The Order of Business is No. 1, Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 1.15 p.m. and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 2 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair which shall in relation to amendments include only those set down or accepted by the Government; No. 2, Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 2 p.m.; and No. 3, Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023 - Committee Stage, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 2 and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be be brought to a conclusion at 7 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair which shall in relation to amendments include only those set down or accepted by the Government.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
I call again for a debate on matters pertaining to the fishing sector and Inland Fisheries Ireland. As we approach the end of the year, there is still no board appointed in place of the section 18 appointees that were appointed by the Minister early in the year. We still have these individuals running the affairs of Inland Fisheries Ireland.
We still have no results from the two investigations, at least, which are taking place by McCann Fitzgerald LLP solicitors and by Inland Fisheries Ireland itself pertaining to matters which I have raised in this House and other Members have raised in the other House with regard to protected disclosures and matters which were not deemed to be protected disclosures but were being looked at under protected disclosures legislation.
We have investigations into the chief executive officer who continues in his role, has not been suspended pending these investigations yet people lower down the food chain were suspended when allegations, indeed anonymous allegations, were made. These allegations were treated very quickly and the people were suspended, whereas investigations of more senior people continue and the CEO continues in role.
I remind the Senator to bí cúramach as the individual is not here to defend himself.
I know that, go raibh maith ag an gCathaoirleach. There is clearly one rule for senior people and a more severe rule for people lower down the food chain. That is just unfair and I have raised this point on countless occasions. Irrespective of what role, what State agency, what Department or what job one does, one should have the same rules. If one is under investigation, one should be suspended and if that is the rule for the junior person, that should be the rule for the senior person. That is not the case with Inland Fisheries Ireland and one assumes and asks if that would be the same in any other State agency or Government Department. It is clearly not right or fair and it creates a predetermined judgment on a person by suspending them while an investigation is going on, and then one the same thing does not happen when other investigations take place into other people.
On other days, I will raise some of the matters pertaining to the boat which was purchased by the CEO in Galway whom I thank for supporting the Galway economy. The issues pertaining to transport of that boat are under investigation and issues on the uninsured vehicles are still under investigation. I know that the head of human resources, HR, is moving on and I wish her well in her new role. I do not know what the reasons behind that are but certainly one could suggest, and I would indeed suggest, that nobody is appointed within Inland Fisheries Ireland without the imprimatur of the CEO. Why have a head of HR if the CEO is going to do the hiring and, in some cases, the firing also?
These are all very serious issues which are going on and I do not raise them lightly. I know that the Cathaoirleach and the Clerk will be unhappy with my raising of these issues, but, at the same time, there is a public interest in these matters and absolutely nobody is taking it seriously, least of all, the Minister, Deputy Ryan.
I am not precluding the Senator from raising anything but my actions are taken just to protect all concerned, including the Senator. Gabhaim buíochas leis.
Anois, glaoim ar an Seanadóir Dooley.
Anyone in this House or outside who had the opportunity to see the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night will recognise the important work that is done by RTÉ as a public service broadcaster. At a time when we are challenged with regard to the funding of such an organisation, it should be a reminder to us that we have a duty as public representatives to ensure that we try to rebuild that funding model to ensure that that organisation continues to do its excellent work.
The content of the programme was shocking but it shone a light on the misuse and abuse of the planning process, showing that at a time when we very much need to be building more houses, a number of individuals could frustrate the process to the detriment of young couples who want to occupy their home. It is shameful and needs to be addressed. I took a call early this morning on my way to Dublin from somebody third hand who relayed to me a very similar situation about a building project in the west of Ireland involving hundreds of houses. An individual, who had previously been a candidate for the local elections in another jurisdiction, had attempted to extort close to €500,000 from developers. They refused to pay and threatened legal action. When they did, a senior politician involved himself to look for leniency for the individual. Unfortunately, the development has not gone ahead and, based upon the third-hand information provided to me, I expect that there will be legal action. The effort to extort the money would seem to have been far more daring than what we saw last night.
I can only conclude from what I have seen in the programme, and the bits and pieces of information that I have been picking up over the course of the morning, that this practice may be more widespread. I want a debate in this House on the abuse of the planning process and I want the Government to bring forward a plan fairly quickly to address these legacy issues.
I suggest that a special unit be established within An Garda Síochána to look into what will, undoubtedly, be numerous bits of information coming forward. It should not be for us to investigate. That is the principal job of An Garda Síochána.
We saw the best of RTÉ last night and the worst of it yesterday. GAAGO is putting many matches behind a paywall. RTÉ would be wise to understand, in an effort to rebuild confidence among the public and in expecting the State to fund its operations, that putting so many games behind a paywall is wrong. I was particularly incensed by the comments of the president of the GAA, who would do well to remember his role. It was recognised in this House by him being given an opportunity to address us. When he was asked what GAAGO made last year, he said it covered its expenses. That kind of obfuscation is unnecessary. One of its spokespeople came on the radio this morning on "Morning Ireland" and told us it needs to collect this money because it needs to build facilities. Most of the funding that goes into building those facilities is provided by this State.
The Senator is in injury time. At the risk of causing the ire of others, the point the Senator made was very worthwhile. As a Cork person, I am very disappointed to see that four, potentially, of Cork's matches will be behind a paywall. I am in favour of GAAGO but it is a conflict of interest for RTÉ. We pay the licence fee and pay a second time to watch things. The Senator made a good point. I agree with him. I should not interfere but I cannot help myself because it is very wrong.
I appreciate the Cathaoirleach's support.
Several weeks ago, I had a Commencement matter about the Snunu family - a Syrian woman, Nouralhuda, and her three children, Ahmet, Mohamed and Rital. Rital is a little girl; she is only three years old. They have been detained in Kuala Lumpur International Airport since May in a small room with a hole in the ground for toileting. The temperature is over 30°C with massive humidity. They are under threat of deportation to Damascus, where they will face execution. There is no doubt about that. Nouralhuda's brothers and her parents are all Irish citizens. They live in the Carlow area. I brought this to the attention of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, through the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, and the House a few weeks ago. They were on the point of deportation. My office has been in daily and weekly contact with the Malaysian Embassy and the authorities in Kuala Lumpur. I feel we are on our own. This family is on the point of deportation to Damascus. All they need is their visa application and appeal to be processed by the Department of Justice but it is not happening. I am terrified that they will be deported and face death. The children's heads have been shaved in the last few weeks and they have been beaten - a three-year-old girl is being beaten. Her Irish family, the Snunus, have businesses all around Carlow and make a great contribution to this State. They are pleading with us. They were in Leinster House a few weeks ago. Kitty Holland covered the story in The Irish Times. All of them were weeping. I do not know what to say but I prevail upon the Leader, if she has any influence with the Ministers, to please ask them to expedite their visa so that this woman and her children can be reunited with their family.
Another issue I wish to raise is the Department of Social Protection's Green Paper on disability reform. I saw an ad on the side of the bus that stated Aldi has the best value turkey for Christmas. This is the biggest turkey this side of Christmas. The disability reform Green Paper is a travesty. I remind the House that I tabled a Private Members' debate on the issue. It proposes to medically categorise disabled citizens on their capacity to work. This is an austerity measure that has been completely discredited in the UK, which our officials in the Department of Social Protection have photocopied. It flies in the face of the aspirations and ambitions set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We will have a peaceful protest on Thursday outside the Dáil between 12 noon and 2 p.m. I ask Members to come out and meet the disabled citizens who are terrified by this.
It is a retrograde, Dickensian, instrumentalist view of disabled citizens that is the essence of ableism. It has to be dropped. It is going to bring the Government into disrepute. I ask it to desist.
I support Senator Clonan's comments on the Green Paper on disability. We saw it at a meeting of the social protection committee and I am really disturbed by it. Unfortunately, I am travelling to Paris on Thursday so I cannot join the Senator for the protest, but I urge the Leader to listen very carefully to what he is saying. The paper is straight out of the fascist playbook of the 1980s. It is horrific and really needs to be put to an end.
I want to raise the issue of Palestine once again, starting with a quote from Mahmoud Mushtaha, a journalist in Gaza. I heard him on The Echo Chamber Podcast, a podcast I cannot recommend highly enough. He referred to all the nights the people have not slept because of intensive bombing everywhere and smoke everywhere. He said he went into the street with some of his family and does not know where they are now, adding that people are crying and screaming and do not know where to go. He asked where the rule of the United Nations is and whether it is okay to leave people dying in Gaza without a reason, without anything.
It is very clear now that the pause was just that, a pause in the genocide, a pause to allow women and children who were held hostage to be rightly returned to their families so Israel could then continue to bomb and murder women and children in Gaza. That is what it is doing. The latest figures show 15,800 deaths, 70% of which are of women and children. It is nothing less than genocide.
I have to ask again where the consequences for Israel are. How can any of us talk about human rights, China and the illegal war that Russia is still pursuing, wrongly, in Ukraine if we are not prepared to call for consequences for what we are witnessing day in and day out, which is genocide? The stories become more horrific. Israel is murdering journalists, doctors and ambulance drivers and there is indiscriminate carpet bombing, yet we have nothing to say about the consequences. We have to have something to say about consequences. We know what we can do; we can follow Belgium's lead and pass the occupied territories Bill – a Bill that has been copied in Belgium and passed to take a stand for human rights. We could recognise the state of Palestine, support Deputy John Brady's divestment Bill, take action, stand up and take a lead for ourselves, our dignity and the dignity and lives of the Palestinians. Simply saying what is happening is awful is not good enough. We are in a position to and must take action. I cannot see how it is going to be okay for us all to head off for Christmas next week knowing that, according to a British defence spokesperson I heard on the radio this morning, this genocide is going to continue throughout December and January, at the very least. How can that possibly be okay? The Government has to step up and now say what the consequences will be for Israel, for the sake of us all.
I, too, want to speak about Palestine and the horrific resumption of bombing after the brief truce. It is absolutely heart-shattering. That is the only way I can describe it. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the past few days. It was reported this morning that one child is being murdered every ten minutes in Gaza. The Israelis are now stepping up their bombing campaigns in southern Gaza, the place they told civilians to flee to at the outset of the invasion. There is literally nowhere to go and nowhere for the people of Gaza to hide. As my colleague has implied, genocide is unfolding live on our televisions and phone screens. It is very hard to watch. To see parents carrying their dead children in Gaza is horrific. It is really hard not to fall into despair. I do believe that being vocal and taking action does help slightly. I commend the tens of thousands of people who are mobilising all over Ireland.
In every city and town, people are coming together to demand real, tangible consequences for the war crimes Israel is committing on an hourly basis. People are marching, sitting in, boycotting, teaching and learning to save lives and to end this nightmare. We have a lot to learn from the moral courage and commitment of Palestine solidarity activists. We must not sit on the fence or equivocate. We are speeding towards the mass murder and expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza. Half-hearted calls for a ceasefire are not enough. We need to fight for an EU-wide arms embargo on Israel and for a suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement on human rights grounds. We need to pass the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018. It is really important at this point.
Thankfully, our local democracy appears to reflect the strength of public passion better than our Government, I might add. I thank Dublin City Council, South Dublin County Council, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Cork and Limerick councils and others that have passed motions that have included demands such as supporting a boycott of Israel, recognising it is committing the crime of apartheid against the Palestinians, and flying the Palestinian flag as a gesture of solidarity during this crisis.
Well said.
I thank the councillors involved for their bravery and commitment in reflecting the views of their constituents, and it is time for us here in Leinster House who are involved in national politics to follow their lead.
With the permission of Senators, the next Senator I am going to call on to speak will be Senator Aisling Dolan, in light of the fact that members of the Roscommon branch of the Parkinson's Association of Ireland are here. They are guests of Senator Dolan. I welcome them all most sincerely to Leinster House and thank them for being here.
I thank the Cathaoirleach and Senators for being kind enough. I acknowledge that we have the Roscommon branch of the Parkinson's Association of Ireland here today. So many of our families know what it is like to engage with the Parkinson's Association of Ireland and the supports it offers. I was very lucky during the year to attend an event with my family at Oran GAA Club in Oran, County Roscommon. They did a walk in Roscommon to promote, engage and fundraise for the Parkinson's Association of Ireland. I welcome the members who are here today to highlight it. I wish them a lovely day and hope they enjoy the experience of being here in Leinster House as part of our democracy and seeing democracy in action, which is absolutely crucial.
Separately, will the Leader arrange for the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, to come to the House to speak to us, please? We have had a disastrous announcement by the ICBF with regard to the star ratings of beef cattle. We are looking at Limousins and Charolais having their star rating wiped off the board last week. We need an explanation as to why this system has been brought in by the ICBF, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, in this way. We need to understand that this has a massive impact on farmers who have signed up to the SCEP scheme. In no shape or form are they able to manage this level of change that has been brought through without any transparency that is apparent to farmers on the ground. We need to see if we can get some forward action with the Minister and the Department of Agriculture working with the ICBF on how to support farmers, especially in the west.
I received notice the other day of a situation that has unfolded in Coole, County Westmeath. I was informed by a concerned group of residents on the ground that a newly refurbished apartment block is being used to house international protection applicants. I was supplied with the details of one family who recently moved into this accommodation. This family, from Bangladesh, left their country on 11 October and travelled to the UK. They stayed in the UK for 25 days. After this, they travelled to Belfast. Upon arrival in Belfast airport, they made their way south into the Republic and presented to the IP office here in Dublin and made a claim for asylum. I am told that, on that very day, they were taken by taxi to an apartment block in Coole, which comprised three to five-bedroom apartments. They were told that one of those apartments was theirs. Shockingly, after being dropped off by their taxi, there was no one from international protection nor the building management there to greet them or grant them access to the building.
The people who ended up looking after them were the locals who have been protesting the use of that building for housing asylum seekers, truly the actions of the xenophobic far right.
The International Protection Office form specifies that this family's entry to the State was illegal, with the reason for requesting asylum listed as "other". To put it bluntly, this whole scenario is a shambles. Stories like this make people mad; that someone can pop over to Ireland from Bangladesh, via the UK, and be given own-door accommodation within 24 hours. It is stories like this that make people feel the Government is, as a matter of policy, prioritising immigrants over Irish people. If this is not the case, then the Government is doing a rotten job of dispelling that impression. The lack of answers from the Government is fuelling speculation and irritation. May we please have a debate in the House as soon as possible on the Government's immigration policy?
I was concerned yesterday to hear that a survey from Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind seems to show an increase in guide dog users being refused entrance to pubs, restaurants and, which is even more concerning, medical facilities. It is the law that somebody who uses a guide dog must have access to all public and private buildings. Unfortunately, that seems to be an issue. I ask the Leader to write to the Minister for Justice to see whether there is any way of strengthening the laws by increasing the fines or at least creating a structure of fines such that when access is refused, there is a punishment and a comeback.
Last Friday morning, I attended the launch at St. Brendan's College, Killarney, of Vision Sports Ireland's toolkit to assist PE teachers in helping blind and visually impaired students to become more physically active. David Clifford and young Michael O'Brien were there to do the launch with me. It was a very special day. What impressed me most was the inclusivity of St. Brendan's College, which is famous for producing serious GAA footballers over the years, with David Clifford being the current PE teacher. The school does not just offer Gaelic sports. There is a wealth of other sports and activities, with everything from handball to wall climbing to drama on offer. The ethos of the school is just phenomenal. I was seriously impressed. It is a model that should be used in all community schools throughout the country. I pay tribute to the principal, Sean Coffey, and his fantastic group of teachers for how the ethos of the school is so inclusive to everybody, thereby ensuring every young person achieves his or her potential, whether in acting, sport, academia or apprenticeships. It is a model for schools throughout the country and I wish everybody there all the best for the future.
I welcome to the Gallery the students and their teacher from CBS High School, Clonmel. Cuirim fáilte roimh gach duine. I thank them for being here today and hope they have a very pleasant visit to Leinster House.
I stand in support of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, and An Garda Síochána, and in staunch opposition to the political games being played by Sinn Féin today. When the country is in shock, when emotions and stakes are high and people are trying to get their heads around the frightening reality of the far right, they look to their politicians for stability, not point-scoring. The Government is accountable for its actions and decisions, as is the Garda. Accountability should be embraced by us all, even when it is hard and not just when it suits.
Just one week before the riots, on 15 November, family members of one of the disappeared, Columba McVeigh, said they were considering legal action to require people to tell the truth following the sixth failed search for Columba's remains in Bragan Bog in County Monaghan.
Members of Sinn Féin are those people. On 19 November, a European free speech body wrote to Sinn Féin. It said the stream of legal cases by its members had the hallmarks of strategic lawsuits, some would say to stifle scrutiny and accountability past and present. On 24 November, as part of the ongoing legal challenges to the legacy Bill in Belfast, a barrister for the Northern Ireland Office was able to refer to Sinn Féin as saying one thing in public meetings and another in private meetings. As with others, the IRA will work to suppress the truth of its 1,700 murders, including of gardaí, servants of the state and 319 members of the RUC. Some were murdered from the shadows, some were shot in the back or murdered by a car bomb on the way to church. Accountability applies to us all and it cannot be cherry-picked.
On a point of order, a Chathaoirligh.
Go ahead.
I apologise for this. I was in my office and I heard a contribution on the floor that identified a family from Bangladesh and the small town in which they are now living.
The small village.
It is a small village. I think that exposes them to hostile scrutiny and possibly worse. We should have a discussion and a healthy debate about immigration and the challenges we have with housing and accommodation. We should absolutely have a debate, but it is wrong and unethical to highlight one particular family in this way given the volatile scenes we have seen recently.
It is appalling.
I am very upset by it and I would be terrified that that family and their children will be exposed to hostile scrutiny or possibly worse. I am asking the Cathaoirleach whether we have any scope to remove that from the record.
We unfortunately do not.
On a point of order.
No.
It is no disrespect to the speaker whatsoever.
I appreciate that.
On a point of order.
I am going to deal with the first point of order first.
Okay.
I will chair the proceedings, if that is okay.
That is okay.
I am getting tired now of people trying to tell me how to do my job up here. I accepted the Senator's point of order. I make the point generally to Members in the House, as I have done before and did earlier on the Order of Business, that Members are entitled to make points and make contributions. This is a political Chamber. I appeal to Members to exercise great care in what they say, in how they say it and I have made the point here before and I am going to say it again. I have been the victim, as the Chair, on social media for some of the comments from the Chair when I am trying to uphold the rules of the House. Senator Clonan is right that great care should be taken, especially by Members, regarding people or persons who may be potentially vulnerable or identifiable who are not here to defend themselves in some cases. I appeal to all Members, irrespective of what you say or what your belief is, to be aware that how you say something is very important. I make that point again. I am not having a row with anybody. I am not having a discussion on anything. I am asking Members to take due care in what they say and how they say it.
Senator Keogan has a point of order.
I thank the Cathaoirleach. I appreciate the comments my good colleague has made about the details I have disclosed here. I had a lengthy discussion with the concerned group, who were protesting since October on this-----
Senator Keogan-----
This is a point of order-----
That is not a point of order. That is continuing debate.
The point of order is-----
I am sorry.
I am sorry, the point of order-----
I am sorry, Senator-----
----is in relation----
Senator, please. Gabh mo leithscéal.
Can I make----
That is not a point of order. Are you looking for guidance?
That is not a point of order. It is not a point of order.
If the Chair would allow me to finish-----
I heard the Senator. She made her contribution. The point she made-----
Then the Chair should----
Senator, will you resume your seat, please?
Apologise and withdraw.
Apologise and withdraw what?
For identifying-----
Senator Dooley, thank you. Senator Keogh, will you resume your seat, please?
I have informed the concerned group-----
I am sorry, but will you resume your seat, please?
-----that it must embrace the immigrants that have entered its community----
Will you show respect for the Chair, please?
-----and that that is the responsible thing to do as a community.
I am sorry, Senator. Will you please-----
The group has stopped the protest----
-----resume your seat?
-----at that facility.
That was not a point of order. You are not showing respect for the Chair or the House. I have been fair to all Members of the House. I do not like the prevailing attitude that the Chair is something Members can bypass to make contributions. I am asking the Senator to resume her seat. That was not a point of order.
I call Senator Lombard.
That last debate needs to be looked at, Chair.
Thank you. Just get on with the Order of Business, please. We will get to the end of the Order of Business.
If I can. It is more of a minor issue than our serious debate of the past few minutes. I concur with my colleague from Clare and the Cathaoirleach’s good self on what is happening at the GAA. I fundamentally oppose the proposal concerning GAAGO. It makes no logical sense that three of Cork’s four games, or potentially all four, will now be pay-per-view. The GAA has lost its core principles. I attended the AGM of my local club last Thursday. There were 32 or 33 people in the room. That community is the GAA. They are the ones who keep the GAA working. What the corporate level is doing is sinful by looking for €79 to watch these matches on a pay-per-view service. If people pay before Christmas, they get €10 off. This is what we are talking about. This is the new Sky Sports in town. This is a serious issue. The GAA picked Cork because of its 600,000 people. That is a large platform, with big money for big advertising. Let us not shy away from why the GAA picked us.
We need a debate on where the GAA is going as an entity. I am appalled by it. This carry-on is a disgrace. The Cathaoirleach is a GAA man, I am a GAA man and many of the Senators present are GAA people. What the Cork County Board needs to do is stand up and not just lie down like it has. There is an onus of responsibility on it to do something about this. I have heard nothing yet to prove that it is standing up for its public. I would like the Cathaoirleach’s support in my call for the county board to do something and stand up for its supporters. What is happening is not good enough.
I thank the Senators who contributed.
Senator Kyne rose to speak, as he has done numerous times, about issues pertaining to Inland Fisheries Ireland. He once again requested a debate on the matter. I have requested that debate but have not been successful in securing it with the Minister. The Senator has raised some serious issues relating to governance and equity in how Inland Fisheries Ireland does its business. I hope that his words are being listened to and heard where they need to be. There are questions to be answered. I will again make the request to the Minister to have that discussion. As Senator Kyne pointed out, he is not raising these issues lightly, but because he truly believes that doing so is in the public interest. I concur with those remarks.
Senator Dooley spoke about the “RTÉ Investigates” programme, which I am sure everyone watched last night or has read the reports on. It was shocking to watch the footage that emerged. I am sure we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg with what people managed to catch on video and that there are many other instances that have not been caught. The planning system and planning process have already seen challenges, but people need to trust in the system. We are making considerable changes in terms of the climate agenda and how we do our planning. Senators have consistently raised issues around rural planning and one-off housing, including the challenges in getting homes built. I note from watching the show last night that many of the contributors were, for obvious reasons, very cautious in their language in how they responded to what they had seen. They might have been fearful of ending up in the courts on defamation proceedings, but in this House, I suppose we can say it more as it is. From what I saw last night, there were clear attempts to influence the planning process, not for environmental reasons, but for money and to line one’s pockets. To put it mildly, it was disappointing to see what came out last night.
Sometimes developers are painted in a very poor light and generally not fairly so. We need people to build homes, housing estates and housing developments and the fact that a barrier would be put in their way is an issue. The fact that the planning system takes so long to deal with complaints of that nature or with people making observations or submitting objections needs to be addressed because it is a breeding ground for allowing people to be a bit cute in how they approach their objections and how they deal with people who are trying to progress housing projects. I have no doubt there will be a significant reaction from the Minister to what he saw last night. We will request a debate. The Planning and Development Bill has only gone through Second Stage in the Dáil so it will be quite some time before it gets to us. It has to go through Committee Stage in the other House too but I will request a debate on planning in general. At this stage, that debate will not happen before the new year and we will have that big Bill coming through this House next year as well.
The Senator also spoke about GAAGO, as did Senator Lombard and the Cathaoirleach. We are all concerned with the direction in which the GAA is going and disappointed with the number of matches that will be behind a paywall next year, given the significant costs involved. The Tánaiste has strongly expressed his concern that people are being prevented or blocked from watching the national game unless they can pay for it on a pay-per-view basis. The amount of money involved is significant and I am concerned that the GAA might lose the room on this. The initial idea behind GAAGO was to allow people living abroad to watch the game, to keep it alive and to allow the diaspora to have access. That was a really good, well-intentioned endeavour but it seems to have morphed into something else now and there are questions to be answered. It might be an issue for the Oireachtas committee on sport to delve into further.
Senator Clonan spoke about the Snunu family's visa applications. He gave us a really harrowing account of what those three children and their mum are going through. I will write to the Minister to try to get those applications expedited. I do not know why they are taking so long. I do not have any more details other than those put on the record by Senator Clonan but I will link in with him on it afterwards. He also raised the disability Green Paper, which he has done previously in the House, as has Senator Gavan. It is a discussion paper and it is going to be discussed further. I appreciate there are different views on it. Hopefully we will get an opportunity in the new year to have a debate on it and I have requested same with the Minister's office.
Senators Gavan and Black raised the issue of the ongoing conflict in Palestine and in Gaza in particular and the resumption of fighting there. Everybody is completely appalled at what is going on. We had hoped that the ceasefire would be maintained. Indeed, with each extra day there was more hope and it was great to see the release of hostages and of prisoners from Israel. It is a really terrible situation. Our Government has done a good job on this issue to date. Sometimes we have been in the minority at EU level but we are using our voice, as a member state and a small country, to try to advocate for peace. We are a country for peace and we believe in a two-state solution and the right of both the Israelis anfd Palestinians to co-exist peacefully, side by side. I know that seems a long way off right now but we should never lose sight of the fact that as a country we are a voice for peace. The Government's record reflects that position, which is the position of the Irish people.
Senator Dolan spoke about the Parkinson's Association of Ireland and the fantastic work it does. She has also requested a debate with the Minister for agriculture, Deputy McConalogue on the star rating for cattle. I suggest that a Commencement matter might be the wiser option first as the Senator raises quite a specific topic.
Senator Keogan spoke about immigration. I will not get into the details of the comment as there has already been a back and forth with the Chair on it but I have already requested a debate on immigration. It has been requested by Senator Keogan and others in previous weeks and I am hopeful that we can have that debate in the new year. It will not happen before the end of the year but hopefully we will come to it in the new term. There is considerable interest across the House in having a discussion on immigration. It is a big challenge for the State. So far, as a country, we have done a good job although we are not getting everything right. There are huge numbers coming in and we are finding that challenging to deal with because we have a housing crisis as well as an immigration challenge. It is a real challenge for us but overall, as a country, we have responded with humanity, compassion and care. We have done a good job to date in managing exceptional numbers, the likes of which we have never seen before. It is a topic that we will discuss. It is important that middle-ground politicians talk about these issues as well and that we do not leave it to the extremes to have conversations, particularly where there might be a vacuum of information. It is important that facts are given and that we have that discussion in both Houses of the Oireachtas.
Senator Conway spoke about guide dogs being precluded from certain public areas and of the need to remind people that the law states that guide dogs are permitted in all areas.
He also spoke about St. Brendan’s secondary school in Killarney and the launch of a toolkit there to allow more people who are visually impaired to participate in PE. He was pleased to launch that with David Clifford and others in Killarney. It sounds like a fantastic toolkit. He spoke about the inclusivity of the school. It was a proud moment for him to attend the school on that occasion.
Senator Currie spoke about issues pertaining to the justice Minister and the Garda. The motion she referenced is a matter for the other House. I concur with the Senator’s remarks that accountability is required across the board and that, sometimes, those in glasshouses should not throw stones.
Finally, Senator Lombard again spoke about the GAA issue, in particular from the Cork aspect. Many of their games appear to be planned to be behind the paywall. He has taken the view that perhaps Cork was selected because it is a big population centre. That might be a matter the sports committee should look at. I think it is in the public interest to have a further debate and get more clarity. Many questions have been asked about the money that is coming in, such as where it is going and why it is needed. Senator Dooley made the important point that many of these sports facilities around the country, as we know, are funded by the State by sports capital. It is important to remember that in the context of making sure people have access to their national game, be that football or hurling.
We have had a number of issues today and recently. I remind Members they should exercise great care in referencing people outside the Houses either by name or in such a way as to make them identifiable. This is especially important when the people involved are in a vulnerable position. All Members are of course free to express their views on matters of public interest. Whether they are in the majority or the minority is another issue. I remind all Members of this. I will be writing to them today to remind them that we should be very careful what we say in this House, in particular around people who are vulnerable and cannot be here to defend themselves. That is a general point to all Members because we have had a number of issues in the Order of Business. We have had a number of people making communications to us. I am conscious that we are heading towards the end of term. Members are free to say what they want to say but I ask them to please be careful.