Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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The Order of Business is Nos. 1, address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, to be taken at 3 p.m. in accordance with the arrangements set out in the motion agreed by the House on Wednesday, 17 May 2023; No. 2, Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022 - Second Stage, to be taken at 5 p.m. and to conclude at 6.15 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes and those of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes; all the Senators not to exceed four minutes and the Minister to be given no less than eight minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 3, Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022 - Committee Stage (resumed) to be taken at 6.30 p.m. and to adjourn at 8.30 p.m., if not previously concluded.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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Last night I attended an online meeting organised by Newbridge community development group about commuter issues and particularly the proposed new national fares strategy outlined by the National Transport Authority, NTA, last month. It is regrettable that the NTA, despite being invited, did not attend the meeting. The NTA needs to listen to these customers and people, as the consumers of a product. The direction of the national fare strategy will be good for people in commuter areas such as Newbridge and Kildare in particular.At the same time, there is a lack of clarity as to what the fares will be and in respect of the new generation ticketing. Affordable, accessible public transport is absolutely crucial on many levels, together with linkages around various parts of our towns and rural areas. It is important to keep the pressure on from the Seanad on this issue.

I have also been dealing with several water quality issues around south Kildare of late. It is regrettable that we cannot have a Commencement matter debate on dealing with Irish Water. There have been repeat issues of really bad discolouration, particularly in areas such as Drumsu in Rathangan. There are water pressure problems around the Baroda area of Newbridge. In addition, in the last few weeks, in the town of Newbridge and surrounding areas in County Kildare, many residents were forced to buy bottled water due to an overpowering smell of earth and must in the tap water. I have been liaising with Irish Water on the issue. It confirmed last week that specialist results received following the ongoing testing of the raw water indicated the presence of low levels of a substance called geosmin. Irish Water said it is not harmful but it is absolutely not acceptable to have water of such low quality flowing out of the taps in a major town like Newbridge. Irish Water needs to do more in terms of contingency planning, in my view, and to have a plan B in areas where our major water supply is compromised.

The last item I want to raise relates to early years staffing. A survey this year showed a huge level of dissatisfaction among those who are committed to giving our children the very best start in life. I commend the Government on having brought in extra financial supports for parents. That is very welcome but we absolutely must look after those who are working in the sector. Recruitment and retention remains a big issue but we have to come to grips with this issue to be able to support working families etc.

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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I want to raise two matters on the Order of Business. The first relates to the Garda Reserve. It seems to me that despite raising this issue on a number of occasions in this House, we have not had a debate on it and we have had no sign of any interest in staging such a debate. The Garda Reserve has dwindled down to practically nothing due to deliberate neglect. Likewise, we discovered the other day in this House that membership of Civil Defence had decreased from 4,500 to less than 2,500 in the last five to seven years. The Leader will understand that I do not know the exact figures for what used to be An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil, FCA, but I presume that volunteer reservists are being treated in a similar offhand way by the Department of Defence. The Government really has no interest in volunteerism of any kind. It is a sad fact that those particular services, which bring out the best in people, are simply cast to one side. Particularly in the Garda Reserve, people are belittled, marginalised and made to feel unwanted. I am saying now that the time has come. A strategy for the Garda Reserve was published a number of years ago but recruitment has not even started yet. I am calling now, and will call every week in this House, for the Minister for Justice and An Garda Síochána to commence a recruitment campaign to bring the Garda Reserve not merely back to a level of 1,200 but towards 2,000 in order that there are roots in every community, rural and urban, where there is a connection between the people and their police force.

The second issue I want to raise is the question of Rathmines Town Hall, which may seem a very local issue. I noticed a statement in today's newspapers that Dublin City Council is looking for venues for musical events.There is an auditorium in the heart of Rathmines. In the past, with very liberal fire regulation, it used to accommodate 2,000 people on occasion. It could easily accommodate 500 or 600 people at any gig, concert or performance today. However, it is mouldering away. It is like a small version of the National Concert Hall, with prefabricated classrooms built in a horrific way on the grounds. I have asked the Minister, Deputy Harris, the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, Dublin City Council and all the local representatives in the area to do something to bring this very valuable cultural amenity back into operation. The people of Dublin deserve to have Rathmines Town Hall properly restored.

Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
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Last week, Councillors Anne Feeney, James Geoghegan and I held a meeting. There were nearly 300 people in the room and another 200 had to be turned away outside. The meeting was to discuss the proposed bus corridor from Templeogue and Rathfarnham to the city centre. Many of the people there have been given notice of compulsory purchase order of their gardens for cycle lanes and access. There will be huge disruption to their lives to enable commuters, when all this is done and €2 billion is spent, to get into the city centre six minutes more quickly than they can now.

There have been several rounds of public consultation on the proposals. Thousands of submissions have gone in on this corridor, the Kimmage corridor and the Greenhills corridor. Very little of what residents are saying, including cycling lobbyists who want safe cycling facilities and good public transport, has been heeded. Everybody wants good public transport. However, a lot of what has been said has not been taken on board. Now we are in the phase of involvement by An Bord Pleanála, there is a little hope that there will perhaps be some heeding of reason, particularly regarding the Templeogue proposal, before there is enormous disruption to very old villages like Ranelagh and Rathgar. The attitude shown and the plan in place do not reflect the age of the area and the impact on residents. People living on Rathgar Avenue, for instance, will not be able to get out either end of the road, depending on the time of day. A theory was imposed in the plan that does not reflect reality. When there has been engagement with the National Transport Authority, NTA, the latter has admitted its people have not visited the site to see the situation locally.

I have submitted Commencement matters on this issue and asked the transport committee to engage on it. I have called for the Minister to come to the House to be answerable to the fact all the residents' associations across these areas have sought an engagement on extending the proposed metro route. There has been no such engagement, with any consideration of a metro for Templeogue postponed to somewhere beyond 2040. People are going to considerable expense to figure out the impact on their homes. There is no way of supporting those families. The Minister must come to the House and be answerable for the strategy. There are fine bus corridors going in across various locations. However, there is a small area in south Dublin that includes very old villages with very narrow roads on which buses will be driven to the exclusion of anybody living in the area, particularly the elderly and disabled people. We need the Minister to take statements in the House on the public transport plans for south Dublin.

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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I congratulate all the successful candidates in the Six-County local elections. It was an historical election for Sinn Féin, which is now the largest party in local government in the North. There has been a clear message from the electorate that people want to see the assembly back up and running. I encourage all the political parties to work hard to make that happen and for the Irish and British Governments to do the same.The other issue I want to raise is energy poverty. I have just come from a meeting of the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action at which we heard from representatives of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Social Justice Ireland and Friends of the Earth on the stark reality of energy poverty in Ireland. It is really important that we talk about this now, when it is off the agenda, as such. It is vital that we start to prepare for the coming winter. The representatives of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul told us that there has been a 40% increase in the number of calls to the society's services, that one in ten households is now in arrears with a utility bill and that one in five gas customers is now in arrears. There are 377,000 households in energy poverty in this country. I therefore call for a debate in this House on whether the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, is adequately resourced and has sufficient powers to regulate energy markets properly. We are aware that it currently does not have powers to manage standing charges. No matter whether people are reducing their energy consumption, through either efficiency or pure necessity because they cannot afford to use their electricity or heating, they are still being punished by their providers because the standing charges are going up. There is no transparency regarding how companies decide on the value of the standing charges. This is in direct conflict with our climate action objectives. We are trying to encourage people to reduce energy consumption. They should be incentivised, not penalised, to do so.

A report in today's Irish Independentshows that, despite the fact that wholesale energy costs have dropped by 42.5% by comparison with this time last year, customers are not seeing their bills decrease to the same level. Ireland continues to have the highest unit price, almost double the EU average. It is interesting that the chairman of the Consumers Association of Ireland, Mr. Michael Kilcoyne, has stated the issue of the regulation of energy prices needs to be revisited in this country and that we need to have far greater control over what people are forced to pay by their providers.

I echo the calls by DCU economics professor Edgar Morgenroth, who has called for the CRU to have greater oversight of the hedging policy of electricity companies. Now that it is the summer, when people are getting a little bit of a reprieve on their energy bills, this House should have a debate on whether the CRU is fit for purpose.

Annie Hoey (Labour)
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I want to raise two issues. Yesterday was the eighth anniversary of marriage equality. All of us will recall the campaign and celebration very fondly. There was literally dancing in the streets. It brings to mind the number of disabled members of Irish society for whom marriage equality does not fully exist. This is an issue across the world. Many disabled people, if they get married, lose their benefits because of means-testing or various systems. We should not have a system in which a person has to choose between love and poverty, nor should we have one in which a disabled person has to choose between love and independence. This issue has been documented across the world to varying degrees. Disabled people are not being given the choice to live with dignity, autonomy or even independence because of how supports are made available. We know from a study that having a disability results in €12,000 in costs that are not met by the supports given by the State. Therefore, it is extremely expensive to have a disability, unfortunately. We know the State supports are not available. Some disabled people are penalised for getting married because many of our supports are means-tested. Therefore, the individuals become dependent on the people they marry. There are very few circumstances in which able-bodied people, upon marrying someone, immediately lose their sense of independence and become dependent on someone else. This is a global issue, not just an issue in Ireland. When talking about marriage equality, we should remember that all people – all adults – should be able to get married without facing discrimination or financial penalties.

The second topic I want to raise concerns the really upsetting and disgraceful scenes we have seen involving the blockading of people at Inch, Sandwith Street and Santry.I refer to the blockading of people. Very often, these are people just minding their own beeswax and have nothing to do with anything. From this House and the political leadership, it is important that we acknowledge no one, and not Government policy, is making people blockade other people from getting to where they need to. No Government policy, no consultation and no anything is forcing people to stop buses, to do headcounts, to check passports or to set homes on fire. There is no policy like this. We must be extremely careful in political leadership when we are talking about issues local people have and then these issues. We should not conflate local concerns and saying if there had been consultation, this would not have happened. People are choosing to undertake these blockades. We must condemn this activity at all levels. We need political leadership to unequivocally condemn these blockades and inspections of people. It is important we get this from both Houses.

Frances Black (Independent)
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Last Saturday, I had the honour of leading the 35th annual famine walk in the Leader's county of Mayo. It was organised by a wonderful group called Afri. This walk commemorates the suffering of Irish people during An Gorta Mór. It also serves as an opportunity, I believe, to reflect on the immense suffering that famine and war continue to inflict on people all across the world. As part of the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, we have heard speeches in both Houses of the Oireachtas eloquently outlining the preciousness and indispensability of peace and all the benefits Ireland has accrued since that agreement was signed.

It is confusing and disturbing, though, to see some of those same politicians engage in a concerted campaign to end Irish neutrality. This is very worrying. A small group of politicians and journalists dominate the conversation about Irish neutrality, even though polling consistently shows their position is a profoundly unpopular one. I am concerned that the Government's forum on Irish neutrality will be a process with a foregone conclusion. We must ask why the Government has been pushing for this forum instead of using the established and proven process of a citizens' assembly. My concern is the Government is interested in influencing public opinion rather than reflecting it. The idea of increasing Government spending on weapons and war machines when so many people here experience poverty and deprivation is just horrific. This money should be directed towards public services and the people who need it most, and not the arms manufacturers with blood on their hands.

I am also very disappointed that the Green Party has recently abandoned its support for the triple lock. This is particularly disturbing when we think back to how the party emerged partially in response to the terrifying potential of nuclear war due to Cold War brinkmanship. It is sad to see a party founded to promote peace and non-violence change its position on this area. I call for a debate on neutrality, if it is at all possible, and as soon as it is possible.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome our friend and former Senator, now Deputy Ged Nash, to the Public Gallery with his friends and visitors from Drogheda, County Louth. I hope they will not be smiling on Saturday when they play Cork, but I welcome them to Leinster House today and hope they have a very pleasant visit. Tá fáilte roimh go léir. I call Senator Paul Daly.

Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise an issue that is becoming a bit of a bugbear for me. We are all aware that nationally up to one third of our wild bees are threatened with extinction. The Plantlife organisation in the UK has started to promote a No Mow May policy and strategy to try to get people not to mow their grass in May. I welcome that the National Biodiversity Data Centre, along with An Post, is sending out 2.3 million postcards to Irish residents addressing the same idea, namely, that people might just not mow their grass down. This is because dandelions, red and white clover and bird's-foot-trefoil are three types of plants that grow naturally in everybody's lawn and every area of wild grass without the need to add seeds. These are the best sources of nectar and pollen for our bees.

To get to the point, we need the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to come into the House to discuss this issue. I use the motorway from Dublin to Galway, the M4 and the M6. Every morning throughout the summer, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, has closed one lane to allow for a big lorry, with an arrow on the back of it, to point drivers to the right because a metre-wide lawn mower is mowing the strip of grass on the left-hand side of the road.That is inside a hard verge and inside a shore to take away water. That grass is not affecting safety on the motorway in any way. If you do a very simple calculation and google the distance from Dublin to Galway and calculate a metre strip both left and right of that motorway, not even considering the centre, that is 95 acres - and that is just one motorway. That is 95 acres of grass that could be left for the summer months. Mow it during the winter if it will be a safety hazard for the following year. However, it does not need to be mowed down as bare and bald as the top of a chair, which is the way they are leaving it. It is a case of practising what we preach. The authorities need to start leading by example. It needs to come to the Department of Transport and TII that the grass is not a danger on the motorway. As I said, 95 acres on that one motorway to be left for the clover, the birdsfoot trefoil and the dandelion to grow must have a massive effect on trying to save our natural Irish bee.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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Yesterday, the Minister, Deputy Harris, launched a significant and important public awareness campaign through all national media etc. to make people aware that the threat to share body images of another individual, no matter what their relationship is, is criminal and wrong. It is a crime. It is a crime if somebody threatens to do it. We all know that under Coco’s Law, the actual sharing of intimate images is correctly a punishable crime. However, it may not be as commonly known that the threat to do so is also a crime. Therefore, the Minister, Deputy Harris, launched that campaign yesterday. We in the Seanad should note it. I would like to hear the Leader respond on it. We should be at the vanguard in the important campaign of telling people, through whatever media might pick this up, that it is unambiguously the case that any threat to share personal body images of another individual is criminal and wrong across all criteria. I ask the Leader to respond on that. I welcome the initiative by the Minister, Deputy Harris. I hope it will impact and that, coupled with Coco’s Law, which is the criminalisation of sharing imagines, this will be a further strengthening in that area. It can be for monetary gain or any other sinister purpose. It can be from some perverse kind of voyeurism. Whatever it is, it is reprehensible and criminal. It is important that we are supporting a campaign to make people aware of its criminality.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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As colleagues know, Kerrygold is synonymous with Irish butter. They may ask why I am saying that today. I join in congratulating, and I hope this House will, our internationally recognised garden designer in Kerry, our good friend, Billy Alexander, an Irish supreme horticulturist, botanist and plantsman, who this morning was awarded the highest award – the gold medal – at the Chelsea Flower Show. It was announced to the international media this morning. The former Cathaoirleach, colleague and friend, Senator Mark Daly, would be aware of Kells Bay Gardens and its significance and beauty in County Kerry. For those who do not know Kells Bay, it is close to Cahersiveen in County Kerry and is one of Ireland’s premier horticultural experiences, containing a renowned collection of tree-ferns and exotic plants grown in a unique microclimate created and impacted by the Gulf Stream. It is a great honour and the most prestigious horticultural award in the world. This is our Irish man, Billy Alexander, who brought a piece of Kerry bog and many of the subtropical plants that grow particularly in Kells Bay because of its connection with the Gulf Stream. Billy Alexander brought, shipped and flew them over, displayed them and created a master creation, which is now on exhibition in Chelsea in central London today and will remain so until the end of this week.It highlights the very significant importance of Irish horticulture internationally, international recognition of Irish expertise and, of course, our wonderful National Botanic Gardens. Of course, Bloom is in a few weeks' time. I hope many people will engage with that. I would like the House to join with me in congratulating an Irishman on bringing a piece of Kerry bog to the centre of London and receiving the most prestigious of all horticultural awards.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Boyhan for sharing that. We woke up this morning to the wonderful news that Billy Alexander had been awarded that high and prestigious honour. As Cathaoirleach, I join with the Senator in sending congratulations to Mr. Alexander on that great honour. It was great to hear of it on the radio this morning. I am sure we all join with Senator Boyhan in acknowledging the significance of this aware. I again thank the Senator for his contribution. All of us who know and love Kells Bay will hold it in even more extreme affection because of what happened this morning.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Yesterday evening, my Wicklow-based colleague, Senator Casey, and I took the 8.05 p.m. train from Dublin Connolly to Gorey. It is the first time a late evening train has served the Rosslare route. It is very welcome and I hope Irish Rail will continue to provide later services not just on the Rosslare line, but right around the country.

Today, I will praise Michelle O'Neill. The Michelle O'Neill of whom I speak has just been announced as the assistant referee for the Women's Champions League final. She is an extraordinarily successful Wexford referee. She will be refereeing at the Women's World Cup in Australia later this year. She was also the first ever Irish football match official to officiate at the Olympics when she did so in Tokyo two years ago. She is an outstanding role model for many people in sport and a super referee. I am sure this House will join me in congratulating Michelle O'Neill and in wishing her well and continued success.

The Cathaoirleach will be aware that, last week, I raised the urgent need for a debate on technology. I mentioned that it was anticipated that we would probably see the largest ever fine issued against a technology company by the Data Protection Commission in the case regarding Meta. This is not just about Meta. It is about the importance of having a debate on how to utilise the opportunities offered by emerging technologies, but also how to face up to the challenges they present, as we move towards a data economy, particularly in the era of artificial intelligence. I again ask for a debate on data protection, data security and artificial intelligence. The Cathaoirleach will know I have sought the establishment of a select committee to hear about those issues. It presents the greatest opportunities and challenges of our age.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I am sure many of us saw on Twitter the video of an exchange between a member of An Garda Síochána and "Billboard Chris", a Canadian father of two who has been touring North America, and now Europe, engaging in conversations about the use of puberty blockers on children. While walking Grafton Street over the weekend wearing a sandwich board that read "Children cannot consent to puberty blockers", he had a lengthy conversation with a garda who advised him that he could find himself falling foul of section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994, which prohibits the distribution or display of "any writing, sign or visible representation which is threatening, abusive, insulting or obscene with intent to provoke a breach of the peace". The garda later returned and clarified to Chris that he was entirely within his rights to do what he was doing. However, it really goes to show that anybody else could have been well and truly intimidated and could have chosen to leave the area or to stop exercising his or her freedom of speech for fear of prosecution.

I feel for the members of An Garda Síochána. It must be very difficult to make a judgment call in the moment as to whether any given section of the law is being transgressed. What would aid them in this is having clear-cut unambiguous laws that set out clear tests to establish wrongdoing. What makes their job almost impossible is law that is broad and sweeping in nature and which can criminalise almost any behaviour, depending on the circumstances in which it occurs and on how it is perceived by those around.Our new hate speech offences Bill, of course, falls firmly in the latter category. This kind of thing is exactly what we are talking about when we say that the Bill will have a chilling effect, causing people to self-censor. It will shut down genuine debate because people will fear arrest or prosecution. We need a debate, even before the Bill is before the House, on what kind of country we want to live in when it comes to freedom of speech and the free and open exchange of ideas.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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This evening, we are back on Committee Stage of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill. I wish to make an appeal to colleagues across the Chamber at this point, because something fundamentally wrong is happening. A Bill that is fundamentally flawed is going to be passed on Committee and Report Stages over the next week and then passed into law. As we all know, this is a Bill that excludes up to 30,000 victims and survivors of mother and baby homes. Some 21,000 people are being excluded on a completely arbitrary basis. If they were in an institution for less than six months they will get zero, but if they were there for more than six months they will get some compensation. As everyone knows, the Minister has never explained that rationale because clearly there is no rationale anyone could ever justify.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I remind the Senator that the Bill will be debated later on and tomorrow, according to the schedule of the House.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I accept that. The reason I am making this point today is because I want to appeal to colleagues from the Government benches, in particular, to stop and have a conversation in their parliamentary parties to ensure that the Bill in its current form does not pass and those crucial reforms to include survivors are made.

I cannot understand why there is silence from the Government side of the Chamber on this Bill. Everybody knows it is fundamentally flawed and we will let everyone down if the Bill passes in its current form. There is no reason why, collectively, the Chamber cannot do better. The silence last week from the Government side was outrageous, frankly. This is a crucial Bill for survivors who have been let down many times by the State. The Government is about to let them down again. Surely we can collectively do better. I ask for the Leader to respond. Surely we can agree to pause the Bill before it goes to Report Stage and see if, collectively, we can do far better than the Government is doing right now.

Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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This weekend in Ballinasloe, we will have a tourism event that has something for everyone. It is about showcasing everything that is on offer. Last week, I was with the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, in the Seanad to speak on statements on tourism and in particular, the importance of the tourism activator role in respect of the just transition. A role has been allocated for each county under the Fáilte Ireland just transition measures for the midlands and west. As I mentioned during the debate, Ballinasloe Municipal District was one of the districts concerned. The tourism activator role would be crucial to supporting businesses in applying for funding for tourism to help promote our region, as well as funding for walks and trails. I called for the person to be located in the Ballinasloe Municipal District offices and to represent that district. It is the only district in County Galway to be in the scheme.

If anyone is in the west, there will be guided bog walks this weekend. There is a brand new gin and whiskey distillery in an old mill that has been renovated. Millions of euro have been poured into making this a place to visit. It has the most amazing whiskey and gin one can get and is in a good location. There is also the River Suck cruise and the Battle of Aughrim site. All of these events will show what a great place the west is to live in, work and visit.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senators who contributed. Senator O'Loughlin spoke about the Newbridge community group, the public meeting held to discuss commuter issues and the group's disappointment over the NTA declining to attend. She also spoke about Irish Water, the inability to get answers where water quality was poor but not an immediate threat to public health, and how Irish citizens in those areas were entitled to expect better quality.

Senator McDowell raised the issue, as he has done previously, of the Garda Reserve. We have requested that debate and will try to get a date for it as soon as possible. There will be a changeover in Ministers in the coming weeks, so we may have it with the returning Minister for Justice. I take on board the Senator's comments about Rathmines town hall. I am not familiar with the facility, but it sounds like it is not being utilised in the best interests of the community it should serve.

Senator Seery Kearney spoke about the bus corridor between Templeogue and Rathfarnham and challenges in south Dublin in terms of proposed new bus corridors and other public transport. I understand the Senator has raised the issue a number of times. I would encourage direct engagement with the Minister for Transport and perhaps a Commencement matter, although I believe one may have been submitted previously. It will be always a challenge when starting new cycling, walking or bus infrastructure, as there will be a loss of space elsewhere. I understand the challenges. It is a question of trying to strike the right balance between serving the greater public and being mindful of the communities affected by the new infrastructure.

Senator Boylan discussed the local authority elections in Northern Ireland. She also discussed energy poverty and the need to prepare for winter. It is some way off, but I take on board the Senator's comments about the high cost of energy bills. It is worth noting that the Government gave an energy credit to all households, with every household receiving €200 on three occasions, totalling €600. There was an expansion of the fuel allowance programme and an amendment of its qualifying criteria, with more people than ever now availing of it. There was also a fuel allowance lump sum payment. As such, the Government has done a significant amount in that space to alleviate the pressures that families and households are feeling in terms of energy costs. The Senator also mentioned Professor Edgar Morgenroth and his call for a greater debate and a change of policy at EU level on the hedging in which energy companies engage.

Senator Hoey acknowledged how yesterday was the eighth anniversary of the marriage equality referendum. She drew an unusual comparison between marriage equality and disabilities. I am not sure I would agree with her remarks that people with disabilities do not enjoy marriage equality – I believe they do – but I understand the Senator's point that, when getting married, you potentially lose some of the benefits you have been on if they are means tested, given that you are tested as a household as opposed to as an individual. That is the way the tax system is organised and it applies to everyone, not just those with disabilities. There is probably a broader question about specifically tackling the cost of having a disability. There are significant additional costs for people with disabilities. This issue needs to be addressed, but the link to marriage is an unusual one to make.

Like many other Members last week in particular, Senator Hoey also drew attention to the issue of refugees at Sandwith Street and Pearse Street in Dublin and at Inch in Clare. I would certainly not compare the situation at Inch in Clare to what happened at Sandwith Street – they are different – but there will be challenges in many communities across the board and we will have to listen to people. The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the rest of the Government have had a difficult job in accommodating approximately 85,000 new people in our country in a very short period.It is important to acknowledge, in that context, the scale of what we are dealing with and the timeframe in which we have had that increase in the number of people. Overall, we should be proud of how well we have dealt with that as a country. We should be proud of how much support, not just the Government but more importantly the Irish people have given to people coming not just from Ukraine, but from other countries fleeing war and other challenges. We can be proud of our response as a nation. It will be an ongoing one, and we will have to just deal with it.

Senator Black spoke about the 35th annual famine walk in County Mayo. She also called for a debate on neutrality. She is unhappy that the Green Party has changed its position on the triple lock. I disagree with the Senator's remarks that the Government is tries to influence public thinking. As public representatives, I think we all seek to influence public thinking. Is that not our job really? I disagree with the suggestion that the forum to discuss our defence and foreign policy is somehow designed to increase spending on, to quote the Senator, "weapons and war machines." That is not the intention of a consultative forum that will hear from citizens and experts to try and better chart a path for our country in Ireland 2023. Our foreign policy and defence policy have not been updated in a very long time. It is worth acknowledging and pointing out, as I am sure the Senator will be aware, that the triple lock requires a UN resolution, which can be vetoed by Russia and other permanent members of the UN Security Council. Many citizens will want to have their say on that aspect, and I look forward to feeding into the forum as well. I am not sure that is the position Ireland, as an independent sovereign country, wants to be in for the future. We have to consider whether the triple lock is fit for purpose today, given that it can be vetoed by countries such as Russia. That warrants debate and consideration by the public. As the Tánaiste has pointed out, the forum will focus on facts, not fiction, and will be evidence-based. It is open to every citizen in this country to have their say. We should not be afraid of what I consider to be a democratic process.

Senator Paul Daly spoke about the threat to one third of our native bee population. He made an interesting point about No Mow May, and the mowing of grass along our motorways where there is no threat to safety. He estimated that along one motorway there as much as 95 acres of grass could be left to grow for the summer. It was an interesting figure, and a good one to point out. I have left my own lawn unmowed for the month. It is halfway up the house at this stage. I live on an estate, and I am sure that my neighbours would like it mowed, but we have a sign up to let people know why it has not been mowed. We are conditioned to have our lawns mowed, and it is about a culture change. Taking one extra month to allow things to grow can make a small difference, but collectively it can make a big difference.

Senator Joe O'Reilly spoke about the sharing of intimate images and he is correct that it is currently a criminal offence. The work currently under way by the Department of Justice and the Minister, Deputy Harris, is a public awareness campaign to make sure people are aware that not just the sharing of intimate images, but the threat to share them is also a criminal offence. It is a worthwhile campaign. There is no point having new legislation in place if people do not know about it. There is a job there in terms of public awareness followed by enforcement. I commend the Minister on his work getting that campaign up and running.

Senator Boyhan congratulated Billy Alexander on his gold award at the Chelsea Flower Show and I also congratulate him on behalf of the House. I concur with Cathaoirleach's remarks that it is a fantastic award for Billy.

Senator Byrne spoke about the new 8.05 p.m. late service from Connolly Station to Gorey, County Wexford, which he and Senator Pat Casey travelled on yesterday for its first outing. It is great to have that extra service, which will serve a lot of commuters. He also congratulated the referee Michelle O'Neill on her fantastic sporting achievements, and he wished her well.

Senator Keogan spoke about the challenges for An Garda Síochána in enforcing what can be seen as broad, sweeping legislation. I am glad that the individual was allowed to demonstrate, as is his right. I commend the garda for coming back and correcting his position. It is a good characteristic that one can acknowledge when one has made a mistake. He went and sought advice and came back and corrected it. He is to be commended on doing that. People very often do not do that. It will be tricky, and I know many people will agree with the message being displayed on the board. It does not often get the debate it deserves in either House or in public discourse.I would agree with the Senator regarding the need to balance the rights of individuals with the overarching right to free speech and exchange of ideas and to make sure we strike that right balance. No doubt, there will be a forthright debate here in the Chamber, with many views exchanged, when we consider the upcoming hate crime legislation.

Senator Paul Gavan spoke about the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022 and, as was pointed out by the Chair, we will have an extensive debate on that today and again in the coming weeks. I wish to acknowledge the challenging situation faced by the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. I feel as though I am referencing the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, quite a lot on different areas. However, it is a challenging Bill. I certainly would have preferred to see the scheme extended to all victims and I do not agree with the six-month exclusion. However, the Minister tells us that he has tried to balance that with available resources and with the advice that he has been given. That is his position as the Minister making the decision on behalf of the Government.

Senator Dolan spoke about Ballinasloe, as she does on most occasions, and about a tourism event in the area which Members may be interested to check in on.

Finally, Senator McGahon spoke about the Enterprise train service to Belfast from Dublin. It does seem like an unusual amount of delays. We need to have a reliable public transport system and it is great that that facility is in place. It is a fantastic service, and I have used it myself. We have a way to go yet with regard to our rail services nationwide, and it is an area in which I have an interest as well. Finally, we are at a point where we are realising the importance of rail connectivity, particularly in light of our climate agenda and the targets we need to meet. I think we will see further investment in rail services and from what he has articulated, it is the Minister's intention that such investment is to continue. That particular service may be worth a Commencement matter because it is an issue that is quite particular to one service and we can see if we can get further details on what is happening on that line.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Before I ask the House to approve or disapprove of the Order of Business, I ask Members to join in congratulating Michelle O'Neill, the soccer referee, on her appointment for the forthcoming FIFA Women's World Cup, and I wish her well.

Is the Order of Business approved?

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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It is not quite approved, for this reason-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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We are not having a debate, as the Senator knows.

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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No, we are not. The Leader spoke about Senator Paul Daly's contribution on wilding one's garden. Ragwort, thistles and dock are twice as beneficial to bees as wildflowers.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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That is not a point. That has no relevance-----

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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I am just making the point that they are illegal under the Noxious Weeds Act and that anybody who has them on his or her land is liable to be prosecuted.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Senator McDowell is straying into the bounds of-----

Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for the legal advice.