Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 21 Jun 2023

Vol. 295 No. 3

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Senator Lisa Chambers

I extend a warm welcome to the Slovenian ambassador. A new friendship group between Slovenia and Ireland was set up this term. It is great to have the ambassador visiting the House.

The Order of Business is expressions of sympathy on the death of former Senator Mary Jackman, to be taken at 12.45 p.m. and to conclude at 1.45 p.m., if not previously concluded; No. 1, Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 2 p.m.; No. 2, Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 - Second Stage, resumed, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 1 and to adjourn at 5 p.m., if not previously concluded; No. 131, motion 9, Private Members' business, regarding youth mental health and guidance services in secondary schools, to be taken at 5 p.m., with the time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours; and No. 3, Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022 - Report and Final Stages, resumed, to be taken at 7 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 131, motion 9, whichever is the later, and to adjourn at 9 p.m., if not previously concluded.

Senator Martin Conway

I, too, welcome the Slovenian ambassador. I wish him every success and enjoyment on Slovenia's national day. I commend him on deciding to march in Dublin Pride. That is wonderful.

At 5 a.m. this morning, I dipped at dawn at Lahinch beach. I did so in solidarity with people who suffer sight loss. Many Senators will be aware that today is the longest and brightest day of the year. It is the summer solstice; a day of positivity, energy and hope. It is a day of encouragement but also of ambition.

Unfortunately, 18 people will today begin experiencing deteriorating vision. Of them, 80% are losing their sight unnecessarily because they are not being properly screened and are not being engaged with or getting interventions in a timely manner. I would like the House to have a debate, perhaps in autumn at this stage, on eye care, the waiting list situation and investment in eye care. There is no doubt that we have some of the best and most successful ophthalmologists in the world operating in this country but, sadly, the public waiting lists are much too long, which is totally unacceptable. We have the expertise but not everybody has access to it. What I did this morning was a swim for hope, to give people solace and let them know there is a bright future. A diagnosis of sight loss can be devastating. For some people, it can be very impactful and result in full loss of sight but there is a bright future. Never before has there been so much assistive technology or so many educational and employment opportunities. My message to people who have received a recent diagnosis of sight loss is to reach out. The supports and services are there and it can be made to happen. I think of a lady from County Sligo whom I met at Heuston Station three weeks ago. Her child had a tumour and, sadly, will not be able to see for the rest of their life. That woman approached me and we had a discussion. I think of older people who have cataracts and are awaiting treatment. They are upset and frustrated because they can no longer do simple things like driving a car or reading a newspaper. My message to all those people is that in spite of the challenges and difficulties, there is hope. On the longest day of the year, I end on a note of hope and positivity.

An Cathaoirleach

I thank the Senator and welcome his good wife, Breege, to the Public Gallery. She is a most welcome guest to Leinster House. I thank her for putting up with the Senator. On a more serious note, for Members who have not seen Senator Conway's social media posts this morning, the video of him and a group of approximately 40 people in Lahinch is an extraordinary tale, as were his remarks just now. Like so many others, he does not let disability define him. He is a champion. I congratulate and thank him for his contribution at 5 a.m. today. He was braver than many of us would have been at that hour.

Senator Eugene Murphy

The Slovenian ambassador has left the Chamber but I wish him and his people well. I endorse everything the Cathaoirleach said in that regard.

I acknowledge and admire the contribution of Senator Conway. It is nice to see Breege here with him today. I did not go for a dip at dawn like Senator Conway, but well done. As the Cathaoirleach said in the context of his disability, he is such an advocate. He is always appearing on radio stations and doing things to encourage people who have sight issues. He is always fighting the cause and the case.

We all admire that, in fairness. Well done to the Senator.

I return to an issue I have raised on numerous occasions in this House, namely, the way we treat our front-line workers. As I said before, we have debates when something happens or somebody is assaulted and then we move away from the issue. We need to turn back the clock. In the past, there was far better respect for front-line workers. Deputy Alan Farrell recently received figures - I found them shocking - which indicated that 2,080 gardaí have been assaulted while on duty in the past seven years. I understand that in the region of 160 or 170 officers have already been assaulted this year. That is simply not good enough. In the past, I have called for the Minister for Justice to come to the House for a debate on this issue, which, I believe, everybody will support. Such a debate would allow us to call for absolute respect for all our front-line workers, whether they are gardaí, members of the Defence Forces, firefighters, hospital staff or teachers. As Oireachtas Members, we need to make that call. We need to get very serious about this.

Unfortunately, a sizeable minority of people have a tendency to say "Ah well, maybe they have put in for it". What an appalling thing to say when people are on the front line and trying to help others. I am aware that some people's patience may wear thin at times. They may lose their patience, and I am sure they regret it if they do, but it annoys me when quite a number of people can say now that "Maybe that girl put in for it", or "Maybe that nurse or that firefighter put in for that". We cannot have this. As legislators and as Oireachtas Members, we have to be absolutely definite about this. We must carry this debate forward and both ask and tell people to have full respect for all of our front-line workers. The figures for assaults on members of An Garda Síochána are very disturbing. I hope that Senators on sides will back me in calling for a debate solely on this issue

An Cathaoirleach

I thank the Senator. I welcome the pupils and teachers from St. Patrick's Loreto Primary School in Bray, County Wicklow. The sixth-class students are with us today. They are in their final stretch in primary school. Congratulations to them on their elevation to the next level. As a token of our appreciation, perhaps the teachers will give them homework off for the rest of the week to say thank you. Enjoy your visit, and thank you for being here.

We have had Senator Conway, who is a champion of disability. We now have another champion of disability, Senator Clonan.

Senator Tom Clonan

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I want to raise two issues. One is the report of the national independent review panel that has brought forward a report on the rape of an elderly and vulnerable citizen in a nursing home run by the HSE on behalf of the State. Other elderly residents made complaints about sexual assaults perpetrated by the same staff member. It would appear from the report that no action was taken. It was only through the bravery of a lady identified as Emily in the report, although that is not her real name, and her willingness to give evidence despite her trauma and her age, that this individual was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Yesterday, we had survivors and the whistleblower from St. Mary's Hospital in the Phoenix Park, which is also run by the HSE. These are two State-run nursing homes.

Margo Hannon, the whistleblower who made protected disclosures, was in Leinster House yesterday when she revealed that she had raised concerns about infection control and isolation during the first wave of Covid, which led to a number of deaths. Her complaints were ignored. When she made a protected disclosure and it was investigated, her findings were validated, but no lessons were learned. During a fourth wave of Covid, a further large number of elderly people died. There seems to be a recurring theme or pattern in the HSE of wanting to suppress information using spurious reasons like the general data protection regulation to protect the identities of the people involved. We should have a debate on how we might mobilise the HSE to take action in respect of the lessons that need to be learned and to stop punishing and retaliating against whistleblowers like Margo Hannon. It is completely unacceptable that a person who is trying to save lives finds themselves subject to hostile scrutiny.

Members are probably all aware of the submersible lost off Newfoundland that has a 24-hour supply of oxygen left. I am thinking of the five people and I hope they can be rescued. I am also mindful of the 24,000 refugees who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in the past four or five years. So far this year, 400 people have drowned. There is a report today of a fisherman in Tunisia who has found 15 bodies in his nets in the past number of days, including that of the baby. This fisherman said that he had become used to finding bodies in his nets but that when he found the baby, he cried. I congratulate the Irish Naval Service personnel who have deployed to the Mediterranean as part of Operation Irini. As part of previous operations, the LÉ Samuel Beckett rescued 2,000 people out of the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. May we continue in that effort.

We know that the people from Ukraine, from sub-Saharan Africa and from trans-Saharan Africa are coming here because of atrocities, war, climate change and human rights violations. Nobody puts a child into a boat to get a job at Starbucks in Hamburg. We must welcome everybody. I am aware that has been a very difficult matter for the Government, but I congratulate the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman, for the efforts he has made to try to resolve this unprecedented problem despite all of the challenges that have arisen. We need to welcome these people, particularly in view of the appalling circumstances they face.

An Cathaoirleach

I thank the Senator. Our thoughts are with those people in the sea who were heading towards the Titanic. We hope they are found safe.

Senator Eileen Flynn

I thank the staff of Leinster House and the politicians who are heavily involved in celebrating Gay Pride this morning. The Taoiseach and the Cathaoirleach gave speeches, and it was lovely to hear. One of the Taoiseach's lines was about the level of homophobia having increased within Irish society. It was good to hear him acknowledge that. It is unfortunate that it has increased, but we also have lots to look forward to with the hate crime legislation. Things are changing. They may be changing very slowly but thankfully they are changing. When we hear our leader speak passionately around the inequalities that still exists it reminds us that Gay Pride is not just a celebration, it is also a protest. It is very important that we understand this and that we know it is not just a celebration. It is a protest for equality.

I also wish to raise the fact that Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community is setting up operations again today. I am absolutely delighted with that. If I was to never come back in as a Leinster House Member in the next term, this is a legacy that we all did together in order to have the Traveller committee up and running. Again, this is a welcome opportunity, but going forward we need to see more action. I hope this committee will be able to do that. I will also put myself forward to be the Chairperson of the committee. It is important that Travellers lead in the groups that are about them. We always say "nothing about us without us", so hopefully I will get to be Chair of that committee. I wish to use this opportunity to be positive because a lot of the time we can always draw on the negative stuff that happens within society.

Again, this is the opportunity to say "Happy Pride" to everybody and to remember it is a protest. We do have a long way to go to stop homophobia within society in general.

An Cathaoirleach

I thank Senator Flynn. May I wish the Senator and her committee every success in its deliberation and its work. Go n-éirí leat.

Senator Malcolm Byrne

I will start by agreeing with the remarks of Senator Flynn. I also agree with Senator Clonan. It is really important, more than ever, that we as a country continue to show a welcome to those who are seeking refuge, in some cases from horrific conditions. Part of what is important is that we also talk about the horrific conditions from which these people are fleeing. There are many who still do not understand why people are seeking refuge on our shores. The more we can do to stimulate public debate, the better. The language we use within and outside these Houses is particularly important. The message has to be clear that refugees continue to be welcome in this country. Our history should teach us that.

I have frequently raised the role of the Chinese Communist Party in exploiting elements of the developing south. We now know that as part of its belt-and-road strategy, China and, in particular, the Chinese Communist Party owns 7% of the total land area of Africa. As the Leader may be aware, there is a big debate in the United States at present over Chinese shell companies buying up farmland. Investigations in the UK have found that Chinese shell companies and offshore entities are buying up UK properties. It is important for us to carry out a national audit of Chinese ownership of land, companies and businesses so that we can fully understand our exposure to the Chinese Communist Party. In light of the recent very thoughtful speech by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin, on Ireland's relationship with China, it is appropriate that we would hold another debate in this House on that question.

Senator Mary Seery Kearney

I bring to the House's attention the plight of workers in Iceland stores throughout the country. There is one close to me in Ballyfermot. Last March, Michael Doyle, a journalist with The Sun, brought to my attention that a small cohort of workers had approached him to say that they had not been paid following the transfer of ownership from the Iceland company in the UK to an Irish-based organisation. All of a sudden, workers were not being paid. They were being left short in their wages. I engaged with him and, as a result of a newspaper article, an overwhelming number of people contacted me seeking assistance and support with workplace relations claims. The story has moved on. In the past week, the Food Safety Authority issued a rather unprecedented call asking that any meat-based products bought in Iceland since March be destroyed and that the store do that in respect of its entire frozen meat range. Yesterday, we had the High Court application for the company to go into administration in order to give it a bit of breathing space and hopefully preserve jobs.

These are low-paid workers in precarious positions. These are women who work 11 hours in Iceland in Ballyfermot and then go to cleaning jobs and other things. They are being supported by the Independent Workers Union, a small but very effective union which represents some of them. I am supporting and advising those. We need a debate on how such an enormous number of precarious workers can be left in this position and it is left up to those of us who are volunteering to assist and support them in as much as is possible. I wish to draw attention that this is going on. It is very serious and affects 334 workers throughout the country.

At 12 noon, the apartment defects organisation, Not Our Fault, will be making a presentation in the audiovisual room. I support those people who hold a weekly protest outside the gates of Leinster House. They will be presenting their case. We have the money. I am still looking for a statement in the House on accelerating the roll-out of the Department's defects remediation scheme.

Senator Victor Boyhan

I join others in acknowledging the enormous work of Senator Conway. I also acknowledge Breege, who is not here now. They really are a double act. Anyone who knows them or who has met them will know of their enormous commitment to a range of charitable deeds but particularly to the National Council of the Blind in which they are directly involved. Senator Conway has done a considerable amount of work there. For many years I was a director of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. I am still very active in that charity. It is important that we acknowledge their work and how he has constructively used his role in this Seanad to advocate for that.

We all have our own experiences of advocacy. I am hearing about redress for buildings and redress for everybody else. However, I am not hearing about too much about the compensation and redress for children in State institutions. I am not going to rehearse all of what I have to say, but I hope we conclude our business today. This is the longest day of the year, but it is perhaps the last opportunity for this legislation. I hope people will come to this House tonight, engage in a meaningful way and contribute to the debate. I have no doubt that there will be a number of votes. I hope we will be able to bring this Bill to a conclusion tonight. I am now indicating to the House that I will be calling for votes and a walk-through vote on the Bill. I am putting people on notice. They should not come and suggest they do not know what will happen. I am giving notice of votes tonight, including walk-through votes on this legislation.

I ask the Leader for a debate on local government finance. I had the pleasure of spending Monday morning at Galway County Council's annual general meeting and engaged with its 39 councillors. The message from the newly elected cathaoirleach of that council, the Fine Gael Councillor Liam Carroll and the leas-chathaoirleach, Councillor Evelyn Parsons, and all the members there is that they want funding for local government. Let us not waste too much time talking about local government reform if we do not address the issue. I wish those two individuals well on Galway County Council. I finish on this point. We need to remember that it was Seanad Éireann that saved Galway County Council. The lower House had suggested that it would be abolished and merged with Galway City Council. We have done good work in that regard. I wish those individuals well in their term of office over the next 12 months.

An Cathaoirleach

We send our best wishes to Councillor Carroll and Councillor Hoare following their election as respective mayors for the county and city.

Senator Aisling Dolan

Today we have a fantastic announcement from the higher Education Authority, HEA, on the extension of third level courses. A number of university courses have been shortlisted to progress to the next stage both in healthcare and in veterinary. We know that recruitment is a challenge particularly in regional areas. Recruiting GPs and experts in regional and rural areas has always been a challenge. We are seeing it more and more now. With these courses, graduate medical entry into the University of Galway, potentially graduate students will spend time in primary care networks throughout the west as well as in Saolta hospitals, including Portiuncula in Ballinasloe, University Hospital in Roscommon, Castlebar, Letterkenny and Sligo.

The HEA is also looking to deliver pharmacy courses in the west for the first time. It needs to happen. Veterinary courses in the Mountbellew campus of the new Atlantic Technological University, ATU, will expand and develop world-class research in Mountbellew. It is the only agricultural college in the west of Ireland. We have world-class third level teaching and research.

I welcome Professor Martin O'Halloran, who is in the Visitors Gallery. Professor O'Halloran leads the BioInnovate programme at the University of Galway. He has been awarded a European Research Centre, ERC, proof of concept grant. He runs multidisciplinary research teams. I went to the BioInnovate symposium last week, a programme of needs-led innovation using bio design methods that has entrepreneurs and researchers working together to identify needs and make patients' lives better. What does success look like for BioInnovate? It has 81 fellows, 120 industry trade, 22 seed fund projects, €10.5 million in Enterprise Ireland commercialisation funding, 11 spin-out companies, €29 million raised in seed and series A funding, and €48.5 million in exits. These companies are making a difference to people's lives and this programme is highly successful. I was very fortunate to work with Professor O'Halloran in the health innovation hub before I joined this world, working with entrepreneurs, startups and healthcare teams with fantastic ideas across the Saolta hospital network. We have excellence in teaching and research. Professor O'Halloran who is here today is testament to that.

An Cathaoirleach

We welcome Professor O'Halloran and we thank him for his work and leadership.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell

I rise today to congratulate the Government for a change on the forum put together by the Tánaiste, which starts in UCC tomorrow. I presume the Cathaoirleach will be there.

An Cathaoirleach

I will be here.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell

What a pity. It moves on to Galway and then has two days in Dublin. This forum has finally put the question of neutrality on the public agenda and the public are speaking about neutrality. One of the great problems I have is that many people in this House speak about a neutrality that does not exist and that has never been enshrined in either law or the Constitution. By the way, I would be opposed to enshrining it in the Constitution. There have been allegations that people like me and Deputy Berry are mad to get the country into NATO. I wish to state today publicly that I have no desire to see Ireland become a member of NATO. There is nothing in NATO for Ireland.

I have no difficulty with co-operation on peace projects or on cyber projects but I do not want to see our men and women serve in a NATO armed force unless it has peace at its heart, like what happened in the Balkans. We need to have this open and honest conversation but we cannot talk about neutrality when we are depending on other countries to protect our skies or our sea. Let us have an open and honest conversation about how we actually make Ireland neutral and how we make it a safe country for all. I want to put that on the record.

Once again, I congratulate the Taoiseach for coming out and saying this country will not be joining NATO, and the Tánaiste for putting together this forum. Let us see what comes out of this forum, let the conversation begin but let us have an open and honest one. I thank the Cathaoirleach.

Senator Paddy Burke

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I also want to wish Councillors Hoare and Carroll the very best of luck in the next 12 months. They will have a joint civic reception for all of the Mayo people who will be going to Pearse Stadium next Sunday in their droves. We will look forward to that.

An Cathaoirleach

I trust Senator Burke will not mention last Sunday in Limerick, I hope.

Senator Paddy Burke

I am afraid we will not be saying anything about that to the Cathaoirleach, who is a Corkman.

Will the Deputy Leader ask the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to update the House on the report he is having written on Inland Fisheries Ireland? There is concern with regard to the former board members who were taken off the board by the Minister. They are very angry over what has happened because it puts them in limbo. They did nothing wrong but they have been removed from the board. They have been cleared by the Bradley report. They wonder why they have been removed from the board.

Will the Deputy Leader request from the Minister when the two ex-county managers will be reporting, if it is a report they are doing, or is it that they are just doing the work of the board at the moment, because there seems to be some confusion? I am aware the Minister, Deputy Ryan, said he was carrying out a report but if there is such a report, when will it be finalised and published?

There is no great confidence in Inland Fisheries Ireland at the moment. I do not see any activity in our areas and we are from the best fishing parts of the country. We have the best lakes and the best fishing river in Europe. We have both salmon and brown trout, as well as pike fishing, if one wants to go down that route. People have lost confidence in the fishing industry. It is a very significant tourist attraction to our area and it needs to be dealt with in the swiftest possible time. I hope the Minister will tell the House when the report will be finalised, when it will be published if he is going to do that and when will a new board will be constituted?

An Cathaoirleach

I welcome the students from St. Paul's School in Leitrim with their teacher Susan Meehan who are guests of the Leader. When I saw the red uniform I thought they were from Cork. All the boys and girls are very welcome. I hope they have a lovely visit to Dublin and to Leinster House today and that they see some good sights. I wish to let the pupils off homework for the rest of the week and to give them a break from the hard study. It is too hot to be doing homework this weather. The teachers also need a break. I thank the teachers for their tremendous work. I know it is approaching the end of the year and we have another week to go, so roll on the summer holidays. Is that right, boys and girls?

Anois, I call Senator Cummins to speak.

Senator John Cummins

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I start by welcoming the decision of the President to apologise to Professor Louise Richardson during the week. Professor Richardson was awarded the freedom of Waterford city in 2019 for her work. She hails from Waterford and has an extensive and distinguished career. The comments which were made were unfortunate but, at the same time, I welcome the apology that was issued.

On the Order of Business, I also welcome the announcement made by the Ministers, Deputies Harris, McConalogue and Donnelly, this morning on the expansion of healthcare and veterinary medicine places across the country. A very important decision has been made by Government to invest in these additional places across our universities sector. It is very positive that South East Technological University, SETU, has been given the green light to proceed to the next stage on the provision of additional nursing places, as well as veterinary medicine and pharmacy places. That is a very positive development and I commend the team led by Professor Veronica Campbell at SETU on putting forward very robust bids for all of those places. There are some who say SETU should be somehow afraid of competitive calls. This has clearly demonstrated that the team at SETU are able to compete at the very top level and I wish them all the best in the next stage of the process of expanding these courses because not only will it retain talent within the region but it will also attract talent from outside of the south-east region. I, therefore, commend the team at SETU.

An Cathaoirleach

I welcome to the Public Gallery students from the St. Joseph's Mercy Secondary School in Navan who are appearing today as witnesses at the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media. Ms Mia Galligan and Ms Mya Doocey are guests of Senator Cassells and are hiding somewhere, as I cannot see them. They are very welcome and I thank them for being here today. I call Senator Cassells to speak now, please.

Senator Shane Cassells

I thank the Cathaoirleach very much and I thank him also for his welcome to Ms Mia Galligan and Ms Mya Doocey who are witnesses today, as the Cathaoirleach has said, at the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media. These are two transition year students and it is highly commendable that they are here today as witnesses for a full Oireachtas committee. The received a commendation at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition for the research they carried out on the impact of periods on young female athletes and their participation in sport. This research has been done in conjunction with elite female Olympians. It is a highly commendable piece of work and we look forward to their presentation at the Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media later this afternoon.

I also want to speak about the fact that the new media commission, Coimisiún na Meán, launched its work programme yesterday. I commend it on that. It is great that it is up and under way. We worked long and hard on the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill in this Chamber and it is great that an coimisiún is now working on implementing the new regulatory regimes for how these online service providers deal with harmful and illegal content. We have had it for too long and it is great that an coimisiún has come out with a very strong intent on how these companies will be handled. It is not afraid and will not shy away from the fact that the major players are here. This is a very good thing from a tech point of view but, equally so, it is not for us to bow our knee to companies which flagrantly flout the law either and we have very comprehensive legislation now to deal with that situation on online safety.

I also welcome the fact that an coimisiún has spoken too about media development and about the new journalism scheme to support reporting of local courts and local democracy. That is important because last week we had the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism report into the media in Ireland which showed a decrease in the consumption of news in Ireland and a reduction of trust in the media in this country. That is a worrying trend. We need to ensure we stand and regain that connection between the public and our media organisations. The new media commission will ensure that happens.

Senator Micheál Carrigy

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I wish to raise a couple of issues and I concur with the comments of Senator Cummins. I also ask that the Minister look to expanding the roles in the various higher education institutions across the therapies. This is an issue of which everyone is well aware. There is a shortage of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, speech and language therapists and this is an area which also needs to be tackled. I call on the Minister to issue expressions of interest to the various universities to provide extra places and to provide therapies for those children most in need.

Another issue I wish to raise is in respect of rural development funding. There are a number of projects, and one in particular in my own area, which secured funding a number of years ago in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland. This was the development of a heritage centre, the Knights & Conquests Heritage Centre in Granard in north Longford. Unfortunately, the tenders which have come back in now have gone to €1 million plus over what was granted in funding from both that Fáilte Ireland programme and from Longford County Council. I am looking for additional funding to be put in place from the Department of Rural and Community Development to ensure that project gets off the ground. Unfortunately, it is stalled at present so I am appealing that extra funding be put in place.

I ask the Leader to pass on that to the Minister in question.

In regard to tourism, this issue has been all over the media in the last 24 hours and I have looked up the prices in a number of hotels. All of us on the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media, including Senator Cassells, fought for and supported the reduction in the VAT rate, yet we have a situation where certain rooms will be cheaper in a couple of weeks than they will be in 12 months, whereas certain hotels tell us it is about the last-minute purchase of rooms. Twelve months out, some rooms have tripled in price. The committee is currently putting together a report on the development of rural tourism for publication in the coming weeks. We must acknowledge the knock-on effect this could have on all rural tourism.

An Cathaoirleach

The Senator should conclude.

Senator Micheál Carrigy

The reality is that tourist numbers are down regionally across the country and tourism spend is down in public houses, restaurants and so on due to the lack of rooms, yet some of the hotels do this. It is in Dublin - I will call it out. This could destroy the tourism industry in this country. We have to look seriously at what mechanism we can put in place to stop this happening while supporting the rest of our tourism industry. The reality is that they are being informed by some of the concert providers as to when a concert is coming, and the prices go up a day or two before the concert is announced. I know this for a fact.

An Cathaoirleach

I welcome the students and teachers from St. Patrick's Loreto School in Bray, County Wicklow. They are all very welcome to Leinster House. I know they are delighted to be here in the last week of school. I hope they have a good summer and I thank them for their work and studies during the year. I hope their teachers will give them the rest of the week off homework to give them a break.

Senator John McGahon

I know the Cathaoirleach asked Senator Carrigy to finish up but as there is no one else here, perhaps we should have another few minutes each.

An Cathaoirleach

That is not possible.

Senator John McGahon

I am joking. I am just saying that we should be allowed to speak for as long as we like as there is no one else here.

An Cathaoirleach

As the boys and girls in the Visitors Gallery know, the teachers set the rules. I am governed by Standing Orders, as Senator McGahon knows. I would be very happy to let him speak for as long as he wants. I would love to listen to him speak all day.

Senator John McGahon

That is wonderful. I might start my two minutes again, if that is possible. I do not usually do this because I tend to focus on one topic, but I want to focus on two topics today.

First, as we come into the summer season, school transport is obviously going to be a big issue for all of us. I do not understand why Bus Éireann has introduced a rule that to be a bus driver with Bus Éireann, a person must be under 70. There are plenty of bus drivers who are able to drive very safely at 70, 71, 72 and onwards. That should instead be based around either a medical assessment, an eyesight assessment or any sort of driving assessment, which would be much fairer than having a cut-off limit of 70. There are many drivers who are driving all around Ireland on tour buses and everything else who are over 70, but they cannot do a five-mile run in and out the road for a school bus tour because they are over that age. I would appreciate it if the Department could speak to Bus Éireann with a view to looking again at that.

The second issue is in regard to the housing assistance grant in County Louth. Louth County Council has said it is not accepting any new housing adaptation grant applications until January 2024. This has been raised in the Dáil by most of the Oireachtas Members for County Louth. The Government provided Louth with €1.6 million earlier in the year and Louth County Council matched it, but it is saying it still needs a further €580,000 to facilitate the other applications that it wants to get across the line. It is asking the Department to facilitate that and I urge the Department to consider it.

I do not think it is acceptable that a local authority can say that it is not accepting any applications because it will not have sufficient money until next year. Some €1.8 million was given this year by the Department to Louth County Council. We cannot expect someone who is waiting for very serious alterations to their home with regard to medical needs, wet rooms and all of that type of thing to wait until January of next year. It is simply not fair. I do not think it is acceptable for a local authority to put the kibosh on this when it got €1.8 million earlier in the year.

An Cathaoirleach

I remind Senator McGahon that his good friend, the almost Leader of the House, would advise him that Members who are not group leaders can only raise one matter on the Order of Business, so he should perhaps focus on that. Well said, Senator McGahon.

Senator John McGahon

I will take the Cathaoirleach's advice.

Senator Lisa Chambers

I thank the Cathaoirleach and all the Senators who contributed to the Order of Business. I welcome our two guests, Mia Galligan and Mya Doocey, to the Visitors Gallery and congratulate them on their really important work. It would have been a taboo subject for many years. When I was playing football, it just was not talked about. I am glad to see there has even been a move away from certain types of clothing and colours that are more difficult to wear at certain times. It is great that we are having those conversations. Their work will make a huge difference to the girls coming after them as well. Well done.

Senator Conway’s contribution was really profound. I commend him not just on his work this morning, when he did a Dip at Dawn to highlight the difficulties for those with sight impairment, but for his continuous advocacy for those with sight difficulty. There are very few people in either of the Houses who speak about that issue and he consistently makes sure it is top of the agenda. He has requested a debate on eye care and waiting lists, and we will request that debate at the earliest opportunity.

Senator Murphy spoke about the need to protect front-line workers and he acknowledged the huge number of gardaí who have been assaulted on our front lines. We know there is a lot of work happening in that space and that penalties have recently been increased for assaults on front-line workers through the Department of Justice.

Senator Clonan spoke about the story in the media around nursing homes and the sexual assault on a resident. It is an horrific case and I want to send our sympathies to her and her family, and to all of the other potential victims as well. The Senator also spoke about the submersible and the rescue operation currently happening off Newfoundland. He drew the attention of the House to the many drownings in the Mediterranean and the number of people who are losing their lives. It is important that the EU takes action on that.

Senator Flynn welcomed the Pride festivities in the House this week and she also spoke about her own pride that the Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community is up and running again. The Senator hopes to Chair that committee.

Senator Malcolm Byrne made the point that refugees will always be welcome in Ireland and that we should remember our history. He also requested a debate on the exploitation of the developing south by China with the Minister for Foreign Affairs. We will request that debate.

Senator Seery Kearney drew the attention of the House to the ongoing challenges for workers at the Iceland supermarket chain, where some were not getting paid, and we certainly hope that that situation can be resolved. She also drew the attention of the House to the Not Our Fault campaign, whose representatives are in the audiovisual room at this moment speaking about their difficulties in getting that scheme moving. In fairness, the scheme has been funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage but there seems to be some delay in getting it moving.

Senator Boyhan spoke about the mother and baby homes redress scheme Bill that is going to be in the House again this evening. He has alerted the House to the votes he will call on that, and I thank the Senator for that notice. The Senator also asked for a debate on local government finance and I believe he is aware that is already scheduled for next week. That debate on local government was requested by many Members across the House. We have secured the debate for next Wednesday and I am glad to have the Minister coming in.

Senator Dolan spoke about the extension of courses across third level through the HEA and the provision of pharmacy courses in the west of Ireland, which is very welcome.

Senator Craughwell welcomed the consultative forum that is kicking off tomorrow in Cork. It will then go to Galway on Friday and will be in Dublin on Monday and Tuesday of next week. He welcomed the fact we are having an honest and open debate. I concur with the Senator’s remarks and believe it is long overdue.

Senator Burke raised issues around inland fisheries. It might be worth a Commencement matter at this point to see if we can get a publication date for that report. I am not sure if we have a date yet for the constitution of a new board but, certainly, that issue was not resolved. I pay credit to Senator Burke and Senator Kyne for consistently raising the issue. We might discuss afterwards how we can progress that.

Senator Cummins welcomed the President's apology to Louise Richardson, DBE, who was the subject of some unfortunate comments at the weekend. I think there were many unfortunate things about that whole saga, and maybe we will leave it at that. I hope that lessons have been learned. The Senator also welcomed the news from the Ministers, Deputies McConalogue, Harris and Stephen Donnelly, on the extension of veterinary and health places across the country, including in regional areas. It is very welcome that we can increase the number of students and the number of graduates coming out who will work in the health service and the veterinary service here.

Senator Cassells welcomed our two guests and spoke about the important work happening at the committee on sport around girls and the impact of periods on their sporting participation. He spoke about the importance of that work and commended the two women for their contribution to the committee on sport. It is no small thing to present to an Oireachtas committee. It is a great achievement and I have no doubt their families and community are very proud of the work they are doing and that they are here in the Oireachtas today, being the advocates that they are. Well done.

Senator Cassells also welcomed the establishment of the Media Commission and the publication of its work programme. He drew the attention of the House to the reduction in trust in media in the country, as highlighted in the Reuters report. It is very worrying and needs to be cut off at the pass.

We need to reverse that trend because trust in media is fundamental to our democracy. The Senator referred to the support being given by the Government to local journalism to cover things such as courts and local sporting events, which are very important but are not covered by national newspapers. It is important that we support local media.

Senator Carrigy called on the Minister to create additional places in universities and colleges for occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. He also spoke about tourism, the hotel sector and the price increases we are seeing. He drew attention to the significant increase in prices when concerts are taking place. That is unfortunate because many people who have a ticket for a concert simply cannot go to it because there is no affordable accommodation available. That is something on which the hotel sector should reflect because it is doing damage.

Senator McGahon spoke about school transport. I agree with his call for it to be based on ability to drive rather than age. Many people of that age are very fit and would run rings around us. They would be well able to do that type of work. It might be worth tabling a Commencement matter to ask the Minister to consider exploring that work within the Department, given that there is time before the next school term commences in September. The Senator also spoke about housing adaptation grants and the €1.8 million allocated to Louth County Council. It is remarkable that the council will not take applications, given the significant funding from central government. Council management should reflect on that and see if there is a way to start opening to applications. It is distressing for families or individuals to be told they cannot apply. People need to be processed and get into the system and have light at the end of the tunnel. I am sure engagements with the Department will yield results in terms of the initial funding required but the local authority has a responsibility to engage with people, accept applications and start processing them. It not doing so will cause distress.

Order of Business agreed to.

Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 12.22 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 12.53 p.m.

Sitting suspended at 12.22 p.m. and resumed at 12.53 p.m.