Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I condemn the barbaric gun attack on the unarmed, off-duty police officer who was volunteering to coach young people at Youth Sport in Killyclogher, Omagh last night. We send him best wishes for a full and speedy recovery and best wishes to his family, his colleagues and everyone who witnessed the attempted murder, but especially the young people of Killyclogher, of Omagh and the North generally. The attack took place in Youth Sport, which is a multisport facility, as I understand it, where soccer, GAA, rugby and all different athletic disciplines are learned, practised and coached. It is a place where I imagine young people and their families go to try to reach their full potential and do it in a diverse, inclusive, tolerant and peaceful way. The location of the attack was appalling. It was an attack not just on an unarmed police officer; it was an attack on a volunteer in that community. It was an attack on the community and on a dad. The location speaks for itself. It was an attack on everyone who is part of that community. It was appalling and we utterly condemn it. The people of the North deserve to live free from the threat of violence and from violence. I appeal to anyone who has information to contact the Garda and the police. There can be no tolerance, no exceptions and no excuse for it.

My constituency of Dublin Central has experienced its fair share of violence, particularly in the north inner city. I am a founding director of a youth service. I am a mother, parent and volunteer. I was delighted yesterday to see the Government in the form of the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Deputy James Browne, visit the north inner city. He visited the HAY youth diversion project, which Government has approved significant funding for. It is a youth diversion programme that is a combination of professional youth workers working with families, young people and gardaí to help those young people divert away from antisocial behaviour and crime. The programme typically works with young people aged 12 to 18 from Summerhill, Ballybough, Mountjoy Square, Portland Row, Portland Place and the North Strand – right in the heart of our north inner city - and helps young people reach their full potential. It is place where people such as Kellie Harrington, Emmet Brennan and Barry Keoghan come from. It is a place where young people can dream. With the support of this Government and Foróige, the HAY youth diversion project is able to offer early intervention and family support, as well as a digital hub. It is a great project. I wish everybody at HAY well and I especially wish the young people of the north inner city well.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the ambassador’s presence, which is important.

I want to raise the issue about Defence Forces Reserve and where we are with the recruitment campaign that happened. A significant campaign was launched in March 2022. More than 1,000 people volunteered, which is a great sign of the enthusiasm out there to join the Reserve. People have been telling me that the Reserve was never going to get that activity back again. However, it showed the activity out there, with 1,000 people coming forward and putting their hands up to say that they want be part of the Reserve. Unfortunately, ever since, there have been huge issues trying to make sure the recruits get through the process.

On 27 July 2022, recruitment closed because there was a backlog when it came to the medicals. The medicals issue has never been sorted out. Unfortunately, it is two-phased. Part one means that a person must do blood and urine tests, which are still being done in-house. The GP part is outsourced. Because of the way the medicals have been handled, unfortunately, only 90 recruits have been recruited. Out of 1,000 people coming forward and with the recruitment campaign closing in July, only 90 have made it through the process. There was anticipation that this was going to be the start of a fresh beginning for the Reserve. However, those figures show a change in approach is needed or we will not see that ambition that the Reserve has. It can never reach its full ambition if only 90 people get through after 1,000 are recruited.

As bad as it is with the Reserve for the Defence Forces, when you think about what is happening with the Naval Service Reserve, it gets worse.Some 176 people applied to join the reserve in the Naval Service. Not one has gotten through the process yet. We need to have a significant debate about where we are going with our Defence Forces. Unfortunately, the Defence Forces have been depleted over the last few years. Significant reports have been published and significant budgets have been proposed but the actual day-to-day running of the Defence Forces and how they manage issues, in particular when it comes to medicals, needs to be looked at. To think we have no naval reserve gone through the process in more than a year is beyond belief. To think that fewer than 100 - just 90 out of 1,000 - have gone through for the Army reserve shows the great need for something to happen here. It would be appropriate for the Tánaiste to come to the Chamber for a debate on the Defence Forces and on the Reserve itself so he can give his vision and his outline. He is a new Minister in this area, as the Cathaoirleach knows, and a colleague of his in his constituency. We should have that debate and deliver what the people want, which is the opportunity to serve.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I wish to speak about the group that the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media will be establishing to fight misinformation and disinformation. This group will aim to create measures to support innovation and fact-checking. While the aims of the groups sound noble, this is not something I support. The State has a vested interest in suppressing information about its own failures. Public trust in institutions has declined for good reason. The social contract is broken. Due to the failures of this Government, we are likely to face a lot of social problems.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Is the Senator calling for a debate?

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I will be if-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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This is the Order of Business. It is not a Second Stage speech.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I am calling, if the Cathaoirleach will allow me to proceed-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I will.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Any attempt to target misinformation and disinformation is likely to favour establishment voices at the expense of alternative ones, whether they be on the right or the left. In the Anglosphere, the terms "misinformation" and "disinformation" are used inconsistently across a variety of contexts but they are generally not applied to establishment media. Let us look at an example. RTÉ said there were 50,000 attendees at last week's demonstration. Does this photo look like 50,000 people? RTÉ previously said that a similar sized protest had hundreds of attendees. Will the fact checkers check this?

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I am sorry Senator-----

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Of course not. That is part of the problem.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I hate to interrupt the Senator. This is the Order of Business and it is not-----

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I am well aware. I will be-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I ask the Senator to respect the Chair for second. This is not a Second Stage speech. It is not a debate on a Bill.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I am asking for a debate.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Thank you.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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In all fairness-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I am being fair.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Actually, I do not believe you are.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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That is okay. I am but-----

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I do not think the Cathaoirleach is treating me equally to other Members.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I would be happy to talk to the Senator again about that. This is not a Bill. This is the Order of Business, where Members request a debate or for a Minister to come to the House. That is all I am saying.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Well said.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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That is in the interests of all. I am fair to all Members.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Okay. I certainly hope the time the Cathaoirleach has taken away from me will be given back to finish my speech.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I will adjudicate that as Chair. I will chair the proceedings.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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RTÉ's big personalities, many of whom are paid six-figure salaries, frequently allow politicians to present inaccurate narratives and avoid difficult questions. Will this be considered misinformation or disinformation? Will political parties be targeted for putting out false information about their achievements or their opponents? I would advise you to think very carefully about the precedent you establish. At the moment, our libel laws are being abused by politicians to silence journalists. Will the committee empower tech companies to decide what misinformation and-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Senator Keogan without interruption please. The Senator is inviting commentary and interruption from Members by her comments.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Deliberately.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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This is the Order of Business-----

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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This is the Order of Business and at the end of my speech I will be calling for a debate with the Minister.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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With respect, the Senator is here now two years. This is the Order of Business. It is not, as I said, Second Stage, Committee Stage or Report Stage.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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It is not. That is correct. I will be looking for the Minister to come in if I am allowed to finish my speech.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I ask the Senator to conclude then.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Thank you. Will the committee empower tech companies to decide what is misinformation and disinformation? They have an interest in suppressing information about their own corruption and malpractice. Targeting the far right and commentators online while at the same time failing to target the problems in establishment media and political parties will only erode-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I ask the Senator to conclude now. I have added on time for her.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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The real question for the Government and the media should be how we can rebuild trust. If you spend all your time trying to avoid criticism no one will trust you and your efforts will be in vain. I call on the Deputy Leader to allow us to have the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in here before she establishes the committee to give us the guidelines she is hoping to set out.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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The Senator is well over time now. I call an Seanadóir Ó Donnghaile.

Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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I for one would hope that we do not hear a series of misinformation and that views such as those we have just heard are not platformed or given our time. It is all we seem to hear consistently, day in, day out in this Chamber.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Well said.

Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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I want to join my colleague Senator Fitzpatrick in condemning last night's atrocious shooting in Killyclogher in Omagh. It has just brought shock and absolute devastation, not just to the PSNI officer and his family but also to the community and the service users at the multisport centre. I know some of the users and some of those who run groups in that facility. It is a devastating time for them. I welcome and note the united statement from the five party leaders in the North this morning condemning last night's attempted murder. I know colleagues all across the House and in these Houses will remain steadfast, consistent and united going forward in stating clearly that there can be no place for a return to the dark days of conflict and the dark days of old. We must ensure peace is embedded, advanced and built upon. In particular, I am sure we are all thinking not just of the PSNI officer but the young people, including his son, who have experienced trauma and shock the likes of which we had hoped young people would never experience again. Their school community, families, communities and clubs will be wrapping their arms around them and we send them our solidarity and our support today. It is important that message goes out from these Houses, and I know it will, that we will face down anyone, no matter who they are, who wants to try to drag society in the North back or destabilise the advances and progress we have made.

Mark Wall (Labour)
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I join in condemning the attack on the PSNI officer last night. It is horrific to even contemplate that his son witnessed the attack and that there were so many young people there. As has been said by my two colleagues, that message needs to go out loud and strong. We can never go back. Anyone who has information needs to bring that to the relevant authorities.

I also want to support the call from Senator Lombard, not for the first time, for a debate on our Defence Forces. Senator Lombard outlined the issues regarding our Reserve Defence Force and indeed our permanent Defence Forces. We need to debate the commission report. It has been sitting on a shelf for a number of months. There are issues with it. If the Deputy Leader could organise that, it would be welcomed by a number of Members.

I also want to mark the fact that it is a year since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Putin-led Russian state today. It has been a year of senseless brutal violence unleashed by one country upon another, a year of displacement and loss for millions of ordinary Ukrainians but also a year in which the Ukrainian spirit of defiance and resistance to Putin's army has pierced the illusion of Russian military superiority. It is important to remember, as we mark this terrible anniversary, that the attempt to once again rewrite Europe's borders with brutal violence has been ongoing for close to a decade. It has been a decade in which peace and diplomacy between states has been casually and consistently disregarded by one of the world's few nuclear armed powers in an attempt to crush a smaller neighbour into national disarmament. It is not the plight of the nation of Ukraine that moves us so much as the awful suffering of its people. The ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court into possible war crimes in Ukraine goes back as far as November 2013, when the anti-government protests began that would later be used as a pretext for the illegal and unjustified invasion of Crimea. The question remains how many innocent people have suffered in that time, how many lives have been cut short and how many families torn apart and communities broken in the past decade and especially in the past 12 months due to one powerful state deciding it had a right to invade its neighbour. Perhaps we will never know the full account of the suffering and pain but today it is right to acknowledge and condemn this illegal invasion.Of course, we must now deal with the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War, which is happening right before our eyes. More than 8 million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their country and seek refuge elsewhere. We have seen them, we have met them and we have heard their stories. Many people have opened their doors and welcomed them into their communities. Some people have, regrettably, stoked division in the face of need. It is clear from the Le Chéile march held last weekend, which saw thousands of people take to the streets in support of a compassionate, welcoming policy towards those fleeing violence in Ukraine and elsewhere, that the majority view in this country is one of solidarity with refugees.

Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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Hear, hear.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Well said.

Mark Wall (Labour)
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The negative impact of Putin's illegal invasion is global and it will be with us for some time to come. As we mark this tragic anniversary, our thoughts must turn to the long-term need to rebuild Ukraine. We must redouble our efforts to create a world free from the kind of energy, food and security challenges that this crisis has done so much to create, just as we must not shy away from our long-term obligation to build a world where no country, no people, no individual will suffer as those in Ukraine have suffered.

Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)
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With the Cathaoirleach and others, I want to-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I am sorry. Gabh mo leithscéal. Senator Black is next. Rinne mé dearmad.

Frances Black (Independent)
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Yesterday morning, the Israeli military murdered ten Palestinians, including two elderly men and a child, and injured more than 100 in a vicious raid on Nablus. Throughout the brutal attack, the Israeli military blocked Palestinian medical personnel from treating the wounded. The raid on Nablus is the second massacre by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank in 2023. The Israeli military killed ten Palestinians during a raid in Jenin in January. Both cities are under constant, systematic terror by the Israeli military. This year could be the deadliest year in the West Bank since 2000. At least 61 Palestinians have been killed so far this year. Why is the Irish Government ignoring the constant and extreme violence against Palestinians? It is horrific. As thousands of Palestinians mourn for the ten lives lost in today's raid, why is the Irish Government abandoning them in their struggle?

Let us be clear. These raids are designed to terrorise Palestinians with the goal of ethically cleansing them from their land and destroying any resistance against Israel's apartheid regime. I believe this Government and, in fact, the whole world has lost all connection to the realities that ordinary Palestinians face. Palestinians will continue to be threatened with death, injury, occupation and oppression while the world watches and pronounces empty words. We should be on the side of unconditional commitment to justice, equality, freedom and dignity for all people with no exceptions. When the Tánaiste visited Kyiv as Taoiseach in July 2022, he was right when referring to Russian atrocities. He said that "The use of terror against and the deliberate targeting of civilian populations are war crimes".

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Senator, I am sorry. Are you calling for a debate?

Frances Black (Independent)
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I am calling for a debate. I want to quote the Tánaiste. He continued:

Those responsible, those carrying out these actions, and those directing them will be held fully accountable, and there will be no hiding places. That is why we have provided additional funding to the International Criminal Court, to give it the capacity to follow up on these crimes.

I am asking the Tánaiste why he will not condemn the Israeli apartheid regime for the massacre of civilians, in the same way he condemns Russia. Is it perhaps because Palestinians are not white Europeans? Why are Palestinian lives less valuable than Ukrainian lives? I invite the Tánaiste to come to the Seanad and explain why he is not saying that Israeli war criminals should be brought before the International Criminal Court. I am calling for a debate on this. We must have a debate on this issue. What is happening to the Palestinian people is horrific. Enough is enough.

Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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Hear, hear.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Well said.

Frances Black (Independent)
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It is colonisation and it is horrific. I feel so emotional about this. It is horrific.

Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)
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Together with the Cathaoirleach and others, I welcome the Estonian ambassador. I ask that she convey our thanks to the Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, who is from a small country and has shown tremendous leadership in standing up to the aggression of Russia and in rallying European troops to assist the Ukrainian people in their efforts to fight off this outrageous, illegal war. It is worth noting this as we mark the first anniversary of the illegal invasion.

On a more domestic matter, I would like a debate with the Minister for Health and the Department to address the continued overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick, UHL. We discussed this matter in the Seanad a number of weeks ago. The proposals put forward by the HSE for the greater utilisation of Ennis hospital, Nenagh hospital and St. John's Hospital were meant to take some of the pressure off but they have not done so. We have had record numbers of people waiting on trolleys in UHL in recent days. Something even more negative has happened. As a result of the utilisation of Ennis hospital, day surgeries there have been cancelled today for the third day in a row. There is a 12-bed ward in Ennis hospital for day surgery, which treats approximately 40 people per week. Three of those days have been cancelled this week and we do not know when the next sessions will take place. This also happened a number of weeks ago. People who need treatment are being pushed out in order to deal with the overflow from Limerick. This sounded good to some people at the time but it has created a bigger problem. The delay in day care intervention, which these patients are now not getting, will undoubtedly lead to more people attending the accident and emergency department at a future date. It is not solving the problem. It sounds good on paper. While some people got excited about it and thought it was a great solution, the practical implications are that there will be negative outcomes for those depending on day surgery. It is going to cause further problems in the future. We have to begin a discussion on bed capacity in the region. We have to look at emergency measures and set aside the delays associated with planning and design. What we need is more bed capacity and we need it now.

Barry Ward (Fine Gael)
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First of all, I welcome the fact that we are acknowledging tomorrow's inauspicious anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. It is something we hoped would not have gone on this long but it has. At this juncture, while we mark it with the tabling of a motion in the Seanad, we should also recognise that this House has been very supportive and proactive in relation to Ukraine. Senator Ahearn and I travelled there last year. I hope the Oireachtas will make provision to allow all Members, including Ministers, who want to and are available and able to travel to Ukraine to do so. The greater the extent to which we promote the normality of aligning with our colleagues in Ukraine, the greater the solidarity we have with them, which is very important.

I ask that we have a debate on the report by the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, which I understand is being published today. There are many issues we raise all the time in this Chamber that are bound up. One of the issues I have raised on nearly ten occasions in this House is the thalidomide survivors of this country, of whom there are just over 40. They are all aged in their 60s now, as the youngest of them turned 60 last month. They continue to fight for some level of real recognition from the State, even a genuine and heartfelt apology, and for compensation. It is deeply unfair that this remains unresolved. I ask that we have a debate on this issue and a range of other issues that have been raised in the report of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I want to raise an issue relating to the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022, which came before the Dáil last night. For those who sat in and listened to the debate in the Dáil - I did see a few Senators present - it was exceptionally moving. We met with the people coming out afterwards with a very heavy heart. As a man with African roots who had been here said, so many people are going to be excluded from the Bill. Thousands of people have written emails to us. We have had all the emotion and all the tears. Indeed, many Senators in this House have shed a tear. We now have an opportunity to be in solidarity with the people affected. I make no secret of the fact that I grew up in institutional care for 18 years. I was always there. This is not about me. I remember the first day I entered Leinster House. I was so conscious of my past, my identity, and what it meant to me as someone who had very little education. I worked in a bakery from the age of 11 and was happy to do so. I bought a bicycle with my first month's salary and was happy to do so. It did not have mudguards, lamps or carriers but it was two wheels to freedom in my community. I was brought up in Dún Laoghaire and chose to remain there and was elected to the local council. However, this is not about me. I made a commitment when I came to the Seanad that I would never forget my past.I would openly talk about it, and advocate for it. We still have an opportunity to seek to amend this legislation. This morning I read the report of the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Many of its members are here. I saw their pictures on the cover. I look forward to them engaging on this next week. I hope we can take our courage in our hands and put some sort of amendment forward on this Bill. We have the opportunity. Let us do it. I have said one thing. That Chamber will be full of people. I have asked people to come here. We have to look people in the eye. We cannot shed tears and pretend we are hurt and wounded if we cannot stand in solidarity with these people. I do not ask the Leader to respond today. All I ask is that we please think of our own words, our own commitments and obligations and, hopefully, we can have a respectful and meaningful engagement on this legislation when it comes before us.

Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail)
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I join my colleagues, Senators Wall, Ó Donnghaile and Fitzpatrick, in condemning the horrific attack on Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in the presence of children on the junior football pitches in Tyrone. There are no words to describe this attack, but we are all horrified, stunned and saddened. Ultimately, I always thought there was a generation shielded from the violence in the North. There is now a generation of children who witnessed a shooting on a football pitch. As my colleagues said, I just hope that it does not drag us back to a time of destruction and violence like we had in the past. It is important that a message is sent out from all sides of the Seanad that we are united in our condemnation of this awful attack. I am thinking of the detective chief inspector and hope he makes a full recovery.

The second issue I raise is that our Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2022 was adjourned in October or November 2022 without completing Second Stage. It is important legislation that will give cancer survivors an opportunity to access financial products in a fair way. There is a lot more talk about it in Europe at the moment, and we should lead on it in this Chamber and get ahead of the curve. It is not something on which we will reinvent the wheel. It is something that happens in five other European countries so I would like to the legislation to be rescheduled. We are in talks with the Department of Finance. However, as the Deputy Leader was helpful in getting it scheduled in the previous Seanad, anything she can do to help get it on the agenda this term would be greatly appreciated.

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I was listening to some of the earlier contributions. I have been here three years, but it has just dawned on me that if a Member comes into this House with a prepared speech he or she can speak as long as he or she wants, but if not, he or she gets to speak for two minutes. What is most frustrating is that if someone comes in with a prepared speech, he or she surely knows how long one will speak for, so it is insulting to everyone else when time is exceeded. A lot of Members do that.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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The Chair is fair to everyone and the clock is operated independently-----

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I never said anything about the Chair. I just said that if I have a prepared speech, I will get five minutes to speak.

Along with others, I mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. As others have said, the House has played a key role in condemning it and I thank people for putting their name to today's motion. However, there is a presentation at 11.30 a.m. with the Ukrainian ambassador featuring pictures of the first days and weeks of the war. They were pictures shown to people in the church in Bucha. Myself and Senator Ward saw them when we were there. I encourage everybody to look at these. They give a graphic image of the first couple of days of the war in Ukraine. If people want to get a real of what was happening in those first few weeks, I encourage them to be there at 11.30 a.m.

I ask that we have a debate with the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on two issues. The first is the drug, Cariban, for women suffering from hyperemesis. We had a meeting with representatives of Hyperemesis Ireland last week, and they gave full details of the problems that people are encountering and the fact that the Department of Health are stalling on giving this drug cost free without a consultant having to sign off on it. There is no justification for it. The Department is trying to block women from having this drug. It is a debate we need to have, and I would appreciate if it could happen soon.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I commending what Senator Boyhan said regarding the mother and baby redress scheme. Anyone who heard our colleague, Samantha Long, on "The Late Debate" last night could not but be moved. I hope there is political will across the Chamber to make the necessary amendments to that Bill when it comes before this House.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Hear. hear.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I also ask for a debate on the horrific murders in the West Bank yesterday. Among those killed by Israeli forces were a 72-year-old man, a 16-year-old boy and a 66-year-old man who died of tear gas inhalation. I will quote from the Al Jazeera report that detailed this yesterday, where Nida' Ibrahim stated:

We are hearing stories that Israeli forces were shooting at the neighbours, people in their houses, people going about their daily lives. [Crucially, he adds that:] Palestinians say Israel is acting this way because it is not being held accountable and has a free hand killing Palestinians.

That cuts to the heart of the matter. We need a debate on this because we rightly stand united today on the horrific and illegal war in Ukraine. I do not understand why we cannot stand united on the horrific occupation and ongoing murders of Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza. I am also struck by that strange comment made in the Dáil last year by the Tánaiste. When confronted with the reality of the apartheid state that Israel is, he said: "I do not find the term "apartheid" helpful." What a strange thing to say. It is just not acceptable politically. I have been to Nablus and the West Bank. Everyone who knows about occupied Palestine knows that it is an apartheid state. We need to recognise that and act together just as we are acting together on Ukraine.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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We cannot say it enough, but I also join Senators Fitzpatrick, Ó Donnghaile and Ardagh in utterly condemning the attack on Detective Chief Inspector Caldwell. He was off duty, with the community, with mixed and maybe no religions, and doing his best for young people. For his son and other young people to witness that is shocking. Maybe we could decide across the House to write a letter. I am sure the Cathaoirleach and the Leader could organise it. We could write a letter to the Mr. Caldwell's family and to the PSNI expressing our wish that he has a speedy recovery and he will be able to return to his job as quickly as possible. The most important thing is that he recovers from this appalling, brutal and outrageous attack.

I welcome the Government announcement of a 60% grant to install solar panels on farm homes, sheds and buildings. I know that whether in counties Roscommon, Meath, Galway or somewhere else, farmers have been crying out for this. This is important in the context of our climate goals. There is a €90,000 ceiling so it is quite generous and very important. I call for a debate at an appropriate time on water conservation. A lot of water, particularly on farms, runs away when we have heavy rainfall. It makes sense to help farmers store this water. I do not know if there is anything for that in the new targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS. There are 100 new areas where people can get funding under TAMS. That is something I have to check out. However, it is something we should engage with. Water is an important commodity. It is running scarce at times and we must realise that. It would be great if we could have assistance for farmers, businesses and others so they can store that water and put it to good use.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome to the Gallery the students from St. Malachy's Mixed National School in Finglas, and a delegation from Portarlington. I thank them for being here and I hope they have a good visit to Leinster House. I call Senator Conway.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. We have to remind ourselves every day that the people of Ukraine are suffering beyond belief. Whatever we do in this country, we are doing it in solidarity with peace, with what is right internationally and with what is ethical. Whatever we are doing is still not enough and we can always do more.We should all reach out and extend the hand of friendship to people from Ukraine. Some of them have been living in hotels for almost a year and some are living with wonderful host families. Some of them are very lonely. It is a very difficult time for them. We should extend the hand of friendship and solidarity to them. I support Senator Ward's proposal that the Oireachtas should facilitate any Member who wishes to go to Kyiv, who wants to show solidarity by going to Ukraine. That is an idea that is well worth exploring and developing.

Finally, on the trolley numbers in the emergency department in Limerick, the new protocols that were introduced by the National Ambulance Service mean that people are being brought to Ennis Hospital as opposed to the emergency department in University Hospital Limerick, UHL. We should have a debate on those protocols. We need to examine the facts and figures, determine whether these protocols are working and whether they can be further improved.

Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
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I will begin by echoing Senator Ward’s call for a debate on the report published by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Disability Matters this morning on aligning disability services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD. It is a really in-depth report and an awful lot of work went into it. I am proud to be a member of the committee that produced it. Some very stark points are made in the report which we need to take on board and explore further and there is nowhere better than this House to do so.

Today I stand with the people of Ukraine. I want to reflect on the last year and thank a few people. I do an awful lot of giving out in here, but it is reasonable that I would come in and say "thank you" on the day that is in it. First, I thank the people of Ukraine for the extraordinary sacrifices they have made in the last year on behalf of democracy and the right of a nation to self-determination. We owe them a lot in support, care, compassion and kindness. There was a time, during the first few weeks of the war, when we got data on the number of Ukrainians who had died. I note that we do not get those data anymore and I imagine it is because the numbers are extraordinarily high. There are people living among us who have experienced terrible loss, who are grieving the loss of life as they knew it, the very simple things of life as they knew it. I have talked to people who went down to a bomb shelter, having left everything in their apartment intact, and who went back to find the entire building was gone. Everything they knew in their lives, everything that was certain, was gone.

I also want to say a big thank you to the Department of Foreign Affairs which has been extraordinary, particularly with me, in the last year. This day last year we had four newborn babies in Kyiv and within a few days those babies were home, thanks to the extraordinary work of officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and particularly, the Irish officials in the embassy in Ukraine. They continue to do that work. Babies continue to be born. There are 24 due up to this summer. Every day an enormous amount of work is being done to support families and surrogate mothers and I want to say a big thank you and acknowledge that.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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Private Seán Rooney gave his life in the service of peace. Immediately after that, the following appeared in a newspaper:

Sure, what do you do at work?

What does a soldier do?

Why do we even need an Army?

What it means to be an Irish soldier has been shown today by a 23-year-old lad from Dundalk,

when he stood up and, in typical military style, joined the stand taken by his father before him,

and his Uncles, and like all within the job, he took a stand to say “I will be there”.

An Irish soldier will be there and has always been there.

Irish soldiers have stood tall in the Congo, East Timor,

Bosnia, Kosovo and once again have stood tall in Lebanon.

We don’t dance around with the tricolour on St Patrick’s Day,

we wear it every day,

we stand to attention as the flag is raised,

we stand and watch as the flag is saluted,

and then lowered that evening.

An Irish soldier stands when he is called without quibble or question

and his resolve is tested when he swings up his arms.

Foot and Mouth — call the Army.

Heavy weather warnings — call the Army.

Flood disaster — call the Army.

COVID testing — call the Army.

Airport crisis — call the Army.

Refugees need a camp — use the Army.

And every night in every Barracks in the Country, who stands at the post - an Irish soldier.

They question whether we’re needed but call us whenever we’re needed.

We stand, and we answer the call like we have been given a call to arms.

Our training, our professionalism, our drill, and our dress.

The standard is set by a brotherhood and loyalty to one another, not the government of the day.

The politicians who won’t fight for our simplest of needs promise white papers and reform.

A soldier is reliable but not to his family.

Can I guarantee I will be around this weekend? Not always.

“I will go overseas; it’s got a financial gain; it will help us at Christmas.”

Conversations are had by so many Comrades as they discuss military life.

Now the conversations have changed,

“Why did you join the Army?”

At one time, it was a viable career,

because it had prospects for promotion,

and because it’s a family tradition.

You become a brotherhood who stand as a defensive line in Riot gear.

You stand together in best dress to pay respects in a Guard of Honour.

You stand side by side on a gun line as mortar bombs fly.

You stand in memorial as a Comrade is laid down.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Thank you Senator. You have had your two minutes.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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I appreciate that but this is important. Private Seán Rooney gave his life in the service of peace and we are watching our Defence Forces collapse around us.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Thank you Senator.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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The numbers are under 8,000 now.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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The Senator is well over time now.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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I appreciate that.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I support Senator Ahern's proposal to invite the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to the House. I ask the Deputy Leader to add the issue of the heel-prick test to the list of matters to be discussed with him. It is an issue I have raised a number of times in the context of spinal muscular atrophy. A very small amount of money would be needed every year to prevent children from suffering so much.

Yesterday an announcement was made regarding school transport fees for the next school year. The scheme will open for applications on 1 March. A review of school transport started in February 2021 but we still have not seen the results of that review. That review should be published. We do not want to be in a situation next August where children are left on the side of the road. What happened last year is not acceptable. There was goodwill with regard to the provision of free transport but we ended up leaving a lot of children with no transport at all. A significant number of families had to pay for private transport at a cost of between €500 and €1,000, while others had free transport. This is an issue that needs to be addressed now. We need to get that review published so we do not repeat the mistakes that we made last year.

We all have text alerts in our local communities. My own local authority has now amalgamated them all into an app, in co-operation with local gardaí, so that messages go out directly to every single group in the county. However, we do not have a national warning system. Ciara, an intern who works in my office, did some research and found that Luxembourg has a national system of warnings, including weather warnings and so on. We issue such warnings through newspapers here but we do not use the technology that is out there. In Luxembourg it works through the phone providers in the country. If a warning issues regarding weather and so forth, it can be regionalised or sent nationally through the existing phone providers. It is something we need to look at. The system in Luxembourg is called GouvAlert

John Cummins (Fine Gael)
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At the start of the month, €11 million in active travel funding was allocated to Waterford, which might seem like a significant sum of money. Included in that was €4 million for greenway access into the city centre, which is nearing completion, thankfully. This is an excellent project which will benefit local communities as well as visitors to Waterford. Unfortunately, however, Waterford City and County Council requested an allocation of €18.5 million for active travel this year and as a result of the funding shortfall, projects such as those in Kilmeaden, Dunhill, Tallow, Ballinroad, Lemybrien, Boatstrand and Aglish have been shelved.I know the Department will say that Waterford City and County Council, along with all local authorities, has not drawn down its full allocation of active travel money in recent years. In its defence, it takes time to go through the design, the public consultation, the Part 8 process and the tender process for same. As a result, it has re-profiled some of that allocation into areas with significantly more population. In one sense this is understandable but it has created an expectation in those smaller rural communities, which bought into these projects and had the design and Part 8 prepared, that these projects would be delivered. As a result of the shortfall now, these are not available to them. I request that the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, or the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, or both, come before the House to explain the rationale behind the re-profiling of those National Transport Authority, NTA, allocations and to see whether we can get additional allocations in the back end of this year to allow for some of those smaller projects, which have huge community dividend, to take place in those areas.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I wish to raise the situation regarding trolley numbers in University Hospital Limerick. While we had a visit there last week from the Taoiseach, who is taking a personal interest in this issue, I note two things. The trolley numbers were down last week and are well up this week. There are in excess of 100 people on trolleys today, I believe it is 111 people, and there were similar numbers yesterday. The figure is quite high. Senator Conway raised the protocols that are in place in Ennis hospital. They were to be extended to Nenagh and St John's hospitals but other changes and supports also were due to happen. It is time we had a debate in this House. I also note that UHL has advertised for healthcare workers. Having healthcare workers employed helps by allowing people to be let home from hospital because the supports are in place to support them at home. The reason people are not applying for healthcare worker roles is because there are not supports in place for them. In some cases, workers receive money towards their transport costs while other do not. There seems to be a discrepancy right across the system in terms of supports for healthcare workers and that in turn stops them from applying for jobs. It is time we had a debate about the overall health system and how we can support healthcare workers. We need to have that wider debate. I ask the Deputy Leader to request that the Minister for Health comes to the House to have that wider debate about how we can support health workers to make hospitals, and UHL in particular, safe in terms of the worker and the patient experience.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I condemn in the strongest possible way what happened in Northern Ireland last night. We have to condemn it at every available opportunity to us. I welcome the €1.2 billion cost-of-living package provided by the Government. I ask the Deputy Leader if we might organise a debate on the VAT rates in the House. I welcome the continuing 9% rate for the next number of months but inevitably, it is going to go back up to 13.5%. This will be a blow to small businesses when that occurs, particularly to small restaurants, bars and people providing food. We need a debate on that because when this happens, it will be a big blow for those small businesses. There may be other ways in which they can be helped. This issue warrants a debate before the summer and I hope the Deputy Leader will be able to arrange that at some stage.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I join with others in condemning the attack on the PSNI officer yesterday in Omagh. I extend solidarity to all his colleagues and family in the community as well. In Ireland, political parties and groups receive State funding largely based on the number of Oireachtas Members they have. This is a positive thing. It means we can help avoid the situation in other countries where money and politics are intertwined and representatives are forced to spend much of their time fundraising. However, with State funding or in other words, taxpayers' money, comes responsibilities. It is vital that political parties follow the rules on election spending, donations, and especially regarding the keeping of proper and accurate accounts. Sinn Féin received in excess of €1.5 million of taxpayers' money in 2021; the largest amount received by any party or group in the country. Taxpayers have a right to know that this money is spent within the rules and that it is properly and accurately accounted for. There have been a series of troubling and worrying revelations recently. Sinn Féin has failed to disclose election expenses in the 2016 general election; it has failed to provide full and accurate returns to the Standards in Public Office Commission, SIPO, for the 2020 general election; it has-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Is the Senator asking for a debate?

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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Yes, I am asking for a debate on the matters of SIPO. Sinn Féin provided incomplete and inaccurate accounts to SIPO for 2021. These are very serious matters. They relate to trust and confidence, to standards in public office, to transparency and openness in our political system,and confidence which the public must have in those who receive millions of euro in public money. Right now, Sinn Féin has failed on all of these accounts. We urgently need a debate on the ethics and standards legislation and more importantly, on the enforcement of these rules.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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Well said.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Maybe we should-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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As Cathaoirleach I want to be associated with the voices of condemnation of the horrific and callous attack on Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell last night. We as a House send our best wishes to his family.

I thank all Members of the House for their solidarity this morning with Mr. Caldwell and his family. We all agree, as we approach the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, that we must not go back to those dark days of violence.

I thank all Members of the House who signed the motion on Ukraine. It is positive that Seanad Éireann, one year on, stands with the people of Ukraine and that we have a unanimous independent cross-party motion in this House. It speaks volumes for Senators and for their integrity. I thank all of the Senators for that.

Some very good suggestions have been made this morning on the Order of Business. It is important we all stand with Ukraine one year on from that illegal invasion. All Members have spoken about the atrocities and about the personal human stories. Slava Ukraini.