The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of a proposal for a decision amending Directive 2014/62/EU as regards certain reporting requirements, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 - Committee Stage (Resumed), to be taken at 1.15 p.m. and to adjourn at 3.15 p.m. if not previously concluded; No. 3, Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 3.15 p.m., and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after two hours by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to recommendations, include only those recommendations set down or accepted by the Government; No. 4, Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 5.15 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 3, whichever is later, and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after three hours 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; and No. 5, motion regarding the earlier signature of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023, to be taken on conclusion of No. 4 without debate.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
I rise with extremely good news. In the past three and a half years, while I have been here, I have regularly spoken about the families who have been created through surrogacy, children born by surrogacy and the future children to be born by surrogacy. I am pleased that the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, has brought the legislative amendments to the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill to the Cabinet today and I have every expectation that they will be approved because they have already been through quite a process.
It is important that I pay tribute to the members of Irish Families Through Surrogacy, who are in the Gallery this morning. They are Ciara Merrigan, chair, Cathy Wheatley, spokesperson, Sara Byrne, public relations officer, and Andrei Balcanasu. I also remember Lisa Cahill who was unable to make it this morning. We look forward to receiving a briefing from the Department of Health later and finding out exactly what this looks like. We already know, however, that the recommendations of the Joint Committee on International Surrogacy were that there be a pre-conception process that safeguards the rights and needs of the surrogate and the rights of the children to their identities, process and natural lifelong relationship with both of their parents. The legislative amendments will also provide a retrospective provision for those of us who already have children via surrogacy and to ensure the recognition of the second parent. Currently under Irish law, only the biological father has the opportunity to have his lifelong legal relationship safeguarded and the second parent, be it a mother or second dad, has no means by which to get that security.
It is important to note that many people have gone through a lot of losses by the time they take the surrogacy journey. They do so looking forward to holding their baby, safeguarding everything about that baby, cherishing that baby in the way they want to and honouring everyone in the process. We hear about the odd outlier cases in the surrogacy journey in which the surrogate's rights are not upheld. No one enters surrogacy with a view to doing anything other than respecting and cherishing the surrogate for our child for all our lives. The first thing I do on my child's birthday is to think of the surrogate and honour her and the extraordinary position she has put us in as a family. A lot of campaigning has been done by Irish Families Through Surrogacy and Irish Gay Dads. They have worked tirelessly to bring us to today. We still have a process to follow. The amendments are due to be discussed in the health committee in January and the process will begin. I am awaiting the thumbs up from the Taoiseach's office, as soon as a decision is made at Cabinet. I especially congratulate the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and the Ministers, Deputies McEntee and O'Gorman, but Deputy Donnelly headed this up in the past year and worked with his officials, so I congratulate him on all the hard work.
We extend céad míle fáilte to the group and thank them for their advocacy and work.
I join Senator Seery Kearney in complimenting the group in situ and recognise her for the work she has done. Of course, others have rightly identified that there was an issue that needed to be resolved, but her perseverance, personal interest and legal knowledge and expertise have been very helpful in ensuring parents like her and others will be treated appropriately by Irish law and not be disenfranchised as they have been to date. That is great work. If she had done nothing else, although she has done a lot more, that is something she could be rightly proud of.
Today at COP28, we hear of the difficulties of OPEC and other fossil fuel-dominant countries holding the rest of the world to ransom. It is disheartening, but a strong team is there fighting the cause and we hope they will have some success. We can do more here at home, however, to address this issue and I am conscious floating offshore wind is one of the great potentials this country has, not just for economic development here but also to power large parts of Europe from the rest of Ireland without the need for carbon emissions. Other countries in Europe are moving ahead. Scotland and other parts of Britain and Portugal have embraced the opportunity and are steaming ahead. We have been talking about it for a long time but in terms of actual flesh on the bones, we have been relatively slow to make progress.
I would like a debate on this in the new year. We talk about bringing power onshore by 2032, but a lot has to happen. All the infrastructure has to be built and port development has to take place. We have to build wind turbines and the platforms on which they will reside, well out into the Atlantic Ocean. That takes time, and I do not feel as though the level of co-ordination is there to make it happen. The vision is there and the policy is moving but I do not believe we have the operational approach. I appeal to the Government to look at embedding a unit within the IDA to co-ordinate this activity with all the stakeholders and interest groups to try to bring it to fruition. I am also conscious that, from a policy perspective, we need to move. A third phase of the future framework policy is scheduled for quarter 1 of 2024, and it is important that part of that will ensure the designation of the marine area plans be undertaken. In addition, I believe a 400 MW floating wind demonstrator, to be included in the renewable energy support scheme, should form a part of that phase. If we are to get to our target of bringing the power ashore by 2032, we will need to have taken steps well in advance of that.
I concur with the Senator's remarks regarding Senator Seery Kearney and her work and thank her as well.
I raise the issue of Ireland's future and what the Government’s plans for it are. Two areas of importance relate to the brain drain and birthrates. It is no secret that many Irish people and foreign nationals are educated in Ireland at the taxpayers' expense only to move abroad and take their education, experience and social capital elsewhere. While, of course, the free legal movement of people can be of benefit and Ireland has a long history of emigration, it does somewhat amount to money out of our pockets and into those of other countries, which will receive income tax from people who have been educated and paid for by the Irish taxpayer. Of course, tax is not the be-all and end-all; it is more so the case that we really need those people here.
One of the sectors in which this phenomenon is most often observed is healthcare. Irish doctors and nurses flee the country on qualifying because there are many greener pastures for our young healthcare professionals. Their vacant posts are then filled by immigrants who are also leaving a worse country or situation for a better one. The point is often made when we debate immigration that the HSE could not run without immigrants and it is presented as a sort of 'gotcha' moment to those who propose decreased immigration, but the question is never asked as to why our national healthcare system is reliant on the labour of foreign persons or whether it is desirable that it is. Why is our healthcare system, the most expensive in the EU by some metrics, so bad that our young doctors and nurses flee the country to escape working in it? Maybe if young professionals had any reasonable expectations of a place to live, that might make them stay, but they do not, of course.
Earlier this year, a poll found that when young people in Ireland aged 18 to 24 were asked if the accommodation crisis would make them consider leaving Ireland, 75% said "Yes". The brain drain affects every sector, even Cabinet, as we are set to lose the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to the IMF, and maybe the Minister, Deputy McGrath, to Europe. I hope this is not a sign of the sinking ship.
Last week, we had to address Ireland's population graph and its demographics. Countries across the EU are starting to wake up to just how much trouble will be caused by Europe's collapsing birth rates. As populations age, new workers must be found to pay for the elderly. Some countries, such as Germany, have turned to immigration to try to solve this. This approach brings its own problems. Ireland's birth rate has decreased steadily since 2008. It is down by 20% in the last ten years. It is a demographic time bomb. Is the Government aware if this? If so, what Minister will do something to address it?
We should take the Senator's advice and go to Paddy Power to put money on the two Ministers being appointed.
I hope it goes great.
Yesterday a new planning and environmental court was officially launched in a bid to speed up complex judicial review cases. A UN worldwide report, commissioned in 2016, concerning the adjudication of environmental disputes, concluded that the establishment of environmental courts and tribunals is a key step in improving the adjudication of environmental disputes. The Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss held that the State has comprehensively failed to adequately fund, implement and, most importantly, enforce existing national legislation and policies and EU biodiversity laws and directives related to biodiversity, and that this has got to change.
The judge tasked with the serious responsibility of managing this new division of the High Court, Mr. Justice Richard Humphreys, said yesterday, "The document-heavy, technicality-heavy and EU-law heavy nature of Planning and Environmental cases is such that a significant number of them are relatively anomalous in a regular list and present in such a context as relatively time-consuming and problematic. The new specialised court will be better placed to keep track of developments in this complex area than would arise if such cases were dealt with in a general list." Clíona Kimber SC, head of the climate bar, said yesterday that she hoped the new court will be the start of a new approach to the enforcement of existing national legislation and that this new court, launched yesterday, will be the start of meeting "the defining challenge of our age", which is climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
The specialised court will enable the development of a high level of judicial expertise, with expert judges. Mr. Justice Humphreys, Mr. Justice Holland and Ms Justice Emily Farrell are the first three. I hope the resources will be doubled in due course, in the lifetime of this Government. This was an issue that was a matter of keen interest for the Green Party in the negotiated and agreed programme for Government. We were also keen to ensure that it would be implemented during the lifetime of this Government. This is a positive day for the environment. It is a good news story. I acknowledge the role of the Minister for Justice and the two other parties in this Government that made it possible.
I begin by also acknowledging the fine work of Senator Seery Kearney on the surrogacy Bill. I have witnessed it first-hand.
I want to once again raise the issue of Palestine and, in particular, the very powerful lobby we have received over the last week calling for the EU-Israel Association Agreement to be terminated. This is the correct call to make and I am calling on the Government to make that call at Thursday's EU Council meeting. Earlier, I looked at the extent of sanctions that have rightly been applied against Russia. It would take me the best part of the next three minutes to go through all of them but they are really extensive. They include crude oil, coal and other fossil fuels, steel, gold, cement, asphalt, wood, paper, seafood, liquor, cigarettes and cosmetics. That is in place because of the illegal invasion of Ukraine.
We are all witnessing genocide. No one can even dispute that any more. The figures are horrific with 18,000 deaths, of which 70% are women and children, yet the EU refuses to impose sanctions. They are witnessing genocide and they are refusing to anything about it, effectively giving a green light. Let us also here record the shameful vote of the United States against a ceasefire at the UN last week. We have to do more and we have to do better. I have been consistently making this call. The Irish Government has an opportunity to do better this week and I really hope it does so. It is entirely inexcusable to on the one hand justify sanctions against Russia while refusing to apply those same sanctions against a country committing acts of genocide daily. I am calling for an urgent debate on that matter. I am really fearful, as we head into Christmas, as to what the situation will be when we return here in mid-January.
The second issue I wish to raise is the ongoing crisis in our health service. Members may have heard Phil Ní Sheaghdha on the radio yesterday. There were 747 patients on trolleys. She expressed the strongest concern about what is happening in our health service as we head into another winter crisis. She said the first thing that has to be done is lift the restrictions on recruitment. That is a common-sense argument. More beds need to be opened but they cannot be opened because there is a moratorium on hiring staff. This is entirely a crisis of the Government’s making. Again, I fear what we will face when we come back in January. The fact there were 32 children on trolleys yesterday is entirely unacceptable. There were 106 patients on trolleys in Limerick this morning. The situation continues to get worse. The first thing the Government needs to do is lift the embargo on recruitment. It sends all the wrong signals to those willing to come home and work in our health service. More importantly, it prevents us from dealing with the crisis this winter. I am calling for an urgent debate as soon as we come back after the Christmas break.
First I want to say to Senator Keogan: a few weeks ago you had a health scare. It is public knowledge. When you went to the hospital-----
Sorry -----
I ask Senators to be curamach with the language in terms of personal issues and to comment through the Chair as well. Thank you.
Okay. If any Member of this House was to have a stroke or heart attack or collapse right now and they had to go to the accident and emergency department, would they really give a damn about the colour of the person’s skin or what country they come from?
Well said.
I would love for people to answer that question for me. Keeping it on equality, last week the Cathaoirleach hosted an event around Pride here in Leinster House. I was so proud to be there as a member of the Traveller community and, most importantly, to admire the work of Senator David Norris over the past 30 years in this House and the changes he has made in Irish society. I want to congratulate the Cathaoirleach on that event. Hopefully, the next Seanad and the next Dáil will have more visible diversity and equality.
I also take this opportunity to thank the ushers, the restaurant staff, the bar staff, all the PAs and the clerks in this House who work so hard and always have a smile on their faces and give us the best support they can.
Thank you. I remind all Members that the Order of Business is for raising matters particular to the Order of Business as opposed to other issues. I thank the Senator for her remarks. We are moving to the two-minute slots.
Like others, I would like to pay tribute to Senator Mary Seery Kearney for all of her work on the surrogacy issue. She brought her personal story but she has clearly delivered on this issue. I want to say, "Well done".
On the other issue, I want to pay tribute to all of our healthcare workers, including many of those who come from all over the world. I see at first hand the vital work they do, in particular during the Christmas season. We should remember that Christ himself had to seek refuge. It is important to remember those who have to flee their homelands to seek refuge in other places.
Hear, hear.
The Leader will be aware of the hurricane that happened in Leitrim and the impact it has had. I have raised in the House previous similar incidents in Foulksmills in south Wexford. Extensive damage was done to a number of homes as a result of winds blowing at a rate of up to 130 km/h. Any of the much needed supports for Leitrim village should also be made available to those in Foulksmills. Only very limited supports have been made available. This speaks to the bigger issue of the increased number of adverse climate events we are experiencing in this country. It has an impact on insurance because more businesses and properties are now not insurable due to adverse weather events. It is critical that we have a debate around the levels of support that are available to homes and businesses as a result of adverse weather events, whether that is flooding, as we have seen in places like Midleton, or the hurricanes we have seen in Leitrim and Foulksmills. I hope we can facilitate that debate in the new year.
I wish to start by paying tribute to my colleague Senator Seery Kearney. The work she has done in committee, the House, the Fine Gael Party and with other political parties has been outstanding. Today is a very proud day not just for Mary, her husband Dave and their daughter Scarlett, but for all of the families whose lives have been demonstrably improved because of Mary and her actions in the Oireachtas
Moving on to perhaps less glamorous issues, Hackballscross is an area in north Louth. That is the name of it. Senator Gavan's party gets a lot of votes in that particular area, but I not so much. To be brief, Hackballscross is a townland in north Louth. It borders south Armagh. My colleague in Dundalk-Carlingford is Councillor John Reilly. I accept this issue is more appropriate for a Commencement debate but given the time constraints this week, I would like to raise it now. Councillor Reilly has done a huge amount of work in north Louth and the Cooley Peninsula to make sure that mobile blackspots have been improved. He has done that by ensuring mobile phone companies are able to upgrade their masts throughout the north Louth area. The one area he is having a problem in is in Hackballscross. As is the case with some Garda stations around the country, there are legacy issues about who owns the land beside the Garda station. We do not know whether it is owned by the OPW or the Department of Justice. We do not know whether the phone company has the right to upgrade the mast. As a result of the triangulation of no one taking responsibility, people in that part of County Louth have a terrible mobile phone signal, and will continue to have it because no one has the ability to upgrade the phone mast. I accept this would be more beneficial for a Commencement debate, but I ask that we have clarification from the OPW and Department of Justice about where mobile phone masts can be upgraded to get people up to the proper level of service. I am aware that this issue affects at least four or five other Garda stations on the island of Ireland. I would appreciate if we could take a look at providing this clarification in the new year.
Monitor communications around there.
That is a different matter. Thank you.
I wish to join with others in congratulating Senator Mary Seery Kearney on all her championing and advocacy for surrogacy. Like so few in here, she was courageous, brave and bared her personal circumstances around the issue. That is not an easy thing to do; I have done it myself. There have been many disappointments and setbacks along the way, but she was always dignified. She gave witness to her campaign. She had personally walked that road and had that experience. That was potent, strong and powerful. She showed great skill as a parliamentarian and I genuinely want to salute her and say, "Well done" for sticking with it when it was not easy.
Again and again, Senator Seery Kearney was back batting for the campaign. Her unique insight into her own story and that of her family recently on television was exceptionally moving. Well done and fair play to her.
Regarding fisheries, I raise the issue of our Minister is batting hard in Brussels today in respect of the fish quotas for our fishing community. The fishing and seafood industries do not get enough time on the floor of this House, and many of us represent fishing communities. Some will be aware that on the last day of this month, the Brexit Adjustment Reserve fund runs out. However, there has been somewhat of an exception for An Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM. There were some controversies around the funding that has gone from the Department of agriculture to BIM, which seems to be sitting with BIM, and the Minister is addressing some of those queries.
I ask that we have a focused debate on the fishing industry and the food industry very early in the new year. It is an area that we as an island nation need to concentrate on and keep our fair quotas. I wish the Minister well today as he hopes to expand the catchment and quotas, particularly for mackerel fish, in our Irish waters.
I congratulate Senator Mary Seery Kearney on the fantastic work she did on this issue. On behalf of the Civil Engagement Group, CEG, I say, “Well done”.
I wish to raise Palestine once again. The European Council will meet this week. As the situation in Gaza worsens and the death toll rises, we hear loud and clear right across Ireland and the world the call for action to hold Israel to account. In the EU context, there are a number of things we can and should specifically do. In particular, I urge the Government to push for suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement under Article 82, which allows either party to suspend the agreement for any reason with a six-month sunset clause. That should be a priority for our Government. We should not facilitate trade with countries that are brazenly violating – I repeat, brazenly violating – the human rights of others.
I also ask that the Government seek a suspension of the memorandum of understanding, MOU, between the EU, Israel and Egypt with regard to fossil gas. This MOU is the first such agreement that does not explicitly exclude resources taken from the occupied territories. We quite rightly stopped buying Russian gas when Russia grossly violated international law and we should now be doing the same with Israel.
In the letter he co-signed with EU council colleagues, the Taoiseach rightly said that the EU’s credibility is at stake. I strongly urge the Taoiseach to push for these measures because by allowing trade to continue and even allowing agreements that incentivise the dispossession of Palestinians, we are complicit in what is happening.
We know how dire this situation is and we cannot continue to allow the EU to stand by while horror, death and destruction unfolds in Gaza. I ask the Government to please try to support what I suggest today.
I raise the issue of the chronic shortage of taxis available in many towns and villages throughout the country. I welcome the fact that a new coalition of groups have come together to try to address and highlight this issue. A number of taxi organisations, the hospitality sector, the vintners association and also industry in general have come together to try to shine a light on this chronic problem. I understand this group recently wrote to An Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, on this issue as well.
It is an important issue for many villages and towns throughout the country, particularly in rural Ireland, where it is affecting the night-time economy of those areas. People who wish to go for a night out, for a meal in a local restaurant or to the local pub would love to do so but the problem is that when they do go out, they have no way of getting home. In many cases, they can wait hours. If they are lucky, they may get a taxi. However, in many other instances, people end up with no taxi and have to call somebody to try to get a lift home or, alternatively, end up having to walk home, which is dangerous in the hours of darkness.
It is an issue that needs to be addressed. I welcome the fact that this new coalition group has come together to try to address it. If Members are in agreement, I ask the Leader, on behalf of the House, that we, too, write to the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to highlight this issue and that we arrange a debate when we come back after Christmas. It is important that people go out to socialise, that they go out and meet people at night-time. It has a positive effect on the economy. I would like to ensure that if people do decide to go out, there will be a taxi available to them whenever they decide to head home.
I would like to be associated with the words of congratulations to my colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, on the great work she has done which has brought happiness to so many people. I call for a debate on the wind industry, particularly small, domestic wind turbines. We have seen huge growth in the area of solar panels for rooftops for houses. We could have small, domestic wind turbines in use by thousands of households, farms and small businesses. So many people would take them up. I wonder in some cases if the solar panels are suitable for the Irish climate. For five to six months of the year, they are not that good, whereas we have an abundance of wind. This is an area the Government should have a look at. The House should have a serious debate on small, domestic wind turbines and their promotion when we come back in the new year.
I congratulate and compliment the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI. It carries out inspections and provides grants. The SEAI is one of the most efficient States agencies I have dealt with over many years. I have no doubt that if it were to get involved in this new area of domestic wind turbines, it would become a new industry in the State. I call for a debate in the new year on small, domestic wind turbines.
I compliment my colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, on all her hard work on this initiative, along with many others. Her lived experience is vital to the work of politicians and Departments, in Leinster House and around the country. For too long, we did not have those voices in this Chamber and the issues were not raised or progressed as a result. Change did not come because many others whose voices were not being heard as they were unable to get through the system to have their voices heard. It is because the Senator is here that this change has happened. She has been relentless in her pursuit of the matter, working with colleagues across the House, in the Dáil and in the Departments. It is no small feat to get change in this country, or any country, in a system that is so used to doing things as it always did. It affects such a small group of people that it does not have the critical mass to be able to get momentum but it is required. Hopefully, the progress will continue.
I am delighted colleagues are recognising the great work of our friend and colleague, Senator Mary Seery Kearney, on this legislation, which we would not have today but for the leadership she showed. It sometimes is down to having a person to knit everything together and show leadership. I commend the Senator. Hopefully, the legislation will pass through the Houses without many blips. That would be important.
I also welcome the news that Lisdoonvarna in County Clare is to have its GP service continued. It was a big controversy when the local GP who had given decades of service, Dr. Collins, announced that he was retiring.
Thankfully, as a result of the great work and advocacy of Councillor Joe Garrihy and others, including me, the HSE is in a position to appoint a doctor, starting at the beginning of February. The news is even better. There is a graduate fellowship and, therefore, there is going to be a pilot scheme involving a graduate doctor based in Lisdoonvarna three days a week. That person has commenced the fellowship. It is a new programme completed funded by the HSE where a graduate doctor will engage with and work in a rural community. Hopefully, as a result of that person working in the local rural community, he or she might get to like rural life. It is an initiative that we have all sought for a long time, in particular through the health committee, when we had the colleges in and we engaged on rural doctors and GPs. The scheme is being piloted in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare. I wish the graduate doctor who has commenced the programme the very best of luck. I have no doubt that person is going to find the north Clare, Lisdoonvarna and Doolin area a lovely place to live.
Before I call the Leader to reply to the Order of Business, I remind all Members that the purpose of the Order of Business is to consider the proposal from the Leader for the taking of the business of the day. Members may wish to raise matters that they believe worthy of a debate. I remind all Members that they may not raise matters that are personal to any Member of the House, even for the purpose of illustration, during a broader point in a debate or discussion at any time. The privacy of Members in relation to personal matters must be respected by all Members. I ask all Members of the House to please bear that in mind.
I thank all Members who contributed to the Order of Business. The first to speak this afternoon was Senator Seery Kearney. Given the smile on her face, I can see how delighted she is with the progress of the work she has done in the area of surrogacy and rights for parents. I concur with her remarks. Almost every Senator who rose this morning congratulated her and acknowledged her work.
As Senator Mark Daly pointed out, it is very difficult to make changes to policy and legislation, even for us legislators and policymakers. It is extremely difficult to bring about change of that nature and magnitude. I commend Senator Seery Kearney on her work in that regard. Irish Families Through Surrogacy have been here and have been battling long and hard to get to this point as well. I acknowledge the work of those families in that organisation. Senator Seery Kearney has been very gracious as well in acknowledging the work of other colleagues in the Oireachtas, including the Ministers, Deputies Donnelly, McEntee and O'Gorman as well who helped to get the Bill to where it is today. I say well done to her on that work. Personal experience means a lot when one takes on an issue and tackles it head on. I am sure it is a proud day for Scarlett as well to see her mum bringing that policy change and Bill through.
Senator Dooley spoke about the difficulties and stalemate at COP28, which have been well flagged at this stage. The EU is to be commended on its stance, as well as the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, for standing their ground on this particular issue and being very forceful. The oil lobby has been extremely strong. It is acknowledged for its attendance in large numbers at COP28 because it is finally worried that the wording agreed might refer to the phasing out of fossil fuels, as that is what people want to happen. It is worrying that corporate interests are still so high on the agenda when the world needs to phase out fossil fuels.
Senator Dooley also spoke about floating offshore wind. I concur with his remarks in that we have a lot of planning and groundwork to do first before we even get to put a turbine off the west coast. We cannot wait until 2032 to do the planning and groundwork for that. He pointed to port development and getting ready for when the technology is available for the deep waters off the west coast. It is almost there. That is where the opportunity lies, not just for the west coast but for the country as a whole. We can do great things if we harness that potential. I agree that we have been a bit slow to get off the mark.
Senator Keogan spoke this morning about a brain drain and the decreasing birth rate. The decreasing birth rate is a problem right across the developed world. We are one of the better EU countries, but we are heading in the same direction. We have the benefit of looking to other countries such as Italy and Japan where there is a very low birth rate as well of less than 1.0. We can see what is happening in other countries and try to address it. I read an article in a newspaper at the weekend about the long-term economic impact if our birth rate continues to decrease.
The Government will have to look at assisting families. Many are now delaying having children because of housing, job opportunities and women going to college and getting further education. Things have changed and that is having an impact on our birth rate. That is certainly something to be addressed.
With regard to brain drain, as somebody from the west of Ireland, there was always emigration. People want to leave to a certain extent, to get life experience and to work in other countries. I did it myself. I am sure many of the other Senators did as well. I am not as concerned on that front. Young people heading off after college or before doing an apprenticeship and wanting to get life experience is a good thing. Many of them actually come home eventually because home is home.
That is not to say we do not have challenges in the health service. I concur with the remarks of Senators that our health service relies heavily on workers from other countries and it would probably collapse tomorrow if they all left. We have to acknowledge that we need workers in our health service. Of course, we need to improve conditions in the health service for people working in it. That has been a problem over many years. Despite huge amounts going into healthcare in this country we still do not have the health service that we want, deserve and strive to achieve but we are making great progress and it is often pointed out that we have the longest life expectancy of any European country. We have made great strides in cancer care, cardiac care, stroke survival and diabetes, which are the big killers. We have made great progress in the past 20 years in survival rates and improving our services. The health service is really great in some areas but there are pinch points and emergency departments are often the ones we look to. However, there are many fantastic happenings in the health service. When we get in the door, we get the best of care. I want to acknowledge the good aspects of the health service as well as some of the challenges.
Senator Vincent P. Martin spoke about the new planning and environmental court that had its first sitting yesterday. A ceremonial sitting was attended by both the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee and the Minister of State with responsibility for law reform, Deputy James Browne, and the Attorney General. This is a good step forward. The Government has been really strong in trying to look at the pinch points in the planning process that are delaying significant strategic projects. It also acknowledges that because of that we are seeing exploitation of the planning process and others using those pinch points for financial gain. Having a new planning and environmental court will fast-track complex planning applications with an environmental aspect but also still ensure due process and an opportunity for people to have their say, which is important.
Senator Gavan spoke about Palestine this morning, as did Senator Frances Black, and the need for the EU to take a stronger stance. I also want to acknowledge that yesterday Ireland, along with Belgium, Spain and Malta, signed a letter to be sent to the European Council urging Europe to demand a ceasefire. We are one of the few countries that can be really proud of our record to date on this conflict. We have been unequivocal in our condemnation of what Israel is doing in Palestine and in Gaza in particular and what is happening to those people. We have repeatedly called for a ceasefire from the very earliest moment. Ireland was one of only four countries to sign that letter yesterday. As a Government and as a country, we can stand over what we are doing. We are very clear in our position as a Government and as a country that we believe in peace. We are a country and a voice for peace. We want the maiming, killing and murder to stop. We have made that very clear on any opportunity that our Minister for Foreign Affairs, our Taoiseach and our Ministers have had to bring that message to Israel and at European Union level, they have taken. As I said previously I do not believe there is any division in Ireland on this issue. We are all united in supporting a ceasefire, a two-state solution and condemning what Israel is doing in Gaza. Nothing short of absolute horror and murder is happening there. The Government has been strong on this and we are doing our best to have a voice at an international level.
Senator Flynn spoke this morning about healthcare. She also spoke about the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas and took the opportunity as we are in our final week to thank all of the staff in the canteen, the restaurant, the bar and across both Houses for all of the work that they do. I concur with her remarks in that regard.
Senator Malcolm Byrne spoke about healthcare workers and about the need to have workers from all over to assist in delivering the service. He also spoke about the tornado in County Leitrim, which was a phenomenal and adverse climate event. He also made a call for Foulksmills in south Wexford to receive the same Government supports because it also experienced an adverse climate event.
Senator McGahan spoke about Hackballscross. I am not fully familiar with the issue there in terms of a piece of land on which the ownership is disputed. However, I urge Louth County Council to focus its efforts on getting that information and trying to resolve the issue on behalf of residents there and ensure that there is mobile phone coverage. That is a basic requirement in this day and age.
Senator Boyhan spoke about the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, who is in Brussels negotiating fish quotas on behalf of Ireland. The Senator wished him well and asked for a debate on fishing and the fishing industry in Ireland. We will request that debate for the new year.
Senator Black spoke about Palestine, which I have already addressed.
Senator Gallagher spoke about the night-time economy, rural transport, the coalition that has come together to advocate for more taxi services in rural areas, be that Uber or hackneys, and the need to give people a transport option because if they do not have transport, they cannot go out. I concur with the Senator's remarks and will request a debate on that issue in the new term.
Senator Burke, like Senator Dooley, spoke about the wind industry but more about small domestic turbines and the potential that could be harnessed there. I agree with Senator Burke that solar panels are good when the sun is shining, but you probably need quite an expensive battery operation to make it worth your while throughout the year. Turbines, however, could be a good and viable option for many farms and businesses in rural Ireland, where there is plenty of space and plenty of wind, as we know. Senator Burke also commended the work of the SEAI, which is doing great work in administering many schemes and getting those retrofits going.
Senator Mark Daly spoke about the work of Senator Mary Seery Kearney and the difficulties in bringing about change and policy change. I concur with those remarks.
Finally, Senator Conway spoke about a pilot being run in Lisdoonvarna to try to encourage GPs to locate in rural areas. I welcome the establishment of the pilot. It is very worthwhile because this is a challenge in many rural areas. Where an older GP may be retiring, it often proves difficult to get a replacement GP for the area, and we need to address that for rural communities.