Committee on Public Petitions debate -
Thursday, 17 Feb 2022

Decisions on Public Petitions Received

Chairman

We now turn to consideration of public petitions. We have four petitions for consideration today. Petition 1/22m, "Inequality Kills", is from Mr. Liam Doran. The recommendation from the private session is that that this petition be closed because discussion of the subject matter is comprehended by the orders of reference of the relevant departmental select committee, which involve "any matter relating to legislation, policy, expenditure and administrations of ... a Government department" and that the Oxfam report entitled "Inequality Kills - “The unparalleled action needed to combat unprecedented inequality in the wake of COVID-19" along with text of the petition be forwarded to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach for its attention. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Petition 3/22, "ASD & Employment", is from Mr. Liam Doran. The recommendation from the private session is that this petition be closed because a joint committee on autism is being established and the subject matter is comprehended by that committee's orders of reference, which is that "the Joint Committee shall consider matters relating to the services and supports provided by the State for autistic people and, in so doing, may have regard to the Resolutions of Dáil Éireann of 2 April 2019 and 29 April 2021 on these matters", and that the text of the petition be forwarded to the joint committee on autism for its attention. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The final two petitions are from Sir Kevin Carter and will be taken together as they both relate to China. They are Petition 45/21, "Sanctions against China", and Petition 46/21, "Improving immigration asylum policies". The recommendation from the private session that the correspondence from the Department of Foreign Affairs be forwarded to the petitioner for comment. Would members like to comment?

Deputy Pat Buckley

I thank the secretariat for a fairly comprehensive reply and recommendation with which I agree.

Senator Jerry Buttimer

I concur with Deputy Buckley about the composition and compiling of the reply. I made a point in the private meeting about the issue of human rights. I know it is not necessarily within our remit but there are issues around human rights relating to China and its treatment of Taiwan in particular. I recognise that we have a one China policy but we need to have a conversation around human rights and China's obligations under national and international law, as the reply notes, to protect and respect human rights. I concur with the recommendation of the private meeting, which was to make that comment in public.

Chairman

I also concur. It is a conversation we need to have and perhaps the committee ought to invite someone in and have a conversation about it. Is the recommendation agreed? Agreed.

That concludes our consideration of public petitions this afternoon. I invite members of the public to submit petitions via our online portal. A petition may be addressed to the Houses of the Oireachtas on a matter of general public concern or interest or an issue of public policy.

The next item on the agenda is any other business. Would members like to make any final comments?

Deputy Pat Buckley

I thank the Chairman, the secretariat and the members of the committee for an excellent meeting today. I am certainly more educated leaving than I was when the meeting began.

Senator Jerry Buttimer

At our private meeting, we might look at the comments made by Mr. Feeney and distil for further action because, as Deputy Buckley said, it was a very good meeting and we learned a lot. I would be very happy to look at that again to see how we can progress some of the things that were raised. I know they may not necessarily be part of this committee's remit but we could find common purpose.

Chairman

I agree with the Senator. I also thank the clerk of the committee and all the staff. The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is not seen. On my behalf and on that of the committee, I thank them.

The joint committee adjourned at 3.45 p.m. until 1.30 p.m. on Thursday, 3 March 2022.