The Order of Business is No. 1, report of the Committee of Selection, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No. 2, Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2023 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 12.45 p.m., and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 90 minutes by the putting of one question from the Chair which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by Government; No. 3, Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 - Committee Stage (Resumed), to be taken at 2.30 p.m. and to adjourn at 6 p.m., if not previously concluded; and No. 123(7), Private Member's business, motion regarding the use of hypothermia scalp cooling therapy during cancer treatment, to be taken at 6 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 3, whichever is the later, with the time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
I would like to support the UN request for a ceasefire in Gaza. I do not say that due to any particular ideology. I think I stood here a number of weeks to say that Israel had an absolute right to defend itself arising from that horrific attack on 7 October, but I think we can all see the humanitarian need and the needless loss of life on our screens every single hour. I support our Taoiseach on what he said yesterday. I absolutely support the chairman of the UN in his relentless request for a humanitarian ceasefire to let the aid get in. People are dying in front of our eyes from disease, starvation, lack of water and lack of toilets, before we even get to the needless loss of life because of the killing and bombing. I would like colleagues to support the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach and the UN in calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
I support the Order of Business. I wanted to welcome the news overnight of the conclusion of the COP28 summit and the fact that, for the first time ever, an agreement has been made that commits to a transition away from and a phasing out of fossil fuels. This is an historic agreement. It is the first time that COP has managed to reach this agreement. We know it is not perfect and that more must be done, but it is a good basis from which to move forward. I wanted to congratulate all those who participated in COP28. I particularly encourage them to continue to face down the fossil fuel vested interests and to push forward for a sustainable future for us all.
Like Senator Doherty, I also call for unanimous support for the Tánaiste and UN's renewed call for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East. The inhumanity that we are all witnessing being perpetrated on the Palestinian people is unsupportable. It must be rejected. We must insist on a humanitarian ceasefire.
I want to conclude with a more local issue. This week, we saw the announcement from Respond, the approved housing body, of the delivery of 2,900 new social and affordable homes in Dublin. This is the biggest number of social and affordable homes to be delivered in Dublin in one tranche in decades. It is strong evidence of Housing for All working in practice, where Government, local authorities and approved housing bodies are working together to use all of our resources to deliver not just social homes but affordable homes as well. This is a really welcome development. The 2,900 homes will be delivered in Finglas, Tallaght, Clonburris and Donaghmede. It is a strong vote of confidence in the Housing for All plan and the potential for the State, partnering with approved housing bodies, to deliver social and affordable homes, including affordable cost-rental homes at scale for the very first time. It is also a really strong vote of confidence in Dublin. I encourage everybody, over the festive season, to believe in Dublin, and to come back into the city. Our retailers and entertainment providers are all ready to meet, greet and welcome them back into the city.
At the outset, I want to congratulate the new president and vice-president of the IFA. County Laois suckler beef and sheep farmer, Francie Gorman, was elected the new president yesterday evening.
Also, Alice Doyle who is from Wexford, was elected deputy president. Alice Doyle is the first woman ever to hold the office of deputy president of the IFA. I wish both of them well as they start on a huge year. Agri-politics is a significant and very fragmented place, as we know in these Houses. There is a lot going on as we speak as the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine is having a meeting which has a full house due to the attendance of members, non-members, journalists and agricultural practitioners. The committee is having a lively debate, which we will hear a lot about on the news later on.
Leader, I have a difficulty with the Order of Business, as does my group. The Leader has proposed that the debate on the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 would conclude at 6 p.m. by the putting of one question.
The Leader changed that.
No, the Bill will adjourn at 6 p.m.
Sorry, I was not aware of that. When was that decision made?
The Leader announced the Order of Business at the beginning.
Sorry, but I think this exchange makes my point. I want to signal to the House that it was the Government's decision earlier today. I mean we received notice last night but the Government had proposed to wrap up this legislation. That is not good enough and I appeal to the Leader not to wrap up business. The Leader and other Senators spent time here yesterday advocating for this Bill regarding an issue of grave concern to our city and county councillors, and it is constantly changing. I am glad that common sense has prevailed and this very important Bill will not be guillotined. A guillotine had been proposed as per the last version of the Order of Business that I read but the situation has changed and I take that on board. The Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill is extremely important. Some Members on both sides of the House have difficulties with the Bill. I thank the Leader for her intervention and change of heart, or somebody's change of heart. I look forward to engaging this afternoon, on behalf of city and county councillors, on this very important Bill where commitments have been given on all sides of the House.
I welcome Deputy Brian Leddin and his guests, Stephen and Finn, to the Gallery. They are very welcome and I thank them for being here.
I, too, welcome the UN agreement although we know that it does not go far enough. The UN agreement is indicative of the influence that the fossil fuel industry has on negotiations and particularly at COP28. I do hope that the Members of this House will support my Bill when I introduce it in the new year as it will seek to rein in the fossil fuel lobbyists in this country.
We are approaching Christmas. Today will be the last opportunity I will have before we break for the Christmas holidays to, once again, encourage people not to buy puppies from puppy breeders and not to bring dogs into their homes at Christmas. However, if they are considering bringing a dog into their family then I ask them to go to rescue centres where over 3,000 dogs await their forever home and hundreds more dogs are on waiting lists to be surrendered by their owners.
I welcome the news announced yesterday that the EU is set to introduce a range of new animal welfare laws for companion animals. The improvements will cover a number of areas that I have raised in this House and were outlined in the report on dog welfare produced by the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The EU is going to call for the introduction of national databases. The EU recommends that a single national database would enhance traceability, which is recommendation 6 in the report produced by the committee. The EU has also called for greater restrictions on the online sale of pets, which is another recommendation in the report.
I wish to mention one particular area. The EU has called for greater regulation of dog breeding establishments. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to come to the House in the new year to clarify whether the regulations at EU level will increase and improve the situation in Ireland or whether Ireland will be seen as the bar other European countries must reach. I ask as Ireland is known as the puppy breeding capital of Europe. The excessive breeding in this country fuels the post-Covid crisis evidenced by the surrendering of dogs by those who did not do their due diligence in buying dogs during Covid; they were able to easily access dogs through these breeders and dogs that are now being surrendered due to behavioural problems. The latter come from breeding establishments so are poorly socialised because they had very little access to humans and other dogs. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the EU proposals. Ireland is certainly not the level at which we want other EU countries to come up to and we want to set a much higher bar when it comes to breeding establishments. Last week, there was an incident in Cork where dogs were found soaked in urine and their fur was so matted they could not defecate properly. The case involved a breeding establishment that had been given a licence by Cork County Council. The vet who conducted the inspections in 2021 said that the animals seemed fit and healthy. Clearly, there is a problem in this country with dog breeding establishments and they need to be brought up to a better standard.
Hear, hear.
I hope that the EU will raise the bar and not use Ireland as an example.
I support the Order of Business which I thought would be opposed. I am glad that we can support it and that the Bill is not being guillotined.
I wish to raise the issue of special or ASD class places, particularly secondary school places. Right now many families across this country are facing into Christmas not knowing whether they will have a school place for their child with additional needs next September. Most children who do not have additional needs are certain of their school place going into 2024 but that is not the reality for hundreds of families with children who have additional needs. These families have already come through a bruising system and must apply to many multiples of schools. It is a lottery to get a school place. Parents have told me that they often apply for more than 20 places. Due to the shortages and because there is no system to match children with schools many families are now left in limbo as we go into the Christmas period so something must change. I want the Minister of State who has responsibility for special education to come in here and explain what the Department of Education will do to help these families and ensure there is some sort of co-ordination so schools that have ASD classes or special schools are matched with the children who need these places.
The current system does not work. We have some great SENOs across the country while others need to do better. It is simply unacceptable that a Minister would say that parents should talk to their SENO and the SENO will advise because SENOs have advised parents to just keep applying. That situation is not good enough because it means parents must spend €20 every time as they must buy an original birth certificate in order to blindly apply to a whole raft of schools all the while with zero assurance that their child is in with a shouting chance of getting a place. The system operates on a wing and a prayer and there is no strategy. We must do better for these families because they have already endured so much in terms of trying to get services at the most basic level for their children. In every facet of life these parents must fight and advocate for their children. While there has been an expansion of places at primary level I have not seen that at secondary school level over the last two years.
We know that Bunreacht na hÉireann guarantees every child in this country a free primary education but that does not apply to secondary education which leads me to ask the following. Is this part of the Department of Education's slowness to help children find a secondary school place? The decision regarding the Sinnott case allows for enhanced rights for the parents and families of children with additional needs but we are not seeing it in practice so something must change.
I want to share a poem from Dr. Refaat Alareer from Gaza. He was a beautiful young man. He was a teacher of English literature, a translator and a poet who was murdered by Israel last Thursday. He was an individual with dreams as vivid as anyone sitting in this Chamber. His life mattered and he deserves justice as does every family in Gaza. As a tribute, people on Twitter have translated Dr. Refaat Alareer's poem called If I Must Die, which I shall read out:
If I must die you must live to tell my story to sell my things to buy a piece of cloth and some strings, (make it white with a long tail) so that a child, somewhere in Gaza while looking heaven in the eye awaiting his dad who left in a blaze— and bid no one farewell not even to his flesh not even to himself— sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above and thinks for a moment an angel is there bringing back love If I must die let it bring hope let it be a tale.
When entire families are being extinguished in Gaza, it becomes more difficult for us to calculate the extent of what is being lost. Those families become depersonalised and distant, and the unfolding genocide becomes an abstract body count steadily ticking upwards. This is enabled by the dehumanisation of Palestinians that pervades political and media discourse. Palestinians are not just dehumanised by the genocide and rhetoric of Israeli politicians. They are dehumanised by the suppression of their political speech in Britain and the EU and, might I add, by the hypocrisy of the Government. For example, when the Government offers special temporary protection to Ukrainians and refers the state illegally invading and occupying that country's land to the International Criminal Court but then declines to take the same stand to defend Palestinians, it becomes clear, I believe, who we value and who we do not.
While I welcome the UN General Assembly, and 153 countries, having voted yesterday to call for a ceasefire, and that only ten countries opposed it, and the remarks made by the Tánaiste, I believe this is clearly inadequate given the situation. Calling for a ceasefire is not enough. Given what the Irish public are talking about, and that we have a protest outside Leinster House at 1 p.m. today, as well as protests all over the country with thousands of people marching, we must do more. It is not enough to just call for a ceasefire. We must do more. I plead with the Government to please work to stop the killing of babies and children in Gaza today. Ireland can do more. We did it back in the 1980s with the anti-apartheid campaign. We can do more now. I ask the Government to please hear me today and to hear my pleas to do more, and not just to call for a ceasefire. Go raibh míle maith agat.
The Comptroller and Auditor General makes observations annually on State bodies for one reason or another. Recently, we saw that he made some observations concerning Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI. The issue in respect of IFI has been raised by several Senators in this House, including by me, Senator Kyne and others, over the last 12 months. When the Comptroller and Auditor General raises issues with semi-State or State bodies, how do we know these things are rectified? Who is the watchdog for the rectification of anomalies identified within accounting procedures or for whatever other reason the Comptroller and Auditor General issued his observations? This is an important issue because we need accountability. We have seen many instances of various bodies, funded by the taxpayers, having breached the requirements of what they are supposed to be doing, whether concerning pay gaps or whatever. I wonder where the accountability lies in the end in this regard.
I am watching, along with Senator Kyne and others, the response from the IFI very closely. We have two ex-county managers who were to produce a report. They have replaced a board in the IFI. It will be interesting when this report comes out and I hope we will get a chance to have a debate on it when it does. Who ensures that the observations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General are upheld and that where penalties are imposed or money was used in the wrong fashion or whatever, these are paid back? Where, ultimately, does accountability lie in this regard?
In respect of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023, are we going to stop on Committee Stage today or are we going to go on to Report Stage? I ask because I am not quite sure where we are going with it.
We are staying on Committee Stage.
Okay. Following on from Senator Paddy Burke and the issue of oversight, we had a Commencement matter debate this morning on the search and rescue, SAR, contract awarded to Bristow. In his reply, the Minister of State, Deputy Jack Chambers, spoke about how the process was overseen by an external body that reported to the Department. The process that was overseen was an administrative issue, concerned with whether the letters were signed, the relevant dates met, etc. It does not secure certainty, for me or anybody else in this House, that the person reporting in as the external oversight has any knowledge whatsoever in the area being overseen.
Returning to the SAR contract, which was the subject of that Commencement matter debate this morning, the entirety of this contract rests on the shoulders of one man who is not a pilot but a consultant to the Department. He is not a pilot and never flew SAR himself, yet he is the expert who advised the Department. This external body, then, is overseeing the paperwork, if we want to put it that way. None of this makes the contract, and the public procurement in this regard, safe, in my view. Public procurement here is running to tens of billions of euro and there is no proper oversight whatsoever. When we do try to get oversight, we are either shouted down and told we cannot have it, or we have smart Secretaries General in Departments who use all sorts of smokescreens to prevent us from getting to the questions we need answered. The SAR contract awarded in 2011 and the one awarded now is rotten to the core and needs oversight, and this is not the only thing that needs oversight. Everything needs oversight.
I am sure the Leader will agree that balanced regional development is extremely important across our country to ensure populations in the west of Ireland are sustained and increased and that the region acts as a counterbalance to Dublin and the east coast. With that in mind, Northern and Western Regional Assembly members met the Taoiseach last Friday regarding several key projects they wish to see progressed. These include the upgrading of the N17, the Galway city ring road and ATU Letterkenny, including the Letterkenny library and IT education building project. Also included was the Galway-to-Sligo western rail corridor project, of which I know the Leader is a strong advocate.
I certainly welcome the recent announcement and commencement of work on the clearing of the line between Athenry and Claremorris. This is very symbolic, but we wish to see firm confirmation of when this project will go to the stages of construction and completion to ensure we will get trains on the line, serving Athenry, Tuam and Claremorris, and other locations in between those towns. This will be a game changer for the region. The members of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly also want to see this project continuing to Sligo and they are concerned that there is no commitment in this regard. I urge the Minister and the Government to also consider this matter.
Also in terms of regional balance, I welcome the opening of the Moycullen bypass on Monday by the Taoiseach, along with invited guests from TII and Galway County Council. I have been involved with this project for some time. I also welcome the recent Cabinet decision made concerning the N5 Ballaghaderreen-to-Scrimoge project, which will involve 34 km of new single-carriageway road. This will be conducted by Wills Brothers, the company that did a great job on the Moycullen bypass. These are all examples of projects that have commenced, been approved or are in the pipeline in relation to the region of Connacht and the west of Ireland, which is important, as I said, in terms of balanced regional development.
I would like to have a debate in this House after the Christmas recess on the two forthcoming referendums that the Government announced on the proposed constitutional change to the definition of a "family" and on the manner in which women and the role of women in society are represented in Bunreacht na hÉireann. Personally, I cannot believe we are wasting time and money on this. I have often said that when the Government is either unable or unwilling to solve the real problems of this country it instead spends its time solving peripheral minor issues, or non-issues, that make it look like it is actually doing something.
In the midst of the housing crisis, the permanent health crisis and the immigration crisis, we are going to spend tens of millions of euro, at the taxpayers' expense, to ask the members of the public if they wish to rewrite portions of our Constitution to make them look more progressive.
It would be interesting if we were to ask the public what they would rather spend this money on. I wonder how many would prioritise a constitutional referendum.
At the end of the day, this is a useless change insofar as it will not change anything. The current wording of Article 41.2.1° has never prevented women from working outside of the home. I dare say women feel demeaned by its existence the Constitution. Article 41.2.2° would be an incredibly helpful provision if the Government abided by it. It states: "The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home". Imagine if the Government said it would manage the economy in such a way as to make living and raising a family viable on a single income. Women and mothers throughout the country would be overjoyed, with no more working a job for 80% of the income to go on childcare. Managing the economy is difficult and engaging in wordplay is much easier so, of course, the Government will do the latter. I would welcome a debate.
Senator Keogan knows the legislation to hold the referendum will be coming before the House so she will have an opportunity to speak on it.
I raise the disparity in overnight rates between the public service and the Civil Service. It has been highlighted to me, with regard to Garda overnight rates, that if a Garda has to come from somewhere such as Belmullet in County Mayo to the Central Criminal Court in Dublin and stay overnight for a case, the maximum payable is €107. As all of us know, we will not get anywhere to stay in Dublin for that. The HSE rate will be increased next week to €195. I do not believe there should be disparity between public servants and civil servants with regard to rates, especially for staying in Dublin. This needs to be addressed.
People will be aware, because I am a public representative, that I was in the courts recently over abuse received by me and my family. I have expressed publicly my disappointment at how this was dealt with by the courts system. That needs to be changed.
Notwithstanding the issue that Senator Carrigy is raising, I must caution him that the courts are independent of the Houses.
I know they are independent but public representatives are not treated fairly or in the same way as other citizens. Our families do not get the respect they deserve when people admit and plead guilty to doing something. I am highlighting something that is a fact. A little bit more respect needs to be shown to us and our families. This issue was highlighted to me on Wednesday, the day after the court case, when Meta, TikTok and Google attended a meeting of an Oireachtas committee. These are three social media companies that a number of months ago I invited to come before the committee to discuss online safety. At that meeting, Meta admitted to treating those of us in public life differently. Any hate content put up on social media by anybody against those of us in political life is treated as being in the public interest and is left there. For a private citizen it would be taken down if it was proved to be incorrect or false. This is not acceptable. Two of the companies, TikTok and Google, have a different stance but Meta treats us differently and allows false information about anybody in public life to be put up and not taken down. This has to change and the company needs to be called out on it.
It is a point made well at the end.
I welcome the resolution by the UN General Assembly calling for an immediate ceasefire. It should come from both sides. Hamas continues to indiscriminately fire at civilian targets in Israel. This is a war crime. Hamas has threatened to execute the remaining 137 Israeli hostages. This is a war crime and must be condemned. However, the Israelis are now on day 47 of their ground campaign in Gaza. In that time, they have killed almost 20,000 civilians, including more than 10,000 children. That is 150 children every day. Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, says it will take another two months and possibly longer to, in his word, neutralise Rafah and Khan Younis. This means we will have another 20,000 civilians killed, with 150 children killed per day. Since this morning, when I kissed my own children and left the house, 30 children in Gaza have been killed. They would fit on every seat on this side of the Chamber. Imagine their laughter and excitement at being in a room like this but no, they are being slaughtered indiscriminately. The weapons that Israel is using are reported blandly in newspapers as "shelling". Each 155 artillery shell contains 8 kg of high explosives and 40 kg of shrapnel designed to detonate, fragment and kill people. It is disgusting and it is happening on our watch. I welcome the leadership of An Taoiseach and An Tánaiste in condemning and seeking out a ceasefire.
The national security adviser of Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, has stated Israel will go to war with Hezbollah and will broaden and widen the conflict in due course. We have troops there. We have to call for a ceasefire now on both sides to prevent a regional and possibly a global escalation. If we tolerate the murder, butchery and slaughter of children like this, it is a harbinger not only of what will happen in the Middle East but what will happen more broadly. We have a great responsibility on shoulders.
That was a very powerful contribution to follow and I commend Senator Clonan on it. I agree wholeheartedly with his words.
Not to move on to more minor matters but I wish Tom Hickey, the deputy head usher of the Houses, all the best in retirement after 22 years of service in Leinster House. Tom is someone we all know very well. He is an excellent representative for the Oireachtas, whether with visitors to the Houses or helping Members, staff members and the wider Leinster House community. Tom has also been heavily involved in the Oireachtas parliamentary rugby team for many years. He is our manager and is always at hand to help. While he will be officially leaving the Oireachtas in terms of his job, he will be making sure we win the parliamentary rugby world cup in 2027. Tom is a wonderful person. He is a credit to this institution. His years of service have been absolutely wonderful. I am sure everyone in the House would like to wish Tom Hickey all the best on his well-deserved retirement.
We will acknowledge him tomorrow on the Order of Business. On behalf of all of us, I join Senator Boyhan in congratulating the new president-elect of the IFA, Francie Gorman, and Alice Doyle, who is the first woman to be elected deputy president. I thank Tim Cullinan for his service and leadership. I wish the new incoming president and vice president every success.
I thank the Cathaoirleach and all those who contributed on the Order of Business. The Deputy Leader, Senator Doherty, spoke about the UN call for a ceasefire, as did many other Senators with very impassioned speeches. There is a view throughout the House that what is happening is abhorrent. There has been acknowledgement that the Government - the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Ministers - have done a good job, as has Ireland, in advocating for peace and a ceasefire. We have been very clear from the outset about where we stand on the conflict. I also note the comments acknowledging what happened on 7 October. What has happened since then has been entirely disproportionate and has gone on for far too long. I concur with the remarks of all Senators in this regard. We will have a debate on the issue when we return in the new year and we will try to get the Tánaiste to the House to keep the issue live in our debates and discussions. One of the top issues on the minds of citizens throughout the country is the conflict in Palestine and what is happening to children and innocent civilians there.
Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about COP28 and the historic agreement reached yesterday. I commend the work of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, who has been out there representing Ireland on this issue. He has done a fine job representing the Irish Government and the Oireachtas. It was an historic agreement. It looked as though it would never be reached. Agreement on transitioning away from and phasing out fossil fuels is a significant moment. As many have said, including Senator Boyhan, the agreement does not go far enough but it certainly goes further than what we expected. It is a step in the right direction. There is some good news in the midst of so much bad news these days.
Senator Fitzpatrick also spoke about the UN ceasefire. She also wanted to draw our attention to the work of Respond, the approved housing body. It will deliver in excess of 2,000 social and affordable homes in Dublin. That is a big development. I welcome this good news regarding Housing for All and the delivery of housing in the State.
Senator Boyhan wanted to wish well and congratulate the new president and vice-president of the IFA. I note that Alice Doyle is the first woman to serve as vice-president of the IFA. It is a significant appointment for her and for Francie as well. I wish them both well in their terms ahead. The Senator rightly pointed out that farming politics is a highly fragmented space but I have no doubt that the IFA's members have selected well and that they will do a fine job in representing the interests of farmers across the country in dealing with the many challenges they face and in advocating for what supports farmers will need from us in the term ahead. We look forward to engaging with the IFA in our constant briefings with it.
Senator Boylan spoke about COP28 and new legislation coming through on welfare for animals and on companion animals. The Senator often raises dog welfare in the House. I completely agree with sending out the message that if people are thinking of getting a pet for Christmas, they should look to rescue dogs and not puppy farms. We have a big problem in this country with animal welfare and the way animals are treated. Most right-thinking members of society would agree that we should treat our animals well and with kindness, and that is not always happening. When getting a puppy for Christmas, it has to be minded 365 days of the year and not just over the Christmas week. It is a big responsibility for a household to take on a pet, especially if people are in and out to work and trying to manage everything else. An important message is to remind the that there are alternative options and many pets waiting for a home across the country.
Senator Sherlock spoke about ASD class places and secondary places in particular. I agree that it is not appropriate for families to be told to blanket canvass schools or send out numerous letters in the hope they might get a space. There are pinch points and we do not have enough spaces. We are seeing more diagnoses, more neurodivergent citizens and more people looking for different supports going through school and the education system has to be diverse to meet that diversity. We have made good progress in the past decade in more general awareness within the public, better understanding and more support. We have a good way to go yet and I have no doubt that the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, who has responsibility for this area, will be working on it. It might be worth bringing a Commencement matter in the new term to see where she is with that work. It is a challenge for Government and there is an acknowledgement that there is a shortage of places. Work is ongoing to try to increase the number of places and not have families in the space where they are worried about getting an appropriate school place for their child.
Senator Black spoke about Palestine, as she has often done. She referenced the ICC and the Government's position. The reason the conflict in Palestine was not referred is it has been referred to the ICC and is being investigated. With Ukraine, it could not self-refer so there is a distinction between the two. Our Government has done a good job in the position it has taken and it has listened to the public. We are united on this issue in this country in that we want a ceasefire. I take on board what the Senator said; that it is not enough to call for one. I note the work of Ireland with only three other member states in the European Parliament in sending a letter to the EU Council to get the EU to call for a ceasefire. We are using our mandate and voice as best we can to try to advocate for peace and a cessation to the hostilities. That is something we can be proud of in Ireland and the Government's response in that regard.
Senator Burke spoke about the Comptroller and Auditor General and Inland Fisheries Ireland. I am not quite sure what happens when things are highlighted or recommended by the Comptroller and Auditor General and how that is to be addressed. It might be worth tabling a Commencement matter to see what the process is there and what happens when those matters are highlighted. Other colleagues have consistently raised the issue with Inland Fisheries Ireland, particularly Senator Kyne, who has been in here on an almost weekly basis to raise concerns around the governance issues in Inland Fisheries Ireland. I share the concerns that have been raised.
Senator Craughwell brought similar topics to the floor and referenced, as he has done before, the SAR contract. There are challenges in that and we can all agree that it can be difficult at times to get the information we are seeking as public representatives, which we should be able to get. Sometimes we are given the roundabout way of getting to that information.
Senator Kyne spoke about balanced regional development and drew our attention to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, which met the Taoiseach last week, and which has advocated for the advancement of key projects in the west and north-west regions. This includes the ring road around Galway, the N17, advancement of ATU Letterkenny and the western rail corridor. I concur with his remarks on all of those important projects. When we are advocating for balanced regional development - and we want balanced development and investment in the regions, particularly in the west - we must point out that it is better for the east, Dublin and the capital if it is balanced and if all of the pressure is not on one part of the country. It is in the public and national interest to have balanced development. That is a strong commitment in the programme for Government and the Department under the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, who is responsible for the national development plan, to balanced regional development. There has been significant investment and I welcome the advancements with the western rail corridor and the Moycullen bypass.
Senator Keogan has asked for a debate on the two referendums that will be coming before the public next year. It is intended to have Second Stage debates on the two referendum Bills when we resume sittings in January, on the first day back. It will be the first topic we discuss when we get back, so that is the earliest opportunity we could have had. The plan is to have those two Second Stage debates on that day. I take on board the Senator's point. We did considerable work at the Oireachtas committee on the section of the Constitution on the women's place in the home and there were differing views on it. I take the point that there are probably bigger issues in households around housing, health and the cost of living but there is a view that it has been sought to look at these provisions for a long time and there is probably never a perfect time to address issues such as constitutional reform. We are on that journey now and those questions will come before the people next year.
Senator Carrigy spoke about a personal issue; Members being treated differently from ordinary citizens. We are treated differently. It might not always feel like the warmest place to be but we are treated differently, rightly or wrongly. Among social media companies, there is probably a view that being in the public eye brings more on people but the Senator's point brings to mind a wider discussion about how far we allow that to go. Do we want to attract people into politics and keep them there? If the sacrifice becomes too large and the impact on the family is too large then you will find people exiting politics earlier than maybe they would have done ordinarily. That can mean a loss of some good people from politics. A bigger debate is happening and politicians are often in difficult positions. It impacts on the family as well, which is often forgotten. It is a point well-made.
Senator Clonan called for a ceasefire again and the UN resolution was referenced. I take on board the comments made on Hezbollah and the impact on our troops abroad. That is in the mind of the Minister for Defence, and the Government is aware of the protection of our troops. The situation is being closely monitored in that regard. There is huge concern among the defence community and their family members here. It is an active and live situation, as the Senator will appreciate, but it is one that is being watched closely in terms of our troops in the region. I thank the Senator for putting that on the record and raising it.
Senator McGahon spoke about Tom Hickey's retirement. We will have Tom in the House tomorrow for the Order of Business and we will get an opportunity to wish him well on that occasion. The Senator uttered some lovely words and I can tell that he is a good friend of Tom's from the rugby and different things. He has given fantastic service to the House but I will wait until tomorrow to talk about that. I wish him well in his retirement, which is well-deserved. It is nice to be heading into the next chapter of life, whatever it might bring. I wish him and his family the best and thank him for his lengthy service in the Houses of the Oireachtas, and to the Oireachtas rugby team; I gather he played a huge role in that regard. Well done to Tom.