Before I call the Deputy Leader to announce the business of the day, as Senators know, our colleague and friend Mr. Tom Hickey, deputy head usher, is retiring today. He is going to be joining us. In fact, he is here, right on cue as always.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Members applauded.
As Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, and in my own personal capacity, I welcome Tom to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery today. I pay tribute to him and thank him most sincerely for his dedicated service of more than 23 years to the Oireachtas. Those of us who have served in the House for a long time will know that Tom has been one of the gentlemen of Leinster House. He is always courteous to Members, staff and visitors. He has gone above and beyond the call of duty on many different occasions to ensure that the Houses of the Oireachtas run smoothly and efficiently. When he joined us back in 2001 as an usher, he was promoted to team leader and then became deputy head usher in 2012. To me, he has been a great, shining light of the Oireachtas, as well as being a very proud member of the Oireachtas rugby team. He led the team to the Rugby World Cup in Paris this year.
I wish Tom, Lorraine and their family, a very happy and health retirement, and the very best of luck. Gabhaim míle buíochas leis.
Members applauded.
I now ask the Deputy Leader to outline the business for today.
It is younger people are retiring these days. I wish Tom every happiness and continued joy as he retires. All of our staff who work around here, particularly our ushers, are consummate professionals. Tom's kindness and wisdom during my time here has been hugely beneficial. I want to genuinely thank Tom for everything he has done for me, on behalf my Fine Gael colleagues and indeed all of us.
The Order of Business today is No. 2, Appropriation Bill 2023 - all Stages, to be taken at 11.45 a.m., and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 75 minutes by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall in relation to all amendments include only those set down or accepted by the Government, with the opening contribution of the Minister at the debate on Second Stage not to exceed six minutes, all Senators not to exceed six minutes, and the Minister to be given five minutes to reply to the debate; No. 3, motion regarding the early signature of the Appropriation Bill 2023, to taken on the conclusion of No. 3 without debate; No. 4, the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023 - Second Stage, to be taken at 1.15 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 3, whichever is later, with the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes and that time may be shared, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and that time may be shared, and the Minister with no less than ten minutes to reply.
Before I call the group leaders, I ask the Leas-Cathaoirleach to say a few words about Tom Hickey.
I wish Tom all the best on his retirement and thank him, and indeed all the staff as we come up to Christmas, for all their service throughout the year. As we all know, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Tom and all the staff worked above and beyond. When our guests come in here, he shows them the utmost courtesy. I know he is running his last VIP tour this week, and we wish him all the best on his retirement. In the words of the Moriarty brothers from Kenmare: "Now you have to learn the art of how to spend time without spending money." When Tom learns that art, I ask him to please tell us all.
I wish to join in the remarks about Tom Hickey. He is an absolute gentleman and at all times courteous, highly efficient and very gracious. Tom has a unique wit of his own, and a charm and warmth. I wish him, Lorraine and their family a lot of quality time together, and a great retirement. Knowing Tom, he will find a lot of interesting and good things to do in his retirement. I certainly wish him well with that.
On the day that is in it, I wish the Cathaoirleach, colleagues in the House and our Deputy Leader a very happy and good Christmas, and a good new year. I extend that to the staff of the House here who, as we all know, are excellent and so helpful to all of us, led by Martin, Bridget and all the staff in the Seanad Office. I also thank the ushers and all the people who help us along. It is a pleasure to wish all of these colleagues a happy Christmas and, I hope, a successful, peaceful and good one.
At Christmas, safety is at a premium. It behoves us here to appeal publicly to people to be responsible in their driving, and in all facets of life at Christmas but especially those who are behind the wheel. I appeal to them to obey the law with regard to alcohol. etc. It should not just be a question of whether there are checkpoints. It should be something people want to do, and I hope that will be the case.
Given that we are talking about Christmas, one cannot help but think - in the context of the Holy Land etc., and the Christian festival - of the horror that is in Gaza. It is a travesty of human rights and of the human condition. It is very wrong, and the excesses of the war being perpetuated there by Israel are totally unacceptable. There has to be a ceasefire. I welcome the approach of the Government on this.
This House should be unambiguous in saying there should be a long-term, extended ceasefire with humanitarian aid allowed in and talks at an international level to advance a permanent settlement, which one still hopes would be the two-state solution. Many things that have happened in recent years have made that an especially difficult challenge, but there has to be peace. Ultimately, there will be peace and should be, and the quicker and sooner, the better. Everything happening there is the absolute opposite of everything the Christian festival is meant to be about. This is a time when we should be unambiguous about it.
I add my voice of gratitude to Tom Hickey as he enters the next phase in his life. He has the energy and enthusiasm to embrace many new hobbies and possibly many new roles. Tom has always been exceptionally courteous and professional and he has a special gift with the young people who have come in to see the workings of Leinster House. I have watched him deal with children and the way he was able to explain democracy was really something to behold. I wish you well and thank you very much, Tom.
At this time of Christmas, I also extend the best wishes of the Fianna Fáil team to all our colleagues in the House, all the Clerk's colleagues in the Seanad Office and all those who work behind the scenes to ensure democracy is in action every day that we sit and, indeed, on the days that we do not. I wish everyone a good holiday and peace and joy at Christmas. When we talk about Christmas we have to think of the first Christmas in Bethlehem in the West Bank, which is a place I spent a Christmas Day many years ago. As we all bear witness to what is unfolding there, which is of course a complex situation, what is not complex is the huge loss of human life. The figure is about 18,000, with 70% of those being women and children. Some 50,000 people have been injured and 85% of the population of Gaza have had to leave their homes. It is absolutely horrific. The Government and the Tánaiste have led the call for peace. When we had our own situation with Northern Ireland the US was not behind the door when it came to helping. Without the help of Bill Clinton in particular, and George Mitchell, we would not have achieved what we were able to achieve 25 years ago. There is no doubt America needs to step up the plate and use its influence over Israel. Until then, we are not going to see an end to the current conflict.
I welcome the decision by An Bord Pleanála to uphold the planning approval previously granted by Kildare County Council for the construction of a state-of-the-art, carbon-neutral Diageo complex just outside Newbridge. This is going to bring 1,000 construction jobs in the interim, followed by high-level jobs. It is a huge win and vote of confidence in the commercial viability of Newbridge. RTÉ certainly did a lot of good work with the exposé it did on nuisance objections to An Bord Pleanála. I am very glad the right decision was reached.
I welcome the students and teachers from the De La Salle College in Dundalk. They are very welcome to Leinster House and I hope they have a very good day here. We wish them a very happy Christmas as well.
I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 11 be taken before No. 1. I also seek the leave of the House to introduce the Special Measures in the Public Interest (Derrybrien Wind Farm) Bill 2023. I sincerely thank the Bills Office for its co-operation in getting the Bill onto the Order Paper this week. Its purpose is to transfer the wind farm at Derrybrien from the ESB to the Western Development Commission and to provide for its future operation in the national interest.
As this is the last sitting day, I also join in the statements of gratitude that have been made to Tom Hickey, who is retiring from the Oireachtas this Christmas. His unfailing courtesy, decency and kindness are something everybody in both Houses deeply appreciates.
On behalf of the Independent Group, I thank the staff of this House, including our Clerk, Martin Groves, Clerk-Assistant, Bridget Doody, and all the staff in the Seanad Office. I thank Orla Murray in the Leader's office. I thank our excellent Library and Research Service and reading room team. I thank also my backup team, especially Samantha Long, who does so much work to make our presence in this House meaningful. I thank all the parliamentary ushers for all their hard work, as well as the housekeeping staff, the catering staff and all those in our wider parliamentary community.
I echo, if I may, what has been said about this being the time of year where peace on earth is needed more than ever. When I saw pictures of naked men being herded onto lorries, I thought the last time the world saw that was very different. I appeal to the people of Israel and those of the Jewish faith all around the world to ask themselves whether this is not a calamity for them that is growing day by day.
Hear, hear.
I really believe that. I wrote an article in The Irish Times in which I said "Biden has the lives of tens of thousands of people in his hands and he must take the responsibility if he transfers them into the cupped hands of Netanyahu." America must stand up to its responsibilities. It must. Otherwise, this catastrophe will grow and grow and the damage it will do to everybody will grow and grow. If Christmas is being cancelled in Bethlehem, how sad a time we have arrived at.
On behalf of the Sinn Féin team, I wish Tom Hickey all the best in his retirement. I hope he finds a new freedom and a new rhythm now and that he can finish all that has been left undone. I thank him for all his courtesy in his time here.
I apologise, but I must ask Senator McDowell to clarify something. Is he asking that No. 11 be taken before No. 2? There is no No. 1.
Oh well. Before No. 2, yes.
Gabh mo leithscéal, Senator Warfield.
No worries.
The Cathaoirleach cut the Senator's rhythm.
I am just shooting the breeze here.
Also on behalf of the Sinn Féin team, I wish everyone in these Houses a peaceful Christmas, especially the staff of the Seanad Office, Martin and Bridget, the staff in the Cathaoirleach's office, Members of all parties and none, the cleaners, the ushers, the catering staff, the bar staff, the gardaí onsite and off, the transcript team, and the staff of Bills Office and the OPLA. The list goes on. I wish everyone a merry Christmas.
I raise an issue about education on Inishbofin. Much of our time in these Houses is spent discussing the importance of rural Ireland, yet children living on Inishbofin are forced to leave home at the age of 12 to access secondary school. Young children and families are forced to decide if they should live with another caregiver or one of their parents or if the entire family should leave the island. As the Galway-Roscommon Education and Training Board's report published in March 2020 makes clear, the lack of post-primary education on Inishbofin leaves the island not only disadvantaged in comparison with other rural communities but also in comparison with other islands. I am at a loss as to why this is the case. Instead of supporting the education of children on the island, for 20 years the Department has paid between €50,000 and €100,000 annually in remote area grants to fund secondary school students from Inishbofin to attend school elsewhere. In total, this ad hoc approach has cost between €1 million and €2 million, which hardly seems prudent. It hardly seems consistent with the Government's stated policies in Ireland's spatial and rural strategies, education policy and islands policy. The Inishbofin Community Post-Primary Steering Group has done phenomenal work and it is now time for the Government to properly consider its report on Inishbofin.
Another September cannot pass with children and families forced to make this difficult and life-altering decision.
I am sorry for interrupting the Senator's flow. I am glad he got it back.
The Labour Party group also wishes Tom Hickey the best in his retirement. I thank Tom for his great courtesy and helpfulness. His great sense of authority in managing Leinster House struck us over the years. I wish him the best in his retirement. I join previous speakers in thanking all the staff, the people we see and the people we do not see, in Leinster House, who make this building and Parliament work. I mention the cleaners, the catering staff, the staff in the Cathaoirleach's office and everybody in between, including in the Bills Office and the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, and the ushers. I convey our deep gratitude to them because without the staff, of whom there are many in Leinster House, we would not be able to get on with our jobs. I mention the staff who work in our offices as well and wish them the best for Christmas.
Yesterday, we saw what appears to be a breakthrough in Brussels with regard to the EU directive on platform workers. Negotiations have been ongoing for many months on the working conditions for some of the most precarious workers in this country and across Europe. These are workers who deliver the takeaways that people order, some journalistic and photographic content, as well as secretarial support online. There are many workers who have found themselves operating via platforms, with little or no rights and often forced into bogus self-employment. We had the bones of a tentative agreement yesterday. I hope we will see early in the new year an improved text for platform workers that will ensure the onus will be on employers to prove that workers are self-employed and will eliminate the bogus self-employment that afflicts so many. We had the landmark Supreme Court judgment on Domino’s Pizza drivers in recent weeks and it is incumbent on the Irish Government to respond to that.
The scenes in the Seanad yesterday were unseemly. We all come in to the House in good faith to debate legislation and everybody has a right to make a contribution on those Bills. The clock was talked down on an important Bill. We all talk about the need to support An Garda Síochána in trying to get our policing right. A Bill that affects all of our communities has been delayed, and that is unacceptable. We all know what is going on and we know the reasons why. We want to support the amendments. I spoke to the Minister after the debate yesterday and she offered to give her time to allow this Chamber to pass the Bill today. It is disgraceful that we are in a situation in which we are all willing to give up our time but we have been delayed.
I welcome back our colleague and friend, Senator Higgins, and congratulate her on her new baby, Finn.
I join Senators in thanking Thomas Hickey for all he has done to make this institution run as it does. I wish him every happiness and enjoyment in his retirement. I know that Senator Black will thank everybody else who must be thanked and who make this institution possible. I am happy and honoured to continue to serve here and to be back.
Last night, I was lying awake between about 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., which is something I do a lot now. I was thinking about love and suffering and the love and suffering of all those in Israel and Palestine who have lost and had family members and neighbours taken and killed. I was thinking of all of those affected but, in particular, about the love and heartbreak of the people in Palestine, in Gaza. I was thinking about the extraordinary acts of love we see happening in Gaza amid the incredible pain there. I mention the love of the parents who leave everything they own in order to try to bring their children to safety, only to find there is no safe place in Gaza, as the UN tells us. I mention the love of the mothers who are giving birth by Caesarean section, without anaesthetic, or trying to feed their crying babies, even though they only have salt water to drink themselves. I mention the love of the doctors who are working under fire. I mention the love of those who lose their families but who keep digging in the rubble for strangers and their bodies. I mention the love of all of those - and this is important - who try to keep the memories of light, the sea, culture and community alive, even when they are surrounded by pain. I mention all of those beautiful hearts that are being scraped raw, shattered into pieces and stopped forever, with hundreds more every day.
We will have a time - and there must be a time - when all of the crimes of Israel and Hamas are tried, investigated and prosecuted at the International Criminal Court but right now, every day that the killing is allowed to continue is a crime against humanity. We cannot in any way be complicit in allowing that. I am proud that Ireland and the Taoiseach will be at the European Council meeting today and tomorrow calling for a ceasefire and pushing for peace. We need to be clear that we need concrete actions that add pressure to that. That means looking at the EU-Israel association trade agreement, which is premised on compatibility with human rights and the UN Charter. We must say that we need to look at suspending the agreement under Article 82. We cannot provide favourable trade agreements, benefits and advantages to those who do not show regard for international law. Similarly, the memorandum of understanding on energy between the EU and Israel must be examined. If we do nothing and continue with business as usual, even as we call and cry, then we are not doing everything we can to stop this killing and to lead to real peace in the region.
I join Senators in thank Tom Hickey for his work. I wish him the best in the next chapter in his life. The Ceannaire may be aware that the leadership elections for the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, took place this week. I commend all those who contested them, including Francie Gorman, the new president. In particular, I congratulate Alice Doyle, who is the first ever female deputy president elected to the IFA. I know Alice. She, her husband Tom and their family farm a beef and tillage farm at Balloughter, just outside Gorey. She is a formidable woman. She has been chair of the Wexford Mental Health Association and has been actively involved in education. She will be a breath of new life into the, dare I say it, male-dominated farm organisations we have in this country. The role of women in agriculture is critical. I congratulate everyone involved but I particularly congratulate Alice, given that she has taken on this leadership role. With others, I extend a happy Christmas and a thank you to Martin Groves and his team, all the team in Leinster House, all my colleagues in this Chamber, and our staff, families and those who are behind us and without whom we could not do this work.
I hope we appreciate how lucky we are in this country that we are at peace. We have talked about the suffering of so many in Gaza, on the West Bank, in Israel and in many other parts of the world. It is also worth remembering - and this is crucial at the European Council meeting today - the ongoing war in Ukraine. We know that over 10,000 civilians, innocent people, have been killed as a result of Putin's horrific war against the people of Ukraine, which he commenced in February 2022. I ask that in the new year we have statements on Ukraine so we can continue to express our solidarity with the people there.
I join others in wishing Tom Hickey all the best in his retirement and in the next stages of his life. I thank him for his courtesy and kindness over the years. I also join others in wishing the staff of the Seanad office all the best for the Christmas period and thank them for their work in these Houses. I also thank all the catering staff, House staff, usher staff and parliamentary staff who have kept the show on the road over the course of the last year.
Yesterday the Irish Heart Foundation and Croí made presentations to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health. Cardiovascular disease is the biggest cause of death globally accounting for 33% of all deaths and one in five of premature deaths. It is the second leading cause of death in Ireland, with an average of 10,000 deaths per annum. Approximately 7,500 people each year have a stroke in Ireland. Stroke is the leading cause of acquired adult neurological disability in this country. Croí has pointed out that the rehabilitation programme is very important. A patient has an immediate rehabilitation programme emerging from acute hospital care. Individuals also require an essential network of co-ordinated supports to continue their recovery at home, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise, speech and language therapy and, critically, ongoing psychological support.
I welcome the advances, but we do not have an updated national cardiovascular health strategy. The last one concluded in 2019. I ask the Deputy Leader to contact the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to establish a new cardiovascular health strategy. It is imperative to provide that leadership. I commend the Irish Heart Foundation and Croí on the very important work they do on behalf of so many families across the country.
I formally second my colleague Senator McDowell's amendment to the Order of Business. I want to raise issues relating to the Committee Stage of the policing Bill yesterday. I left the Oireachtas at 11.15 p.m. last night. I just checked into my office before I left to see an email that withdrew the motion due to go before the House regarding how we would reconvene. The Deputy Leader should be aware and certainly the Seanad office will be aware that our group had submitted an amendment proposing coming back on Tuesday, 16 January. I also expressed my concern to the Leader in an email to her office. There were also talks about coming in next week to facilitate our Minister for Justice who wishes to pursue legislation which was agreed by Government. She was totally frustrated in here yesterday as were some of us on this side of the House. We need some explanation today.
I know the Deputy Leader is a very reasonable person. She has a track record of working in this Senate as a Leader herself. Therefore, we need to know when it is proposed that the Seanad will reconvene. I know she has a proposal that it would adjourn today sine die. I want to know why a motion that we submitted amendments to was withdrawn late last night. It reminds me of Lanigan's Ball - I stepped in and I stepped out. We saw a performance of it here last night. At 10.10 p.m., we were told from the Leader's office that this motion had now been withdrawn. They either know what they are doing or they do not know what they are doing. It all sounds a bit manic and desperate. We need to know what is going on. What is the problem with the Government parties? Why was there a suggestion at 10.10 p.m. to withdraw it?
I have a strong view. Given the amount of legislation we have on our books and given what the Minister for Justice said about community policing, I am not in favour of taking off into the sunset until the middle of January. I want this House back doing the business it is elected to do. I want to convey that to the Deputy Leader. I do not have that opportunity anymore because our amendments fall as there is now no motion. It is all politics but the public out there see it for what it is. I ask the Deputy Leader to outline the intentions of the House in relation to when we are going to-----
Míle buíochas.
I am happy to stay here until 3 o'clock. I am happy to oppose the proposal and I am up for it. I just want to flag that to the Deputy Leader.
I echo other Members' thanks to all of the staff, Martin and all his people. I also thank you a Chathaoirligh. Tom Hickey is a gentleman to the tips of his fingers and has always been very helpful to us all. I also thank all my colleagues here.
The situation in Gaza is appalling. How much longer will we have to look at the blood-spattered bodies of women and children and innocent people? Some weeks ago, I asked why in such a powerful world nobody seems to be able to stop this. I cannot put it nearly as well as Senators McDowell and Higgins put it. It is terribly upsetting and terribly wrong. I was one of the biggest critics of the attack on Israel, but what has happened since is really deplorable. I commend the Irish Government which is trying to set the wheels in motion to get a ceasefire. It is appalling to watch this blood and death and absolute destruction. It is incredibly depressing that in this great powerful world with great powerful people in it nobody can bring any type of common sense to Gaza. While the Ukraine war is bad, what is happening in Gaza is deplorable.
It is over three years since a man from Elfin in County Roscommon named Robert Pether was thrown into jail in Iraq where he has been treated horribly. He is a top engineer who is being used as fodder in a row between massive contractors and the Iraqi Government over the building of the central bank in Baghdad. I commend the Deputy Leader who has done more than many people have done. I again appeal to the Government to do something for this man, his wife and children, who for the third year are living in Elfin in County Roscommon with their father locked up in an Iraqi jail where he is not being treated well. This is injustice at its worst and we need to do more on that case.
I welcome to the public Gallery students and staff of St. Farnan's Secondary School in Prosperous, County Kildare. They are very welcome to Leinster House today. I thank them for being here and wish them a very happy Christmas.
I join in the tributes to our colleague, Tom Hickey, who is retiring today. In my 13 years as a Member of this House I found that Tom had an inability to say "No" to any request which is a testament to him. I would often come at the last minute for that tour I had forgotten to book and he would always accommodate it. One day David Blunkett was in Dublin and he called in to visit me in the House. It caused a bit of a diplomatic incident, but Tom took control of the situation. The former Home Secretary of the United Kingdom had a great evening here in Leinster House as result of the courtesy and professionalism of Tom Hickey. I wish him every success in his retirement.
Thank you, a Chathaoirligh, Martin, Bridget and their staff for all your help. I wish all members of the parliamentary community a happy and safe Christmas. We will reconvene here at whatever date in January and continue the important work we do here in the Seanad.
I also wish everybody a safe and healthy Christmas. I echo Senator Boyhan's calls about coming back at the same time as the Dáil and committees. This House needs to be putting its shoulder to the wheel and doing as much work as the other institutions in the Houses. I echo the calls that we should be back early. I would happily use that time to progress two Bills that I have on Committee Stage. One would reduce the cost for animal welfare shelters. The Government had promised to have my dog welfare Bill before Christmas. That criticism is not targeted at the Deputy Leader. We could do that in January and save those shelters a fortune in having to house dogs that are being held as evidence in private kennels.
I would particularly like to raise the issue of yesterday's SEAI report on energy in Ireland, which made the headlines and showed that emissions from energy had decreased. Many were on the airwaves celebrating the decrease in the amount of coal and oil we burn to generate electricity. On the surface, this is commendable. It is the direction we all want to go. However, when you read the SEAI report, you will see that the devil is in the detail. Oil and coal-generated electricity has not been replaced with renewable energy. Rather, it has been replaced with electricity from Britain, where it is generated from fossil fuels. There has therefore been no overall reduction in Ireland's emissions. This is due to the very disconcerting trend of substantial increases in our reliance on imported electricity. The percentage soared from 1.2% in the first nine months of 2020 to a staggering 9.1% in the same period in 2023. As I have said, all we are doing is engaging in clever accounting. We are literally offshoring our emissions, outsourcing them to Britain and not counting them here. We need tangible climate action, which is about reducing overall electricity demand. That means dealing with the data centres, producing renewable energy within our own borders, steering away from accounting tricks and avoiding sleight of hand.
I echo the comments of my colleagues in wishing Tom Hickey a very happy retirement. I thank him for his professionalism and courtesy. I also thank all the Seanad staff and everyone who makes this House function. Extraordinary work goes on behind the scenes.
I came in today to pay tribute to the work of Sam and Odette Doran and to celebrate the opening to the public of the interim remediation scheme through the Housing Agency's website, housingagency.ie, last Monday. That scheme is to assist all of those who have been affected by apartment defects and to give them interim funding. I have been championing this for three years now and I was delighted when we managed to meet up with Sam and Odette last weekend in anticipation of what was coming on Monday. That was fantastic.
I came in to pay a larger tribute to them than that but I cannot end the year and not say that, at one point in my life, I did a lot of study of the Shoah, the Jewish name for the Holocaust. I also carried out a lot of counselling and training of community leaders in Rwanda, who were trying to cope with trauma after the genocide and what it meant for the generations to come. I worked in the parish of Shyogwe in Rwanda for some time. The pictures of naked men being lined up that Senator McDowell has mentioned echo everything I saw in my studies of the Shoah and in the horrific photographs and testimonies of those who witnessed what happened to the Jews during the Holocaust. I always begin with empathy and see everything through that lens as regards how Israel conducts itself, while I might be appalled by it. There is no question that there will have to come a time when Hamas is held to account but, by God, what is happening in Palestine and in Gaza at the moment is horrific. I am very proud of our Taoiseach's stand and the leadership our country is showing in this regard, despite Israel's very personal admonishments of the Taoiseach. I am very glad of that. I stand with Palestine and Gaza today. Peace and goodwill are not evident. What is happening is horrific. Let us name it for what it is. It looks like a genocide. It has all the hallmarks of one. I have seen them and there is a tragedy to come for the Jewish people as a consequence, which is also horrific. It needs to stop. We need a ceasefire now.
I join with everybody else in wishing Tom Hickey well in his retirement. I also wish Martin Groves, Bridget Doody and the staff of the Seanad a happy and peaceful Christmas. They need a peaceful Christmas after what we saw here last night. I wish the Cathaoirleach well and thank him for his tolerance. That will get me an extra few seconds.
This week, the Irish Examiner reported that a Russian submarine was off the coast of Cork. How do we know? How do we know what is off the Cork or, for that matter, what is up in the sky when we do not have the capability to find out? In a Commencement matter debate on search and rescue yesterday, I heard the Minister of State refer to some of the tasks carried out by military being passed over to the search and rescue services, particularly the fixed-wing aircraft. I call for a debate on security early in the new year. We have two Ministers from Cork, who sit across the road from Haulbowline watching the place fall apart, and absolutely nothing has been done.
I thought we had three.
We need to have a debate on that. We also have a Senator or two down there.
I will very quickly mention another thing. Galway Bay FM has contacted me and, I am sure, most other Senators about the need for funding for reporting on local elections, local democracy issues and so on. The Taoiseach has promised that funding will be forthcoming once any European competition issues have been overcome. These stations are desperate for funding. I ask that we expedite that as quickly as possible and get them the funding they need.
I wish the Deputy Leader a happy Christmas as well. The Fianna Fáil Senators might get together to decide where they are going in the new year. We cannot have what we saw from them last night again.
I also wish Tom Hickey well on his retirement. I thank him most sincerely for all his support down through the years I have been here. I speak on behalf of the Civil Engagement Group. He has been a great support and an absolute gentleman. He is professional to the core and I wish him well in his retirement. I also thank the Cathaoirleach for the work he has done this year and thank the staff, including Martin Groves and Bridget Doody in the Seanad Office, for the phenomenal work they have done. I also thank Orla Murray and all of the parliamentary assistants, ushers, restaurant staff, cleaners and everybody else. I wish those of all parties and none a very happy and peaceful Christmas.
I will begin by saying a little about my disappointment in certain Members' conduct during yesterday afternoon's Committee Stage debate on policing. The way business was handled was a poor reflection on the Upper House and served to undermine the hard work undertaken by other Senators, including Senators in the Independent Group and my colleague, Senator Ruane. My colleagues in the Civil Engagement Group and I take our jobs very seriously, as do others here. We work very hard at it and the same is true of many other colleagues in this Chamber. We see it as our duty to engage meaningfully and constructively throughout the legislative process, from pre-legislative scrutiny right through to the amending Stages. We do not want to frustrate progress or to frustrate our colleagues in the Government parties but we care about the business of this House and how it impacts on people. It is people's business after all.
I will therefore speak about the business that is to be taken after the Christmas break, as my colleague suggested. I note that there was a proposal that we come back on 22 January to discuss the referendum Bills. I put on record the opposition of my group to any guillotining of debate on that important legislation. We are concerned that pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bills was waived and that it is now proposed that a guillotine be imposed on debates in respect of them. We will be asking the public to give careful consideration to these proposals and we believe that not having full and proper legislative scrutiny may undermine public confidence in the referendum process. It is really important that we do it right in here. It has to be done right so I encourage people to in no way undermine the work we do in here.
I wish Tom Hickey the very best of luck in his retirement. I did not realise he was moving on. He has been a fantastic civil servant and he will be a deep loss to the House.
I raise the issue of the ACRES payment in the agriculture sector. The ACRES payment is really important for small farmers and they need to make sure they get money for this scheme. They were supposed to get paid last October but they know they will not get paid until February and it has been indicated today that they may not get paid until March. Some have been paid but the majority have not. The problem is that these are small-time farmers, the majority of whom are not productive, and they need to get money for Christmas. I do not understand why a payment of at least 50% could not be made to them in the next few days. The Department knows who the applicants are and what they have done.
It is the administration of the Department that is at fault. It is the small farmers, who want to get paid, who are going to get hammered here. This is what they want. They are not really productive people who have big milk cheques coming in every day. They do not have that opportunity, so they need to get paid. The Minister is acting like Scrooge regarding this issue at the moment. He needs to do something; he needs to pay them. A payment has to be made to all of these ACRES people between now and 25 December. Otherwise, they will not have money for Christmas. It is an issue that the Minister needs to deliver on. It is his Department that has failed to do the work here, and nobody else. It is not Europe or anyone else. I do not understand how he could not have put a process in place whereby they could at least get a part payment. It is unacceptable that these people have to wait. If it was anyone else in civil society, and civil servants, teachers and doctors were not getting paid, there would be war, but it is okay to leave the small farmers unpaid. It is not good enough. Something needs to be done in the next week.
I, too, want to wish Tom Hickey the best of luck in his retirement. I wish him and his family all the best in the years ahead. We thank, and are very grateful for, the staff we have in Leinster House, including the Cathaoirleach and his staff, those in the Leader's office and all the staff around the House. Next week we finish up for Christmas and we are very grateful for what we have. When we see what is happening in the Middle East, we hug our children a little bit tighter. We look around and see that we are very grateful for the little eyes that look up to us and for the fact we live in a safe country. I think of the mammies and daddies who are living in absolute fear and who are losing their families and their homes. To me, it is out of hate and the suppression of people. Yes, there were wrongs done, but no child should be attacked or needlessly killed. No families, hospitals or schools should be targeted. Humanity is failing in the Middle East at the minute. My wish is that we all pray for families in Palestine and Israel, but mostly for those in Palestine, because they are being crucified. It is absolutely wrong and abhorrent.
I wish to convey my thanks to Tom Hickey for his contribution over the last number of years in the Houses. He is an absolute gentleman. I also want to praise our Seanad staff and all the staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas for the contribution that they make every day.
I attended a peace convention on Monday in Tipperary town, and Sabina Higgins was one of the guest speakers. It was lovely to hear Senator Higgins calling for peace here this morning. Sabina Higgins also called for peace at the convention. Both are very emotional women, and we could feel that emotion in the Senator's contribution today. Through music, poetry, readings and reflections, everybody at the peace convention expressed their wish for peace in this world. There are 18,000 people dead in Israel and Palestine now. It has to stop, but what figure will it stop at? There has to be a ceasefire. This is the holiest of holy times in the Christian calendar. I call for peace. Every leader throughout the world should be calling for a ceasefire and for peace at this time.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul claimed recently that it was helping 500,000 families in poverty this Christmas. My God, how we have failed. There are 500,000 families in poverty. There was a documentary on RTÉ yesterday evening that showed those families queuing up for bags of food and vouchers. It is heartbreaking to see. We are in 2023, and it should not be happening. We need to do better by our people next year.
I think of all those families, within this House and beyond it, who have lost a loved one, and where there will be an empty chair this Christmas. It really has been a terrible year for Ireland. I hope that next year, please God, will be a better one for this country. We need some good news next year. May God make 2024 a much happier year for the people of Ireland.
Like my colleagues, I wish the staff in the Seanad Office a happy Christmas, and wish Tom Hickey well in this retirement. I thank my colleagues, including Caroline, Mikayala and my team in Roscommon and Galway, for all their support this year. It has been a difficult year.
People are preparing for Christmas. I encourage them to shop local, where they can, when they are buying presents. It is crucial that we support jobs in our towns. I ask people, where possible, to shop in and think about the small shops in our local areas.
Continuing on a previous point that was made, farm incomes are a major driver of spending in our rural towns, particularly in Roscommon and Galway. As Senator Lombard mentioned, the Government expanded ACRES to include over 46,000 farming families. It has increased the spend on this, but we need to see investment and expansion of the IT systems in the Department of agriculture to manage the payments to these families in a timely manner. It is shocking to think that some of these families that have been expecting payments have not received them.
I join with everyone here in calling for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza. There are many families that have lost loved ones, but now we think of people who have lost loved ones in war. We think of Ukraine too. I want to highlight the importance of democracies across the world in this day and age, and call for strong and balanced leadership to guide people to peace this Christmas.
Déanaim comhghairdeas leis Tom Hickey and I wish everyone a happy Christmas.
I want to remember Private Seán Rooney, who was killed in the cause of peace. He gave his life in the cause of peace on this day last year. It was a death which "pierced the heart" of his family, as they said. In the context of everything that is happening in the Middle East, we have a proud tradition in this country of peacekeeping. I am proud of the contributions that our Taoiseach and Tánaiste have made, and the moral leadership they have shown in calling for an enduring ceasefire.
I also want to talk about love and suffering. I want to talk about the children who are not receiving complex spinal surgery as we speak. It is an issue that I have raised in the House several times previously. I have received more correspondence from the parents of children who are not receiving spinal surgery. This year in Ireland, no child with spina bifida has had a kyphectomy or complex spinal surgery for scoliosis. They are being left on waiting lists. One child is within 8° of a scoliotic curve that is inoperable. I know of at least one other child, since I raised this issue in the Seanad, whose condition has also become inoperable. Like the children in Gaza, their lives are forever blighted. Treatment delayed is a life denied. I have spoken previously about the parent who wrote to me about his son. He said "They just want him to pass away quietly. They do not want the international medical community to see the condition that he is being allowed to deteriorate to in Ireland."
Today, children are not getting a second opinion after the suspension of surgery by Children's Health Ireland. They are not getting a second opinion and they are not being informed who their consultants are. In this case, we know that they do not want to give the kids an independent second opinion or a task force, because they know that the international medical community would be appalled at the condition that we have allowed disabled children to deteriorate to. They are the only cohort of Irish citizens who do not get surgery, and it is because they are disabled. As I have said here previously, disabled citizens are seen as having less human value than other citizens. That is the love and suffering of parents like me, who see our children deteriorate before our very eyes. I am asking my colleagues in Government parties, who have power, to set up a task force immediately in order that these children can be operated on and to set up a statutory inquiry to establish precisely why disabled children are allowed to deteriorate to the condition that they are in this country.
I join in everyone else in wishing all the staff here, including Martin, Bridget, a very happy Christmas. I also wish the Cathaoirleach a happy Christmas. It is almost a year since he started his role. I thank him for his courtesy and the way he treats us here. I am laughing after yesterday's intervention, but on reflection, I think he managed it very well.
I also wish Tom Hickey well in his retirement. As most people have said, he has had a stellar career here of professionalism. I have known him outside of here as well because of his role on the Oireachtas rugby team, which the Ceann Comhairle mentioned yesterday. I have been witness to his inspirational speeches before matches. We almost always win anyway and then he takes full credit from the speech that he gave in the first place. He will be sadly missed here. He has been a great servant to all of us and we are very grateful. I consider him a very good friend as well.
Yesterday at our committee, we had representatives from RGDATA, Musgrave's and from the convenience stores regarding the challenges they are having with shoplifting and burglary. Obviously this has been a topic of discussion in recent weeks because of what happened in Dublin but it is an issue that every single convenience store across the country has. It is estimated that a lot of stores lose between €20,000 and €40,000 a year in terms of robberies. Even while we were having the meeting that morning, a store in Tipperary was robbed three times. It is a real challenge they are having.
I put it to them in the meeting that a lot of conversations have happened, particularly in this room, about the individuals who were involved three weeks ago. I asked them how did they feel when we talk about how these people need support and how we do not need to be hard on them. I asked them if they support what the Minister for Justice and the Government are doing in terms of trying to crack down on this. They get so frustrated when people try to justify in some way why they have ended up in this position or why they are robbing stores. What they ask is that they are supported in the business that they do and that their staff are protected. What they really ask for is what the Minister, Deputy McEntee, is doing at the moment over the Christmas period. They said that even in the last ten days crime has been down. They have asked for that to be extended beyond Christmas and into the new year.
The 999 service in Ireland operates from two towns, namely, Navan and Ballyshannon. The ECAS service as it is known, the emergency call answering service, is provided under State contract by BT Ireland. In the last year and a half, the workers in Navan and Ballyshannon joined the Communications Workers Union to try to improve their workplace conditions across a number of areas. I have met them, as has the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, who has come to Navan. Unfortunately, the better treatment they are seeking through the CWU has not been forthcoming because they will not be recognised by BT Ireland. As a result of this non-recognition by BT Ireland, the workers conducted a ballot for industrial action. Remember the seriousness of this. This is our 999 emergency call service operating 24 hours a day. The workers have now balloted for industrial action with 82% of the CWU members working in this service endorsing that action. They informed the company of this and, rather than taking any action that is mandated by the ballot, they referred the dispute to the Workplace Relations Commission in order to act responsibly and avoid any disruption to this vital public service. Unfortunately, BT Ireland has refused to attend the WRC hearing. The workers want to know how a company delivering a State contract can simply ignore an invite from the WRC, the industrial relations machinery of the State, when these people felt they had no choice but to ballot for industrial action.
I ask the Deputy Leader's good office to write to the Minister for communications and ask why a company that is delivering such a vital State service is refusing to attend the WRC. If those workers in the 999 service decide to go on strike, we will have a very serious issue in this country and everybody will be in here roaring and shouting. I ask the House and the Deputy Leader to back the 999 call workers in Navan and Ballyshannon.
I want to echo the strong words of colleagues and wish good health in retirement to Tom. I thank him for all his work. He is a fantastic servant to the Houses of the Oireachtas and a friendly face to us all every day when we come in here. I wish all the staff, Martin Groves, all the Seanad staff and ushers across the whole complex every good health and best wishes for the Christmas season. A Chathaoirligh, it is just 12 months since you took up the role and you have been excellent in it. I congratulate you on your term so far as Cathaoirleach.
I have been a strong advocate for a project we have been working on here in Leinster House with the EDI team for an autism-friendly Parliament. That application has now been submitted so we are waiting to see if we are successful. I am confident that it will be successful because I know the huge amount of work that has been done, particularly by Róisín Sweeney and Roisin Deery, who have worked with the EDI team and linked in with all the various parts of the Houses of the Oireachtas to put forward an application to AsIAm. A key part of it was the training and awareness, which is important across society. I thank all the Members who undertook that training throughout all the parties and all the political and backup staff who engaged in it. A significant number of the parliamentary community took part in it. That is all part of the whole accreditation process. Hopefully we will know sometime early in the new year if we are successful. If we are, we can say we are an autism-friendly Parliament with the highest standards in the world. That would be something to be very proud of.
I concur with the comments of Senator Lombard. I come from a very rural area in Longford. A significant number of people and families in the farming community, two weeks before Christmas, are now left without funding through the ACRES scheme. I do not think that is acceptable. We are asking people to shop local in our local communities. That money quadruples within the local economy if you spend it, but if do you not actually get the money, you cannot spend it in the local community. We are going to have families left out of pocket for money that would be circulating in the local economy over the Christmas period. Something needs to be put in place, whether it is a 25% or a 50% payment. Money needs to be put in people's pockets before Christmas.
I welcome the students and staff from Glenamaddy Community School. They are very welcome to Leinster House today and I thank them for being here. I praise you, Senator Carrigy, for your work on the autism friendly Parliament. You have done an extraordinary job in driving the initiative with Roisin Deery, Róisín Sweeny and the EDI team. That you for your leadership in that.
Hear, hear.
Before I call on the Deputy Leader to reply to the Order of Business, I wish all here, Members of the House and members of the parliamentary community, all of our staff from all parts of Leinster House and all of their families a very peaceful and happy Christmas. As many Members have said this morning, our world is really at an inflection point. For peace and goodwill to continue, it does need political leadership from all of us. We are very conscious of the strife in the world today. Senator Clonan rightly remembered today Private Seán Rooney, who was tragically killed this time last year. We think of him today and we thank all of our men and women in our armed forces and Garda Síochána who serve and protect us every day. I wish you all a very happy Christmas. I particularly thank the Cathaoirleach's staff, Aisling Hart and Amanda Carney and all the team in the Seanad office led by Martin Groves and Bridget Doody. I thank Ruth and Avril in my team for looking after me as well. I thank you for your courtesy during the year. Despite a couple of bumps, I hope we have got to the end of the year although I will not pre-empt what might happen later in the day. I call on the Deputy Leader to respond to the Order of Business.
I will start by addressing the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023. Senator Boyhan referred to the scheduling of debates and the calendar of the Parliament and the Seanad. To be clear, the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill is incredibly important legislation and will make enormous leaps to help our Garda Síochána, as the Cathaoirleach suggested, continue to do its job, which is keeping us safe. It is getting more challenging, as we all know, week in, week out. It is a Bill that needs robust debate. I would very much welcome any amendments or improvements to the Bill put down by all colleagues. It is not a job that we should take lightly. For my own part, I think we should set aside an entire day to start and complete it. We should have a proper debate on the Bill but should get it finished.
We need to get the Bill finished as soon as possible. I want to address some of the concerns raised yesterday as to why I did not come into this Chamber and make an amendment to the Order of Business. The Leader of the House sets the Order of Business. Nobody else can do so in her absence without her permission and instructions. Any orders that come to this House may be amended, but only if accepted by the Leader. Any suggestion that I shirked my responsibilities yesterday by not coming here are wide of the mark. I am very supportive of this Bill and I am very supportive, in the main, of the Minister for Justice. This Bill needs to be finished as soon as possible.
As to when we return is also entirely within the gift and instructions of the Leader. She will do that through the Seanad Office when arrangements for the date to return have been made.
We are not here any other day.
I am sure she is here in her office.
I will clarify for Senator Boyhan. At the end of the business of the House today, the proposal will be to adjourn. If there is a date given or if it is sine die, it is your prerogative to oppose that if you wish.
The proposal will be to adjourn sine die.
I want to add my voice to the sentiments expressed about the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza. I welcome Senator Higgins back. It is lovely to see her. I could never put into words what she expressed this morning. She is very eloquent. She admits she is emotional but that is what makes her contributions so powerful because she is very personal. I really hope that she spoke for all of us today. I thank her for her contribution and acknowledge everybody else's good wishes.
Senator Cassells brought up an event that is quite shocking. I cannot believe we have a situation where an organisation receiving Irish State funds through an Irish State contract does not abide by Irish State rules. Not only will I write a letter to the Minister but I will make sure we make contact today and will ask for direct instructions to be given to BT to do what is good for it. If our money is good enough for the company, then our rules also should be. It is shocking to think that the people who are minding us when we get sick would consider having to go on strike because their conditions are not up to scratch.
Senator Ahearn spoke to me yesterday about this matter. It is shocking that almost 15% of our local shops' turnover is being lost to pilfering. I think we need far more of the stick in Irish justice than the carrot. We have gone much too far towards the carrot, to use that phrase. We should have a rebalancing. I am all for helping families with intergenerational issues but that level is not acceptable to be allowed to go unchecked.
I join Senator Clonan in his request for a task force for an immediate reaction to all children he represents. The Senator bring such a personal story to the issue through personal experience. We sometimes try to justify shortcomings here. The Senator really knows what the shortcomings are. He is not speaking anecdotally. I will support him. I do not know how I will do so yet but I will find a way.
Senator Dolan reminded us this morning that if we do not support our local shops, then we are not supporting our local jobs. It is something that we really need to do. I know it is important for people to come into our cities. The Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, has done a sterling job in the last few weeks, reassuring us that the shops are open for business and that they are great value and it is safe and all of that good stuff. However, our local shops around the country also need to be supported.
Senators Lombard and Carrigy spoke about the timelines of the agri-climate rural environment scheme. I really do not know the cause of the delay. There is no justification for families who live by the cheques they receive, supporting their income through their hard work, not receiving the payments in a timely manner. I will contact the Minister's office today to do as they suggested. We can endeavour to give some interim payments to tide them over until whatever difficulties have been sorted out in the Department of agriculture.
Senator Craughwell sought a debate on security, particularly in light of that Russian submarine off the west coast of Cork last week. He also wants a debate on the local democracy funding. This is with the Department of the Taoiseach at the moment. There are some issues with regard to state aid. They are trying to work out the technicalities but I will continue to keep the pressure on to see if we can get this resolved sooner rather than later.
Senator Seery Kearney has been talking about apartment defects in this Chamber nearly as much as she has been talking about surrogacy rights since she arrived here three years ago. I think she needs to take a bow because two serious issues she has championed have now been resolved in the one week. It is really good week for her. I have met Sam and Odette. The Not Our Fault campaign was relentless. They were outside the Chamber week in and week out looking for support, which I think they got from all parties. Sometimes these things take much longer than we would hope or expect. It is a really good week for the Senator and for all of the people seeking that funding.
Senator Boylan spoke about the SEAI report on emissions this morning. Senator Kyne is seeking a new strategy through the Irish Health Foundation on cardiovascular disease. It is hard to believe that it is the second largest cause of death in Ireland. As we have a very outdated strategy, I will write to the Minister and ask him to consider this. Senator Malcolm Byrne rightly congratulated Francie Gorman and Alice Doyle on their election this morning as president and vice president, respectively, of the IFA. It is a really seismic moment for mná na feirme, as Alice called them. She is a powerful advocate for mental health. We have a serious issue, particularly in the farming community with male farmers around mental health. Their election is a very positive development. Senator Sherlock welcomed the EU directive that will arise from the long-winded negotiations around platform workers in the European Parliament yesterday Senator Warfield is looking for a second level college on Inishbofin, which does not seem like to much to ask for if we want people to continue living on our islands. Senator McDowell has suggested an Order of Business amendment, which I am very happy to accept.
I join with everybody with good wishes for Christmas. We are very privileged to work in an environment like we do. The people who mind us on every part of this campus are genuinely wonderful people. I have always felt they were handpicked because there are so special and so good to us all. I wish all my colleagues a very happy and peaceful Christmas, and much love to you and all your families. Enjoy the break. I know we all work hard but we also need to have a good break over Christmas because next year is going to be a big year.
I also want to thank Ms Orla Murray in the Leader's office and Ms Deirdre Chambers who operates the Government's Chief Whip's office with Senator Gallagher and others. Senator McDowell proposed an amendment to the Order of Business that: "No. 11 be taken before No. 2.", which was seconded by Senator Boyhan. The Deputy Leader has indicated she is prepared to accept the amendment. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Order of Business, as amended, agreed to.