Seanad debates

Wednesday, 30 November 2022

10:30 am

Photo of Seán KyneSeán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the Orders of Reference of the Joint Committee on Gender Equality extension of reporting deadline, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion regarding the protocol and arrangements for President von der Leyen's address to the joint sitting of both Houses of the Oireachtas to be taken on conclusion of No. 1, without debate; No. 3, Water Services (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 12.45 p.m.; No. 4, Tailte Éireann Bill 2022 - Second Stage, to be taken at conclusion of No. 3 and to conclude at 3.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, and the Minister to be given ten minutes to reply to the debate; No. 5, Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2022 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 3.45 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 4, whichever is later; No. 6, motion regarding earlier signature of Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2022, to be taken on conclusion of No. 5, without debate; No. 7, motion regarding the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2022, back from committee, to be taken at 4.15 p.m. or conclusion of No. 6, whichever is later and to conclude after 60 minutes, if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed six minutes, all Senators not to exceed six minutes, and the Minister to be given six minutes to reply to the debate; No. 8, Water Environment (Abstractions and Associated Impoundments) Bill 2022 – Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 5.15 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 7, whichever is later; and No. 130, motion 6, Private Members' business, motion regarding wood for construction, to be taken at 5.30 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 8, whichever is later, with the time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours.

Photo of Malcolm ByrneMalcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Acting Leader about reports concerning the continuing cost overruns at the national children's hospital. As he knows, the original plan was that the national children's hospital would cost €987 million. The capital budget approved by the Government then ran to €1.433 billion. When I had a Commencement matter on this at the end of March, I was assured by the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, that we were looking at a cost of €1.7 billion. That is not a criticism of him, as he spoke on the basis of figures provided. The Minister of State assured me at that time that hospital construction would be completed by December 2023, with it being opened in the second half of 2024. I asked for a ballpark assurance at the time that the €1.7 billion would be the cost at the which project would top out. He told me that based on the figures provided to him, that was what we were looking at.

However, when we look at the story today - Jennifer Bray covers this in The Irish Times -we are now potentially looking at a project costing well in excess of €2 billion. A question has to be asked here. This is something for which, at some level, the oversight group responsible for managing the cost of this needs to be called to account. Everyone is in favour of building the national children's hospital. We know we need it as a matter of urgency. We want a world-class facility, but the costs have just gone out of control. It seems there is nobody being held to account for the fact that these costs continue to spiral out of control. Whether it is done by the Oireachtas health committee or by the Committee of Public Accounts or whether a separate audit is needed, an examination of this project needs to be held. It needs to be gone into in detail to understand why costs have overrun to the extent they have.

People do not have confidence in public projects when they see that the level of spending has so much exceeded its budget. There is always allowance for variance, but the fact that this is now gone way over budget is simply unacceptable. If this were a private contract, or if somebody were building their own home, they would be calling in the builder and everyone else asking why these costs are running so far out of control. We need to hold somebody to account. We need to know why this is the case. Whether it is through a debate in this House or whether the Committee of Public Accounts or the Oireachtas health committee investigates this in detail, I think the public deserves answers.

Photo of Emer CurrieEmer Currie (Fine Gael)
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Today I want to raise the announcement of a public consultation on the EPSEN Act, of which I am hugely in favour. The EPSEN Act deals with education for persons with special educational needs. The Minister said she wants that Act to be up to date, operational, and reflective of the lived experience of children with special education needs, because we are not meeting their needs at the moment. We have to find a way to cater for the growing needs that exist. I welcome what Dr. Niall Muldoon, as Ombudsman for Children, said in June. He said, "Any failure to include children with special education needs within the mainstream school system for any other reason than to facilitate their effective education constitutes discrimination."

That is the bar that we as a Government must set when it comes to special education needs. I know we are trying to do that, but it is going to take resources and ongoing reform.We have a duty to do that. I want to raise on behalf of parents, organisations and advocates issues that I come across on a weekly basis, including admissions policies that put a set date on when a child has to leave a special class. Children are being told they must meet a certain developmental milestone by an arbitrary date. That is not right.

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, provides special education information based on the EPSEN Act. It refers to having an inclusive environment in a mainstream school, where it is appropriate, but does not talk about the community. An inclusive place must mean that children are catered for in their community and do not take school transport to areas far from where they live.

It is brilliant we have had the section 37A reforms and the Minister is moving towards a system of better forward planning. When it comes to the process, however, a special educational needs organiser, SENO, is there to provide information on where places are and it is up to the parents to secure places in a special class. The system is upside down. It should be the responsibility of the Department, the NCSE or the SENO to find the place and not leave it up to parents to apply to school after school, with all of the forms and processes that go with that, and end up without a school place in their community at the end of it. We should take that pressure away from parents.

I look forward to this consultation. We should have a debate on it in this House.

Photo of Victor BoyhanVictor Boyhan (Independent)
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I support Senator Malcolm Byrne's call for a debate on the national children's hospital. I welcome that call. This is an extraordinary situation. With all due respect to the Senator, he is a member of Fianna Fáil, which is in Government. There is a Fianna Fáil Minister for Health. I thought the Senator would have an open door at any time to discuss overruns in the construction of the children's hospital. I share his concerns. This highlights the difficulty in communication some people have with the Minister and the Department of Health. However, I agree with the Senator on the importance of raising the issue and that we should have a debate in this House.

I acknowledge the increase in the social housing income eligibility thresholds by €5,000, which the Government approved yesterday. It is not necessarily enough but it is welcome news. It will amount to an increase of €5,000 but areas such as counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary and Sligo are in band 3. Counties Carlow, Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Louth and Waterford are in band 2. Then there are the Dublin areas. There are three bands. It is nearly as expensive to live in parts of Clare and Kilkenny as it is in Cork and Dublin. We need a little levelling up if we are talking about the challenge of achieving regional balance and the importance of supporting people. This needs to be looked at again and I ask that we keep it on the agenda.

Today is the equine census day. This is a considerable undertaking by the Department. Some 29,000 registered equine keepers were notified yesterday of the census. Census day is an important day for equines, and a welcome measure. I look forward to the results. I commend the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, who has pioneered the equine census and is running it for the second year.

Photo of Róisín GarveyRóisín Garvey (Green Party)
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Ar an chéad dul síos, tá mé ag iarraidh a bheith dóchasach. On a positive note, I will speak briefly about rural public transport. Statistics show that private car owners in rural Ireland have a significant part to play in carbon reduction. We are facing an existential crisis. If we think the 25% emissions reduction target for agriculture is a challenge, transport emissions have to be reduced by 50% by 2030. We are not taking that seriously enough and I have deep concerns.

It is great that we have some new Bus Éireann routes. I travelled on a beautiful new bus last week from Inagh to Ennis for only €4.50. I did not have problems with traffic congestion or finding parking. It was really positive. I spent the entire time on the bus giving out timetables I had printed for people because it is so difficult to find out where the bus leaves from and when it leaves. I do not know why Bus Éireann thinks it is acceptable to have four-year-old timetables printed at the existing bus stops, not to mention that we do not even have bus stops in many places where Bus Éireann services officially stop. There are only four bus shelters in County Clare and Local Link has only one bus shelter in the entire county.

The Minister for Transport is completely committed to public transport. He completely understands it. The funding is there. I appeal to the National Transport Authority, NTA, Local Link, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and the local authorities to take this seriously. The Department of Transport is behind these reductions. The Department and Minister have committed to the funding. The people who use public transport want this. We need these agencies to up their game and make this a priority. We will fail on our transport emissions targets if we do not take this seriously.

It is no longer acceptable to think that the number one plan is that we all will buy electric vehicles. It is a joke. We all cannot afford electric cars in the first place. Even if we turned every car electric overnight, it would not do anything for traffic congestion or demand for parking spaces. We must think outside the metal box, that is, the car. We need Bus Éireann and the NTA to take this seriously. They must have a much higher level of ambition. The Government is two and a half years into its term and there are no limits to the funding available to improve public transport. We are not improving it with the necessary speed. The Department is commissioning work to make it simpler to erect bus stops but I am sick of seeing old women and men, people with disabilities and young people standing at bus stops in lashing rain waiting for a bus when they have no idea if it will arrive. It is not good enough. It is an insult to people who are trying to use public transport.

Car owners want to do our bit too. We do not want to drive the car everywhere. We would like a choice. We would like to know where the bus is, when it is coming, if it will arrive on time and where it will drop us off. There are no town buses. There is so much to do on transport. We need the NTA to prioritise this. We need it to work together with the local authorities and Bus Éireann. We need to have a higher level of demand coming from the State agencies to transport because the money is available, and the Minister has made a commitment. We need these agencies to take this seriously. We in rural Ireland want to have choices other than the car, even if it is an electric car. It is great to be on a bus. It is less stressful, there is no parking charge and it is now cheaper because of the price of fossil fuels.

We have to take this seriously. Private car owners are responsible for one third of all our carbon emissions in transport. We deserve the choices as well. It is great that urban people have lots more choices. There is still more to be done there too. We need town buses everywhere and we need them now, not in three, seven or ten years' time.

Photo of Lynn BoylanLynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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Some Senators may have seen video coverage in the media of a large fire in a terraced building next door to a pub in Tallaght village last weekend. Thankfully, five fire engines quickly arrived on the scene and were able to prevent the fire spreading in what could have been a catastrophic fire for the village. In the past few days, Dublin Fire Brigade has shown variety in its work. Apart from the fire in Tallaght, it rescued a horse from a water-filled ditch with a teleporter in north Dublin and firefighters used a 45 m crane to extricate a person from a building site. In all cases, the men and women of the Dublin Fire Brigade were prompt and brave and complete each task in hand successfully. The same men and women of the Dublin Fire Brigade continue to be treated disgracefully, however.

Frustration has been growing in the stalled recruitment of firefighters for Dublin Fire Brigade. Talks that were held in February had promised to boost staffing levels but doubt now lingers over those plans. It seems that elements of the agreement are now in doubt with firefighters, once again, voicing their concerns on staffing due to a lack of clarity on the future of recruitment. This year, 72 new recruits joined the fire brigade but a competition has not opened to fill the panel for next year's prospective trainees. With approximately 30 retirements a year, the recruitment policy is simply not working. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Firefighters are rightly disgruntled and frustrated with the way they are being treated.

In addition, it is also unfair that only paramedics employed by Dublin Fire Brigade delivering services on behalf of the HSE are entitled to the €1,000 Government pandemic bonus payment for front-line workers. The bonus should have been paid to all 965 Dublin Fire Brigade firefighters. It is totally unacceptable that the Government failed to do that. My colleague, Councillor Daithí Doolan, raised this matter at Dublin City Council's recent budget meeting and the Lord Mayor has agreed to write to the Minister on behalf of all councillors urging the Government to make the €1,000 pandemic bonus payment.I ask that Senators, particularly those from Dublin, support the proposal and contact the Minister to encourage him not to forget the firefighters who remained very much on the front line during the pandemic.

While I am discussing the Dublin Fire Brigade, I would like to raise the issue of gender balance in the fire service. Of those 965 firefighters, only 56 are women which amounts to a gender balance of 94% male and 6% female. In 2022, I think we can all agree that this is outrageous and must be addressed as a matter of urgency. A plan needs to be put in place to rectify that alongside a recruitment process. That process is not working at the moment and we need to ensure it addresses the gender balance.

I urge that clarity be brought to the stalling new recruitments to Dublin Fire Brigade. I ask that the Government pay all Dublin firefighters the €1,000 pandemic bonus and that the gender balance within the Dublin Fire Brigade be addressed urgently.

Photo of Rebecca MoynihanRebecca Moynihan (Labour)
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I support the Order of Business.

Last week, on different days, my colleague, Deputy Ivana Bacik, and I met the current Lord Iveagh, Ned Guinness, to take a look, for the first time ever, at the Iveagh Markets in the Liberties. I have raised this matter a number of times in the House. There has been ongoing mediation with the publican who was given the right to develop the Iveagh Markets back in 1997. A contract states he had 36 months to develop the site. He then applied for planning permission, which absolutely and finally ran out in 2017 or 2018. He lodged another planning application which was rejected and there is no planning for the site now. From all accounts and purposes, the inside of the market is structurally unsound and very badly damaged. An act of cultural vandalism has been done through the removal - I would call it the hacking away - of the Victorian tiles. Last week, another architect visited the place, according to the dispatches of Lord Iveagh, and said the marble and lead was nowhere to be seen. Bricks that have been taken down are visible. What has been allowed to happen to the building over the last 20 years is vandalism.

If I had made an awful lot of money in a certain industry and I was considering how I would be remembered in time, I wonder if I would go around saying I would hold something up in the courts for 20 years and destroy a gem of Dublin or if I would consider the type of legacy I was going to leave. This man will be remembered for what he did to the building and all of the other achievements I think he would like to think about himself will be wiped on the basis of what he has been allowed to do to the building. I hold Dublin City Council responsible as well for not acting on this matter because it had the powers and should have intervened. The contract clearly states that there were 36 months to develop the site.

Government intervention is needed. Thankfully, the Minister of State with responsibility for heritage, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, is very committed to heritage in general and matters like this one in particular. We should all work together to save this important building in Dublin. I was disgusted by what I saw last week when I visited the market. I feared it was bad but it was worse than I expected. The Iveagh Markets were handed over by the ancestors of Lord Iveagh who developed a large amount of social housing in this city. So much of Dublin 8 and Dublin 2 was built by the Guinness family and to see the market destroyed is nothing short of a disgrace and shameful.

Photo of Eileen FlynnEileen Flynn (Independent)
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I want to discuss some of the work done in the past two years to make life better for the Traveller community. The Irish Traveller Movement is considering creating internships in public offices and public services for members of the Traveller community. Offices will be paid for giving Travellers equal opportunity for employment purposes, which is a plus. Recently, money was given to fund Traveller health and mental health services. That is also a plus. There has been some very positive action over the past two years.

The Oireachtas should re-establish the Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community now that the Joint Committee on Autism is coming to an end. I would appreciate the support of all Senators because there are an awful lot of outstanding issues that still impact the Traveller community. I could talk all day about some of the statistics. For example, one in 11 deaths in the Traveller community is caused by suicide. Traveller women live 12 years less than women in the settled community and Traveller men live 15 years less than men in the settled community. Those statistics show that Travellers are worth less in Irish society. The re-establishment of the joint committee would help us to deal with some of the inequalities but, most important, it would bring about action and hold the Government to account.

The Traveller caravan loan scheme is not working. It was meant to work for every Traveller in the country. In Galway the community only got three caravans.

It is two years since the Seanad debated Traveller accommodation. I would appreciate the support of my colleagues for arranging a debate in January with the relevant Minister on how the Traveller accommodation budget was spent in 2022. I want to be able to hold the Government to account.

The positive actions of the past two years are little steps. I always give out about what is not being done right but this morning I want to acknowledge those positive actions.

Photo of Mark DalyMark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Flynn. I will talk to the Ceann Comhairle about her request for the re-establishment of the Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community.

Photo of Eugene MurphyEugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Like all of my colleagues - the Leader, the Cathaoirleach and my many friends around the House - I deal with a large number of people every day and every week. I am concerned that so many people are saying everything is doomsday. Everything in this country is not doomsday. I accept when the Opposition and others say we have challenges with housing, the environment, etc. We have all of those challenges. As politicians, however, we have to lead and in a time of deep crisis we should all pull together to lead our people. I am concerned about the anxiety that is sometimes caused to people unnecessarily.

On the issue of anxiety, and again I do not expect everybody in the Opposition to agree with me, we must acknowledge that the Government, in the recent budget, did everything in its power to reach out to those who need financial support over this period. On the weekend of 5 December, the double social welfare payment will be paid. We have already made part of the payment to assist with electricity costs and there are two more payments to come. A double children's allowance has been paid. I am not asking anybody to roll out the red carpet but simply stating that we are doing the right things. We have a massive challenge in housing and I agree with most Opposition Members when they say housing is challenging, as do most of my colleagues. The Cathaoirleach, the Leader and all Senators agree that nobody can solve that challenge overnight. I am meeting more people who are now looking at some of the newer schemes, which will at least try to help them to get on the housing ladder.

As Senators will know, my background is in horticulture and I fully accept we need to take measures to protect the environment. I am not a doomsday merchant but I have met so many younger people who say they have no future because the planet is gone. Politicians cannot have such a mindset. We must lead our people and give them hope. Whatever differences the various parties and Independents have, in a time of great crisis we need to lead our people.

Photo of Jerry ButtimerJerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I encourage Members of the House to wear the glow red badge or lapel pin for World AIDS Day on 1 December.In the 40 years since 1982, we have made gargantuan progress yet we have a road to travel still. As a nation and as a world, we are still fighting the stigma of HIV and we are standing up for people living with this illness. I ask the Minister of Health who has responsibility for the national health strategy to come to the House to have a debate on the new sexual health strategy. I ask this out of concern that the new national health strategy will be prolonged further by the consultative period, which I fear will not be open to a wider community engagement. For a national sexual health strategy to be successful, it needs to engage properly and meaningfully with the wider community and not just a public call for consultation.

I commend HIV Ireland and the Sexual Health Centre in Cork on the work they do on ending the stigma. The figures for 2021 will show a decline but the figures published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show an increase this year, primarily due to inward migration of people previously diagnosed with HIV-AIDS. For those people living with HIV who experience stigma, we stand with them as a society and a nation tomorrow. Stigma, as we know, arises from a variety of reasons. Sadly - and I am not the victim here - comments will be passed on my social media accounts because of my contribution today and for standing up and advocating for people. I appeal to all Members of the House and the wider public to wear the badge tomorrow as we glow red for World AIDS Day.

Photo of Martin ConwayMartin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I support Senator Garvey's contribution on public transport, particularly in the north Clare area. As somebody who uses public transport most of the time, because a car is not an option in my case, her points were well made. There are two major issues which I have been highlighting for a long time. First, there is a variance in fares between rural and urban in the first instance, and also between providers. There is a situation where you can get a bus from Ennistymon to Ennis with Bus Éireann and it costs about three times what it costs to get a bus with Transport for Ireland, TFI. That does not make sense. It is confusing and it certainly does not help Bus Éireann. What we need is not just standardised fares between urban and rural areas, but standardised fares on bus routes. Similarly, in the Acting Leader's city of Galway, one bus from Salthill to the city is one fare whereas another bus charges a different fare. It is confusing and it just does not make sense. The Government has done a lot to reduce the cost of public transport with a 50% reduction on fares for young people and a 20% reduction overall, but we need to sort out the fare structure in the first instance.

Also, the Bus Éireann website is probably one of the most inaccessible websites of any public transport operator. A fully sighted person would find it difficult to navigate, not to mention somebody with a vision impairment. I call on Bus Éireann to make its website digitally accessible and if it does not, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, needs to direct Bus Éireann to do so.

Photo of Maria ByrneMaria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I rise today to raise a number of issues. The first is that the post office in Castleconnell in County Limerick is temporarily closed but I thank Local Link Limerick Clare which is running a bus service from this Friday. It is running buses at appropriate times from O'Briensbridge past places like Lisnagry and Castleconnell to Newport where people now have to collect their payments for the month of December. If people want to contact Local Link, they will find the timetable and the times the buses are running from their local area.

There was also a temporary closure of the post office in Castletroy and that reopened this morning at 11 o'clock. I wish the new postmaster and their team all the best in Castletroy Shopping Centre. Castletroy is a huge area and to be left without a local post office would have had a detrimental effect on everyone, especially the older people, in the area.

We debated the Finance Bill in the House last night and the 9% VAT for the hospitality industry was raised. Mr. Stephen O'Connor, chairperson of the Shannon branch of the Irish Hotels Federation has spoken about rising energy costs, bills and other costs associated with the hotel industry. We should have a debate as soon as possible on tourism and its future because in 2019, the hospitality industry employed 272,000 people. Certainly, while numbers are up in certain hotels, they are still below what they were in 2019. We need to have a meaningful debate as to where we are going with tourism and what we can do, and also around the retention of the 9% VAT rate.

Photo of Micheál CarrigyMicheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I concur with a number of Senator Currie's comments on special education. I welcome the review which will take place and is being launched by the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Madigan, with regard to school places. Regarding the Joint Committee on Autism still has a number of months to meet, so it is not due to finish shortly. We are publishing an early report tomorrow on the school summer programme for 2023 but that is not the final report. There are a number of months left for that committee to run before we make our final report.

With regard to funding, the Minister of Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, has been instrumental in reviving rural Ireland. I know the community centre fund which she announced this year was massively oversubscribed, so I hope extra funding will be found for the significant number of applications. There is a large number from my county of Longford in under measures two and three. The local community centre, like the local GAA club, is the heart of the community. This needs to be a fixture. There needs to be increased funding yearly for this scheme to make sure the vast majority, if not all, of those applications are successful. As I said, the community centre is the beating heart of every community and is used by all the relevant other organisations, so I would like to see that fund expanding.

I mention another issue I brought up in the House a number of months ago regarding drink spiking and the use of plastic lids on drinks. I met with representatives from the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, VFI, and the Licensed Vintners Association, LVA, in relation to this issue and have also spoken to the Garda. I thank Young Fine Gael which has taken on a campaign over the past number of months in a number of university bars. I have been provided with plastic lids to put on glasses by a local company, Sherpack Limited, from my home county of Longford. This initiative has been proved to be very successful and is warranted and needed by the student population that is using it. We are looking at expanding this to other universities and then bringing a final report to the licensed vintners and to the Minister to try to make this mandatory. We are coming into the Christmas season and there will a significant number of parties, etc. I would like people to be cognisant of the threat which, unfortunately, is out there. We need to bring in a mechanism such as that to protect people when they are out socialising.

Photo of Paul GavanPaul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I begin by welcoming the new Local Link service that will start this Friday between Montpelier, Castleconnell, Lisnagry and Newport. The service is badly needed since we lost our post office last month. It is very welcome. The bus service will be in operation for the next couple of months. We are expecting our new post office to open in February. I was pleased to meet with Local Link representatives both in Montpelier and Castleconnell ahead of this service being rolled out. Indeed, I am optimistic that there will be further transport improvements for my village of Castleconnell in the coming weeks and the new year.

The issue I want to raise this morning however is that of Rehab Group because in April of last year, it let 38 workers go and abandoned a long-standing redundancy deal. The impact of that deal was that instead of a worker with 30 years service getting €60,000 in redundancy, he or she got just €21,000. What I find shocking is that we are talking about workers with vision impairments, learning difficulties, and Down's syndrome. The good news is that the Labour Court has ruled definitively and appointed an independent financial investigator who established that the Rehab Group actually has millions of euro at its disposal and has no difficulty in paying the original redundancy package.The worrying part is that Rehab has responded with silence. The result has been that these workers, some of the most vulnerable in the State, are still waiting some 20 months later for the redundancy payments they should have got from Rehab. On its website, Rehab states that it wishes to advocate on behalf of people with disabilities. Frankly, I find it shocking that the very people the organisation has said it advocates for are those it has abandoned on this occasion.

This is where the Seanad could help. I am considering proposing a motion, without debate, for all of us to simply call on Rehab to do what is correct and to honour the Labour Court recommendation. I ask for the Acting Leader's support with this. This is not a party political issue. It is about doing the right thing for workers who have given a lifetime of service and found themselves, to date, abandoned by Rehab. I think the company had hoped this issue would go away. On behalf of my group, Sinn Féin, and my union, SIPTU, I assure Rehab this issue will not go away until such time as it honours the redundancy agreement and looks after these workers.

Photo of John CumminsJohn Cummins (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the news announced on Monday regarding my county of Waterford and the signing of the public infrastructure contract for the North Quays project. This is a game-changing development for the heart of Waterford city. This contract includes the provision of a new bridge from the Clock Tower to the North Quays area, new road interchanges onto the site and a new transportation hub that will facilitate the relocation of the train station to the centre of the North Quays. Waterford City and County Council is also in advanced dialogue with Harcourt Developments on the private sector element of the site.

The €170.6 million that the Government allocated some weeks ago has enabled this contract to be signed. Many people in recent years said the Government would not provide the funding required to facilitate this development. I consistently said throughout this time that the Government would do this and we have. We are now going to see boots on the ground on this site in the new year, which is an enormous development for Waterford city, the county and the entire south-east region.

I also support my colleague in respect of the community centres investment fund, CCIF. I hope we will see news soon regarding the category 2 and 3 elements of this initiative. The level of funding being provided through the Department of Rural and Community Development is unprecedented. This funding for community centres is greatly important and I would like to see this fund expanded next year. I appreciate that a funding envelope was available for this year, but we all see the value in our communities of this fund and I would like to see it expanded in the new year.

Photo of John McGahonJohn McGahon (Fine Gael)
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Last Friday, I attended the launch of the renaming of Braymore Wind Park as Setanta Wind Park. This is going to be located 9 km off the coast of Clogherhead in County Louth and will be of great benefit to counties Louth, Meath and north Dublin. The whole point of this wind farm is that it is going to generate 1 GW of renewable energy annually, which will power more than 1 million homes and offset 1 billion kg of carbon each year, which is incredible. There is going to be a revolution in renewable energy here in the next decade. By the end of this time, I am confident that Ireland will be the renewable energy powerhouse of the EU and the wider Continent. We should be very excited about this endeavour. I raise this issue today because I wish to ask for a debate with the Minister at some stage on the concept of renewable energy and why it is something to get excited about.

Let us look at what we are doing with solar energy, for example. We have abolished the requirement to get planning permission in this regard. Solar panels can now be put on the roof of a house, or a community centre, to power homes and it will be possible to sell excess energy back into the grid and make money from doing this. We are making renewable energy accessible and financially incentivising its adoption by people. This is a very good thing. I would appreciate if we could have a debate on this topic at some stage.

The Setanta wind farm off the coast of County Louth is an excellent example of what we will be able to do with wind energy. We are at the western edge of the EU and in the path of the Gulf Stream. We are drowning in wind, for want of a better word, and we must utilise this resource and we will do so by the end of this decade. I would, therefore, appreciate having a debate on renewable energy, particularly wind and solar energy generation, at the House's convenience.

Photo of Mary Seery KearneyMary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
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I had the honour on Monday of opening and welcoming participants to a workshop conference held in Bru Youth Services in Crumlin. The forum was organised by Paula Leonard of the Irish Community Action on Alcohol Network, ICANN, which is the alcohol forum. It was attended by members of the local drug and alcohol task force in my area of Dublin 12 and by people from the WHO. Several striking aspects arose. We first watched a video prepared by the Canal Communities and the Dublin 12 drug and alcohol task force. This highlighted that 49 outlets sold alcohol in a small area of Dublin 12 and Dublin 8 in 1991. By 2018, this number had increased to 125. People in recovery from alcohol addiction may, in a very short journey home, now pass four or five outlets selling alcohol. We also saw the launch of the European Framework for Action on Alcohol 2022-2025, which explores how alcohol is advertised and its presence in every aspect of our lives. There are links between alcohol use and breast cancer and other types of cancers. It is a substance that is an intoxicant and yet we do not discuss this fact. We just accept alcohol as part of our social lives. Another aspect, and one I am particularly passionate about, is that a drinks industry-funded organisation is providing education in our schools on alcohol misuse. This is a wholly inappropriate organisation to be doing this. The Department of Education must issue a circular to stop this organisation from having access to any schools in our country. Fantastic organisations, like ICANN, have expertise in this area. Representatives of the health service have come out and spoken against this programme run by Drink Aware in schools. This is wholly inappropriate and must be stopped. Appropriate people, not attached to or sponsored in any way by the drinks industry, should be rolling out an awareness programme on alcohol and its attendant issues in our schools and educating our young people in this regard.

Photo of Mark DalyMark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call the Acting Leader, I welcome our visitors from Scoil Mhuire in County Wicklow to the Gallery. I thank them for coming to Seanad Éireann today. I hope they enjoy their day, have a great time and learn all about democracy. I say officially to their teacher that the pupils have their schoolwork off for the weekend, if this is all right. I call the Acting Leader.

Photo of Seán KyneSeán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank all the Senators for their contributions. Senator Malcolm Byrne raised the issue of the new national children's hospital and called for a debate on the matter. Representatives of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, NPHDB, appeared before the Joint Committee on Health, of which I am a member, on 5 October 2022. We discussed the issues concerning this development. The members of the joint committee had the pleasure during the summer of visiting the site. It is a wonderful piece of infrastructure that will be with us for hundreds of years. As I said before, I am extremely proud to be part of a Government that has delivered this project. There has been a lot of talk about it. We must also, however, examine the cost of this undertaking. Based on testimony from the witnesses from the NPHDB, about 1,000 claims had to go to conciliation regarding the cost of this project and ten of these claims accounted for 80% of the cost. This is an issue in all projects now. I know of one where a contract was signed and the next day the contractor had the first claim in concerning additional costs for the project. This is, therefore, an issue concerning all major infrastructural projects now.

Senator Currie, supported by Senator Carrigy, talked about the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, also known as the EPSEN Act, and consultation regarding special education. The Senator asked for a debate on this issue and I will certainly raise it with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan.I know she has also done that in other areas. That is a helpful approach to hear from the ground the issues of concern that parents, teachers and special needs assistants have around special education. I will call for a debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan.

Senator Boyhan welcomed the increase in the threshold for social housing. That is welcome. It is a challenge. Any time a threshold is introduced for anything, people will miss out by a small amount. Any increases that keep pace with inflation and rising incomes are to be welcomed. The Senator also commented on equine census day. There are 29,000 registered keepers in that regard.

Senator Garvey was supported by Senators Conway, Maria Byrne and Gavan when she talked about issues regarding local transport. That is an area in which more can be done. Supports have been put in place for additional routes and services. However, there is a need for enhanced services. Any Minister who has a large budget, as is the case in the Department of Transport at the moment, should prioritise the issue of bus shelters. The provision of safe pull-in spaces with bus shelters up and down the country would be an addition to the attractiveness of public transport.

The issues of the variance in fares and costs was raised by Senator Conway. The National Transport Authority license services run by Bus Éireann and private operators. I presume fares are agreed with the National Transport Authority. That matter might be more appropriate for a Commencement debate or engagement through the Joint Committee on Transport. The Senator also talked about the Bus Éireann website. All websites should be more visibly usable for those with sight problems.

Senator Boylan talked about Dublin Fire Brigade. Fire unions from across the country recently engaged in protests. Firefighters do amazing work. I know a number of firefighters in Galway. I was involved with the work on the opening of the Cheathrú Rua fire station in south Connemara. It is an important service. Firefighters carry out a dangerous and difficult job, particularly when they deal with road traffic accidents and all of that. The Senator talked about a number of issues, such as the €1,000 bonus, gender balance, proposals in respect of paramedics and other policies. Perhaps a debate on those matters at a later time might be more appropriate.

Senator Moynihan talked of the Iveagh Markets. I have not seen it in person but have seen pictures. It was a beautiful looking building and it is a disgrace to see what has happened to it. There are powers within local authorities in respect of dereliction. I do not know the full history of the case and it may be a topic that is more appropriate for a Commencement matter. The Senator talked of vandalism in the area over the past 20 years and said that Dublin City Council was at fault.

Senator Flynn called for a debate on the matter of Travellers. The Cathaoirleach has undertaken to raise with the Ceann Comhairle the re-establishment of a committee on Travellers. I will support that, as I am sure we all will.

Senator Eugene Murphy talked about the challenges of politics and the importance of positivity. This is, at the end of the day, a debating Chamber. We do not always agree on everything, which is to be expected. However, we can agree on certain very important issues that transcend politics. In any national parliament anywhere in the world, there are disagreements and differences in respect of policy. The Finance Bill received a tremendously high level of support in this House yesterday. That was a victory. It was democracy in action in respect of important legislation that will provide support for the people the Senator mentioned. We will have another opportunity in the coming weeks when we deal with the Second Stage of the Social Welfare Bill.

Senator Buttimer commented on World AIDS Day and asked us to wear the pin to acknowledge and remember those who have died due to AIDS. I recently watched the Netflix series "It's a Sin", which, as well as being an entertaining drama, was a commentary on the early days of AIDS when there was a lack of knowledge in respect of the disease. People were not as aware as they are now with regard to AIDS. It is important that today's generation is reminded of the difficulties that people had in the 1980s and 1990s with AIDS and HIV. The Senator observed that the national sexual health strategy ought to engage with the wider community. I am sure that will happen. I know Senator Buttimer will keep an eye on that issue.

Senator Maria Byrne also talked about a meaningful debate on the 9% VAT rate. I am sure that can be arranged in the new year. Senators Carrigy and Cummins talked of the community centre fund. I strongly advocated for a maintenance fund for new community centres. There has been a large number of applications, which goes to show how necessary that funding is. We have wonderful facilities around the country which are testament to the work of communities and the supports that are available. Some of those facilities need a facelift and an upgrade. Some also need fire safety and other maintenance works. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, will do what she can to ensure that the Senators' requests are provided for.

Senator Carrigy also talked about the spiking of drinks, which is a concern to any parent. He talked about caps for drinks. It would be positive if the industry were to promote that and its roll-out. The most important thing we can advise any young people to do is to look out for each other on a night out. That is particularly true for girls. They must look out for each other and must not leave each other alone. They should ensure that they get each other home safely.

Senator Gavan talked about the Rehab employees, vulnerable workers and a Labour Court decision. I have not been following that case but it is a cause that seems perfectly sensible. If the Labour Court recommendation is not being adhered to, the Senator would have the support of this House. If he were to circulate some information, I am sure people would get back to him.

Senator Cummins talked about the North Quays project in the heart of Waterford city. I acknowledge the Senator's advocacy for that project since his arrival in this House and in the past, when he was Mayor of Waterford city and a councillor. I have seen the proposals on social media and they are exciting for the city. I spent a bit of time there over the summer. The projects he has talked about would be a considerable boost to the community in Waterford.

Senator McGahon called for a debate on the issue of renewable energy and I will request a debate with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I have read that there is considerable potential to make Ireland a powerhouse of renewable energy, particularly offshore wind energy, in the coming years. We could be a net exporter of energy to the European Union, which would be extremely positive.

Senator Seery Kearney talked about projects in Crumlin and the issue of alcohol, which is perfectly evident. All the off-licences and shops are selling alcohol. As the saying goes, I can resist everything except temptation. Unfortunately, if one suffers from a drink problem or the disease of alcoholism, the availability and visibility of alcohol is all too evident. The Senator also talked about Drinkaware and funding from the drinks industry. I do not have information in that regard but it is a matter she could raise directly with the Minister for Education or as a Commencement matter.

Order of Business agreed to.

Photo of Mark DalyMark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome to the Gallery students from the Holy Family Senior School in Portlaoise, County Laois. They are most welcome and I thank them for being here. I thank them for the wave. The new ruling from the Chair is that when students from a school visit, they are allowed off schoolwork for the rest of the week, especially for the weekend. We hope the school will make sure the students do not have any more homework. They are obviously going to write a big report on democracy, having been in Leinster House. We look forward to receiving that report.