Before I call the Leader to outline the Order of Business, I welcome the students from St. Gerald's College, Castlebar, County Mayo. They looked like Mayo footballers of the future, or the present, actually, when they were standing for a photograph. I wish the lads the best of luck. I hope Mayo wins the all-Ireland football final at some time in their lifetimes, although not if Mayo is playing Kerry. I thank their teachers, Tracey Flynn and Regina Duffy, for bringing them to Leinster House. We hope they enjoy their day and get safely back home to Mayo, though not with the Sam Maguire Cup this year.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach but he should not mention the war. It is a sore topic. I welcome the students from St. Gerald's College, Castlebar, and their teachers, Tracey Flynn and Regina Duffy, to the Gallery. My particular thanks to Harry Gaughan, who helped to arrange the visit. The lads are very welcome. We will get a chance to chat later today. I hope they enjoy watching the Order of Business and what we do here in the Seanad. They will also get the opportunity to go to the Dáil and see the surrounds of Leinster House. It is their Parliament and it is important that people come up to visit it.
One of the unwritten rules of Leinster House is that students visiting should have no homework for the day, or the week, possibly. We will leave that at the discretion of the teachers. There should definitely be no homework today anyway.
I have no doubt the students will be able to advocate strongly for that.
The Order of Business is No. 2, motion regarding Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulation 2023, back from committee, to be taken at 1.15 p.m. and to conclude at 2.15 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed six minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed seven minutes and time may be shared, and the Minister to be given no less than five minutes to reply to the debate; No. 122, motion 7, Private Members' business, motion regarding recent violence in Dublin city centre, to be taken at 2.30 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 2, whichever is the later, with the time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours; and No. 3, Private Members' business, Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 4.30 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 122, motion 7, whichever is the later.
I join with the Leader in welcoming the students from St. Gerald's College, Castlebar. I thank Harry Gaughan for organising the visit. I had the pleasure of having him on an internship programme for several days a week as part of his schoolwork. He showed great interest and was anxious that his team would come and join him. His team is a big team. If Harry ever decides to go into politics, he will have a fairly significant canvassing team around him. We might not have as much excitement today as we did in the days he was here. The crisis at RTÉ in respect of licence fees was going on at the time. We do not blame Harry for that crisis blowing up, but it is a little calmer today.
Yesterday we discussed the issues that flared up on O'Connell Street last Thursday. Part of that debate is the issue of migration and the way in which that issue has been hijacked by elements of the far right. They have used it for their own political ideology. They have used social media and other channels to spread disinformation. This House, politics generally and people who have a right-minded approach to the way society should be ordered have a duty to counteract that. For decades, there has been an unwritten rule in Ireland that we do not discuss the race issue. We leave it alone and try not to push back against this far right thing. We now have a duty now to discuss it and push back. We need an open discussion. We need to counter the untruths that are being told. Unfortunately, certain people in society are, through no fault of their own, being fed untruths and misinformation that are leading them in a direction I do not believe their hearts or heads want to go. As a society, we must challenge this at every opportunity. I am not just talking about challenging the hard right on the streets, rather engaging in appropriate debate, generating truthful information from the centre and explaining our approach to migration. We should be explaining where these people are coming from, the lives they are leading, the pressures and unbelievable situations in many of their countries and why they need help and support. I hear the misinformation or disinformation about open borders and fighting-age men coming to Ireland, as if to provide a narrative, which is being pushed by the far right, that these people are coming to invade our country. Sadly, there are people who believe it. They believe it because those of us who see ourselves as being more middle of the road and responsible politically are not hammering back. We have not done so because there was an unwritten rule among politicians generally that you did not get into these debates; you just ignored these people and they went away. They are not going away. Rather, they are broadening their base. Through the use of social media in particular, they are disinforming people and creating a very dangerous situation. We should start an open and frank debate on this matter here in the Seanad and it should transcend to the Dáil and committees. If we start discussing these matters here in an open and frank way, it will permeate to create a greater debate in society.
I agree with some of what my colleague, Senator Dooley, has said, but I disagree to an extent. The worst thing to happen in our country for a long time happened last Thursday morning with the stabbing of innocent people, including three young children and their carer. Our thoughts and prayers must remain, in particular, with the five-year-old child who remains in a critical condition and with her family. That was, by a mile, the worst thing that happened last Thursday, far worse than the violence, disorder and vandalism that took place later that day, appalling though it was. We need to keep that perspective because the safety of people is always more important than the safety of property. It is the safety of people that should be the lens through which to examine the statements and utterances from the Garda, the Taoiseach and the Government in recent days. Frankly, I do not need to know whether terms like "lunatic", "far right" and "hooligan" are in the Garda Commissioner's vocabulary. I do not need to hear the outrage. I want explanation of what happened and reassurance for the future. Why was the Garda unable to prevent arson and looting at first? How could some of its members have been endangered in the way that happened? Was the time it took to get control of the situation reasonable? What does the Garda need for the future to deal with these threats? It needs more personnel, more resources and, if necessary, more laws. I agree that the strongest measures of law and order are required in response to the thuggery on the streets but many people in Fine Gael in particular must be worried that their party in government has lost touch with the concerns of ordinary voters and gives the impression of being more interested in closing down public debate and in cancel culture than in keeping people safe in practical ways. Fianna Fáil is not immune either. Migration is part of last week's story. There are concerns about whether we are managing it in a way that identifies and deals with the small number of people who may come to our shores with mental health problems or extreme ideologies, perhaps exacerbated by past traumas. At the same time, a Brazilian immigrant who put his own safety at risk and perhaps saved children's lives last week exemplified the nobility and courage to which all Irish people should aspire. He reminded us that we should be generous to migrants because we may be entertaining angels unawares.
The events of last week do not point to a need for vague and imprecise hate speech legislation which undermines democratic rights to speak. The Government must step back from any opportunism here. It must step back from the temptation not to waste a good crisis. If there was incitement on social media, and there may well have been, it was incitement to violence. That is where the trouble is. These distinctions matter. The Government seems to want to avoid the discussion about how people are to be kept safe by pretending that if you can silence enough awkward questions and viewpoints, the problems will go away. We will have a better Ireland when we are generous to migrants, but when people also know they can keep their Government's feet to the fire in order that everyone can feel safe and free speech for our citizens is vital for that. There cannot be any elitist talking down to people about what topics they may discuss and what topics are forbidden. That does not work in a democracy; it only pushes things underground, stores up problems for the future. That is part of the story of what we are living now. I do not want to hear more talk from the Government, any cynical use of this crisis to push through vague, imprecise and dangerous hate speech legislation.
I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 10 be taken before No. 1.
We are introducing the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (Control of Nitrous Oxide) Bill 2023. As most Members are aware, nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas, is probably the recreational drug most abused by those aged 18 or younger. It is probably apt that we have such an abundant number of young people under the age of 18 with us in the Gallery. It is particularly popular among teenagers due to the temporary buzz it provides.
More important, it is popular especially because of its ease of access. It has become easy to buy the canisters online, with some websites even making special offers. Its use is on the rise and, as many of us will be aware, it has become closely linked to antisocial behaviour, from intimidating gatherings to the littering with canisters of public spaces. A lot of Tidy Towns groups have reported to us that they find multiple cans when they go out on their daily litter clean-up.
In an effort to combat antisocial behaviour but also because of the rise of the awareness of this drug, my Fine Gael colleagues and I have drafted a Bill that will amend the Misuse of Drugs Act and related Acts and allow provisions to be made for the control of this substance under law. There are serious concerns about the use of laughing gas by young people because it has been known to cause hallucinations, blurred vision and nausea and excessive use can have even more long-term consequences. The symptoms are a result of what inhaling laughing gas does to the body. It deactivates vitamin B12 and causes damage to the brain and, in particular, to the nervous system. It can also prevent oxygen from properly entering the bloodstream, which is very concerning for our young people.
We recognise that there is, undoubtedly, a role for nitrous oxide to play in some small parts of society, such as medicine, pain relief and dentistry, but we are seeking to give the Minister the power to restrict its sale in Ireland, especially online, and make sure there are only specific uses for the drug. I hope we can amend the proposed Order of Business in that regard.
I thank Senator Doherty. I call Senator Boylan and again wish her a happy birthday.
Go raibh maith agat. This is the first chance I have had to raise the horrific attack that happened on Parnell Square last Thursday, but I want first to take up Senator Dooley's comments about the unwritten rule in respect of addressing race. I do not know what unwritten rule he is talking about. From my perspective as an elected representative and that of our party, we have been engaging on the issue of racism for years, listening to communities and engaging with them on concerns they might have, and fighting back if people are racist, whether online or in our communities. There is no unwritten rule. We all have a job of leadership to talk to our communities and stamp out any form of racism-----
The Senator may have misunderstood. I was talking about the public airways.
There is no unwritten rule. It is everybody's obligation to show leadership on the issue of racism.
As I said, I want to focus on what happened on Thursday, and my thoughts go out to those children who were seriously injured and to the carer in that horrific attack, as well as to those who intervened and put their lives on the line to put children in safety and protect the person who had been carrying out the attack from further attacks. It showed that when people are at risk and scenarios such as this happen, people's instincts are inherently about the greater good and about intervening to protect others. Everybody who played a role on Thursday in that regard needs to be commended on and thanked for their actions.
We heard last night on "Prime Time" from Niall Hodgins of the Garda Representative Association, GRA. I will quote him directly because what he said was astounding. He stated:
There was no plan ... Members turned up simply because of WhatsApp messages being passed around from garda to garda ... no instruction came down to the members. I could give ... a myriad of examples ... about a number of text messages that were circulated but it was from garda to garda about witnessing what was happening to their colleagues. They decided upon themselves to get into a car and drive to the [assistance of their work colleagues] ... It was absolutely chaotic.
Any of us who watched the events unfold last week will know the gardaí were left high and dry on Thursday. There was no leadership from the top down. In light of all the accounts from Garda representatives, it is astounding the Minister and the Garda Commissioner will still not accept that they lost control of our capital city on Thursday night. It is also an insult to the intelligence of the entire population to say it could not have been anticipated. I could show the House text messages I was sending and phone calls I was making at 3.30 p.m. on Thursday telling friends and family members to get out of town and get home in whatever way they could because it was going to turn very nasty. It beggars belief, therefore, that the Minister and the Garda Commissioner are still saying that could not have been anticipated.
I too raise the "Prime Time" programme broadcast last night. When I left the House, I went home to watch it. I watched Sarah McInerney interview Niall Hodgins of the Garda Representative Association and it was an extraordinary interview. In his answers, Niall Hodgins informed all of us who were watching that, as my colleague has said, there was no plan. Garda members turned up simply because of WhatsApp messages being passed from garda to garda. He described it as chaos. I am sure that other colleagues in the House have, like me, seen the videos of Garda members being isolated and attacked again and again by a baying mob. It is simply not good enough that this was allowed to happen in the capital city.
In every justice debate in which I have taken part in this House since I was elected, I have raised with the various Ministers or Ministers of State of the day the issue of Garda resources and numbers in south Kildare. I have also heard colleagues from Dublin, in both this House and the Lower House, raise issues time and again relating to Dublin. All of this raises the question as to who is in charge. Who is providing the leadership the GRA spoke about last night and who is responsible for that leadership? Who can restore confidence among our gardaí and among the general public? The Commissioner and the justice Minister will appear before the justice committee today and tomorrow and we will have to ask questions. There is no doubt but that after the horrific events of last Thursday night, confidence in the security system of this country is at an all-time low. I hope we can get in the coming days answers to the questions the public and the members of the Garda deserve.
I have come across the following issue as a member of the cross-party autism committee. It relates to communication boards. They can play a very important part for those in the autistic community and for those with a number of other disabilities. Communication boards are invaluable tools for non-verbal individuals, offering a means to express thoughts, needs and desires. They comprise symbols, pictures or words arranged systematically on a grid or display, allowing users to point, gesture or use eye-tracking technology to communicate. I raise this today because two of my colleagues in County Kildare, Councillors Mark Leigh and Ciara Galvin, have been involved in introducing them in the county. A number of the boards have been installed in playgrounds in County Kildare over recent weeks and they have made a huge difference. I call for this to be replicated in each local authority, and not just in the number that exists in Kildare at the moment but throughout the county and the wider State. The feedback from parents who bring their children to playgrounds, when they see the communication board, is phenomenal, and I want to see it replicated throughout the State. I compliment Councillors Leigh and Galvin on bringing this forward in Kildare and I know other local authorities have been similarly involved. It can make and has made a difference and I look forward to seeing it replicated in each local authority.
I raise the Peter McVerry Trust and the work it does. I commend the Government on having approved yesterday the advancement of €15 million to the trust for the homeless. Homelessness is very obvious and in our face, but it also feeds into deprivation, social isolation and many of the other issues that propagate disquiet within our community. It is important, therefore, that the Government has acknowledged this. The Department does not normally directly fund homelessness charities; that funding usually comes through the local authority structures.
We have to acknowledge the enormous work the trust has undertaken. Long before it was at the top of all the political agendas, Fr. McVerry and the trust he set up, from which he has since stood back somewhat, have done amazing work. It is involved in promoting and a just system for people who are homeless and advocating for them, and in being a first point of contact for people on the ground, so I acknowledge that important work. It was right that the Government supported it by providing the €15 million to get it going. It is, as I understand, conditional for the Minister and rightly so. It is true the charity has run into corporate governance and cash flow issues but the bottom line is the trust is doing good work and is collaborating with local authorities, not only in Dublin but throughout the country. It is commendable that the Government is stepping in. I know there was some resistance to the funding being given to the charity but that is the decision the Cabinet has made. It is the right decision and it is important we acknowledge that fact, but there has to be more robust corporate governance for the charity and I understand that is a condition of the funding.
I wish the charity well. I hope it gets back on its feet. I hope it builds confidence again and continues to do its outreach work. It is great that the Government is fully supporting it albeit with the conditionality about corporate governance. I say, "Well done" to all involved who made that happen.
I support the amendment proposed by Senator Doherty to the Order of Business to take No. 10 before No. 1, regarding the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (Control of Nitrous Oxide) Bill 2023. It is incredibly important that we bring this forward. I am chair of a drugs task force and am aware of the increase in nitrous oxide use. The view of some parents that it is safe and that it is a recreational thing to do in the home is really quite shocking when, in fact, it has damaged young people. Young people have received cognitive impairment that they will never recover from as a consequence of this and it is time it was put on the footing that is set out in that Bill.
I stand today to comment on last Thursday and absolutely condemn the violence and what we saw, first of all, the attack on the children and the care worker. Our prayers are for them; for that little girl and that care worker. Second, I condemn the violence that we saw on the street and applaud the incredible bravery of members of the public, as well as An Garda Síochána. We cannot depart from the fact that there is a central role here of social media in this. I, too, saw the messages in community groups and people being anxious on Thursday afternoon as the country of origin of the assailant in the incident was being put out on social media. There was a very quick move to then brand all migrants in the same way and I agree with Senator Dooley that we need a debate in this House on that. We need to hold Members to account for some of the inflammatory statements that have been made in this House and draw attention to the fact that if one is in public life, one has a duty to lead with integrity and to ensure that one is not inflaming situations.
This brings me to the notorious Conor McGregor and the fact that his statements were also being pasted into community groups as they utterly condemned what he was saying on Twitter, formerly X, on Thursday afternoon. It is a matter for the Garda. It is not for me to question beyond that other than to say the following in respect of someone in a position like him. There was one time when he was a hero for people in the community. He worked with Crumlin Boxing Club, and they were fantastic. There are men in there who dedicate their lives to the mentoring of young people right down the right direction and he is, most certainly, not one of them. We need to also hold Twitter to account.
Today, as the Leas-Chathaoirleach will be aware, is international solidarity day with Palestine and I call for a further debate on the issue of the illegal occupation of Palestine which has gone on for 56 years. As the Leader will be aware, there are points on which we agree. We all called for a permanent ceasefire. We in Sinn Féin have recognised the value in that call. However, there are fundamental points of disagreement between ourselves on the left and Fine Gael and its sister party, Fianna Fáil. Fundamentally, for example, we believe there must be consequences for Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine. There must be consequences, in particular, for the genocide that we have witnessed over the past number of weeks of over 13,000 human beings, including 10,000 women and children. We believe the occupied territories Bill should be passed. Fianna Fáil has flip-flopped on this issue. When it was in opposition, the party stated it was in favour of it. Now Fianna Fáil is in government, it has abandoned the Bill. Fianna Fáil has argued that it cannot pass such a Bill and it has to be done at EU level. Perhaps the Leader might reflect on the fact that Belgium passed a Bill almost identical to the occupied territories Bill 2018 only last week. They have shown leadership. They have shown that they believe that there must be consequences for genocide and for the illegal occupation of Palestine.
I have to say the stance of the Government is in stark contrast to the stance in relation to Russia, where, quite rightly, it has called for strong action. The Government has called for sanctions against Russia. It has completely avoided the issue of sanctions in relation to Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine. When the Government had an opportunity to deal with the issue of divestment in relation to companies in the occupied territories where the State has invested €4 million of taxpayers' money shamefully, the Government put off any opportunity to deal with that. Clearly, the Leader and the Government do not believe there should be consequences. If the Leader does, I ask her to spell them out in her response. That is not acceptable. I have said for some time that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are on the wrong side of history when it comes to Palestine and the Palestinian people. Sinn Féin will always stand with Palestine.
Some time ago, I spoke, and the Leader herself spoke, on the appointment of the next head of intelligence for the State and it surprises me that they are continuing with the appointment. Former colleagues from the UK have contacted me and they cannot believe that we would even consider the appointment of a foreign national. By the way, those who came in here and accused me of racism, etc., because I objected to a foreign national taking the most senior intelligence post in the country have yet to apologise. It was an outrageous allegation to make against me. The bottom line on it is-----
On a point of order, is Senator Craughwell saying that foreign nationals were objecting to a foreign national?
One cannot interrupt a Senator unless the Senator gives one permission. Is Senator Craughwell giving way to Senator Gavan?
There is no need to give way.
That is fine. Senator Craughwell, without interruption.
The bottom line on it is we really have to think about what we are doing. The person who will take over intelligence in this country will have access to information on all of us, on past deeds in this country and on those who were involved in various different things down through the history of this country. Micheál Martin, in the Dáil the other day, said that the person appointed would be appointed under normal appointment conditions and would have to take an oath to the State, etc. For God's sake, I ask the Government Senators to talk to their parties. One cannot have a foreign national heading up the Irish intelligence service. Would the British take a Frenchman to head up MI5? Would the Americans take an Englishman to head up the CIA? It would not happen. I ask that the Leader organise a debate on security in this House in order that we can get to the core of it.
I thank all Members who contributed to the Order of Business. Senator Dooley was the first contributor this morning. The Senator spoke about the issue of migration and the challenges there and stated that the issue, in his view, has been hijacked, particularly by those with far-right ideologies. The Senator stated that the level of disinformation coming from many different quarters is truly worrying and I certainly agree with that. The Senator stated that there was a duty on all of us, particularly those of us who are public representatives, to counteract that and provide facts and make sure that we hold the centre and put out to the public what is truly happening. It is important to acknowledge the Minister for Health put this well when he spoke about the numbers working in the health service that come from different countries and how heavily the country relies on it. The Taoiseach has also said how important migration is for Ireland, that it is good for Ireland because we need people coming in to support the country and the diversity that it brings is positive for the country. That is not to say that there are genuine concerns being raised. As I said yesterday on the Order of Business, it is the type of topic that we need to discuss, openly and honestly, in the Oireachtas and hold the middle ground because if we do not have those conversations, they are happening on the streets and in the pubs and restaurants anyway. Ordinary members of society are talking about this issue. If we do not discuss it, if the middle-ground politicians do not discuss it, we are leaving it to the fringes for those issues to be discussed and that is where disinformation does best.
Senator Mullen spoke on the same issue. The Senator's view was that the stabbings that happened last Thursday were far worse than the riots and that protecting our citizens has to be our ultimate priority. The Senator's view was that migration was part of what happened last week for the same reason, as I have just said, that it is the topic that people are discussing but he made the point that free speech is vital to our democracy and that we should not react to last week - I am paraphrasing - in bringing through what the Senator says are draconian free-speech laws.
Senator Doherty has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 10 be taken before No. 1.
I am happy to accept that amendment relating to the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (Control of Nitrous Oxide) Bill 2023. I agree with the Senator's remarks that the ease of access for young people to this substance is a problem right across the country. The worrying idea that it is not harmful is very frightening. As well as bringing through the legislation, there will be a job of work there for the Government to highlight to parents and students as well just how dangerous that gas can be, and the damage it can do, including resulting in death if misused excessively. It is very welcome to see the legislation coming to the Seanad. I look forward to an opportunity to discuss it on the floor of the House. We will get the Bill scheduled as soon as the Senator is ready to move it.
In response to Senator Dooley, Senator Boylan made the point that we have been engaging in racism for years. I think what Senator Dooley was saying is that we do not talk about racism in a negative way or stoke up the far right. From having spoken to him, I know that was the angle he was coming from. Senator Boylan is right, we do need to engage with communities and to tackle racism head on. Public representatives have a duty not to stoke up racism or to inflame matters because it is a very live and volatile issue at the moment.
I take on board the comments raised by Senator Boylan and Senator Wall in regard to Niall Hodgins interview last night on "Prime Time". The information he put on the record last night is that there was no plan last Thursday and that Garda members responded to each other's WhatsApp messages. The Garda Commissioner is before the justice committee today at 1.30 p.m. I am sure he will be questioned robustly by members of that committee. I am also sure other Members might attend that committee hearing. A lot will come down to this week. There is an acceptance by those of us on the Government side that there are genuine questions that have to be answered, and they will be answered. The Minister was in the Dáil Chamber yesterday for a considerable period listening to Members. The Commissioner is before the justice committee today and I believe the Minister is before it tomorrow. There is a genuine effort on the part of the Government to come forward and answer all of the questions from Opposition Members and to try to address the genuine concerns that are also being raised by Government Members. Everybody wants answers on what happened last Thursday and how things descended into the chaos we witnessed. We do not want to see that ever happening again. What Niall Hodgins said last night bolsters the point many of us have made that the gardaí who responded on Thursday night were just incredible and they are to be commended. We sincerely thank them for what they did that night. I said the same yesterday. It must have been a very frightening experience for them and I am sure for their families as well who knew their loved ones were on the streets that night while they were watching what happened on the live feed on Twitter. I give credit to those guards who did respond to the WhatsApp messages, or whatever messages that went out. They put on the uniform and drove into the city centre, not knowing what they were driving into but knowing they had to defend their colleagues. There were incredible acts of bravery all around so they are to be commended by everybody, as they have been.
Senator Wall raised an issue that came up at the autism committee about an initiative in Kildare on how effective communication boards have been in children's playgrounds. It sounds like a very good initiative and I commend those involved in it. I support the Senator's very good suggestion that it would be replicated across the board.
Senator Boyhan referenced the work of the Peter McVerry Trust, with which we are all very familiar, and the advancement yesterday by the Government of €15 million to continue the fantastic work it does. I agree with the Senator's remarks in that regard.
Senator Seery Kearney seconded the amendment to the Order of Business. She also spoke about the Dublin riots. She made a very good point, which is that there is responsibility on social media companies as well to take down disinformation and to not permit the spread of misinformation and posts, videos and images that could incite further violence. There has been a lot of focus on social media companies, not just in relation to violence and antisocial behaviour on our streets but also to attacks on citizens and much of the hate that is going around online. They have the tools available to them if they want to use them and they should not be waiting on us to legislate or to provide more regulation. They know what is required. I will make the call again that they need to do better. They have an ethical and moral responsibility to act much quicker than they have been doing.
Senator Gavan highlighted that today is International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. I hear that last night's concert for Gaza was a huge success. I had close friends who attended it last night and they had a great time. It was a very positive event and a lot of money was raised. I say well done to all of those involved and to the artists who took part in last night's concert. It was lovely to see that event happening in the capital and nice to have positivity after all the disgusting things that had happened since last Thursday. It was a good day for Dublin last night and a good day for the country. That was lovely.
Senator Gavan likes to take a pop at the Government most days. I disagree with some of his remarks. From day one, the Government has been calling for a ceasefire to the conflict in the Middle East and what is happening there. From day one it has been calling for an end to the violence and the killing. From the outset, we have said that where crimes have been committed they will be referred to the International Criminal Court, ICC, and they will be investigated. If war crimes have been committed those who have committed them should be prosecuted and brought to justice. Again, the Government has supported that, and not only that, it has also allocated €3 million to the ICC to continue that work. I am not in favour of creating divisions in this House or the other House, or in Ireland, as though we are on different sides in this debate. I do not think we are. The Irish people want to see an end to the killing, full stop.
Hear, hear.
That is it. There should be no divisions on this issue. That does not mean we cannot acknowledge the horrific attack on 7 October on the people of Israel, and it does not mean we cannot also say that what is happening in Gaza is wrong and that we want it to stop, and that those war crimes should be and will be investigated.
It is a little rich to hear somebody from Sinn Féin talk about being on the wrong side of history. We only have to look to our own history in this country and see Sinn Féin's position on many of the atrocities that happened on this island. Rather than preaching to one another about those issues we should perhaps focus on being unified and call for a permanent ceasefire, first, to get aid into Palestine and also to bring an end to the killing. Unity is our greatest strength, not division.
Senator Craughwell raised the deputy Garda commissioner role – the head of intelligence. He knows my views on this. I am 100% in agreement with him. It is right and proper that the head of intelligence in this State, a person who has access to witness protection information and information on informants and who engages with international police bodies would be a citizen of the State. That should be a basic requirement. I do not even think we should interview persons who do not meet that basic criterion. We have already heard from heads of security and security experts in the US and the UK and other countries. They would not even entertain such a suggestion and I do not know why we are not doing the same. We cannot take a Mickey Mouse approach to our national security. Those days are over. We know that our geography will no longer protect us. We are a member of the European Union. We are home to the headquarters of many of the biggest tech companies in the world. We have the transatlantic cable coming in to Ireland as well for the transfer of data. We must take State security seriously. There can be no suggestion that the person who would have access to all of that information would have an allegiance to any state other than our own. That is not racism or unreasonable. It should be standard practice.
It is concerning that no senior member of An Garda Síochána has applied for the role. We do not yet know the status of the recruitment process, which I understand closed just shy of two weeks ago. We await more information on it. I have also been contacted by very experienced people who work in that space, and they share the same concerns. I hope a resolution can be found. I would rather that the recruitment process would take a little bit longer so we can facilitate the right person applying for it. I know there are issues relating to the pension cap that must be addressed. Senator Doherty has raised that on a number of occasions. If that is all that is in the way then surely we can resolve it. This is a live and ongoing issue. We will seek a debate on it. Other debates have been requested as well that would probably come under the Department of Justice. We will request a debate specifically on that matter. At this stage it will likely be in the new term given the short number of weeks left and the amount of legislation that we have to get through. We will seek to get the debate scheduled. I will put in a request now to have the debate in the new term.
Senator Doherty has tabled an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 10 be taken before No. 2". The amendment was seconded by Senator Seery Kearney. The Leader has indicated she is prepared to accept the amendment. Is the amendment agreed to? Agreed.
Amendment agreed to.
Order of Business, as amended, agreed to.