.m.. There is also a photo opportunity at around 12.50 p.m.on the Plinth.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call the next speaker, I welcome Deputy Troy and his guests to the Visitors Gallery. They are most welcome. I call Senator Buttimer.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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It gives me great pleasure to ask the Acting Leader to bring the Minister for Education to the House for a debate. I say sincerely and genuinely that, notwithstanding the issues with Covid, and I appreciate a gargantuan effort has been made with the leaving certificate, we are now into mid-October and the junior certificate students still have not got their results. That is very unfair. I accept the challenges around leaving certificate appeals and understand the leaving certificate was a priority, but it is now 13 October. Many students who are in transition year or fifth year have to make subject choices for their leaving certificate. I hope the Minister for Education will come to the House for a wide-ranging debate on the role of the State Examinations Commission, the review of the junior and leaving certificate curriculums and the education system in general. I hope the Acting Leader can put in that request. It is an important matter and one that is causing stress and angst for many people.

I commend the Leader and Senator Seery Kearney on their work and welcome the Smith family. I was 2 lb when I was born. I was 14 weeks premature. The life of Baby Stephen we are discussing today is one that many of us can associate with. We all have family members, relations, cousins or friends who have had miscarriages. It is important this Bill is fast-tracked by Government because it is about people. I commend the Leader and Senator Seery Kearney on their work on it.

I hope that, as I have facilitated the Acting Leader in the past, he will facilitate me in inviting the Minister for Education to the House. I will not propose an amendment to the Order of Business, but I know the Acting Leader will facilitate my request.

Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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I, too, congratulate both the Leader on her work on this Bill and the Smith family. It means an awful lot to so many people. We cannot be anything but moved by Senator Seery Kearney's words, because so many of us have experienced that loss. We are here and we are listening because we know that that life matters. Even though they are not here, they matter every single day of the week and every single day of the year. I really welcome the Bill and congratulate the Leader. I thank the Leader and the Smith family for their work on it, because it is very important.

I came in today to congratulate the Irish women's soccer team on their historic win against Scotland and to highlight the importance of that. I remember standing in my kitchen as a young girl, looking at Alan McLoughlin scoring that goal to get us to the 1994 World Cup. Now, Amber Barrett is a national hero. I never thought an Irish girl could don the Irish jersey and represent her country at a world cup. We really have created new national heroes.

However, moving on from that, the story that has brought down the heroism is a problem we have to highlight.As a country, we have failed to recognise what "Up the 'RA" means. It is not simple. We should apologise to these young women because we have not educated people on what that slogan means. It is not an innocent catchy slogan; it means death, explosions, heartache and agony. We have failed to describe and explain the filthy rotten reality of the war that went on all around us on this island and what the IRA were and are to this day. They were indiscriminate murderers, rapists, drug dealers, smugglers and extortionists who threatened communities all around this country. There was no beautiful glorious search for independence involved in threatening neighbours to keep their mouths shut because they could be next. When the IRA went looking for protection money, if you had paid the other crowd, you did not have to pay the IRA. It was filthy and rotten. There is nothing to celebrate about either the British Army or the IRA because both perpetuated the agony of war and are now responsible for prolonging that agony. We have elected representatives standing at the graves of terrorists, and soldiers who were involved in collusion and murder have been talking out of both sides of their mouths in respect of the truth of what happened to many victims. When families such as that of Columba McVeigh are not able to bury their loved ones, we have serious problems. We need to stop misrepresenting history and trying to change it and lie about the truth of the IRA. These people murdered, attacked, raped, threatened and stole. That is the truth. We have a choice. We can keep pretending that it is innocent to say "Up the 'RA" when we are referring to an organisation that murdered fathers, mothers, pregnant women, daughters, nieces, friends and nephews. This House, this State and this entire country has a choice. We can either act to educate people and face up to bitter reality or we can continue to ignore the truth of the slaughter that went on and continue to make little of this slogan. We have a choice and we should make the right one.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Acting Leader and the Smith family, who are here on behalf of their son, Stephen, to the Chamber. I congratulate the Leader, Senator Doherty, and Senator Seery Kearney on the Bill they have proposed. I look forward to supporting it.

Today, I remember a colleague, the former city councillor, John Mulholland, from Galway city. He was mayor of Galway city twice, from 1986 to 1987 and from 1996 to 1997. He was elected as a councillor for Fine Gael in 1985 and served until 2009, some 24 years. He was a businessman, a bookmaker, best remembered on his pitch at Ballybrit and in the numerous shops he had in the west of Ireland in particular. He was a gentleman and family man who was proud of Salthill and Galway city. I offer my sincere condolences to his wife, Margaret, to his children, Alan, Lisa, Eddie and Aoife, and to his brothers, sisters, grandchildren, extended family and friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Kyne for remembering a man who gave a great deal of service to his city, his county and the racing industry and who was well known around the country.

Barry Ward (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Bill being presented by Senators Doherty and Seery Kearney and the family of Stephen Smith, if I can put it in those terms. It is a Bill that makes perfect sense. It is an unfortunate stain that this has not been the situation up to now. I know we would all welcome it.

I will raise the issue of non-consultant hospital doctors. We have approximately 12,000 doctors working in hospitals, about 8,000 of whom are non-consultant doctors. Up to 5,000 of these are in formal training contracts whereby they will spend about a quarter of their careers gleaning the skills and experience needed to operate as consultants, healing, looking after and curing us. We know we have a retention problem. It is difficult for health workers, whether doctors or other health workers, and retaining them is a major problem. I was dismayed to see an advertisement from the state of Victoria in Dublin last night calling on nurses and other healthcare workers to go to Melbourne and place like that in Victoria to work. We cannot afford to lose those people.

Non-consultant hospital doctors will spend a lot of their formal training period travelling around Ireland, going to hospitals in Dublin, Letterkenny, Castlebar and Cork. People in the later stages of their careers may well have families, children and partners who may be uprooted as a result of these travels or who may not move with them, with these doctors ending up working away from home. At the moment, if they do that, they are paying a second set of rents, utilities and other expenses that would have been consolidated into one if they were to be left at home. The State and the HSE provide no assistance with these additional costs they are obliged to take on. There is a proposal from the Irish Medical Organisation which makes perfect sense. It is to simply make those extra expenses, including rent and utilities, tax-deductible for people who can prove they have left a family scenario. Approximately 500 doctors are affected by this each year. It would cost an average of €6 million to the Exchequer but it would be a powerful step in recognising their roles and the need to retain them and would make it easier for them to do their training and their work.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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It is very nice to see Senator Gallagher in the Leader's chair today. I certainly hope he is elevated to it one day very soon.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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No chance.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I unfortunately missed the speeches of Senators Doherty and Seery Kearney earlier but I will definitely support the Bill they spoke about.

I wish to raise the recent clusters of meningitis and septicaemia in Limerick, Dublin and Galway, which are very concerning. We have had a number of deaths with cases appearing in young adults as opposed to children under the age of five, where these infections are usually found. Those with knowledge of meningitis know just how vital it is to catch it in the early stages before the infection spreads into the body. Dr. Kenneth Beatty is a public health specialist in the mid-west who says that we need to get the message out to people in their late teens, around when people start going to college, so that they know the early warning signs of meningitis and what to do when they see them. Warnings similar to those we are now seeing from the HSE were given back in 2019 as a result of a similar cluster. The articles published in our newspapers on this topic over the past week are extremely informative and I urge people to read them and to know the signs. These include a sudden high fever, headaches, nausea, vomiting, confusion, difficulty concentrating, sensitivity to light or sleepiness. All of these can point to meningitis, which can be fatal within days or sometimes within hours without prompt treatment with antibiotics. With something this serious, I am not sure we can leave it up to individuals to go out of their way to seek information. Is there any chance the HSE or the Department of Health could run an awareness campaign on this? Could posters be placed in universities and secondary schools or could some social media advertisements be run? Will the Minister for Health have a conversation with his Department or the HSE to this end? Any small steps we can take to raise awareness of the issue of meningitis and its early warning signs and symptoms would be justified. Could the Minister let us know what can be done in this area?

Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I too welcome the Smith family and compliment the Leader and Senator Seery Kearney. As someone who has a little angel of a sister whom I never actually had the pleasure of meeting, I was very moved by Senator Seery Kearney's contribution. Some 50 years later, I still try to live her life in my head and my imagination and to think about where she would be now and how things would have progressed. I compliment all of those involved.

I will raise an issue far removed from that emotion. As the Deputy Leader will be aware, I keep hammering the agricultural drum in here. The big debate in agriculture at the moment relates to sustainable food production, food security and how we are going to help the climate while still producing more food, which is what we need to do if we are to keep pace with a rising population. I read a small report on a recent survey regarding food waste carried out by Coyne Research on behalf of Aldi. Approximately 800,000 tonnes of food is wasted across the world every year. That is 25% of all food produced.That means the fertiliser, gas, fuel, work, labour and everything that goes into producing that food is also wasted and dumped, not to mention the major problem we then have of disposing of that food. Some 47% of the people surveyed said they throw away edible food every week while 65% said they were uncomfortable about doing so but still do it. Some 35% said they threw out food because it had reached or passed its best before date, which is a fallacy. Food on or after its best before date is still quite edible and there is nothing wrong with it. The best before date is a guide.

We need a debate to start highlighting this issue. I do not know which Minister the Acting Leader should ask to come to the Seanad. Education may be the route we need to go down in order to start to solve this problem and to create awareness of it. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is rolled out every time, but I do not know if it can control consumers, which is where waste actually occurs. I will leave it in the Acting Leader's capable hands but a debate in the Chamber would, if nothing else, start highlighting the importance of the issue, how much food could be saved and how big a help saving the 25% in food waste would be to the environment.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Smith family. I also welcome the proposed legislation on civil registration of stillbirths. My wife is a midwife and I do not think a Christmas goes by where this issue is not discussed. It is very important legislation on an issue that affects so many families on a daily basis. It is very important that we progress this, if we possibly can.

The other issue I will raise is where our tourism industry is going. In my part of the world, like the Cathaoirleach's, we are very dependent on tourism. American tourists, in particular, are very important to the trade. From Kinsale to Clonakilty and into Killarney, the need for American tourists is very much there. The currency issue at present is actually very positive for us when it comes to American tourists. In 2012, American tourists spent $1.30 for every euro, whereas today they are getting parity, which means we are a very good place for American tourists to visit. We need a very good strategy over the next 18 months to capitalise on that. The potential is there for places such as west Cork and County Kerry to get multiples of the people who are coming from America at present, if we just market it correctly. From talking to the Americans I met last Saturday night in Kinsale, they said what great value Cork, and west Cork in particular, was because of the exchange rate.

We need to have a real, decent debate with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in this Chamber in the next few weeks about our strategies for the next few months so we can capitalise on that exchange rate. There are issues regarding transportation and car rentals, which is a very important issue for counties Cork and Kerry. We need to make sure those issues are solved for next year's season. The potential and appetite are there. We need the Minister to come to the Chamber to give us her long-range plan for the next 18 months so that areas such as west Cork can benefit from the potential that is there at present.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I concur with the comments of Senator McGreehan. Our teaching of history is something I always have issues with. We learn more about the Boer War and the First World War than we do about Irish history. Unfortunately, the younger generation is learning about Irish history through social media rather than learning the facts. This is something that needs to be looked at and should have been looked at before now, especially during our decade of centenaries. We need to know and understand the facts of our history.

I will also raise the issue of affordable housing income thresholds. As the Cathaoirleach well knows, I come from County Longford, which is not eligible for the affordable housing scheme. It is one of the very few counties in the country in that position. Yet, when we look for an increase in the income thresholds for social housing, we are not eligible for that either. A number of other counties recently had their thresholds increased by €5,000 up to €30,000 for a single person and pro ratafor a married couple. We have a significant number of families who are locked in a position where they are not eligible for social housing and are in areas that do not have an affordable housing scheme. In addition, no private houses are being built in the county at all because no developer is able to get the finance, or the market is not there as we do not have an affordable element in developments. We are almost being discriminated against as a county with regard to our housing. As I said, a large number of families and young couples are looking to get into the market.

A review needs to be done. We cannot have a situation where someone is eligible in one county but is not in another. That happens to be the case in my constituency of Longford-Westmeath, where there are affordable housing schemes in Westmeath but not Longford. It all depends on what side of the border someone is on. That needs to be reviewed. Everybody in the country should be eligible for any scheme we introduce.

Vincent P Martin (Green Party)
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Last weekend, Naas and Kill saw the inaugural Féile Liam O'Flynn, a festival on a national stage that will become an annual festival to celebrate the life, times and contribution of famous and renowned Kildare uilleann piper Liam O'Flynn. It also celebrated the contribution of so many Kildare people to music. There were workshops, scholarships and sessions, and thousands flocked to Naas. There were full houses and exceptional goodwill and atmosphere, supported by the spouse of the late Liam O'Flynn, Jane O'Flynn. We were so lucky to have her there. I was privileged to chair the festival's founding committee. My lasting memory is of the dedicated efforts of volunteers. Everyone on that committee was not just exceptionally dedicated but was so professional and patriotic in their endeavours. The culmination of the weekend's festivities was the awarding of the inaugural Féile Liam O'Flynn perpetual trophy to well-known Kildare man, Dónal Lunny, in order to recognise his contribution to music. The aim of the whole festival was to celebrate traditional Irish and folk music and how it is the heartbeat of our nation. To see people flock to Naas from the four corners of Ireland and abroad did the heart good and emboldened us. This festival is definitely here to stay. Last weekend in Naas and Kill was a wonderful experience.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Smith family. I am sure it is a poignant day for them. I also compliment the Leader and Senator Seery Kearney on co-sponsoring this Bill.

I agree with the comments of Senator Keogan on meningitis. There have some very sad and tragic deaths of young people because of meningitis throughout the country in recent weeks. I also agree with Senator Daly on food wastage. It is noteworthy to see coverage in the newspapers about the growing number of people in the world who are facing starvation because of an alleged lack of food yet, as Senator Daly pointed out, we are dumping so much food in this world that it is appalling.

It is nice to see Senator Gallagher in the Acting Leader's chair. I am not a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, but peat industry representatives appeared before it yesterday. I know this issue is very close to the Acting Leader's heart. I appeal to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and its officials not to allow the horticultural industry in this country to completely collapse because of the lack of peat. None of us want to destroy our bogs completely but the reality is the mushroom industry and much of the horticultural industry needs to survive. They are now at the point of non-survival in this particular business. That is the reality, as the Acting Leader knows. I compliment the Chair of the joint committee, Deputy Cahill, who has done everything in his power, along with Senator Daly, who is also on the committee, to try to get people to see sense and give some extra time to allow peat to be extracted for necessary works and to keep jobs in place. We have to keep jobs in place. I would be very thankful if the Acting Leader would give that message to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and his officials. I plead with them one last time to do what is necessary in the short term to save the horticultural industry.

Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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It is good to see Senator Gallagher in the hot seat today. I promise I will go easy on him.I begin by apologising to Senators Doherty and Seery Kearney for missing their contributions this morning. Having heard the contributions of other colleagues, I look forward to engaging with them on their Bill.

Earlier this week, when we debated Second Stage of the Consumer Rights Bill 2022, I indicated to the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, that I would table a number of amendments on Committee Stage of the Bill essentially seeking to make product labels bilingual. As Senators will know, in places such as Canada, Belgium and the Basque country the packaging on toothpaste, paracetamol tablets, chocolate bars and so on is bilingual and sometimes multilingual. The same applies to signs in shops, whether they are indicating where the toothpaste aisle is, where the bakery is or whatever it might be. Likewise, with ATMs throughout Europe in particular.

Given the constitutional role of the Irish language as the first language of the State and given that my proposal is a positive step forward, I ask colleagues across the House to reflect on my amendments and hopefully support them. It is a great way to platform and visualise the language across society. It is a great opportunity for learners to engage with the language and to see it out there. My proposal would be a welcome step forward and is worthy of support. I am giving a signal of intent for Committee Stage of the Consumer Rights Bill, which will take place next week. Irish language speakers and those in Gaeltacht communities are consumers too. They consume products and this Bill is about consumer rights. In the context of trying to promote the language and knowing all of the benefits that a multilingual society brings, we should see that step taken in this State.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank all Senators who contributed. We started with Senator Doherty, who spoke about her Bill. I welcome the Smith family to the House this afternoon and thank them for their work in this area. I commend Senator Doherty on the work she has done on this very worthwhile Bill and thank Senator Mary Seery Kearney for her input. I am sure the entire House, as many Members have already stated, will fully support it.

Senator Dooley raised the controversy surrounding Irish dancing and referred to the importance of people having faith in the process. People are seeking transparency, which is vital. He requested that the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, come to the House to debate this issue. I will see what I can do in that regard.

The Senator also raised the hospitality sector. As we know, the VAT rate for the industry is due to an increase early next year. This is a matter of great concern, particularly for people in hospitality outside of the capital. The Senator mentioned price gouging and unfortunately that has occurred. However, many businesses throughout the country were not involved in that and now have grave concerns about the future of their business as a result. I understand the Government is looking at some imaginative ideas on how that blow could be lessened. We will see how that develops.

Senator Craughwell thanked Senators Doherty and Seery Kearney for introducing their Bill. He raised the security of the underground cables in our seas and asked that the Minister for Defence come to the House. As many other speakers alluded to, the Minister is a regular visitor to the House and has been very forthcoming with his time. I am sure all Members are grateful for that. In relation to the specific issue the Senator raised, I understand the Taoiseach has had negotiations with the Estonian Prime Minister on this issue and progress is being made. It is, as the Senator said, a vital issue and it is important that all citizens have confidence in the security of our data. We will see what Senators have to say on that.

Senator Wall spoke about the widow’s and widower's pension and contributions, which are very worthwhile. I speak as someone whose mother has been a widow for the best part of 40 years, so I can understand the challenges there. Senator Wall would like the Minister to take that on board and we will pass on that message to the Minister. The Senator also spoke about rural transport and Local Link and welcomed the progress made in that area in County Kildare. We all welcome that. Local Link has been a huge success and if there is potential to expand it further, we look forward to that happening.

I thank Senator Mary Seery Kearney for sharing her personal journey with us. I am sure it has been very traumatic and I have no doubt the Smith family know all about that. I am sure I speak for all Senators in saying I would like this worthwhile Bill to pass both Houses as a matter of interest.

Senator Boyhan and a number of other Senators, including Senators Paul Daly and Eugene Murphy, mentioned peat. This is an issue close to my heart and I know Senator Doherty has championed it as well. We have worked together on legislation to try to solve this problem. It is frustrating that we have still not found a common-sense solution to this problem. It has reached a critical stage. The issue straddles a number of Departments but somebody needs to take a lead on it because jobs are at risk. Coming from County Monaghan, the home of the mushroom industry, I am well aware of the importance of turf and I will contact the Minister on the matter.

Senator Buttimer spoke about the delay in issuing the junior certificate results. I will bring the matter to the attention of the Minister. The Senator called on the Minister for Education to come to the House to debate a wide range of issues related to education. We can arrange that.

Senator McGreehan welcomed the Smith family and complimented Senators Doherty and Seery Kearney on the Bill they have tabled. She spoke about the Irish soccer team and the issue with some of the chants in the dressing room in the aftermath of their famous win this week. I congratulate the entire team on their fantastic achievement. Not long ago, these women were sharing tracksuits and changing in airports. They have come a long way and we are extremely proud of them. I come from Donegal and I listened to Amber Barrett being interviewed after the game in the wake of the events of the week that has just passed. She spoke about where her family is from and their connections with Creeslough. It was truly inspiring. It is disappointing that this particular incident has clouded the airwaves, if I can put it that way. Senator McGreehan called for education in relation to all these matters. It is vitally important that we all have a full grasp of our history. That is something we can look into. I thank the Irish soccer team, the FAI, Vera Pauw and the entire squad for the lift they have given this country last week and, God knows, we badly needed it.

Senator Kyne spoke about former councillor John Mulholland from Galway and his legacy, not just as a member of a local authority but also as someone involved in the racing industry and a businessman. Our deepest sympathies go to his wife and family.

Senator Ward complimented Senators Doherty and Seery Kearney on tabling their Bill. He spoke about the role played by non-consultant hospital doctors and how, unfortunately, we struggle to hold on to these excellent people, not only doctors but also nurses. He referred to the attraction of moving to Australia and the pay and conditions attached to that. Unfortunately, many of our good people are leaving. The Senator raised a valid point about non-consultant hospital doctors being transferred from one end of the country to the other and having to keep two houses and pay two rents. He asked that the expenses associated be made tax deductible. That is a fair and reasonable argument and we can raise the matter with the Minister. Senator Keogan also supported the Bill. She spoke about meningitis, septicaemia and the need for more of a public awareness campaign on that, especially for our young people, including teenagers. That is very worthwhile. It can be a cruel disease with fatal consequences so if there is more public awareness then that is to be welcomed. I will bring the Senator's proposals to the Minister for Health to try to get a public awareness campaign moving.

Senator Paul Daly talked about food waste and said that 25% of the food we produce is dumped. That is a waste in every regard. Thousands of people in the country are starving and it is a crazy situation. It is something we should have a debate on and I will try to arrange that debate.

Senator Lombard talked about tourism and American tourists and his point was well made. American tourists coming to Ireland are getting exceptional value with the currency being as it is. That is something we should cash in on so it is worthwhile and timely that we would have a debate on that and on how we can redouble our efforts to take advantage of the marketplace as it is presenting itself. That is something I will bring to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, with a view to having a debate on it.

Senator Carrigy mentioned history, how it is taught in our schools and its importance, with which we all agree. He talked about affordable housing and how in places like Longford, the thresholds are such that a lot of people are not eligible for affordable housing and there are many counties in a similar situation. The Government and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, have introduced the serviced sites fund whereby local authorities can put forward serviced sites for first-time buyers and young people. Housing is an important issue and the Government has to do all it possibly can in order that our young people will have houses whenever they require them.

Senator Martin talked about the féile in Kildare last week. I compliment him on being chair of that committee and it is great to see the huge success of that event. I am sure that was down in no small measure to the Senator’s energy. I have known him for a long time since he was a member of Monaghan County Council and I know that when he puts his mind to doing something he does it to the best of his ability. It is great to see that so many visitors came to Kildare and I have no doubt that will be an annual event going forward. We look forward to it progressing down through the years.

Senator Murphy also mentioned peat and he would have expertise on the horticultural sector. It is vitally important that we find a solution to that issue. He mentioned Deputy Cahill and Senator Paul Daly's work on the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine and their efforts in trying to highlight this issue. It is disappointing that they have gone so far and not found a solution.

Senator Ó Donnghaile talked about the Consumer Rights Bill that is before us. He talked about the bilingual aspect to that Bill and about trying to promote the Irish language. He is bringing forward amendments in that regard and he is asking us all to reflect on that. It is important that we protect and promote the growth of our national language. I thank the Senator for bringing that up.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Members were referring to the Acting Leader as a Minister because of the seat he is in.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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We will see.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Doherty has moved an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 16 be taken before No. 1." Senator Seery Kearney has seconded the amendment.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Craughwell has moved an amendment to the Order of Business: "That a debate with the Minister for Defence on the operational capacity of the Defence Forces be taken today." I regret that I have to rule that amendment out of order as it involves a repeat of the statement of the high level action plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces which was taken on 4 October. In any event the amendment was not seconded and therefore lapses.