Seanad debates

Thursday, 30 March 2023

9:30 am

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Fine Gael)
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I can say only that Noel looks far too young to retire. I thank him for all his service and dedication over the years and wish him and Fiona a long, happy and healthy retirement. I hope he enjoys it.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the Employment Equality Act 1998 (Section 12) (Reservation of Vocational Training Places) Order 2022, back from committee, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; and No. 2, Health (Amendment) Bill 2023 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 11.45 a.m.

Photo of Jerry ButtimerJerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Leader. I welcome to the Gallery a group from St. Gerald's DLS School in Castlebar, who are guests of Deputy Dillon.

Photo of Fiona O'LoughlinFiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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On behalf of both current and former Fianna Fáil Members, I would like to be associated with the eloquent good wishes the Cathaoirleach paid to Noel. I wish him and his family health and happiness as they enter the next phase of their lives. I echo the Cathaoirleach's comments regarding Noel's kindness, generosity, understanding and support for all of us.Yesterday evening, I noticed on social media feeds news of a very disturbing horrible and tragic incident in my county of Kildare, where a horse that was attached to a sulky was driven over a cattle grid close to the Curragh and got its hoof stuck in the cattle grid. The driver did absolutely nothing but an observer contacted My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue. I thank all involved for the work they did. They sent out a vet straightaway, soldiers arrived on the scene and the Kildare fire emergency vehicle arrived but, sadly, nothing could be done and the horse had to be put down.

Very close to where this incident happened, there are many people involved in the horse industry and, quite rightly, they are under a lot of scrutiny in regard to horse welfare, and then we have an incident such as this. I spoke yesterday about the welcome new changes the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, is bringing about in regard to dog welfare. When we look at the havoc we have seen in urban areas and on our motorways created by sulky drivers, who show no heed for horse welfare and, indeed, cause danger, it is about time something was done. People talk about the sulkies being associated with tradition and culture. It is beyond time that we looked at banning sulkys and we cared for the horses involved. I am making that call here. What happened yesterday was tragic and appalling, but it is a wake-up call to all of us that more needs to be done and legislation needs to be introduced.

I want to raise an aspect of cancer treatment that impacts on many women and men around the country. While we are all familiar with hair loss and the impact it has on women and men, and it is very good that there is a scheme to help support those who are suffering hair loss to avail of wigs and so on, there is another area that needs to be looked at, which is the whole area of eyebrow microblading. I understand this makes a huge difference psychologically to those who are impacted by hair loss. Majella O'Donnell is a very strong advocate and Irene Teap spoke about this and said that when you lose your eyebrows, you actually look sicker than you feel. We all know how difficult it is for people going through cancer and, for psychological reasons, they need to avail of all of the extra supports that are there.

I believe this should be covered under the treatment benefits scheme and for medical card holders. The cost of a three-step procedure is €580 but if they are not working, many people do not have access to this type of money. One company that specialises in this area is Browtique and its findings tell us that while hair loss itself is traumatic, people find losing their eyebrow hair even more so. I call for this to be included.

Photo of Seán KyneSeán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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On behalf of the Fine Gael group, I join in the tributes to Noel Murphy and wish him well in the next stage of his career, whatever that might be. I offer good wishes to his wife Fiona and his children, who will have more time together as a family. Best of luck. I thank Noel for everything he has done over the last number of years in these Houses.

The sheep sector is hugely important to this country. It is distributed right across the country, particularly on but not exclusively on marginal lands. It is a sector that is under huge pressure at the moment. The farm organisations – the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, the Irish Farmers Association and the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association - have put in a tremendous amount of work campaigning to provide additional supports for the sheep sector this year to compensate for the higher input costs and reduced prices that sheep farmers are facing. I know the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, has increased the payment under the sheep welfare scheme from €10 to €12 compared with the previous scheme and some 19,000 applications have been submitted. All 46,000 farmers in ACRES will benefit by being able to access that scheme, which will include a significant number of sheep farmers. The organic schemes are hugely important to the sheep sector as well. Notwithstanding that, there is a need for additional support this year as particular pressures are evident.

The Minister has asked the Food Vision sheep group to meet to discuss and monitor the market situation in the sheep sector. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Martin Heydon, who has responsibility for the development of new markets, will be visiting Washington in May regarding the promotion of access to that market. That was achieved last year, which was a benefit, and the Minister of State will be working with the industry to build relationships between customers and distributors.

I ask that the Deputy Leader invite the Minister to the House to discuss the very important sheep sector. I believe the Minister has a great commitment to the sector and I am confident something can be done for sheep farmers. I know the market has been volatile for the last while. There was a significant decline in French production in 2021, which caused a tightness in the market and resulted in prices increasing but, now, because of the Covid impact on the Asian market, more lamb from New Zealand and Australia that normally would have flowed to Asia has come to the European Union. Bord Bia has carried out and increased its promotional campaigns, which is important, and Easter is the normal period in which demand for and consumption of lamb increases. This is a very important sector and I ask that we have a debate on it.

Photo of Gerard CraughwellGerard Craughwell (Independent)
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I express my deep appreciation to Noel Murphy for his work on the committee and as Superintendent. He will be sorely missed. His good humour and pleasant way are remarkable. He is a lovely man, one of life's great gentlemen. We will miss him. We will miss him at the count as well because he always got it right on the labour panel, at least when he was counting my votes. We will miss that.

This is the first time I have had an opportunity to speak since the horrendous report on the Defence Forces and, in particular, the Women of Honour. I have thought long and hard about what I might say this morning because this is an extremely sensitive subject. I am standing here, wearing proudly my remembrance of being a member of the Defence Forces. Thousands of men and women have served this country with distinction and honour. We have a number of rotten apples who destroyed the reputation of those men and those women. I have had colleagues and friends contact me over the last few days who are devastated, their good names and reputations destroyed by the actions of some horrible people.

I commend the Women of Honour. For those four women to come out publicly and place their entire lives on the line in front of the people of Ireland, they are to be commended and I really think they did a fantastic job. The authors of the independent review did a fantastic job. However, their review is now a series of allegations and those allegations must be followed through with a statutory inquiry.

By the way, I have worked on bullying in the workplace for a long time, although I have not been involved in rape or sexual harassment cases. However, by and large, in my experience, bullying in the workplace takes place behind closed doors. It is an evil, disgusting way to treat people. It happens that, usually, the bullies are lovely people publicly, but they are horrible people when faced one-on-one. Many women who have suffered sexual assault and rape have had to carry that silently throughout their lives for fear of putting their personal lives on public display.

I say to my friends and colleagues who served this country with distinction - they are gentlemen and gentlewomen, fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers - that we will not let you down. We will find the people who destroyed your reputation, we will support the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, in every way we can and we will provide the Defence Forces with the resources they need to clean up the organisation and get rid of those who would destroy our good names. All of us who served did so with pride.By Christ, these fellows should never be allowed to walk the streets again. I hope they get what is coming to them. Again, I commend those four women, who put their lives in the public domain.

Photo of Jerry ButtimerJerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Before I call Senator Gavan, I welcome to the Visitors Gallery the students and staff from Mercy Secondary School, Inchicore. They are very welcome. I thank their host, Deputy Gannon, who is a former pupil of the school and who is doing the school proud in Leinster House. They are very welcome today to listen to the Order of Business.

Photo of Paul GavanPaul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I will begin by saluting Noel Murphy and by thanking him for his support, courtesy and patience. What an incredible 40 years of service. On behalf of the Sinn Féin group, I want to wish him a very long and happy retirement.

Tomorrow is Show Racism the Red Card day. I remind people of that and I encourage everybody to come and support it through their choice of clothing for tomorrow, whether they are going to school, college or work. It is an important day. It is probably more important than ever, given some of the horrendous stuff we see out there on social media and from the far-right gatherings, which target some of the most vulnerable people who are coming to our shores. I wanted to make that point this morning.

I do not know if the Cathaoirleach heard the report on homelessness on "Morning Ireland" this morning. I do not know if he heard the homeless man. He was a man who has an accent like mine and who had just come out of a relationship. He has spent four months sleeping in his car. It was tragic and moving and the situation he, and thousands of others like him, find themselves in is so wrong. This is what he said:

Sleeping in my car was an absolute nightmare because I am suffering with lung cancer. ... I would wake up crying because my clothes would be damp from sleeping in the car. When I got to work, I put my clothes on a radiator to dry them. ... When I finished work, I would drive around looking at the car parks, looking to find a new car park to stay in. ... I just felt embarrassed when somebody would see me sleeping in my car. ... I never felt this could happen to me. ... I am about to die a homeless man because there is not a hope of me getting anywhere.

That is what he said this morning. Then, we heard from the executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, Wayne Stanley, who has worked with the organisation since 2005. He was imploring the Leader's Government not to go ahead with lifting this eviction ban. Indeed, it is crucial to point out that every NGO in the housing sector has called on the Government not to do this. It is unconscionable for this Government to lift the eviction ban given the circumstances that thousands of people find themselves in.

The spokesperson from the Simon Communities was absolutely clear that we will see an immediate and significant increase in homelessness once this ban is lifted. I am at a complete loss as to how any politician could knowingly vote to increase homelessness. However, that is unfortunately what Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party did last week. When we come back from our break at Easter, I am requesting that the first debate we have will be on homelessness, to deal with the horrendous situation that this Government has chosen to put these people in.

Photo of Annie HoeyAnnie Hoey (Labour)
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Before I launch into my piece, I want to acknowledge Noel Murphy, who is in the Gallery. I believe he will be going on his merry way to retirement and I want to wish him the very best of luck. I thank him for everything on behalf of the Labour Party. I wish him the best of luck and I thank him for everything he has done in here. I hope he has a wonderful time and that he has lots of exciting plans.

Yesterday, the Irish Council for International Students, ICOS, launched their report of international students' experience of racism. We all would have known that they probably experienced racism but when I read the figures, I was really surprised. Some 63% of students who participated in the research and who filled out the survey stated they had experienced or had witnessed racism in Ireland. The figure of 63% is alarmingly high, when we think of how many international students we have. This survey covers not just our traditional universities and our third level but also people who are here in English language schools. As we know, they are in very high numbers. Of that 63%, it is alarming that only 10% of international students who have been affected by racism reported it to the authorities. We know there are a number of reasons for that, including possibly the countries that those students may have come from, where there may be a lot of distrust of the authorities. However, what was borne out in this research was that a huge number of people did not even know how to report to the authorities or, through the Chinese whispers of the international student grouping, they were told not to bother, there is nothing the authorities can do and it would be a waste of their time.

At the launch yesterday, ICOS, and a number of speakers spoke about iReport. Many of us here will know what iReport is. We may have seen an advertisement or two on buses. It is where you can report incidences of racism. However, I was astonished by how many people in the room yesterday, such as staff from offices, or indeed members themselves, who have never even heard of iReport. That is the national gathering body for reports of racism in Ireland. When we think about how few of us even know about it, it is very unreasonable then to expect international students to know how to go to it or how to report on that. I therefore want to put on the record that ireport.ieis where people can go to report racism. This is not just for international students but for any person who has either witnessed it or experienced it. It is really important for data gathering that people know what that is.I will circulate this report to every Member later on today if that is permissible. It includes a list of recommendations that the Government can take, as well as higher education institutions themselves, in terms of enhanced data collection reporting, recording of hate crimes, the passing of hate crime legislation and cultural awareness training for public servants. There are eight action plans here. I will circulate this around to all Members later today but one should use ireport.ie to report any incidents of racism.

Photo of Mary FitzpatrickMary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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I, like other speakers, wish to express a míle buíochas to Noel Murphy. I thank him for all his work, service and support. I wish him well and a long, happy and healthy retirement. He deserves all of that.

I would like to welcome the commencement of works on phase 3 of the Royal Canal greenway in my own constituency in Dublin 7. From when I was first elected to the Dublin City Council, I supported the extension of the greenway and the improvement of pedestrian and cycle facilities. We already have a very high-quality route from Spencer Dock up to Newcomen Bridge, but phase 3 now will extend that greenway from Newcomen Bridge at North Strand, up through Ballybough, past the iconic Croke Park, up to Drumcondra and all the way up to Phibsborough at Crossguns Bridge. It is very welcome. Work has commenced and it will take two years. It will give us more than 2 km of extra greenway.

Finally, as we are approaching Easter, I want to wish everybody a happy Easter. I ask the Leader to urge the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, who has responsibility in the area of the Office of Public Works, to announce before Easter 2023 a date for the commencement of works for the 1916 national monument at 14-17 Moore Street. This is a project that the Government is committed to. The Government brought forward recommendations and allocated funding over two years ago. The time for works to commence is long past due. We have a fabulous proposal for a 1916 commemorative site. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister to give us a date for the commencement of those works.

Photo of Tim LombardTim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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First, I acknowledge those contributions that wished Noel Murphy the very best of luck. Retirement is probably an unusual word, because he will be moving on to a different phase in his life. I wish him the very best of luck.

We should have a significant debate with the Minister for Justice about the recruitment policy for An Garda Síochána. An Garda Síochána is going through a recruitment process at the moment and the closing date for the current process is 14 April. We need to encourage people to get involved in becoming members of An Garda Síochána. They are a core principle of our society and they are the people we rely on. They are the people we need. We need good people in An Garda Síochána. We all know the need regarding areas where there are no members of the Garda at the moment. We do not have enough gardaí on the street. I could mention places like Durrus. I was there last Monday and they have no garda at the moment. Places like Drinagh in west Cork have no garda at the moment. We need to get a major recruitment campaign going to get people to actually apply for An Garda Síochána. Realistically, that is what we need to do. I realise that 14 April is the initial date that has been put out there. I wish the Minister and the Garda Commissioner the best of luck in getting those recruits on board. We need to ensure that there is another date launched straight away so that we can get the next group of recruits coming in. The core principle of society being supported by the Garda Síochána is based on having gardaí on the street. The Garda Síochána has the money, but it lacks the manpower at the moment. We need to do whatever we can in the Oireachtas to promote recruitment. I suggest that we have a debate with the Minister for Justice about this and how we can promote it.

Photo of Eugene MurphyEugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I agree with Senator Kyne in the relation to the sheep farmers. He made a very fair case about the concerns they have now. There is an issue. I acknowledge that the Minister has spoken to us about this issue. I spoke to him last week and he is going to bring a package forward. It would be a good idea if he came before the House to have a discussion about this. He knows the sector very well, particularly his own county and the west and north-west. He is very aware of the difficulties sheep farmers have at the moment, particularly regarding the markets. We have increased our lamb exports and that is good.

I want to express my support for the Women of Honour and what they have done. On reflection, I can remember hearing stories, many from young privates in the Army, down through the years from people telling me they were bullied. It was not sexual harassment, but they were bullied. We might find there are more people than we would like to think who were involved in this. On one occasion, a private described to me how it felt as if there was a boot on his neck all the time because he was always being picked on by a person of a higher rank who was his boss. In my view, the senior person had no right to do this. I hope all of these people are outed because they should be. We owe a lot to the Women of Honour. I am sure the Minister and the Government are going to make sure all of these people are heard properly now because it is time to get rid of all of the unsavoury carry-on that went on.

I do not believe in getting into an argument over housing but I heard Senator Gavan as I was coming here. The claims from him and others that some of us do not care about people who may be facing eviction must stop. Every single person here cares. None of us wants such a thing to happen. As we go forward in this debate, I hope everyone will pull together to look after people who need to be looked after. Schemes and systems have been put in place by the Government and everybody will work on them. If there is an honest criticism to be made, we have to take it but let us not be putting out the message that some of us do not care. We all care.

Photo of Aisling DolanAisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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This morning the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is making an announcement about hot school meals. This is great news. We know the impact of having hot school meals in our schools. The scheme has been rolled out from around 30 schools a few years ago to almost 500 schools today. Based on an independent report into the hot school meals programme, the Minister is now looking to expand the hot school meals programme to all DEIS primary schools from September. She is also looking at how to increase the rates for providers of hot school meals. This is crucial because we know that this can be a little bit of a challenge and a barrier. The Minister has spoken often about the importance of what a hot school meal means for children. She has talked to us often about it. The Leader of the House will know very well the importance of this for children regarding their focus and attention within schools. This programme shows that the Government and Fine Gael are committed to children's welfare and to ensuring we support children from their earliest stages. Currently there are nearly 1,600 schools and 260,000 children involved in the scheme and this is going to be expanded again in September. I welcome the announcement. We have a number of DEIS schools in Roscommon and Galway. Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí in Athlone implemented this after the announcement a few months ago. It is one of a number of schools that will be looking to offer this programme to children. It is an announcement to be welcomed.

Photo of Garret AhearnGarret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I wish Noel Murphy well on his retirement. In my short time here I have had one or two interactions with him and I found him extremely professional. I am one of those people who have given him awkward things to deal with and he has done them in a very subtle but professional way. I thank him for that and wish him well.

I welcome the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, yesterday of the €8 million in CLÁR funding that will be provided to communities and sports facilities nationwide. This is particularly important in County Tipperary because there are many organisations and community groups that can apply for it. I encourage all those groups to do so. Grants of up to €50,000 are available under the initiative to support the development of community and sports facilities, youth clubs, playgrounds, sensory gardens, walking tracks and much more. For the first time under this CLÁR scheme, funding will be provided to carry out upgrades and improvements to spectator stands at local GAA clubs. I have already got clubs such as Clonmel Cricket Club, which is very new and run by a wonderful community, interested in participating. Renny Abraham, who runs the club, has been on to me already to see if they can apply for the programme. This funding goes directly to small communities and local groups in rural Ireland and it is very welcome. I thank the Minister for it.

Photo of Tom ClonanTom Clonan (Independent)
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Yesterday the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces stated that he was not aware of the level of sexual harassment and sexual violence in the Defence Forces until he spoke to the Women of Honour. The Defence Forces knew since 2000 about the prevalence and the extent of sexual violence throughout the organisation. They knew from the PhD I wrote, which was published in 2000, that one in four females was a target of sexual assault. This was confirmed by an independent Government inquiry in 2003 by the study review group, which investigated my research. I asked for that independent Government inquiry from the then Minister for Defence, Michael Smith, so that this would be put on the record. The military authorities have known for 23 years about the level of, and the prevailing culture of, sexual violence within the organisation. I support the Chief of Staff, in the five years he has, to lead the transformation that is required, as set out in the independent review group's report. I am going to write to Deputy Flanagan, who is the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, to ask him to have the Chief of Staff come and answer specific questions about what he says he knew or did not know. As the Women of Honour say in today's Irish Examiner, they find it very hard to believe he did not know about it because everybody else did. That is the whole point of the independent review group; that the organisation from the top down perpetuated a system of sexual violence and, more importantly, denial, gaslighting and reprisal. I wish the Chief of Staff the very best of luck in leading this transformation. Within 24 hours of the publication of this report, in his first official public engagement, he said he did not know about the violence, despite the ample evidence on the public record. There have been Government inquiries on which a lot of taxpayers' money has been spent and a lot of damage has been done in the meantime. There are very serious questions to be answered. The Chief of Staff needs to come here and tell us what he knew or did not know, and he needs to answer those questions. It is a very bad start. To be honest, it is not a credible position.

Photo of Joe O'ReillyJoe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I join in the kind and properly good words to Noel Murphy. I had the privilege of working with him as a member of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence for some time. We all worked with him when he was Superintendent here.He is an absolute gentleman to work with. He has a lovely personality and easy manner and I want to be associated with wishing him a great retirement, as we all do. I echo the words of the Cathaoirleach and other colleagues.

I will turn to the question raised very well by my colleague, Senator Kyne, earlier and perhaps by others, but I heard Senator Kyne's contribution. It relates to the sheep sector. We had a meeting with the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association, ICSA. Mr. Hugh Farrell who is from my county and the animal health and welfare chair was among the representatives, as was my neighbour from Longford, Councillor Paraic Brady, who is a prominent member. The association presented a dire case, stating that young people would not be able to stay in sheep farming. Senator Kyne went through the figures. They need to be subsidised within the next month. The pig sector got it earlier which was right. The sheep sector deserves to get €25 per ewe. They need a special payment to support them through this crisis in the very near future. It is needed within weeks. I appeal to the Deputy Leader to convey this request to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, to try to get an outcome. I know the Minister is favourably disposed.

As a former teacher, like the Cathaoirleach, I am extraordinarily pleased that the hot meals for schools will be announced today. It is enormously important.

Photo of Martin ConwayMartin Conway (Fine Gael)
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My principle reason for speaking today is to pay tribute to Noel Murphy.

Photo of Eugene MurphyEugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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He is listening.

Photo of Martin ConwayMartin Conway (Fine Gael)
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He is retiring today after a lengthy, distinguished career as support person to us. He is finishing as Captain of the Guard and Chief Superintendent of the House. He is a gentleman. I met Noel for the first time in 2011 when I was first elected to Seanad Éireann and I have got to know him extremely well in the past 12 years. What makes Noel exceptional is that his father is originally from County Clare, and not only County Clare, but Ennistymon. I have always had a special and close relationship with him because of that and he has always been extremely good to me in his various capacities in the Houses. I wish him a long, healthy and happy retirement and hope to see him many times in Ennistymon in the coming months and years.

I also support my colleagues in what they have said about the sheep industry today. I met members of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, yesterday with Councillor Paraic Brady and others. The level of return sheep farmers are getting at the moment is shocking. It is not acceptable in the same way as it was not acceptable for pig farmers this time last year. There was an intervention for pig farmers which was correct. There should also be an intervention for sheep farmers. They play a vital role, not only from an economic perspective in providing lamb and so on, but also from an environmental perspective. The sheep in the Burren, Achill Island and other areas play a vital role in environmental protection. I sincerely hope that the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, is listening, because sheep farmers are prevalent in Donegal. I am sure he is also listening to the farmers in Donegal and have no doubt he will announce a package because he is a good Minister who is clued in to what is happening on the ground. I look forward to that package and encourage him to announce it soon because these people are under enormous pressure.

Photo of Jerry ButtimerJerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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As this is the final Order of Business before the Easter break, before I call on the Deputy Leader I will wish all Members of the House and all staff a happy Easter. I thank them for their courtesy and work. I hope they all get a break and enjoy the Easter season.

I call on the Deputy Leader to reply to the Order of Business.

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Fine Gael)
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Senators Kyne, Murphy, Conway and Joe O'Reilly all spoke about the difficulties facing the sheep sector. I guarantee that the Minister is listening because he will come to the House for a debate on the matter on 19 April. I am pleased to be able to inform Members about that. He is one of the most responsive Ministers I have come across in my 12 or 13 years in this House. Senators Joe O'Reilly and Dolan spoke about the expansion of the hot school meals programme. It put a little smile on my face as I started the pilot in 2018. I take my hat off to Deputy Humphreys as she is obviously a far stronger negotiator than I am.

Photo of Tom ClonanTom Clonan (Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Fine Gael)
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It was incredibly difficult to get even the smallest amount of money to start what I knew would be an incredibly successful-----

Photo of Eugene MurphyEugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Doherty laid the foundations.

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Fine Gael)
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Well, I am incredibly pleased, not only for Deputy Humphreys, but for the children that will benefit from that announcement.

Senators Clonan and Craughwell both spoke about the Women of Honour. Not only am I genuinely pleased for the four women but for all the women they represent about the recognition and acknowledgement they got yesterday. I totally agree with the Senators. One of the most worrying things I saw in yesterday's headlines was that the Chief of Staff stated that neither he nor the Ministers knew how bad it was, because he was briefing the Ministers. It is simply not good enough. It is not reflective of what - I hate the phrase "the dogs in the street" - people were talking about on the ground to their friends, families and colleagues.

I concur that it is right and proper that the Chief of Staff is invited to appear before the Oireachtas committee because that is the only forum in which Senators will have an opportunity to ask questions and get answers. I will write to the Chair of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, as I am sure the Senators also have or will. There is a long way to go on this issue.

When we consider some of the revelations, such as the report on St. John Ambulance that was released in the past ten days or so, it is clear we have historical malignance in Irish society. That is probably not unique to Irish people, but it has certainly been prevalent. The more we try to deny it and cover it up, the more pain and trauma we suffer. That applies not only to the people who are directly involved, but to society. I welcome the report and believe we need a statutory inquiry, not only for those four women, but for all the women in the Defence Forces. I agree with the Senators' synopsis.

Senator Ahearn welcomed the €8 million funding for Clár. It is open for applications, not only from County Tipperary but from all counties and I wish them well. Senator Murphy also spoke about the Women of Honour - I apologise I did not include him in that - and he also cited his support for sheep farmers.

Senator Lombard is looking for a debate about Garda recruitment. It is welcome. We have the money, not only for an additional 1,000 gardaí to be recruited this year, but for the overspill from last year when they were not recruited. It is worrying that at the time we are trying to recruit, that Garda representatives are telling us how difficult a job it is. To counter that, we need to address those issues with speed for those who are thinking about joining.

Senator Fitzpatrick welcomed phase 3 of the Royal Canal Greenway works and is seeking a date for the start of works on the 1916 national monument which I will request from the Minister. Senator Hoey spoke about the Speak Out Against Racism report that was released yesterday by the Irish Council for International Students. What is most striking, apart from the 63% Senator Hoey spoke about, is the feeling people have that they should not bother reporting it because nothing will happen. We need to strive to ensure that is not the reality. The information we all need to report is captured on ireport.ie. I thank Senator Hoey for raising the matter and offering to give us all a copy of the report as it will be a welcome read.

Senator Gavan mentioned that tomorrow is Show Racism the Red Card day. I see he is wearing a red top. I commend him on that. It is incumbent on all of us to speak out tomorrow in any way we can to dispel what has been a growing, negative, nasty element in society. It has only been in the past few months, thankfully, but we need to stop it sharply.

I acknowledge what the Senator said about the gentleman on the radio. We had a debate on homelessness for two hours yesterday evening. Many people contributed to it, but I will certainly organise another one, as we know this issue will not be resolved in the two weeks over Easter. We need to keep the progress and difficulties on the public record. I will organise that as soon as I can.

Senator Kyne spoke about the sheep sector and our Fianna Fáil leader spoke about a horrific incident that happened in Kildare yesterday after which a lovely horse had to be put down because of the injuries it received when a sulky travelled over unsuitable terrain. I suggest that probably no terrain is suitable for sulkies in Ireland. Some official sports organisations do pony and trap and horse and trap racing. A request has been lodged for a large amount of funding for a national stadium and we should put our efforts into that.

Senator Chambers also highlighted how cancer treatment hair loss is recognised by the State but only the hair on the head is acknowledged. Perhaps we should look at overall wellbeing and fund solutions for eyebrows on the medical card for women and men who lose them during treatment.I suggest that Senator O'Loughlin is right that probably all terrain in Ireland is not suitable for sulkies. We have official sports organisations that do pony-and-trap and horse-and-trap racing. They have requested a very large amount of funding to have a national stadium. If we could put our efforts into that, it would probably be far better.

Senator O'Loughlin also highlighted that hair loss resulting from cancer treatment is recognised by State schemes but that it is only loss of the hair on the head that is acknowledged. Maybe we should look at overall well-being and include on the medical card treatments for eyebrows for those women and men who lose them during cancer treatment.

Order of Business agreed to.

Photo of Jerry ButtimerJerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the students from Scoil Mhuire, Newtownforbes, County Longford, and their teachers and staff. You are all very welcome. Thank you for being here today, and enjoy your Easter holidays.