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Seanad Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 1 Feb 2022

Vol. 283 No. 6

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

I ask the deputy leader of the Fianna Fáil group, and the Acting Leader, to outline the Order of Business. I wish her a happy St. Brigid's Day and congratulate her on all of her work on that particular issue.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. For the day that is in it, I am sure he will not mind if I read one of St. Brigid's prayers into the record.

It will not do us any harm, that is for sure.

When I mention the angels of God, I refer to whatever God means to Members. Lá Fhéile Bríde shona daoibh. Brigid means so much to people not just around Kildare and Ireland, but around the world. I was in Strasbourg at the Council of Europe meeting last week. There are three parishes outside Strasbourg called after St. Brigid. St. Brigid's church in Strasbourg had a ceremony last Sunday, which was interesting. I wish everybody well. In the words of the blessing:

May no fire, no flame burn us;

May no lake, no sea drown us;

May no king, no chief insult us;

May all the birds sing for us;

May all the cattle low for us;

May all the insects buzz for us;

May the angels of God always protect us.

That shows Brigid's love of nature. She was a great environmentalist.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the Technological Universities Act 2018 (Section 36) (Appointed Day) Order 2022, back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; and No. 2, Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, to be taken at 5 p.m., with the opening contribution of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, and with the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate.

Before I call on the leader of the Fianna Fáil group today, Senator Malcolm Byrne, I wish to welcome my father to the Chamber for the first time.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh a athair freisin. Guím beannachtaí na Féile Bríde oraibh go léir. Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Seanadóir O'Loughlin freisin agus í ag feidhmiú mar Cheannaire Gníomhach. I congratulate Senator O'Loughlin on the fact that it is her first day taking the Order of Business.

It is St. Brigid's Day. The Acting Leader has campaigned strongly for its recognition and we will not be here in the Chamber this day next year. Today also marks the centenary of the day in 1922 when the then Irish Free State took responsibility for Irish education. I am grateful to Emeritus Professor Aíne Hyland of University College Cork who pointed out that the task set for Irish education was as follows: "In the administration of Irish education, it is the intention of the new government to work with all its might for the strengthening of the national fibre by giving the language, history, music and tradition of Ireland, their natural place in the life of Irish schools." While there have often been calls for reform in our education system, this is the centenary of a system which has, broadly, served us well. It is appropriate that this House thanks educators and all those involved over the last century who have succeeded in bringing our education system to where it is today.

This brings me to an issue that I have raised regularly. I refer to the proposal by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, to cut the third-level registration charge aspect of student fees. This is welcome. It can only be done, however, in a context where there will not be a great loss of income for the higher education institutions. Therefore, I call again for a debate on higher education funding. It is nearly six years since the Cassells report was published and such a debate is long overdue.

Everybody here welcomes the return of Richard O’Halloran. It was a disgrace that he was detained against his will in China for three years. We have had a debate on China, but our relationship with that country needs to be explored further. It is completely wrong that an Irish citizen should be detained for such a long time. I wish Richard O’Halloran and his family a very happy future, as will everybody else in the House.

I also wish to raise a matter that I addressed during a Commencement matter debate several weeks ago and that I have spoken about on other occasions as well. I refer to a competition mandate for the Central Bank of Ireland. It is welcome and positive that Revolut has today announced that it will be making loans and other services available to Irish consumers. The company, however, is also moving its operations from Ireland to Lithuania. The Central Bank’s lack of a competition mandate is one of the major problems that we have with that institution. It must stop simply protecting the pillar banks and start to encourage financial technology and financial services industries.

I also commend the Acting Leader on her first day taking the Order of Business. I also acknowledge that this is St. Brigid's Day. It is a special day and I am glad that it is now going to be recognised as an official bank holiday.

While I am speaking about women, I also wish to talk about a strong courageous lady who appeared on the "Claire Byrne Live" show last night. I do not know if any of the Senators saw the programme, but anyone involved in policymaking or in the legal system should be duty-bound to watch it to see Aimee Foley outlining the horrendous experience she had with her father, who is now in prison. I have known Aimee since she was a child. Like everybody else, I was totally unaware of what she was going through and the horrendous experience she was suffering regularly. She waived her right to anonymity and spoke openly about the value of victim impact statements, what they do for victims and the power they give to victims.

She also spoke, however, about sentencing and how horrendously disappointed and outraged she was with the sentence in this case. It is now subject to an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions. As policymakers, however, we must reflect on what we must do to ensure that these types of situations do not happen in future. It is phenomenal what Aimee has done for the thousands of victims of domestic and sexual violence by waving her anonymity. I salute her for her courage and bravery. We are all extremely proud of what she has done.

I also wish to mention the leaving certificate. Some 60,000 or 70,000 young people are going to be doing those examinations this year.

We are now told it will be an exam-based leaving certificate. I do not agree with that and I think it is wrong. It should be a hybrid system.

The young people who are doing their leaving certificate this year are probably the most impacted as a result of the pandemic. Some 25% of them did not get a junior certificate to start with. They have been out of school for a large chunk of fifth year and a significant chunk of this year. There are medically vulnerable young people who have still not gone back to school and have missed even more time. Whatever way it is dressed up or down, an exam is an exam. No matter how many choices there are in an exam, it has to be done within a two or three-hour period. I appeal to the Minister, Deputy Foley, to re-examine this. The right thing to do is to give young people doing their leaving certificate this year the same option students had last year and the year before. It would be fair and equitable.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 15 be taken before No. 1 today, to introduce and advance the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Bill, which I am bringing before the Seanad for debate next Tuesday. It is a remarkable fact that whereas it is an offence knowingly to provide false information if, for example, someone is applying for nursing home support or dealing with the Revenue Commissioners or a social protection matter, it is not an offence to do so in the context of making an application to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board, PIAB, or knowingly to supply false information, whether one is acting as the respondent or otherwise, in one's dealing with PIAB. That is a real lacuna and one which ought to be addressed. My short Bill proposes to address that and I would be very grateful to colleagues if, between now and when the Bill is taken, they examine and consider supporting it. As we all know, it is difficult to quantify how much fraud actually takes place in the context of bringing personal injuries actions. When we consider that 70% of the work of PIAB has to do with motor insurance, it is obvious that anything we can do to combat fraud should be done, starting with deterring it by establishing that it is an offence knowingly to provide false information to PIAB. It is to be hoped that will eventually deter fraud and lead to lower insurance premiums, which is one of the key places we want to go. I am not interested in the punishment side of this; I am interested in the deterrence side. That is what the Bill is about and I would be grateful for the support of Senators.

I want to welcome what an Leas-Treoraí said about St. Brigid's Day. It is an important and special day. This was a real living, breathing woman of faith who has had a major influence on Irish life. Looking at the various St. Brigid's crosses here today, I am sorry when I was in Ballinasloe church over the weekend, where Ballinasloe social services was selling St. Brigid's crosses as a fundraiser, that I did not bring one for everybody in the Seanad. It was a lack of presence of mind on my part. It is an important day and one I hope many people will reflect on even more into the future.

I second and commend what Senator Malcolm Byrne said about the eventual and tardy release of Richard O'Halloran. It is a disgrace that any country in the modern day would hold a person hostage in this way, which is, in effect, what happened. We are now at the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. They should not be taking place in Beijing, any more that there should not have been an Olympic in Nazi Germany in 1936. The horrors of what the Chinese regime is perpetrating is something that must continue to attract our attention and censure.

Guím Lá Fhéile Bríde sona ar gach duine anseo. Is é sin an Lá Fhéile Bríde deireanach nach mbeidh lá saoire poiblí againn.

Finally we will have a public day of recognition for the first female saint in Ireland. It is about time because, to be honest, we are all saints. We need a lot of patience. I am sure I wreck some people's heads. I will give as good as I get. It is good that we acknowledge the day.

This brings me to something about which I feel very strongly. It came up during the week in the newspapers. I thank Cathy Halloran for the piece she did. It is something I worked on in my previous job. There are ten times more boys than girls cycling to school in Ireland. This is not based on physiology or any challenge faced. Even though it seems like a small thing it is massive. We really need to look at it. Why do ten times more boys than girls cycle to school? Are they ten times as good at cycling? Absolutely 100% not. It says a lot about society that teenage girls do not feel like cycling compared with teenage boys. There are many reasons for it including social issues.

A big issue I will mention briefly is that many girls schools still have mandatory skirts. Girls in 2022 are not allowed to wear trousers. It is an absolute disgrace. I will do a national call. I hope to do something whereby all of the female politicians will stand up and demand that every girl in 2022 has the right to go to school with a pair of pants on. It is a very basic thing. It is embarrassing that we have to ask for it in this day and age. We have a female Minister for Education. I really hope we can work together on this. It is embarrassing for me as an aunt to young girls and as someone who knows women and girls in their teenage years and in their 20s. I am embarrassed we still have many schools throughout Ireland that do not allow the girls to wear pants. It influences how they cycle.

This brings me to my next point. Next week we will celebrate Science Week. I will be encouraging women in science because I did maths and physics myself. We do not even have girls cycling bikes. We do not have them wearing pants. We have a long way to go. This is a very basic ask and we need to work on it. I am sure everybody here will support me on this. It is embarrassing in 2022. It is our legacy. We are the middle-aged people now. We are the older people. We owe it to the younger generations to break it. My mother was not allowed wear pants until she was 18 but that was 70 years ago. We are saying the same to young girls now. With this comes the fact that girls can move around and be independent.

In this day and age even though we are finally celebrating a female saint, women are still the primary carers. They are the ones left on the school run. They are left trying to do the cycle bus, the walking bus and the get-them-out-the-door bus. To this end we see that infrastructure does not support them. We really lack active travel and proper infrastructure. Red paint on the side of the road is not enough. We know the Department has given all of the funding needed for local authorities. On this day as a feminist, a woman, a mother and a carer who wants better for the next generation I ask the local authorities to take this seriously. It is a gender-based issue. We need the confidence to use infrastructure. The local authorities have the money. They need to up their game. I wish everyone the best of luck for Lá Fhéile Bríde. I hope the Minister, Deputy Foley, will take seriously my demand for the basic right to wear trousers to school.

Cosúil le mo chomhghleacaithe, guím beannachtaí na féile Bríde ar achan duine. Is céiliúradh Bríde, céiliúradh na mban agus céiliúradh thús an Earraigh é inniu. I join colleagues in wishing everyone a happy St. Brigid's Day. This is a celebration of Bríde. It is a celebration of women. Ultimately it is a celebration of the start of spring and the triumph of light over darkness. I have been given a very special job by rang 4 i mBunscoil Bheann Mhadagain i mBéal Feirste. The primary 4 class, whose teacher is my friend Diarmuid O'Tuama, has asked me to give a crosóg Bhríde to President Michael D. Higgins. I do not know as a branch of the Oireachtas whether he can be included in the internal mail. It is a serious job that I will take very seriously. I hope that on behalf of all of the daltaí i rang 4 i mBunscoil Bheann Mhadagain that he receives it well and it brings him good health and good luck.

I commend the dignity, grace and determination of the Bloody Sunday family survivors. Many of them have campaigned for decades for truth and justice for their loved ones. Typically, and unsurprisingly, they are women and have led from the front in the campaign. I appreciate and note the Cathaoirleach was in Derry on Sunday for the events as were the Taoiseach and leader of the Opposition. It was important this range of political leadership joined the community on the streets of Derry for the 50th anniversary. I send our best wishes and solidarity to those families and all those campaigning for truth and justice for their loved ones.

I hope that the Acting Leader will agree that we should have statements from the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the situation in Palestine given the shocking report that was released by Amnesty International this morning. The report tells us what we have known all along, which is that Israel is implementing and rolling out an apartheid system of injustice, brutality and oppression against the Palestinian people. While we often hear the Government talk about the role on the UN Security Council and the important place that this State has in the EU, it is really important that we hear from the Government what actions that it will take in response to the report and, indeed, in response to the proud Irish tradition of standing actively in opposition to apartheid in South Africa, and what we are going to stand against when it manifests itself against the Palestinian people. I call for statements on Palestine with the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

I congratulate the Acting Leader on taking the Chair today. I join with her and colleagues in wishing everybody a happy St. Brigid's Day, Lá Fhéile Bríde. We are all very proud of our association with St. Brigid where I live in County Kildare. We recently learned, following a very successful campaign by so many in this House and, indeed, the Lower House, that we will celebrate a public holiday from next year. It is, therefore, timely to send out an invitation to one and all to come to County Kildare next year for the first ever public holiday of 2023. We will celebrate this date and the historic contribution of St. Brigid not just to my own county but to many parts of this island.

As the Cathaoirleach will know, Kildare has a lot to offer. Áine Mangan and her team in Into Kildare are putting together a programme of events for 2023. I encourage one and all to come to County Kildare to enjoy great heritage, sporting attractions and tourist amenities not just for February but all year round. We will also commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the passing of St. Brigid the following year in 2024. I know that Councillor Pádraig McEvoy, as chair of county council committee, and the Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee are working on events around this milestone. I am sure that I will get the opportunity to talk about this once again. I must add that with the performance of Glenn Ryan's Lilywhites last Sunday we may have another visitor to our famous county in the forthcoming months.

I welcome the current conversations about the Defence Forces and where this will bring us to in the future. She will be aware that I, along with a number of colleagues, have consistently highlighted the problems and issues that face the Defence Forces in this House over the past two years. We have consistently been told that the Government will formulate its policy on the future of the Defence Forces following the publication of the report of the commission on the future of the Defence Forces. It is worrying in the extreme then to hear a senior Minister say that the Cathal Brugha Barracks will be relocated before the report is even published. Surely if we are to be serious about the future of the Defence Forces and their needs, including housing, then this cannot be the case.

There is no doubt that we need to invest in the different capital and equipment projects that have been mentioned over the past number of days. However, we must never forget that we must first invest in and provide security to those who serve us so loyally, and those who may wish to consider a future in the Defence Forces. We must allow their representative bodies to affiliate with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in order that the voices of Defence Families families, through their representatives, can be heard around that important table. We must invest in the Defence Forces. I look forward to that conversation in the coming weeks here but at the heart of those conversations we must once and for all address the terms and conditions for all those who serve.

It is brilliant to see the Acting Leader in the seat today and I hope that she will be there many more times.

I wish that leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled Child Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation Material (Amendment) Bill 2022. I am delighted to introduce my very first Private Members' Bill, which I believe addresses a very important language issue in our legislation. I will start by introducing the Bill and will outline what it proposes to do. I will explain why the Bill is necessary and what it aims to achieve.

The Bill aims to substitute the term "child pornography" with "child sexual exploitation material".

The Bill will amend the language of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998, the Child Trafficking and Pornography (Amendment) Act 2004 and the references to child pornography contained in Irish legislation. If the Bill is successful the legislation will be renamed the child trafficking and child sexual exploitation material Act 1998 and the child trafficking and child exploitation material (amendment) Act 2004. Any reference to child pornography in legislation will be replaced with the term "child sexual exploitation". It is not only important, but necessary. The issue is that the language currently being used has been found to be harmful.

With regard to child abuse, child trafficking and child sexual exploitation material, the Luxembourg Guidelines provide a comprehensive and detailed breakdown of the importance of language. According to a report conducted with the aid of a number of international bodies, including the UN, the term "child pornography" is not only incorrect, but dangerous. Why is that? One hears the term "child pornography" and understands what it means. Why is it dangerous when our laws already provide for measures against it? The reason is that what is happening in these awful incidents is not pornography. It is abuse. In the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act legislators were careful not to employ the term "revenge pornography". While that term is widely used and understood, the term "image-based sexual assault" not only better reflects the nature of the abuse and the crime but also shifts the focus to the perpetrator, not the victim. I wish to do the same. Language is important and powerful. What we say spreads throughout our community, country and globally. Language shapes and defines our understanding. It is not pornography; it is abuse.

I congratulate the Senator on the introduction of her Bill. We will need a seconder. However, can I clarify that the amendment proposed by the Senator is that No. 16 be taken before No. 1? Is that the amendment?

Thank you. It is just a procedural issue.

Happy Lá Fhéile Bríde to everyone. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le Seanadóir O'Loughlin.

Today, I am thinking of everybody who is struggling with the enormous challenge of trying either to buy or rent a home. It is very frustrating and stressful for people. Last week we had the publication of the second quarterly report on Housing for All, the Government's €20 billion plan to deliver more than 330,000 affordable, social and private homes both to purchase and rent over the next decade. It is a massively important plan. Despite Covid-19 last year, the shutdown of construction and the fact that we are emerging from a decade of undersupply, there is good news from the second quarterly report and there is hope for people who are genuinely struggling at present to either buy or rent their own home. Of the 231 actions in the plan, 123 have commenced or have been completed. It is important to recognise that last year, despite the shutdown, more than 20,000 homes were completed. There were more than 39,000 planning applications and more than 30,000 commencements. That all helps on the supply side.

On the affordability side, this House and the Dáil passed the Affordable Housing Act 2021, which is significant and game-changing legislation to address affordability. There is real hope there and it is very important that Members of both Houses use the legislation we have passed and use all the resources available to the State to deliver increased housing supply and affordability. Some people are engaging in a vile level of hypocrisy on this subject.

I urge them to stop doing so and to be constructive. They should think of all the people who genuinely have a housing need and require help and for whom it is not a political debate. They should support the State to actually deliver for those people.

I rise to raise two issues, the first of which relates to the leaving certificate. I had called for a hybrid leaving certificate. I have been contacted by many students, not just from Limerick, but from across the country. I am really disappointed with the proposal brought forward by the Minister, Deputy Foley. Last Monday, I was in a DEIS school where not only every student sitting the leaving certificate but every teacher in the school as well believes the right thing to happen is to have a balanced leaving certificate. Many of the students who will sit the leaving certificate this year did not even sit the junior certificate. They have been badly affected by Covid. It would have been great to reintroduce the leaving certificate. Obviously, all present realise it needs to be amended but I do not believe this is the right year in which to bring back the full leaving certificate.

The second issue is that An Bord Pleanála decided today to defer its determination in respect of the road from Limerick to Foynes, which would include a bypass of Adare. Limerick and Ireland are hoping to host the Ryder Cup in Adare in 2027. It will be one of the biggest tourism events in the country. The more often this decision is put off, the more likely it is that the road will not be built in time for the Ryder Cup to be held. I strongly believe the Government needs to put pressure on An Bord Pleanála to deliver or to make a decision in respect of this project because it is so pertinent not only to the mid-west but to all of Ireland. There is no point in hosting an event of this size if the roads are going to be congested.

I wish a happy St. Brigid's Day to the Acting Leader and all her friends in Kildare. I second the amendment proposed by Senator Mullen to the Order of Business. I would like to second the amendment proposed by Senator Flynn but I am not in a position to do so. I ask one of my colleagues to do so for her because it is an excellent Bill.

The case of Richard O'Halloran is over, thank God. I do not think anyone can accept plaudits for taking three years to get a person out of China. It is outrageous that it took that long. I certainly would not be thanking the Chinese Government or its ambassador for anything. It would be like thanking a kidnapper for kidnapping a person. What happened was outrageous, in my view.

My colleague, Senator Wall, referred to Cathal Brugha Barracks. I cannot for the life of me understand how any Minister would walk out and put a video up online announcing that the Government is closing Cathal Brugha Barracks. It is the most iconic barracks in the country. It is the barracks from which Michael Collins left when he took the State back from the British. The bottom line is that it was a very poor show on the part of the Minister.

My colleague Senator Ó Donnghaile spoke about justice for the victims of Bloody Sunday. I fully support that. I do not believe anybody should be able to walk away under any amnesty whatsoever for atrocities carried out in Northern Ireland during the 40 years of the Troubles. I support a truth and justice system, if we can get one in place, but I do not under any circumstances support the call by the British Prime Minister for an amnesty. Those who are guilty of crimes must be brought to justice. I looked at the Ballymurphy case in particular. To me, that looked like a couple of thugs on top of a building using real live humans for target practice. It is absolutely disgusting. It is no secret that I served in the British Army, but I certainly have no time for and no truck with the individuals who were involved in either of those events. To me, it was a complete breakdown of command and control in Derry on that day. I know that people in Northern Ireland do not agree with me-----

Neither does the Saville inquiry.

-----but no soldier can be ordered to murder.

The Saville inquiry says otherwise.

I am just glad Senator Craughwell did not have to fight the Russians.

We are not having a discussion.

I agree with everybody that this day, St. Brigid's Day, is very important. As others have said, Senator O'Loughlin has campaigned very strongly on this issue. From speaking to her earlier, I am aware that she is very proud today.

I want to return to the issue of Mr. Richard O'Halloran. Like many in this House, I campaigned for his release. It was great to see the five happy faces on Saturday. Everywhere I went, including the most rural area in my constituency, people were saying it was a fantastic, happy day. I wish the O'Halloran's well. To see the picture of joy that was his children's faces was just something else.

The O'Halloran case brings back into focus a case I have highlighted in this House on many occasions, which is that of Mr. Robert Pether, whose family lives in Elphin, County Roscommon. He is an Australian citizen but his wife and children are Irish citizens. His wife's family came from Dublin. Her father, in his early days, went to Australia. We now need to increase the pressure on the Iraqi authorities to release Mr. Pether from jail. His family, no more than the O'Halloran's, is going through deep distress. He is caught in quite a similar position to that in which Mr. O'Halloran was caught. He is a top-class engineer who was in charge of the fantastic new central bank building in Iraq. If people look it up, they will see it is an amazing building. Apparently, there is an issue with over-expenditure of €12 million. Mr. Pether and his Iraqi colleague have been blamed in the battle between the Iraqi Government and the firm that employed them. It is shocking and outrageous. Mr. Pether and his colleague are in an Iraqi jail. The Department is aware of it and has had some contact with the family. I have been campaigning for a long time on this. I ask everybody to do so. The Acting Leader, Senator O'Loughlin, will agree with me and bring the message back to the Minister. The Leader has been very helpful in this regard. We must all work now to get Mr. Pether back to his home in County Roscommon. What has happened is terribly unjust. It is very upsetting, particularly for young kids.

I join other speakers in acknowledging St. Brigid's Day and its significance in marking springtime. Outside, it is a fantastic spring day. I acknowledge that spring is starting.

There are two events I want to acknowledge. The release of Mr. O'Halloran, particularly the work done by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and his Department, needs to be acknowledged. It has been a long battle. Diplomacy was the key. I am not referring to microphone diplomacy but to making sure we got the man home. That was a really positive step.

We also need to acknowledge that the announcement on the leaving certificate this afternoon is one that the many households will discuss at length in the next few days. At home, I have a niece who is to do the leaving certificate this year. Her view last Saturday was that she would be in favour of having the system. The big issue is reform, however. There needs to be reform. The reform talked about for the past decade or two, because of how the leaving certificate operates and the pressure exerted on examination day, is the key issue. We need a genuine review of what the leaving certificate will mean after Covid. That involves taking the stress out of the process for students, guardians and parents. This involves a significant body of work. Unfortunately, very little has been done on it in the past 24 months. The work needs to be done. We need to move away from the system that has been in place since the mid-70s, which is such that if a student has a bad day on one examination day, it can affect his or her entire life. That is not appropriate. We need to find a solution that is suitable for the longer term.

I second Senator Flynn's amendment. I am very proud to do so on behalf of the Sinn Féin party. I welcome the Acting Leader. I very much acknowledge her work as part of the Irish delegation to the Council of Europe. She has led that team in a way that means it is fitting she is Acting Leader today. I wish everyone a happy St. Brigid's Day. The Brigid I would follow would be more the pagan Brigid.

However, once we are happy with the day, it is all good. It will be a very welcome addition to our bank holidays next year.

Do not be looking at me like that, Senator Mullen. I am only having a laugh, all right.

It was only bemusement. There was nothing hostile about it.

I know there was not.

The issue I want to raise relates to the leaving certificate. There were voices on all sides of this Chamber last week appealing to the Government, particularly the Minister for Education, to work towards a hybrid model.

We made those calls because all Members have had contact from students and parents who are really concerned. The idea of moving to a traditional leaving certificate during the year that could never be described as traditional, is just fundamentally unfair. Last week I made the point that not only had the Ombudsman for Children called for a hybrid leaving certificate, it was hugely disappointing that the Minister for Education would ignore the advice of the Ombudsman for Children.

Unfortunately, through nobody's fault, there are significant sections of leaving certificate students who have not been able to cover the course. This is the fundamental point. They have not been able to cover the course, so how is it appropriate to stick with the traditional leaving certificate model? All of us know the stress that students undergo with the leaving certificate. I still wake up occasionally remembering the French exam back in 1983. The stress of the past two years, however, has been so intense. So many of our young people have had to undergo that stress in isolation. Their usual social channels of meeting with colleagues and friends, which are so important when one is working towards the leaving certificate, and which give reassurance and knowledge and strengthen solidarity, have just not been there for so long. People seem to forget that the leaving certificate is a two-year course and that most of last year was spent online.

I cannot understand this decision. Fundamentally it lets down our students and parents, our friends and their families. I would appeal to everyone to address this issue, to come back to the Minister for Education and call on her to revisit this urgently. It is not fair and it is not just. I am aware that the Department wants to keep a conservative line, and this is what civil servants often do, unfortunately. Leadership would have been shown if the Minister had said, "No, we need to stick with the hybrid model". This is a failure of leadership.

I wish to discuss an issue that affects people across the board and across all local authorities. I want to ask for a unified approach from government or a directive from the Department about how local authorities should approach this matter because it is different in every local authority. I am referring to the way people are removed from the housing list. I can only speak for my own area and what happens in County Louth in this regard. It is deeply unfair, and I have felt that it has been deeply unfair ever since I first got elected to politics in 2014.

Every year, local authorities need to make sure that they have accurate housing lists. They write to people to ask them if they are interested in staying on the housing list. If the person does not respond to that letter then he or she is instantly removed from the housing list, which is fair enough. Currently, where an individual can come back to a local authority and say that he or she did not update the local authority about the list or about a new address, or that the person may not have received the letter or had moved address but now wants to stay on the housing list, the person is allowed back onto the housing list but loses all of the years he or she had previously been on the housing list. It is deeply unfair that somebody could lose five, six, seven or eight years waiting for a council house because he or she had not replied back to one single letter.

With all due respect to local authorities, they have absolutely no proof that such letters get to individuals in the first place. It is very important that there is a unified approach or that some sort of a directive would come from the Department down to all local authorities to say how the standard should be dealt with across the board. If people are four years on the list, for example, and then discover that they have been removed, they should be entitled to the four years that they had previously been on the list, and should be allowed to go back onto the list with the same time that they had. This would be the fair thing to do. I ask that we would engage with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage so that a directive is issued right across all local authorities, and that it is not a different process for people in Louth, Meath, Cavan or Monaghan.

Happy St. Brigid's Day, and a happy lunar new year, which so many people around the world and in Ireland also celebrate.

I wish to raise the issue of the increase in the cost of a stamp. Today we heard the news from An Post that it proposes, for the second time in a year, to increase the cost of postage nationally and internationally. The cost of a stamp for a letter in Ireland will now go up to €1.25. I could understand if this was being done to stem the closure of post offices around the country. Even in my own area, which is a suburban part of Dublin, we have had two post office closures recently at Woodbine Park, Booterstown, and in Dalkey. These were two post offices that one would expect to be busy and functional post offices, but postmasters do not want to take over those offices because the pay and conditions are not sufficient to maintain them. This is not why An Post is telling us it is increasing the cost of postage. It is to meet the increasing costs of fuel and other things.

I accept that is happening for everybody in every industry. However, few people have the privileged position or the market dominance that An Post has. It is telling to look at An Post's accounts over recent years. The most recent annual report from 2020, published last year, shows revenue and profits were up. Profit was €32.5 million in 2020. Since then we have had a huge increase in the use of post and parcel services around the country, particularly during restrictions. If An Post cannot make money during that time, it should ask why not. It is certainly not channelling that money into provision for postmasters or into services. It should recognise it operates a particular position in the Irish nation and economy to provide a service to the Irish people and it ill behoves it now, within a year of the last price increase, to seek to increase the price of a stamp again, thereby perhaps driving people away from its services, rather than encouraging them.

It is apt the Acting Leader is in the position she is in today on St. Brigid's Day. I will raise a couple of issues. First is the Covid bonus payment. I was at St. Christopher's Services yesterday week with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and met a number of staff, etc. It is an issue that needs to be looked at. It was welcome for our front-line staff but we have to look at such staff across all services, be they the section 38 and 39 employees who did tremendous work and kept people safe over 18 months or the family carers who provide a vital service and save our State significant expenditure by looking after people in their own homes.

Numerous people have touched on the leaving certificate. I have spoken about it and was in favour of a hybrid model. However, the decision has been made. Wide consultation took place across teachers' unions, students, etc. The decision has been made in the best interests of students and based on the facts. It is incumbent on all of us and all parties to accept that decision, move on and not complicate the thing any further for students. I was reading through the various changes to the leaving certificate today. They are acceptable for students. They take into account the fact that people have not covered the entire course. We should all get behind our students and support them in the coming months ahead of their leaving certificate.

I welcome Senator O'Loughlin to the Chair. It is befitting today, St. Brigid's Day, and I wish everyone well in the celebrations. I had the pleasure yesterday to be in Kildare at an eve of St. Brigid's event. It was a fantastic event and the people in the heart of County Kildare, which is Kildare town, were bowled over. It was also great to see how they have reinvigorated and redefined that public realm and space in the heart of Kildare town. I congratulate all those people, including public representatives here, who were involved in the run-up to that.

I will talk about forestry, specifically forestry licensing. I want to see a sustainable forestry sector emerge in Ireland that can achieve commercial, climate and biodiversity goals. I want to see a reduction in the volume of imported timbers in this country. I want improvements to the forestry licensing scheme, which is currently causing a tremendous backlog and damaging and impacting on the potential for the industry. A recent harvest licensing dashboard indicated the private sector, mainly farmers, received 26 felling licences, while Coillte received almost double that at around 51. There is a debate and an argument between farmers and private forestry owners and Coillte concerning the proportionality in the administration of licensing. That is a real issue.

The Department has clearly failed in its targets for 2021, with only 4,500 licences. I call for a debate specifically on licences, not on the bigger issue of forestry. We have an enormous demand for forestry, both for harvesting and felling. We need to address the issue. We have a Senator and Minister of State with special responsibility who would, I know, be more than happy to come to this House. I would like a debate on the issue of planting licensing.

Last week, "Prime Time" ran an excellent programme on the work being done in Waterford to tackle the issue of dereliction and vacancy. It highlighted the success of the repair-and-lease scheme, the buy-and-renew scheme and the council's utilisation of compulsory purchase orders, CPOs, to tackle something that everyone in this Chamber and across society gets rightly vexed about in the midst of a housing crisis. The Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage is examining this issue at length, but it warrants debate in the House. Why is it that a council like Waterford City and County Council accounts for 50% of all repair-and-lease units that have been delivered in the State? It is having a positive impact in terms of delivering one- and two-bedroom units, predominantly in the city centre, which has reduced the need for bed and breakfast and hotel accommodation. In fact, it has eradicated it. That is a positive development in my county, but if it can be done in the fifth largest urban centre in the country, there is no reason it cannot be done elsewhere.

I call for a debate on this matter. It should not be the case that Waterford accounts for 50% of all repair-and-lease units. While it is fantastic that we have so many, the scheme needs to be adopted more by other local authorities. At last count, eight local authorities had not delivered a single unit and up to 20 had delivered five or fewer. That is a dismal performance. The Housing for All plan wants to focus on tackling dereliction and vacancy. The tools are there to make a difference. They just need to be utilised to a greater extent by local authorities.

I acknowledge Senator O'Loughlin's presence in the Acting Leader position today on what is St. Brigid's Day.

I welcome that, during Private Members' business tomorrow, we will debate passports with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and we will all have an opportunity to contribute on it. As public representatives, we all encounter people who have forgotten that their passports are out of date. Obviously, many people are also applying for first-time passports. There is something that we and companies can do to improve the situation for people who have forgotten that their passports are out of date, namely, issue a reminder. This month and next month, many people will be booking holidays abroad with Aer Lingus, Ryanair or travel agencies. If those companies had a system whereby people were asked whether their passports are still six months in date and whether they could supply their passport reference numbers, people would have to look for their passports and check them, which would serve to remind them of whether their passports are in date. We are always encountering situations where people have booked holidays or trips only to realise while packing their bags a week or a couple of days before they leave that their passports are out of date. What if it was instead the case that someone could find out that his or her passport is out of date when booking a flight or a trip through a travel agency? It would help the travel agencies, the airlines and the passport delivery service. If people apply for passports earlier than they need them, they are more likely to be successful. I call on the industries to come together and help the customers, the passport services and the industries themselves by putting in place this facility on their websites for whenever anyone is applying.

If there was ever a weekend to demonstrate how wrong the British Government's proposals on legacy are, this was it. In light of the dignity and resilience of the Bloody Sunday families and survivors this weekend and over the past five decades and the people of Derry who have supported them, to be there was moving. The Cathaoirleach was there, too. I am grateful to the journalists who covered the 50th anniversary in such depth. Everyone, regardless of age or background, should know the horror of what unfolded on 30 January 1972.

When they marched, they marched for no more than what were their civil rights. When they campaign today, they campaign for no more than what is their right and the rights of hundreds of others who journey on the same lonely path, truth and justice and, for a fundamental of any civilised society, the rule of law.

Mr. Michael McKinney, whose brother, William, was one of the 13 unarmed Catholics murdered by the British army's parachute regiment that day put it best, when he said, "They are trying to deny us justice because they are scared to face justice." The British Government is not an observer. It is an actor - a participant - in the Troubles, which adds to the hurt and injustice of its legacy proposes. Its de facto amnesty for Troubles-related crimes is morally wrong and legally unsustainable.

In this House, we came together to reject the proposals, joining all the main parties, North and South, and in the UK, apart from the Tories. Events are taking over, both in the UK and in upcoming elections in the North. Our voices have to remain strong. We need to remain vigilant on this. The British Government legacy proposals cannot go ahead. The Irish Government has clearly stated it cannot, and will not, support them. Promises were made through the Stormont House Agreement, comprehensive structures for investigations, truth and, where possible, a route to justice. Those promises should be kept for all victims, regardless of the perpetrators.

It is very apt that the Acting Leader is here as Acting Leader on this St. Brigid's Day. We wish her well.

To carry on from what Senator Cummins said, there is no reason every local authority would not be as good as Waterford City and County Council because they have the tools, as he said, to do this. They should be monitored and they should be made to do those things.

I would like to compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, on the changes that he intends to make to the Planning and Development Acts. I would welcome a debate on planning and development. It would be very useful because many projects have been refused or held up because of planning issues. The system is not functioning the way we feel, as legislators, that the planning sections of the country should work. We want a very efficient planning section in every local authority and a very efficient An Bord Pleanála. I have to compliment An Bord Pleanála because it has become more and more efficient, even though it has had a bigger and bigger workload over the past number of years. I would welcome a debate on this issue, and the role of the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB.

We have seen recently and many times, of course, where landlords have been ridicule not alone in this House, but in the other House as well. However, we have never heard many of the problems that landlords have with tenants. We have seen in the national media in the past couple of days where there has been quite a number of problems with tenants, where the landlord cannot get a rent. This is not good enough and we could have a debate here with the Minister on this when he would come to discuss the upcoming planning and development Bill.

I hope I can read my own writing. Being able to write as quickly as possible is the first test.

We will prompt the Acting Leader.

I thank the Senator. I assure everyone it is pure coincidence that I am here as Acting Leader on St. Brigid's Day. However, it is an absolute pleasure.

It is a miracle achieved through the intercession of St. Brigid.

I am very happy to be St. Brigid's representative in the Seanad today. To follow what Senator Wall said, Members do not have to wait until next year to come to Kildare; they are welcome to come anytime. In fact, Solas Bhríde has a wonderful set of activities going on throughout the week.

To turn now to the issues at hand.

Senator Malcolm Byrne, like most Senators, recognised the importance today of Lá Fhéile Bríde and I thank them for that because she is synonymous with the environment, with farmers and with social justice not just in Kildare but around the country. Senator Malcolm Byrne also spoke about Áine Hyland's tweet, which I also noticed yesterday, on the fact that it is 100 years today since our education system was put in place. The language, history, music and tradition that were mentioned 100 years ago are still hugely important today. They are important for ourselves and they are important also for the new Irish who have come to live here so that they can appreciate our traditions and heritage.

In regard to the issue of the Cassells report, I agree that it is regrettable that six years have gone by without any action in regard to that report. Members may recall that the former Minister for Education, Deputy Bruton, suggested that the report go to the European Commission for economic evaluation. My understanding is that it has been completed and has come back in the past month to the Government. We certainly need a debate on that. We have to invest in higher and further education going forward. It is important, as Senators acknowledged, that students' costs go down. We all support that but we must ensure there would not be a lacuna in regard to funding and support for higher and further education.

The issue of Richard O'Halloran coming home was raised also. Looking at the photographs of his children and his family over the weekend, the scenes testified to the unbridled joy in that family. I cannot begin to imagine what the three years were like for them, and how happy they are to have their dad and husband back home. We wish them all well.

Also mentioned was the competition mandate for the Central Bank, which is an interesting issue. We could ask the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, to come and have a debate in regard to that issue.

Senator Conway spoke about RTÉ's "Claire Byrne Live" programme last night. I did not see it but he has prompted me to look at it. It gave recognition to Aimee Foley who, very sadly, was abused by her dad and showed great bravery in regard to waiving anonymity. He also spoke about the lack of adequate sentencing. On the day that Ashling Murphy was buried, a man was in court for murdering a woman and he got 12 years for murder. This was on the same day that the whole country was absolutely rocked with grief and shame that this happened to Ashling Murphy. There is an issue about sentencing and we need to address this. We all join in saluting Aimee for her courage and bravery in coming forward.

Senator Conway also spoke about the leaving certificate, as indeed did Senators Byrne, Carrigy and Gavan. It is a very difficult decision to make. Much consultation was put in place over the past few months. The big issue that everybody called for over the past few weeks was clarity, and for a decision to be made. A decision has been made. I accept there is disappointment with the decision but now there is clarity and arrangements have been put in place to ensure that in mathematics for example - and this is from looking at the press release earlier - where there would normally be ten questions to be answered, six can be answered. English comprehension will have the required number of response halved. The fact that many of those doing their leaving certificate this year did not have the opportunity to do their junior certificate had to come into play. That was an added difficulty in regard to a hybrid model. We will take the message back.

Of that there is no doubt. It is a worrying and stressful time. There is never going to be a leaving certificate without stress no matter what form it takes. It is a preparation for further exams.

Senator Lombard made a particular comment on leaving certificate reform and I am surprised he asked the question about such reform because his own party colleague, Deputy Kehoe, is Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and there have been 14 meetings in recent months on leaving certificate reform. A total of 57 witnesses to date, between students, parent bodies, unions and teachers, have appeared before the committee on this issue. I have no doubt there will be a very comprehensive report coming forward. I agree we need to look at reform going forward.

I accept Senator Mullen’s amendment and it has been seconded on the Order of Business. I wish him well in the progress of his Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Bill 2022. As the Senator said, it is hard to quantify insurance fraud and we certainly need to deter it, without a shadow of a doubt.

Senator Garvey mentioned that ten times more boys than girls cycle to school and that girls should be allowed to wear trousers in schools. I completely agree. In fact, there was a particular hearing of the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills, as it was known under its last mandate, and there was a very clear direction that girls should be allowed wear trousers in school. We need to support all of our young people to cycle and to support the cycling infrastructure throughout our towns and country. The point was well made.

Senator Garvey also made a point about science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, subjects in schools. I happened to see a small clip on television last night of Dr. Katriona O'Sullivan, who is a professor in Maynooth University, and she does tremendous work around equality in education. It was a very interesting piece about working to support STEM within schools, particularly among girls in disadvantaged areas. She is a wonderful woman and has made presentations before to the Oireachtas education committee and I would recommend following those.

Senators Ó Donnghaile, Craughwell and Currie all spoke very passionately about Bloody Sunday and all of the coverage over the weekend. My own father’s anniversary was on Sunday. In the midst of us going to mass and of our family meeting and our grief, I could not but be struck by the difference between what happened to our family and to the families on Bloody Sunday, together with the commemoration for Stardust victims. As has been mentioned, the dignity of all the families who were interviewed, both in print and on television, was just incredible. They deserve the truth and all of our support in all of the investigations that need to be done. I certainly agree on the need to have truth and restorative justice and we will certainly bring those views forward to the Minister.

Senator Ó Donnghaile also spoke about the report from Amnesty International on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We all value the role of Amnesty International and we in Ireland have always been very forthright in expressing our solidarity with the Palestinian people. We will look for a debate with the Minister for Foreign Affairs on this issue.

My county colleague, Senator Wall, has issued an invitation for everyone to come to Kildare, with which I completely agree. St. Brigid was certainly looking down on Glen Ryan and all of the lads on Sunday. The international and national recognition of Saint Brigid and the work undertaken in Kildare in lighting the Hill of Allen etc. was exemplary. We look forward to greater things to come, especially in 2024.

Senator Wall also mentioned the Defence Forces, as did Senator Craughwell. I completely agree on the comments about the video announcing a change of use for Cathal Brugha Barracks.

I looked into that myself and I understand there was no basis for it whatsoever. It was an appalling lack of respect for the military and defence community, those who serve in Cathal Brugha Barracks and all of the families. Particularly in the year of Michael Collins's centenary, words fail me in terms of why the Minister did that. The Senator also mentioned the commission report. We look forward to having a lengthy debate. It is so important that we invest in our Defence Forces and that we look at recruitment and retention. We should thank the Defence Forces for all they have done, particularly during the pandemic.

I wish Senator Flynn the very best of luck with her first Private Members' Bill. I worked with her on the Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill 2020 that I had brought before the House. I know her absolute commitment to this whole area. I am very happy to accept the amendment to the Order of Business which has been seconded now. Sexual exploitation of anyone but especially children is absolutely horrific. We all have to be committed to dealing with this in whatever way we can.

Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about the enormous challenge for those who are hoping to buy and those who are renting. She spoke about the importance of hope to people who are locked out from owning their own home or indeed from renting a home. We all need hope but we need practical actions as well. She gave us good news that 123 of 231 actions have commenced or have taken place. There were 20,000 houses completed and 30,000 commenced last year. It is important to take the politics and the heat out of that debate and recognise it.

Senator Maria Byrne also spoke about the leaving certificate issue and about the An Bord Pleanála decision to defer a decision in respect of the Limerick to Foynes bypass. I completely understand where she is at. Delays on decisions like this do not help anyone. We need to look for a decision on it.

Senator Craughwell spoke about Richard O'Halloran and Cathal Brugha Barracks. Senator Murphy spoke about Robert Pether from Elphin and his family; indeed I have often heard him speak about the matter before. The fact that we see Richard O'Halloran thankfully being released means we really should be able to try to put all diplomatic efforts into bringing about the release of Robert and ensuring that his family has the same opportunity to reunite.

Senator Lombard spoke about the leaving certificate, which I have mentioned. Senator Gavan spoke about the pagan aspect of Brigid. He is 100% correct. In many ways Brigid was the bridge between the pagan world and the world of Christianity. Today is also the first day of Imbolc. No matter who Brigid was, whether she was a saint or a pagan, it is an important day to recognise everything that she and maybe many different Brigids stood for. The Senator also raised the issue of the leaving certificate.

Senator McGahon spoke about the housing list and how people who did not update cannot go back on in the same position. He is correct. That is the way it is happening in Kildare and I assume it is happening around the country. There needs to be uniformity. It is an issue on which we need a debate with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. There is no doubt about that.

Senator Ward spoke about the increase in the cost of the postage stamp and that it did not necessarily mean supporting the continuation of post offices or indeed staff. I was surprised when I heard about it on the radio. I do not really know what the rationale is. We need to look for the rationale. We also need to acknowledge the great service post offices and their staff gave, particularly during Covid. They were just incredible in terms of the contact they gave to many elderly people who live on their own. They did messages for them during Covid. It is important to know that.

Senator Carrigy spoke about those working in long-term residential settings and suggested they should be included in the €1,000 bonus. My understanding is that the matter was clarified at Leaders' Questions in the Dáil today. Those in section 39 organisations will be covered.

That is most important.

Senator Boyhan spoke about forestry and harvesting and felling being a real issue and the need for a debate on the matter. We had a debate on the issue last year but we will certainly look to organise another one. On the issue raised by Senator Cummins, I wish to congratulate Waterford City and County Council on its achievement. It is great that it is doing such incredible work. I congratulate the leadership of the mayor, Joe Kelly, all the councillors, the chief executive and all the staff. I did not see the "Prime Time" programme, but I will watch it. It is important that when a local authority gets it right, we look at how it did it and the actions it had taken to see how we can follow that around the country. It is a huge issue and a large light has been shone on it. We must look to see if we can run some other pilot programme in other counties and see what we can do. I thank Senator Cummins for bringing that to our attention.

Senator Ahearn spoke about the passports issue. There is no doubt that the system needs an overhaul. The Passport Office closed down completely during the first Covid lockdown. At the time, I thought it was nonsensical that it was considered a non-essential service. It is playing catch-up now. The initiative that has been proposed that people should have to check their passport status when they book holidays, could be an interesting one.

Senator Currie spoke about survivors and how we need to support all victims. I absolutely agree that we do. Senator Burke spoke about the Planning and Development Act and requested a debate on the matter. I think he is correct. I know that the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, has outlined some initiatives that he wants to put in place. I agree that it should happen, but I think it cannot happen without reference to Irish Water because many of the problems and issues that we have are down to problems with the Irish Water infrastructure. I look forward to that debate. The Senator also made a very pertinent point about the RTB and issues that are raised on behalf of landlords as well as residents. There needs to be balance in the provision of support.

Senator Mullen has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 15 be taken before No. 1." The Acting Leader has indicated that she is prepared to accept the amendment. Is the amendment agreed to? Agreed.

Senator Flynn has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 16 be taken before No. 1." The Acting Leader has indicated that she is willing to accept the amendment. Is the amendment agreed to? Agreed.

Order of Business, as amended, agreed to.
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