Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I ask the Leader to outline the Order of Business on International Women's Day.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Chair, and happy International Women's Day to everyone. The Order of Business is No. 1 on the Supplementary Order Paper, motion regarding the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Thursday, 9 March, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No. 2, statements to mark International Women's Day, to be taken at 12.45 p.m. and to conclude after 90 minutes if not previously concluded, with the time allocated for the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, all Senators not to exceed six minutes - Senators may share time - and the Minister to be given no less than eight minutes to reply to the debate; No. 3, Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 2.30 p.m., or on the conclusion of No. 2, whichever is the later, and to adjourn at 4.45 p.m. if not previously concluded; No. 4, statements to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge, to be taken at 5 p.m. and to conclude at 6 p.m. 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 five minutes - Senators may share time - and the Minister to be given no less than six minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 133, Private Members' motion No. 10 regarding the Good Friday Agreement and the Windsor Framework, to be taken at 6 p.m., with the time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Happy International Women's Day to all. First, I welcome the announcement by some UK researchers that they are going to call 100 Irish women to trials on endometriosis and relief of pain. It was announced this morning that they are carrying out some research. Endometriosis affects 10% of all women and this a very welcome announcement on International Women's Day. It would be a welcome development, were a drug found that would actually relieve the pain from this difficult condition. Speaking to people who suffer from it, it causes an awful lot of pain and distress to them.

I have just come from the Joint Committee on Health, at which the Irish Pharmacy Union was appearing. The union's representatives stated they are looking to run minor injuries triage within pharmacies, because often people go to a pharmacy with chest pain, indigestion or something in their eye, but pharmacists sometimes do not have the right to prescribe actual medication when it might be a minor injury. The union is looking for changes to legislation to enable them to treat minor injuries and conditions without people having to go to the pharmacy, only to be told they need an antibiotic or eye cream or whatever and must go to the doctor to get a prescription. This obviously takes up an appointment in the doctor's surgery and then they have to go back to the pharmacy for the prescription. I wish to support the proposed change to legislation, certainly given the role pharmacies played during Covid-19. They were to the forefront, in that they were open all the time, and they were accessible to people. You could not get in to your doctor or your hospital, as everything was done on the phone, but pharmacies were there to meet and see people.

It is a very good proposal, and something that needs support. Perhaps the Leader would support it and maybe send a note to the Minister for Health in relation to it. There is a pharmacist in nearly every town and village, and certainly there is a pharmacy within 5 km of most people's homes.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Before I call on Senator O'Loughlin, I welcome the group from Dundalk, the ladies in the Gallery, who are guests of Senator McGahon. I thank them for being here today.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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Happy International Women's Day to our guests, to all our female Members and to all the women who work here in the Houses of the Oireachtas and in communities, doing terrific work to encourage and support others, championing us and making a difference in their own workplaces, communities and families.

It is important to acknowledge the announcement this morning that the referendum on care, the family and gender equality will happen this November. It is an important announcement, and I thank all who were involved in the citizens' assembly process chaired by Catherine Day, and of course the Members who participated in the Oireachtas committee chaired by Deputy Bacik. Later today at 2 p.m., we have the unveiling of busts of former Presidents of Ireland, Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson, two wonderful trailblazers both in society and politics. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for that initiative. We look forward to seeing many people there.

I wish to give a shout out to Newbridge Rotary Club president Sharon O'Carroll, who today was awarded a Paul Harris fellowship, meaning that she is one of only 150 in the whole world in terms of her role as a leader doing positive work; to Tara Hughes from Newbridge, who was also nominated for a Clúid leadership award for her positive work in her estate, White Oaks, Newbridge; and to Emma Early Murphy from Kildare, who was recently elected national president of Network Ireland, which is in its 40th year. Ms Early Murphy's theme for the year is "celebrating success". It is important that we always shout out when anybody has success, and try to be positive.One of the issues I want to raise is the proposed change to the stamp duty exemption. That would impact negatively on many farmers. Heretofore, when a farm is transferred from one generation to the next and it has been incorporated into a limited company, there has been a stamp duty exemption scheme for young trained farmers, which encouraged that changeover to happen before the appointed successor was 35 years of age. The young trained farmer is required to farm the holding on a full-time basis for five years. A large proportion of family farms where the exemption has been availed of are dairy farms. For that reason, many dairy farms are trading as companies, or intend to. Now Revenue has really thrown a spanner into the works. The proposed changes would cost the average 100 acre farm €15,000 per year. When we are talking about incentives to try to keep farmers, both male and female, in farming, this proposed change is regrettable. It would cost a substantial amount to any farm family. It is important that we send a message to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, and to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath. I certainly intend to speak to them personally about this but I would also like a message to go from the Seanad to say that this proposal would be a retrograde step.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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I wish a happy International Women’s Day to everybody, and particularly to my female colleagues here in the Seanad and throughout the Oireachtas.

I was away at the Scottish Parliament last week at meetings and I did not get a chance to congratulate Deputy Holly Cairns on her appointment as leader of the Social Democrats. That is a great development. Equally, I am delighted to see Deputy Mary Lou McDonald as the leader of Sinn Féin, Deputy Ivana Bacik as leader of the Labour Party, and no pressure to Senator Lisa Chambers but I hope to see a female leader of Fianna Fáil soon-----

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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Very soon.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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Yes, very soon, and also in Fine Gael and in the Green Party. I firmly believe that our very survival and everything that confronts us, including awful global conflict and climate change, are the very expressions of patriarchy, and our survival and the survival of the planet is really at this point a matter of the empowerment of women and girls all around the world. It is a better way to conduct all of our affairs.

On International Women's Day, I want to take the opportunity to welcome the Government's announcement of a referendum to enshrine gender equality and to remove references to women in the home. It is reported that the exact wording of the referendum will be published in June. According to the Taoiseach the referendum will propose to amend the Constitution to enshrine gender equality and to remove the outmoded reference to women in the home, in line with the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality.

I welcome this announcement but my attention is focused this morning on the word "home". I hope that the word "home" is not considered an outmoded concept. I believe that all Irish citizens deserve the constitutional right to a home, whether that be an affordable home or a home provided by the State. Home, or housing, as set out in Article 25 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is a fundamental human right. This morning on our national broadcaster, RTÉ, on this International Women's Day, I listened to women describe the prospect of becoming homeless in the coming weeks in this Irish republic in 2023. They were heart-breaking interviews. I have heard mothers describe the morbid fear and panic induced by imminent eviction in the coming weeks. If and when the eviction ban is lifted, mark my words, there will be a convulsion of human suffering and pain across this republic and, because of the crisis and the broader crises, it will be of a scale not witnessed since before our War of Independence when we were governed by laissez-faireTories, and rack rent and absentee landlords. Our grandparents' oppressors have been replaced by vulture funds, cuckoo funds and a political ideology that sees homes and housing as a commodity and not as a public good.

On this International Women's Day I call on this House to call for a constitutional referendum to enshrine the guarantee to housing and homes for all of our citizens in Bunreacht na hÉireann.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I join with others in wishing everybody well on this International Women’s Day. I too wish to bring up the issue of housing and the appalling decision by this Government to end the ban on evictions. Like Senator Clonan, I was really struck by "Prime Time" last night and by "Morning Ireland" this morning. A woman called Grace spoke on "Morning Ireland" this morning and she said: "I have been praying to any God that's there to please just help me to get somewhere to get some security for me and my child." She said there was nowhere for her to go. She spoke about having to register as being homeless. She said that she has worked since she was 15 years of age and "The shame I feel is heart-breaking. I am breaking." This is how she described her situation. In last night's programme we saw a young man living in a car. He is sleeping in a car from week to week. He is working but he has nowhere to stay.

I will also talk about Limerick, where I live. A father of two teenagers who has lived in a house in Castletroy for 11 years is now going to be evicted in April. He literally has nowhere to go. The hubs are full. People in Limerick are not moving from the hubs.

I wish to remind the House of what happened in Limerick before the last eviction ban came in. People turned up at Garda stations to the extent where the cells became full in the main Garda station in Limerick. People turned up at the accident and emergency departments in hospitals, and sometimes they stayed there for days because there was literally nowhere for them to go. This is what we are facing when this ban is lifted. I genuinely cannot understand how this is happening.

The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has put out trite lines that if a person contacts the council the council will buy the house. Many landlords simply do not engage with local councils. That is the reality on far too many occasions. The efforts that should have been undertaken to at least address the situation just have not been done. Instead, we are facing an absolute crisis.

Another example of the crisis right now in Limerick is that homeless people are being asked by the homeless action team to phone hotels directly. They are given an offer of €1,000 per week to secure that week's accommodation but the people must make calls. If the homeless action team call the hotels then the hotels would simply say "No". This is just more evidence, from where I live in Limerick, that there is nowhere for people to go, and yet this Government is choosing to lift the ban on evictions.

The situation continues to get worse. Last week I heard the Leader say that they are turning it around, but they are not. Homeless figures are going in one direction, and one direction only. When this eviction ban is lifted, they will go in that direction far more quickly again. The damage to human beings is horrendous, and particularly to children and single mothers who too often are the victims in this type of situation. I am asking for an urgent debate on this issue. This decision must be reversed.

Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent)
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In rising to mark the day I wish everybody a happy International Women’s Day, but International Women’s Day is also about people raising the demand and raising the voice. For many women and many marginalised women in Ireland, including those women who are facing homelessness, it is not a happy International Women's Day. I am very proud of the work of the Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality. The action plan produced by the committee is based on the 45 transformative, visionary and ambitious recommendations of the citizen's assembly and will not just lead to nice examples or lovely stories on International Women's Day, but actually to the social, systemic transformation that we need.

We need to really accelerate and massively change our society so it is centred on equality. This blueprint has been given to us by citizens and carried forward by the cross-party group. We need to deliver all of the recommendations that have been made with regard to changing our society in a massive way. We are not talking about examples anymore or good examples, we are talking about systemic change.

One of the great opportunities for systemic change is in changing our Constitution so that it actually really does do better at representing all of our society.In that context, I welcome the commitment to a referendum made today. It is something I campaigned for long before I entered politics. It should not be a simplistic thing where we simply remove the sentence we do not like but a recognition of care. That is what the citizens called for, very clearly. They called for the recognition of the contribution of care made by everybody in society. It is important to acknowledge care as the lifeblood of society in a way that is meaningful. We need to take it away from women's roles being used as a tool to box women in and instead spread care out as something that everybody in society values.

I want to highlight something very important, which is the other recommendations. We have not heard the detail on them yet. There were other constitutional recommendations from the citizens that link with this. That was very clear. They also wanted to make sure all families were recognised in the Constitution. It is not just about recognising care, be it a woman or man who is giving the care, but also about recognising all of the families who are part of our fabric as a society. At the moment, the Constitution does not give equal recognition to all families. Some 98.9% of the citizens voted in favour of giving the protections given to the family to all families. When we look to the legacy of how Ireland has treated lone-parent families, and unmarried mothers in particular, this is a great opportunity to ensure every family in Ireland is recognised and valued in our Constitution.

Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)
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I join with others in recognising International Women's Day and the tremendous changes that are now proposed through the introduction of a referendum to remove those comments that have no place in a modern Constitution. I hope that brings some sense of recognition that we as a society have changed significantly. While it is important that this happens, and I am sure it will pass without any issue, we still owe a debt to many women in society. Let us not forget that the marriage bar only ended in the 1970s. We talk about removing references to women in the home. This State forced women into the home and it has not made recompense to those women, many of whom are just getting by on pensions notwithstanding the contribution they made and could have made. We talk a lot about redress. We have a good capacity to address issues in this State where the State failed certain cohorts and certain sections. Efforts were made in the past but quite frankly I do not believe they met our responsibility or the responsibility of the State to those women who were forced to stop working. They had no choice and it was done because of nothing other than the State deciding it would remove them from the workplace when they got married. If you read anything written about it at the time, it is clear that it was not even about this outdated ideology of the mother being the homemaker. It was about not allowing women to remain in the workforce where they would get higher pay over time and have greater expectations in relation to retirement etc. If we address that issue, if we are ready to grapple with it, that would speak far greater to those women. I am not taking at all from what is proposed. I agree with that absolutely. It should have been done a long time ago but let us not make it a token gesture. Let us make it real.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I just want to follow on from Senator Dooley's statement. It is a very interesting point. There is a cohort of Irish women in Irish society who are, unfortunately, on non-contributory pensions because of the way society acted. It is logical that this matter should be looked at. I could mention many people who came into my office who never met the criteria and do not have the ability to meet them.

The issue I wish to raise this morning is where we are with Covid. It is an unusual statement, I know. It has been said that we need to make sure our society is moving on, getting out there and interacting with people. In particular, older people should be able to move on with how they lived their lives before Covid. There is an interesting dynamic going on. The Cathaoirleach, being from Cork, would know this as well. We have huge issues with how we do our funerals in Cork. Traditionally, we have always done funerals exceptionally well. You could go to a removal at a home and the body was then taken to the church and left in the church overnight. People had the opportunity to go to the church in the morning and then you had the burial. There is a very bizarre scenario at the moment where the body only arrives at the church minutes before the funeral begins and is buried afterwards. It is becoming an issue. As we have moved on from Covid, the idea of people's loved ones being in a funeral home for the night before with nobody around them, rather than being in the church setting where so many of them would want to be, is becoming a big issue. Unfortunately, it is not being looked at. People are shy about saying it. They are generally shy about saying something is not right. I think it is not right. I would be really worried if one of my loved ones was in that scenario. We need a change here. The body should go be able to go to the church and stay in the church that night. As the Cathaoirleach will know very well from Cork, at the moment we have the bizarre scenario where they are turning up two or three minutes before the funeral and rushed to the graveside. We do funerals well. We do them really well. We need to go back to how we did them before because people need that opportunity.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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On the theme of International Women's Day, I wish it a success and join with others in the comments they have made. As I was sitting here thinking about it, I was reminded of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, BIPA. We met in Stormont, unlike so many others who cannot meet there. We met in the Chamber there on Sunday and Monday. On Monday, three women bounced into the Chamber from the Women's Coalition. What an energy. What an enthusiasm. It was palpable. Earlier, we had been talking about many issues and people were talking about diversity and inclusivity and a whole load of other things and then these three brilliant women came in and shared their stories and campaign. What those women have done in the Women's Coalition in Northern Ireland is phenomenal. I spoke after they left and I noted the predominantly white, middle-class, elderly gentlemen sitting around the Chamber discussing issues and how it all went very flat when the three women left. I just want to say how important women are in politics and I salute the Women's Coalition in Northern Ireland. We have a number of interparliamentary associations in the Oireachtas. BIPA is one but there are a number of others. It is important that we do not talk in a vacuum or silo. There needs to be a mechanism for the interparliamentary groups that represent this Oireachtas to come in here, particularly in the Seanad because I think it is a forum for it, and deliver reports and account for their activities on behalf of this Parliament through interparliamentary activity. The Seanad is potentially an area where we could set aside time to hear reports from these organisations.

Frances Black (Independent)
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I am glad to be able to speak on the occasion of International Women’s Day. I know there are statements on it later today, where my colleague Senator Flynn will be speaking on behalf of the Civil Engagement Group. I want to use this time to propose a debate on the conditions faced by women workers. International Women’s Day was originated by Clara Zetkin, the German socialist feminist, in 1910. Clara Zetkin fought for the rights of working-class women, their political rights and their right to economic and personal freedom. She had to battle upper-class feminists and chauvinistic male socialists to advance her cause. She was insistent that for women to be truly free, they needed to be economically independent. I think it is fitting on this day to remember her and to consider the position of women workers in our labour market.

Ireland is a low-pay economy.A 2021 SIPTU report found that about 20% of Irish workers earn low pay, which is defined as less than two thirds of the median income - 15% is the EU average; that women are more likely to earn low pay; and that almost 23% of women workers receive low pay, compared with 17% of male workers. There are many reasons for this, including gender discrimination, the undervaluing of work done by largely female workforces and the over-representation of women workers in low-wage sectors like hospitality and retail. Women are also disadvantaged by the fact that many of them need to take career breaks or seek out part-time work because of their caring responsibilities. Being a low-wage worker is tough so I call for a debate on the conditions faced by working women. I feel that being a low-wage worker in a very expensive country like Ireland is almost unbearable, especially if you have dependants.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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Like my predecessors who have spoken, I wish to mark International Women's Day. I am blessed to live in a house full of ladies and it is great. This morning, before I left home, I was informed how lucky I am to be blessed with two women and my wife. On a serious note, International Women's Day is very important and it is great that women are recognised. I hope that we keep going forward with equality and that more women are elected to positions in the political arena.

I wish to refer to 58 school building projects that were due to be delivered before the end of the year. Unfortunately, these projects are on hold as part of the roll-out of the national development plan. It seems that this issue is well known. I have not heard the issue being discussed too often but it is a matter of fact according to the relevant Department. I was quite shocked to learn that the building of 58 schools is on hold. I am aware that a school is due to be built in Enfield as that town is not far from my general catchment area, and I am aware that there are a couple of more projects. I am seriously concerned about where the problem lies and what will be done to fix any issues. For the Government, building schools is a high priority and additional school places are needed with the influx of refugees. If the projected school places and schools that were supposed to be ready for next September are not going to happen, we will be in an extremely dark place.

Marie Sherlock (Labour)
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I wish everybody a happy International Women’s Day. Ba mhaith liom mo dhlúthpháirtíocht a chur in iúl do mhná na hÉireann agus trasna an domhain. Is Seachtain na Gaeilge, nó coicís na Gaeilge, é chomh maith agus is mór an tábhacht a bhaineann lenár gcuid Gaeilge a úsáid agus ár dteanga dhúchais a cheiliúradh.

On foot of the announcement about the eviction ban by the Government last Monday, I ask the Leader to arrange for the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to come in here to explain in precise detail how he is going to protect the thousands of individuals and families who have an eviction notice hanging over them. We know that at least 5,444 eviction notices were served last year and we do not yet know how many were served during the first two months of this year. We all know, across this Chamber, that the lifting of the ban will have a devastating impact. The reality is that people simply do not have anywhere to go. Yesterday, I looked at daft.ieand at the accommodation available in the areas I know best. I discovered that Dublin 7 has 21 housing units with an average rent of over €2,000, Dublin 1 has 26 units for rent at an average rent of €2,600 and Dublin 9 has only 27 properties for rent with an average rent of €2,500. Who can afford to pay that amount of rent? While an interminable eviction ban is not the answer - supply is the answer - the reality is that Dublin has a completely distorted housing market, which is dominated by build-to-rent, co-living and student accommodation with very little social and affordable housing or, indeed, conventional apartments being built. In my own area, 6,500 expensive student accommodation build-to-rent and co-living units are either going through the planning system, under construction or waiting to be built. There is a very serious issue brewing because when the supply comes along, it still will not meet the needs of those who need accommodation. We need the Minister to come in here and explain to us how he sees the next number of months turning out and how he will protect the thousands of families and individuals.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Well said.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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Well said.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I rise to support Senator Doherty concerning the cynical move being perpetrated upon the victims of what happened in St. John Ambulance. I suggest that we invite the relevant committee to use this Chamber, along with the victims and trustees. We should let it be known that the trustees will be held to account and that they will be invited to attend a meeting here of the appropriate Oireachtas committee. We should make this Chamber available to that committee and the trustees so that the latter can answer questions. Releasing a report on the eve of St. Patrick's Day is the most cynical exercise, which has obviously been advised by experts as a way to avoid publicity. Such a move is done in the hope that some other story takes over the news cycle and thus make sure the story dies. The victims deserve better from us, as the Houses of the Oireachtas, to ensure that their story is heard. They also deserve better from those who commissioned and wrote the report and, most importantly, the trustees and people who had knowledge of what was happening for years but did nothing. We should invite them in here and hold them to account. I support Senator Doherty in her proposal.

John Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Last October, the Higher Education Authority, HEA, launched a call to identify opportunities in the higher education system to build capacity in the areas of dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, nursing and veterinary to respond swiftly to the national skills needs in those areas. The HEA elicited 39 responses from 15 institutions. A number of them were shortlisted to go to phase 2, which is currently being assessed by the HEA. South East Technological University, which is my own university in Waterford, had phase 2 proposals in the areas of pharmacy, veterinary, medicine and nursing. It was fantastic to see that all Oireachtas Members in the south east signed a letter, which I organised, in support of the strong bids for course development in those areas.I believe South East Technological University, SETU, is best placed to expand on its excellent nursing school. It also has fantastic links with Kildalton agricultural college to expand in the area of veterinary and there are also strong industry clusters that would benefit from expansion in the area of pharmacy. I want to record my thanks to the hard-working staff at SETU. They have worked exceptionally hard to put in very strong bids and I wish them well in the coming weeks as the decisions are made.

While we are on the subject of technological universities, I wish to call for a debate on student accommodation. When he was in Waterford on Monday, the Taoiseach met the president and chairperson of SETU. One thing they asked for was that funding be put in place to go beyond the feasibility and business case studies for student accommodation. The technological universities need to be able to borrow and unlock their ability to provide student accommodation. It is of the utmost importance for the technological universities to get to planning stage and it is important they can get their projects shovel ready. A debate on that would be welcome.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I support my colleague, Senator Doherty, in her request about St. John’s Ambulance.

People have complained to my office about not getting meter-read bills in recent months. I call on people to read their own meters and send in a proper reading because if the meters are not being read and the bills are being overestimated, then people will be charged at the higher rate. We know that rates will go down. To get the refund, people will need to make sure that they have their readings done properly and they are not overcharged. I warn people to do that and to read their meter. If their bill has been overestimated, they should send in a proper meter reading. If it underestimated, they should say nothing. They have been paying too much for the last number of months. That is my advice for today. It is very important.

Some weeks ago, my colleague Colm Markey MEP and I travelled to the Klasmann-Deilmann peat factory on the Westmeath Longford border. It brought back to me the good work done by my colleague, Senator Doherty, on the legislation that needs to be brought in for an exemption in respect of the rules brought in, the High Court orders and the companies that have been shut down from producing peat and the need for us to import peat. I ask that the legislation be looked at again. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, is bringing local businesspeople to court. A number have been before the District Court recently. I know a businessman from my own locality in Longford. There are two folio numbers and two owners to the bogland yet he has been hauled in front of the courts again at a substantial cost to defend himself. I ask that this be highlighted and that the EPA desist from prosecuting people who are legally earning a living. We really need to look at the legislation that was before this House before and put an exemption in until 2030 as was part of the legislation brought forward by Senator Doherty.

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I also welcome International Women’s Day. I was laughing to myself when I heard Senator Davitt talking about how he is a house of women and is reminded how lucky he was. I was reared in a house of all boys. You only need one woman to remind you how lucky you are. My mother did that for many years. Now I am in a house with my wife and two boys and we are reminded once again how lucky we are to have that woman.

I ask that we have a debate with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney. We have not had one since his appointment to that Department. I want a debate on employment. We are quite lucky at the moment. We almost have 2.6 million people working in Ireland. That is the highest it has ever been. But there is one area where we are lagging, namely, employment for people with disabilities where we have the lowest percentage of employment for people with disabilities. One thing we could do is around government contracts. A European regulation permits government contracting authorities to reserve part of a contract to a company where more than 30% of its staff have disabilities. Across the EU, this regulation is widely used for charities such as Rehab to create sustainable and secure employment for people with disabilities. In Scotland, a sister company of Rehab, Haven Products, has secured multiple government contracts from document storage to destruction to PPE uniform production. It is an area which Ireland has not maximised.

Only 32% of those with disabilities are working in Ireland. In France, the rate is over 50% and the UK is almost at 50%. We are much lower than every other country in the EU. That needs to be rectified, especially when there are so many jobs available at the moment.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I also wish to be associated with International Women’s Day. It is an extremely important day. It is celebrated more in other countries than here. That has improved in recent years and rightly so. I support Senator Ahearn’s proposal that we have a debate with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment specifically on the area of employment for people with disabilities. As Senator Ahearn rightly said the employment rate is just over 30% and for blind and visually impaired people in proper employment in this country, it is only just over 15%. That is far below European comparisons. We need a carrot and a stick. The carrot needs to be funding from the Government to ensure that companies can purchase the necessary accessibility equipment. Many companies are frightened by the cost of the necessary equipment but it is actually not that dear. There are schemes but there are not enough and they are not properly funded. That is something that needs to be looked at. There needs to be a stick as well, in that there is a target in the public service of 6%. That needs to be met and where it is not met, there needs to be some sort of punishment or stick.

Then in the private sector, there are billions of euro worth of contracts awarded by the State every year. There should be some sort of charter within those contracts where companies that are tendering for the contracts can demonstrate that they are meeting their obligations to be equal in terms of employment. Where a company has no record or a very poor record of employing people from a diverse background or people with disabilities, then they should suffer in terms of State contracts. It should be part of the criteria of a State contract that the companies that tender for these contracts and are awarded them have fulfilled their obligations around equality.

Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
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I completely support my colleague, Senator Doherty, in her call and what she has said here on the St. John Ambulance. I commend her on bringing it to the House in the first place and for the motion and for being a champion all the way through for Mick Finnegan and all the other men who came forward. I have stood there with them and I have heard their experiences. That included one of them being singled out and approached when he stood there on his own one morning. Throughout, the St. John Ambulance has behaved in no way but highly cynical, reputational preservation. It is not just on this report. It goes back to a book published in 2003 which had a photograph of all the leaders and officers. The person who is at the centre of all this had been Photoshopped out of that photograph. It goes back an awfully long time and is not anything new where it is putting its own reputation and its absolute control ahead of anything else and ahead of individuals who were vulnerable and are still vulnerable. They may be grown men but they are still vulnerable. Next week, I will stand right beside Senator Doherty in supporting them and ensuring that they have support on the day. They have been invited into a closed room. They are not invited to bring support with them. They have been asked to attend on their own in a very controlled environment, whatever St. John Ambulance has to say.I believe the report is extensive. St. John Ambulance may think we are going to be quiet because the Ministers will not be here next week and the Houses are not sitting. We will be sitting the following week, however, and I will not be quiet then. I am very confident that my colleagues will not be quiet either.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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I thank all Members who contributed to the Order of Business. Almost all of them acknowledged that it is International Women's Day and wished everyone well. A number of important topics were raised in the same vein.

Senator Maria Byrne spoke about a new clinical trial in the UK on endometriosis, which she will know is a topic close to my heart, and the focus on trying to find a drug to deal with the pain. My knowledge of the condition, from having a close family member who is dealing with it, is that the use of pain medication is really to come in after the fact. This week, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, launched a new framework for dealing with endometriosis in a new care pathway. Some concerns around it very much focus on primary care and hormone and pain suppression, which does not really deal with the issue. It is a chronic condition that is only dealt with, certainly at the medium to severe end, by excision surgery, which we currently do not offer in Ireland. That is the crux of the matter. We need to get to the point where women are no longer travelling to Romania, Poland and the UK to get the specialist surgery they cannot get here because we do not have surgeons with the level of expertise to do multi-organ surgery using highly specialist techniques. It is a complex issue. I caution against going down the road of pain medication and hormone suppression because it leads to other problems down the line and does not address the underlying issues. Much work has been done on the issue of endometriosis in recent years, however. We have a specialist wing in Tallaght hospital now, which is a step in the right direction. We are certainly bringing more of a focus to the issue.

I am also happy to alert the House that Senator Ruane and I will be hosting a screening of a very informative video called "Below the Belt", produced by Hillary Clinton and others. It focuses on what it means to live with endometriosis. The screening, which will last just under one hour, will be held in the audiovisual room at 1.30 p.m. on 22 March. An email will be sent to everybody later today. I encourage anyone who has an interest in learning a little more about this condition to attend because it affects 10% of women. Many women do not find out they have endometriosis until they try to have children and find they cannot. It is a very debilitating condition and one we are only starting to get to grips with in this country. We hope to see many Senators at the screening and I think they will get a lot from it.

Senator Maria Byrne also spoke about the pilot scheme for minor injury clinics at pharmacies where pharmacists will prescribe medication as opposed to people having to go to their GP. She wanted to lend her support to that.

Senator O'Loughlin acknowledged that the Government has committed to holding a referendum on gender equality, about which Senators Clonan and Higgins also spoke. It is long overdue to commend the work of Dr. Catherine Day, who chaired the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality, and all the citizens who participated and gave us 45 key recommendations. Members of this House, including me, Senator Doherty and Senator Higgins, sit on the Joint Committee on Gender Equality. We were involved in the work of the committee, under the leadership of Deputy Bacik, that led to the referendum that is coming down the tracks, which is great. I also acknowledge the work of the Leas-Chathaoirleach on the unveiling of the busts of former Presidents Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson, which will take place in the main hall at 2 p.m. Again, it would be great if as many Members as possible could be there to acknowledge that work.

Senator Clonan congratulated Deputy Cairns on her elevation. This is my first opportunity to do likewise. I congratulate the Deputy on becoming leader of the Social Democrats. It is a significant day for her personally and also great to see another woman taking over in a leadership role. I wish her the very best in what is a very challenging environment for any politician these days given the online space we deal with. I have no doubt Deputy Cairns will do a great job in her role as leader of her party and make a significant contribution to public life.

A constitutional referendum on housing has been debated and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, acknowledged the need for one. It will not be in the mix this year but it is something we will have to revisit soon, I hope, to have it progressed.

Senator Gavan spoke about the lifting of the eviction ban, or the non-extension of the relevant legislation, at the end of the month. There will be statements on that issue on 29 March, which is the earliest we could arrange the debate. That will give Senators an opportunity to air their views on the issue and hear from the Government its justification for not extending the ban. It is a significant issue for many families and I acknowledge the stress many of them will be feeling. The matter has been well articulated at this point and the Minister was out much of yesterday. The reason for not extending it was a concern to ensure that more landlords do not exit the market. Whether the Senator agrees with that or not, there will be an opportunity on 29 March to debate it in the House and hear from all sides.

Senator Higgins acknowledged that this is not a happy International Women's Day for all women. Those in marginalised communities and those facing homelessness will not take great solace today. The Senator welcomed the gender equality referendum and focused on the recognition of care. She also noted that the committee recommended that we extend the protection of the Constitution to all families and all family types, a point that has maybe been missing sometimes in the public debate in recent weeks and months. That was am important recommendation from the Citizens' Assembly and the committee.

Senator Dooley spoke about International Women's Day from a different angle but one that probably pricked the consciousness of everybody here, namely, the issue of pensions for women who were forced to leave work because of the marriage ban. That issue has not been resolved. There were certainly moves to address some of the concerns and some progress was made but they did not deal with all aspects of the issue. The Senator is right; those women made a significant contribution with work in the home. They were not given the choice to work unless they did not want to get married, which is not really a choice at all if that is something someone wants to do. It is an important issue to raise on the floor of the House.

Senator Lombard spoke about a particular issue with regard to funerals and the inability of people to bring the body to the church the night before funerals. I acknowledge the Senator's remarks in that regard. I appreciate that it can be a stressful time for many families and that people are under time pressure in those circumstances.

Senator Boyhan made the suggestion that interparliamentary groups should have an opportunity to come before this House and perhaps the Dáil as well. We will focus on the Seanad this morning. I suggest the Senator put the issue on the agenda of the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight. It would be a matter for that committee rather than me, although it is interesting suggestion. The Senator acknowledged the meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly on Sunday and Monday just gone in Stormont where there was good engagement between both Parliaments.

Senator Black asked for a debate on women in the workplace. Statements on International Women's Day later will be an opportunity to raise that issue. The Senator is right that in some respects, in some sectors of employment in Ireland, the pay can be considered quite low. Women are often in part-time and seasonal employment or care roles, which often are not as highly remunerated as other jobs. It is welcome that we at least have the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 in place. Larger companies are now reporting on their gender pay gap. In time, that will result in a reduction in the gap, which stands at approximately 11%, if I am correct. It is something we must work on but it is also about re-evaluating as a country how much value we place on certain jobs. Very often, the caring professions are the lowest paid and they are the professions that are mostly occupied by women.

Senator Davitt spoke about being in a house full of women and how on International Women's Day, he left the house this morning in the full knowledge of what day it was and how important it was. I am in a house full of men; even the dog is a boy. It is the complete opposite but, equally, I am really lucky to have the family I have. The Senator also highlighted the issue of school building projects that have been delayed.

I join with other colleagues in supporting Senator Doherty. We can all call it for what it is. If the board of management of St. John Ambulance is publishing a report the day before St. Patrick's Day, it is with the intention of burying it. It is not done for any other reason. It looked for a day when it thought the news cycle would be particularly busy and the story would be unlikely to make the front pages or would feature on pages 2, 3, 4 and 5 or the middle of the newspapers, if at all. It is a cynical move but the board has been called out on it today. The week we come back, we can discuss the report at length to make sure the victims are heard and it gets more publicity than it would have had the board gone about this the right away, rather than trying to hide the report in a busy week. We did not come down in the last shower. We can see what has been done. I do not know how St. John Ambulance thought this would go unnoticed. I commend Senators Doherty and Seery Kearney and others on their work and thank them for continuing to raise this issue. We will make sure that, in this House at least, the story of the people affected is heard and the issue is put on the record. It is a very cynical move.

I acknowledge that Dr. Geoffrey Shannon has been elevated as a judge to the Circuit Court and commend him on his very important work.

Senator Sherlock raised the issue of the eviction ban. As I said, we will have a debate in the House on 29 March. Senator Mark Daly spoke about St. John Ambulance as he wanted to support Senator Doherty in her work on that issue. Senator Cummins spoke about the Higher Education Authority and the call for opportunities, in particular around nursing, dentistry and other areas where there is a deficit in the number of students coming forward. He also called for an expansion of the nursing school in the South East Technological University, SETU.The technological universities present a significant opportunity for the regions and to rebalance educational offerings across the country. In my area, we have Atlantic Technological University. The elevation of these institutions to university status is significant. Towns have become university towns, which puts them on a different level. The institutions can now move forward to offering more courses because there will be a greater demand to attend those universities. The Senator is absolutely right that the nursing school would be an ideal opportunity to expand the offering at SETU for students in the county and wider region.

Senator Carrigy spoke about estimated energy bills. It is important to point out that if one does not provide a meter reading, one could receive a bill that is wildly off the mark. That could be of benefit down the line but the opposite could also be the case. The Senator also raised an issue relating to the EPA and peat. The House will be dealing with the Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023 tomorrow and there might be an opportunity to raise the issue during that debate, for which the Minister will be present.

Senators Ahearn and Conway requested a debate with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, on the issue of employment opportunities for people with disabilities. We will request that debate with the Minister at the earliest opportunity. It is an important topic, particularly for Senator Conway, who regularly raises those issues in the Chamber and keeps them to the fore in our debates. We are lagging behind other countries in terms of giving opportunities across all sectors to people with disabilities to work. It is clear there are bigger opportunities in the public sector, where the State has more control over opportunities. We can do better in that regard. It would be great to get a debate with the Minister on that issue.

Senator Seery Kearney spoke in support of Senator Doherty and made clear her views on the publication of the report next week. I have no doubt we will revisit the issue in the week we resume. I will speak to Senator Doherty on the best way to deal with that in the Chamber and give it the platform and airing it deserves. We will have had the benefit of having seen the report at that stage. I acknowledge the point raised by Senator Seery Kearney in respect of the subjects of the report being asked to attend alone, without support. It is quite shocking that they were asked to attend alone and are not allowed to bring somebody with them. I hope those organising that event or happening will reconsider that request of those coming in on the day. They should be allowed to bring somebody with them. It should not be a closed shop.