The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of the draft south coast designated maritime area plan for offshore renewable energy, to be taken at 12.45 p.m. and to conclude 2:15 p.m. if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes and the time may be shared, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; No. 2, Maternity Protection Bill 2024, all Stages, to be taken at 2.15 p.m. and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 4 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair which shall relate to amendments to include only those set down or accepted by Government, the time allocated to the opening remarks by the Minister at the debate on Second Stage shall not exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes and the time may be shared, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be given no less than five minutes to reply to the debate, and Committee and Remaining Stages to be taken immediately thereafter; and No. 3, motion regarding the report of the Joint Committee on Autism entitled Final Report of the Joint Committee on Autism, to be taken at 4 p.m. in accordance with the speaking arrangements set out in Standing Order 78, with the time allocated to the debate not to exceed two hours.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
I support the Order of Business.
I very much welcome the Government's decision to ratify the optional protocol of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCPRD. This is a very significant step in the right direction to support those living with disability in Ireland. Through the UNCRPD, the Government has committed to full and equal rights for those with disabilities in Ireland. Under the optional protocol, this means that individuals and groups can lodge a complaint to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities if they believe that the State has breached obligations under the convention. As a member of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, I have long advocated for this convention to be fully ratified and I am very pleased the Government and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, are taking this vital and crucial step.
Yesterday, I invited Gareth Landy, a constituent of mine in south Kildare, to come and speak in the audiovisual room about his journey to being diagnosed with XXY syndrome. We speak quite a bit about female infertility but very little about male infertility. Sometimes, women go through quite invasive procedures to realise, perhaps some time afterwards, that there is not an issue with their fertility but there may be with their partner. Gareth's syndrome is a complex disorder and there are a number of flagging symptoms that we could recognise when we know what we are looking for. Gareth and Anna have finally got their beautiful set of twins through a sperm donor, even though they had a difficult time to get there. Gareth is raising awareness about XXY syndrome. It is thought one in 600 men suffer from this but very few are diagnosed. We need to spend more time looking at this.
Gareth had three men asks. The first is that the VAT charge on the sperm and donor egg be abolished, which is an important ask. His second ask is to cover XXY syndrome under the long-term illness scheme because those in his situation must have a testosterone injection every 15 weeks, which is quite expensive. The third ask is the establishment of an Irish equivalent to the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. This is an independent fertility watchdog that helps protect couples from being exploited for profit, which is very important.
The final issue I will raise is inheritance or capital acquisitions tax. It is good and important that the income threshold has been raised in the budget. I feel very strongly about this. Some people have children who have passed away prematurely and they have grandchildren. The grandchildren cannot avail of the income disregard. Everybody who is single who does not have children should have the ability to nominate at least one person to avail of an inheritance without having to pay the 33% tax. I would like to have a debate on that issue in this House. I thank the Cathaoirleach.
Even though I gave the Senator latitude, I agree with her on that point.
I appreciate that and I thank the Cathaoirleach.
I should not say that as the Chair but Senator O'Loughlin has raised a very good point. I call Senator Boyhan.
First, I wish the Minister of State at the Department of agriculture, our colleague Senator Pippa Hackett, well as she is leading a five-day food trade mission to Thailand and Vietnam in co-operation with Bord Bia, which is very important, but it raises the issue of access to markets with regard to meat. In this case it is Thailand and Vietnam and the meat is more likely to be pork. The reality is we have issues with our meat sector. We have a very proud, strong and long tradition in the agriculture and food sector of Bord Bia marketing our food. I am very conscious that as the Minister of State is going out and representing this country and its meat and agricultural sector on a trade mission, we need to look again and have a debate about how we can finish off meat and its production here. Live exports of cattle are contentious and I am going to touch on that in a moment in reference to “Prime Time Investigates”. We are losing a lot of work and economic activity in the processing of meat on the shores of Ireland. That is a missed opportunity. I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Hackett well. It is a five-day trip to Thailand and Vietnam and it is primarily about food, specifically meat.
Last night, many Members will have watched “Prime Time Investigates” and I wish to salute, thank and congratulate the "Prime Time Investigates” team that carried out this special report "Live Exports - On The Hoof". I do not know whether any Member watched it but it was an horrific programme. It exposed footage of Irish calves being offloaded with most of them going to Israel. It is very interesting that in the agri-journals this morning, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, chief is quoted as being shocked and appalled by what is going on. It is important that a member of one of our leading farm organisations is talking about this and I wish to acknowledge that.
We have discussed many times the need for veterinarians or veterinary technicians - and I believe it should be technicians - to go aboard and travel with these cattle. What we saw last night was a litany of abuse of animal welfare, which should be of major concern. There are animal welfare and regulation enforcement issues. It is clear from the interview and the clippings that I again examined this morning, that there is a lack of enforcement. What are the two asks? There is a role for the European Commission regarding the movement of animals both within Europe and beyond and we have a role here. It was disappointing - and this is not an implicit criticism of any of the three ministers – that Miriam O'Callaghan pointedly said at the end of the programme that she had extended an invitation to each of the three Ministers in the Department of agriculture to appear and for various reasons they were unable to attend. I can understand that. We know for instance that one of them is abroad. However, I will be writing to the Minister - I am not asking the Leader to convey this - stating that we need a statement from the Department of agriculture in response to what was aired on the national airwaves last night on “Prime Time Investigates” before the day is out. That is all I am asking for. I will take it upon myself to write to the Minister this morning as we need a response today from the Department to the inspections.
I would like to raise two issues. The first issue relates to social protection. It is something I did not realise until it was brought to my attention by somebody from my home town of Dundalk. Our social protection system is extremely generous. It exists to provide a financial safeguard to people who experience different issues in their lives. One thing that I did not realise is that people on widow’s benefit are not entitled to illness benefit at the same time. They have to stick with widow’s benefit. That is not quite fair. A death has obviously occurred of a loved one and these people may not be able to work after that, though they may wish to continue working. It is not fair that they have to be ruled out of receiving both benefits. If they are on widow's benefit, they have had awful bad luck. It should not rule them out of availing of illness benefit or other social protection payments at the same time. I would like to have a debate about social protection and it is something I will write to Minister, Deputy Humphreys about. Hopefully, we can have something like that changed and included.
The other issue, which I raised a year and a half ago, concerns the housing lists of local authorities. It is an issue of natural justice and fairness that really annoys me and has done for the ten years that I have been in local and national politics. When the local authority wants to check the housing list to make sure people are living at their current address or to update their address, they send a letter to them. If they do not reply to that letter straight away, the authority removes them from the housing list. If they are on the list for six or seven years and the council sends them a letter that they do not reply to, those years are wiped with one stroke of a pen. That is so unjust and inherently unfair. The local authority has no guarantee the letters have even reached these individuals.
The other issue is that the process varies from local authority to local authority. For example, in County Louth, people are wiped off the list, while other local authorities might take people off the list for two years. They will have what was there with the last two years taken off. There is a variance throughout local authorities. Louth is the most extreme. I would like the Department of housing to come up with a protocol or a system, which means that when local authorities are doing this, there is fair play. Let us imagine being on a housing list for seven or eight years and because we did not reply to a letter to state that we are living at the same address, those years are wiped and we are told to reapply. That is an absolute injustice and unfairness. The unfairness of it is that it varies from local authority to local authority. We need a dedicated policy from the Department to all local authorities about it.
I seek leave to take No. 12 on the agenda before No. 1. I formally request that the Order of Business be so amended. That will permit me to introduce my Bill entitled Planning and Development (Stationary Battery Energy Storage Systems) Bill 2024. Currently, battery energy storage systems, BESSs, do not require an environmental impact assessment, EIA, as they are not listed in annex 1 or 2 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. Grid-scale BESSs, are a relatively new technology since 2012 and some of the projects currently proposed in Ireland are among the largest in the world. A piggery, for example, requires an environmental impact assessment, but there is no such obligation on these large-scale projects. An EIA would identify and describe the direct and indirect affects of proposed projects with regard to environmental factors, including population and human health, biodiversity, with particular emphasis on habitats protected under EU directives, land, soil, water, air and climate, material assets, cultural heritage, landscape and the interaction between all of the above. In the short to at least medium term, it is anticipated that such battery storage technology will become more common in usage throughout the country. This will help reduce carbon emissions. However, it is important that this be done in a way that instils as much public confidence as possible. Legislating to ensure EIAs are made mandatory for such projects should improve the all-important local community buy-in and support.
I would also like to welcome an announcement in the recent budget by the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin that independent media, including local radio stations, will receive €6 million in funding to provide news and information in this area. Independent media provide a crucial benefit to the community by informing people about important local news that sometimes may be missed by the national media. This is a vital public service, which is why it is great at long last to see support for the independent, high-quality journalism that provides unbiased, objective and factual news reporting. Senator O'Loughlin is present as well. We can testify to this as in KFM we have a fantastic independent broadcasting service. These outlets need support and are getting it at long last. Legislative change is under way to allow news and current affairs to be funded under the Sound and Vision scheme and Coimisiún na Meán will lead on the detailed design of the expanded scheme. The views of the independent broadcasting sector will be thoroughly considered. In conclusion, the addition of €6 million for news and current affairs content ring-fenced for the commercial radio and television sector, to the €4 million for the media fund scheme that was agreed in the summer, will mean that for the first time ever news and current affairs content will be included in the Sound and Vision scheme.
This is an important recognition of the valuable role that independent broadcasters play in providing trustworthy news in these very dangerous times in which we live.
Before I call on Senator Gavan I welcome the rang a sé students from Scoil Mhuire Navan who are in the Public Gallery. Cuirim céad míle fáilte roimh gach duine. I hope they have a very pleasant visit. They had a unique experience because I was their tour guide for a while as Mick was on a different mission. Because of their generosity of spirit in the time they spent with me I offer them homework off tonight as a gesture of appreciation for my bad tour guiding here in Leinster House.
On Monday, there was an article in The Irish Times that highlighted the plight of postdoctoral research workers. It really does hammer home how poorly a large number of our academic staff are being treated at the moment. There was a survey by the Irish Federation of University Teachers that showed that one in three people employed in universities is employed on a precarious work contract, hourly contracts or fixed-term contracts. This was an issue that no less a person than Simon Harris promised to fix before he became Taoiseach but here we are, four years into the life of this Government, and the situation is as bad as ever, as confirmed by The Irish Times article on Monday. The issues revolve around really poor rates of pay. These are people who have done ten years academic work and experience, who have no career progression, are on temporary contracts and even have difficulty securing entitlements like maternity leave; there is also a general lack of support in respect of issues like accommodation and career development.
Miriam Hamilton, who is the deputy general secretary of IFUT, put it very well when she said: "Researchers are spending decades on successive fixed-term contracts with no prospect of securing long-term employment in academia; many are remaining at an entry-level postdoc level-one grade for many years with no real progression routes." What is happening in practice is that a lot of these people are now choosing to leave the country. Some of our best and brightest people are leaving the country because in our universities they cannot actually secure full-time employment or career progression. Given Simon Harris's time as the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, it is entirely unacceptable that he has not dealt with and did not deal with this issue. It is the usual story of plenty of spin but no actual delivery and anyone who doubts that should read the article in Monday's edition of The Irish Times.
On a similar workers' rights-related issue, I was the only politician to attend a meeting this morning on trade union access for workers that took place in Buswells at 9 a.m. It highlighted the fact that we have the adequate minimum wage directive, which should be made law by the end of next month, but we are now clear that the Government has no plans to do that so it will be in breach of the EU's minimum wage directive. Worse than that, we know that Department officials have said that when it is implemented there will be no need for any new legislation. That is entirely wrong because, as colleagues will know, we are one of the few countries in Europe without the right to collective bargaining. Fundamental changes are needed in workers' rights. It is very clear to me that this Government has no intention of making those changes or implementing the right to collective bargaining, which is a right for which trade unions have campaigned for over 100 years.
I ask for an urgent debate on these issues. In the time that we have left we need to speak about workers' rights. I believe we need to put workers' rights at the heart of the issues for the next Government with this Government clearly having failed.
I, too, would like to mention the optional protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Obviously the protocol allows individuals or groups to lodge complaints with the UN after their legal domestic process has been exhausted and holds states accountable to ensure the rights of people with disabilities are upheld. The protocol is a really welcome and big step. As a parent of a child with profound autism, we read about and hear in the Seanad about various institutions where children or adults with autism go, especially residential homes. I hope that the protocol will act as a safeguard. People will know that due to the adoption of the protocol the State will have to treat people with autism with due respect and dignity. This optional protocol really underpins that.
I welcome that the Order of Business includes a motion on the Final Report of the Joint Committee on Autism. The committee was led by my colleague, Senator Micheál Carrigy. He has done an amazing amount of work in this space and I thank him on behalf of all families in Ireland.
Hear, hear.
I am really proud to be a member of the joint committee and Senator Carrigy has done unbelievable work. Obviously the report encompasses early intervention, school places and meaningful employment. The most important thing is that people with autism and their families live in an inclusive society where people understand the difficulties because I think we are still really far behind. A lot of people just do not understand the difficulties experience when you have a child with autism or other disabilities because that limits what you can do.
I thank Senator Carrigy for ensuring a lot of people did the autism training. One of the best things to happen in these Houses is that we are now an autism-friendly Parliament. I am proud to have played a tiny part in all of this but huge kudos and congratulations go to Micheál.
Well said. I thank Senator Ardagh for her generous remarks and well done, Senator Carrigy. Anois an Seanadóir Mary Seery Kearney.
I am rising today to again ask that we have statements in this House on the apartment defects remediation scheme.
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has an awful lot of good news to share with this House of huge developments and input progress over the last few years. Most recently, he brought a memo to Cabinet for the drafting of the statutory scheme and apartment complexes around the country have been able to apply for the interim scheme. There is a pathfinder project of how to do it correctly. Extraordinary leadership has been shown by Sam and Odette Doran who are part of the Not Our Fault campaign. They have led the way in how to access the interim funding through the Park West complex.
Not every complex or development has a Sam and Odette Doran; they have been fastidious when it comes to attention to detail in filling out statements and questionnaires, and dealing with the fire officer and all sorts, comprising hundreds of pages. There are other complexes throughout my home constituency of Dublin South-Central that have owner management companies where there are difficulties such as people being charged levies or extra costs. I think that the Minister has actual answers to things like that and has a lot of this well thought through. However, I want the opportunity for that to be fleshed out and for those things to be heard because this Government has done a lot in this space to assist the apartment owners. This is probably the sixth time I have asked for statements so we really need to have them. It is not that there is anything uncomfortable about it. There really is not. It is all really one good news story after another of all that we are doing to assist any hangovers from those Celtic tiger developments. The likes of the Park West complex was initially presented with a bill of €68,500 per apartment. We are now at a situation where those individual works will not be included so it is really important that we have statements.
I am looking for a little clarity. I am delighted to see that the Government has resolved to fully endorse the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including the optional protocol. While I understand that the Cabinet has agreed to do this, when will this happen and on what date? I have heard some mixed messages that it might be December and, given the circumstances of the likelihood or otherwise of a general election, I am not really sure what this means. I would like some clarity on precisely when the optional protocol will be fully ratified formally and I welcome the development.
I want to bring to the attention of the House a matter of concern. A mechanised brigade of Israeli troops has now manoeuvred away from the Irish position 6-52. That is being presented in the Irish media as a sort of a welcome development in that it somehow represents a lowering of the threat to the personnel in that position. I am telling Senators now that represents an increase in the threat to the personnel in that position.
It increases the likelihood of them coming under fire by at least 50%. The threat posed to our troops is grave. I also commend the comments of our Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Deputy Micheál Martin, when he said that it is not acceptable to destroy a nation in order to dismantle an organisation such as Hamas or Hezbollah. This again shows the leadership of the Irish Government in this regard. For the record, I acknowledge the considerable moral and ethical leadership of our Government. Could we have a debate and maybe invite the Tánaiste to the Seanad? I am getting a lot of calls, as I am sure many Members are, from families of soldiers who are going to rotate out to the Lebanon between now and November. There is a lack of clarity about how the troops will be safely rotated and how our troops will come home. I am not talking about a unilateral withdrawal from UNIFIL. However, having been in that position myself, of travelling to a post and running out of rations and water, I know the mental resilience that requires. When will those troops be withdrawn from 6-52 back to battalion headquarters to be relieved in place?
I thank Senator Clonan.
I wish to propose an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 11 be taken before No. 1."
I second the proposal.
In addition to that, in light of the Planning and Development Bill going through in the other House today, I would like to ask for a debate as soon as possible on the whole issue of data centres. It was brought to mind because a judicial review was taken to the courts by a group of people who latched onto a very minor technical issue relating to the development of a data centre at Ennis, County Clare. The court has found in a particular way and the matter has to go back to Bord Pleanála. We understand it is the entitlement of those who raised the issue of course, but we have to further look and ensure that our planning process does not become overly litigious on what could be conceived as minor technical issues. Data centres are a really important part of the infrastructure of our future economy. They are what was considered the advanced factory of the 1970s, the industrial units of the 1980s. They are critical pieces of infrastructure. Notwithstanding their demand and usage of water and electricity, they are an important part of our future economic development, particularly in areas outside of the capital city. Data centres can form an important part of balanced regional development. The one in Ennis is critical and I hope that it gets through sooner rather than later. We have big plans to capture electricity offshore through floating offshore wind projects. Data centres will be an important user of that electricity so that the development of these data centres does not become a burden on the grid as is currently stated. There is an important debate around this. There are people who object to data centres because they do not see them as an important part of our economic future. We have to address that.
Finally, I suggest because some rumours are circulating that Members of the Upper House have been involved with Russia and that there may or may not be a spy in our midst-----
Senator, be careful.
I am around a while, I can manage this one. It is important that-----
I would stop the Senator quick enough.
In order to avoid any potential stain on this House I suggest that Members would voluntarily-----
I thank the Senator.
-----make a statement that they are not the subject of any investigation or that they have never been in the clutches of Russia. Before I sit down, I declare that I am not such a person.
I hope everybody will use the opportunity to declare that they are not a Russian spy.
As was the case yesterday, I remind Members that nobody has been-----
I want to-----
Could I remind Members in general that nobody has been mentioned? I am not being windy, as accused in the newspapers today, by trying to protect all of us and the House. Like Senator Dooley, I am not one of those people either.
I declare that I am not one either.
I remind Members we are on the Order of Business and it is on requests to have Ministers come to the House or to have a debate on issues.
I wish to highlight an issue that has been raised to me by small retailers, particularly small shop owners, garage owners and petrol station owners, to do with the sale of illegal cigarettes. More than one third of cigarettes that are sold here either have no duty paid on them or they are counterfeit. Those figures have been issued by the Revenue Commissioners in terms of cigarettes that have been confiscated over the past 12 months. I believe this is only the tip of the iceberg. The figure is very small. There are a great many illegal cigarettes coming into the country. They are being sold at a third of the price charged by legitimate shops. The real issue here is that there needs to be more scanning of parcels and cartons coming in through the ports and airports. There also needs to be a clampdown on duty-free goods coming in from other countries. It needs to be patrolled because it is not fair on the retailers who are losing out to the sale of these illegal cigarettes.
I also wish to agree with Senator Seery Kearney and call for a debate on apartments and defective blocks. Some of my constituents are certainly affected by this. They are living in Dublin and their apartments have been affected by this. I wish to support my colleague in regard to her call for a debate on this issue.
I call on the Tánaiste to discuss Ireland's role in the upcoming Summit for the Future. In September, the UN implemented the UN Pact for the Future and it is expected to be signed by participating countries next month. Action 18 is an innocuously titled "Building and Sustaining Peace". In reality, it calls on member states to censor their populations. Action 18 calls on nations to address the risks to sustaining peace posed by disinformation, misinformation, hate speech and content inciting harm, including content disseminated through digital platforms, in accordance with international law, domestic legislation and national policies. This is hate speech legislation by another name.
The global digital compact contained in Annex 1 of the pact calls on all digital technology companies and social media platforms to enhance the transparency and accountability of their systems and calls on all our digital technology companies and developers to continue to develop solutions that publicly communicate actions to counter potential harms, including hate speech.
Ireland has now a central role in online censorship through Coimisiún na Meán and its enforcement through the Digital Services Act, DSA. It is important for us to know the nature of the pact and the international laws that we are signing up to, especially where censorship is a facet of these agreements. Ireland is well positioned to be a global censor of online content. This should worry anyone who cares about freedom of speech, liberty and democracy. The language referring to peace and security in this pact is a mask for censorship. What else is hidden in the carefully selected language of this pact?
The transformation of global governments and international peace and security agreements in the pact should be discussed in order for the public to understand the depth of this agreement and its consequences for Ireland. I would therefore like a debate on the role of the citizens with regard to the Minister rocking up to international bodies and signing documents on our behalf.
I want to seek a debate with the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, on what I can only call a crime spree in County Roscommon at the moment. I am not pointing the finger at the Minster in any way whatsoever, because I fully understand that the Garda Commissioner has responsibility for law and order. However, I cannot any longer stay silent on the matter. In recent weeks, at night, criminals have taken control of parts of the county. On one occasion it was the village of Tulsk.
The Leader knows this road very well. The N5 is a national primary route. They took control of the road as they raided a local pub and the owners of that pub were on the premises. Even in recent days, we have had robberies in west Roscommon. Members of the Garda are frustrated. I met our spokesperson, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, recently to see whether we could push for a scenario that if any of those criminals who have already been charged with robbery and who frighten people, particularly older people, and families commit that crime for a second time, there has to be a policy whereby they are not allowed out on bail. They must be held on remand. If there are people in our system who are in jail for a minor misdemeanour, we should really consider letting them out.
I know of one incident of a woman living in another village, Castleplunket, who was looking across the road at the family pub being raided at 4 o'clock in the morning, knowing that her brother and his family were next door. These guys were smashing in the windows and doors in front of her eyes. She could not get a garda for about 40 minutes. I do not blame the gardaí but we have to do something about this. We need to have a good debate with the Minister in this Chamber to see how we can change our policing system, particularly in counties like Roscommon, to deal with these criminals. If we have to put patrols on the bridges over the River Shannon, because most of them are coming from Dublin I am sorry to say, we have to do it. I hope we can have a debate on that.
I second the introduction of the Bill by Senator Martin. I also want to pay tribute to the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, for the support she has given to the independent broadcasting sector. As a member of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media, I have worked closely with a number of my other colleagues in meeting and engaging with the independent sector to make sure financial support was given to them to be able to continue to provide the trusted broadcasting that they do. I welcome the €6 million in funding and it is accepted by all that it is very positive. We must make sure we can maintain, as I said, the tried and trusted local radio stations we have throughout the country, be it Shannonside Northern Sound or Kfm, which provide such a fantastic service.
I brought a copy of the joint committee's report and audit today to highlight this point. I thank Senator Ardagh for her strong comments and for her work on the committee. I am delighted to see that one of the main recommendations of the report was passed yesterday, which was to ratify the optional protocol on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. There are further recommendations in the report. I look forward to the support of Government this evening in making sure that, ultimately, we implement the entire report. That is the priority of the committee. We saw the introduction of the autism innovation strategy in August by the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. However, we need to enact legislation to give legislative effect to that strategy for whole-of-life supports for young adults and children on the autism spectrum.
I will also highlight something in my local area. Mr. Michael Darragh MacAuley has recently taken over the role as an ambassador for Sanctuary Runners. He is taking part in a park run this Saturday in Longford. I wish to highlight the success that event, which was started by Mr. Kevin Kane, has been in my county and in Longford town with hundreds of participants every Saturday. It has had a massive impact on the health of the people of Longford.
This morning, I am asking the Departments of Transport and Housing, Local Government and Heritage to come together to potentially consider providing our county councils, particularly Louth County Council, for increased or emergency funding for flooding, for audits on and cleaning of storm drains and for storm pumps.
Yesterday, we had a colossal amount of rain in north Louth and Dundalk. We have seen areas of Dundalk flooded and traffic interrupted. In the rural areas around Dundalk, a huge amount of rainfall came off the mountains. Everyone locally was living in fear. They were looking at the rain falling and asking whether their house was going to be flooded again like last year. It is nearly 12 months on, and the council has done an awful lot of work in the area. It has been fixing and rectifying roads and increasing drainage on roads over the past 12 months. However, there should be a fund ready for the councils to be able to work on mitigation and emergency flooding. I also want to highlight that Louth County Council yesterday expressed grave concerns about the network and wastewater treatment. It feels that the lack of wastewater treatment investment in Dundalk is causing flooding in the middle of housing estates.
I also seek a debate with regard to school places for children with additional needs in secondary schools in particular. An awful lot of parents have come to me over the last couple of months who are worried about their children in that transition period, maybe in fifth or sixth class, when preparing a way to get a place for them in secondary school. We have done a great deal of work in primary school to ensure we have increased school places. We now need to double down on that emphasis in respect of our secondary school places. We have clearly shown that we can do it. We just need to make sure that those children, parents and families have security and that they know what school their children are going to attend and that they can be best placed.
I would like to follow the theme of school places. Many parents are going to open nights and visiting schools at present to see where is the appropriate place to send their child. It is a very stressful time, as well as being a very important time for children moving from one school to another. When people are looking for a special place for their child, however, it becomes a huge issue. It is an issue that we need to start talking about and planning for. We have put a great deal of investment into special places in primary school. Unfortunately, we do not have that same capacity built into the secondary school network. That has become a huge stress point for parents who are going to open nights and getting results they do not want to hear.
At present, Bantry has six potential kids looking for one place. It gets worse in other locations. Skibbereen has no places available at the moment. Six places are becoming available in Bandon, with 12 kids looking for them. The capacity issue is huge in these areas. How we can find solutions in a short space of time to accommodate these families will be the issue. In the next few weeks and months, the strategic planning for next September needs to be finalised. Parents need to get some kind of realisation that there is a plan in place to accommodate their kids and that units and teachers will be put in place. We have done an awful lot at primary level. Secondary level is becoming the issue now. I suggest that we need to get some movement on this. Hopefully, we can get the Minister into the Chamber to discuss her plan for next September in order that everyone can be accommodated. What I want is for everybody to be accommodated in their own town. I do not want to have a bizarre situation where, let us say, kids in Bantry will go to Schull. We do not want people to have that kind of 30-mile trip. We need to make sure that kids can actually get the appropriate accommodations they are looking for in the towns in which they are living. It is important that we have that debate with the Minister about her strategic plan for next year.
I second Senator Dooley's proposed amendment to the Order of Business. I will also say that I am not a spy. I have no doubt that Senator Dooley is not a Russian spy either. He and Deputy Cathal Crowe are spending so much time keeping an eye on each other-----
I thank the Senator. We are on the Order of Business.
-----the Russians would not be up to them.
Try keeping an eye on one of them.
I wish to raise the question of retail crime, which ISME reckons costs this country more than €1.62 billion per year. This has been a concern for retailers all over the country. Even in terms of Garda statistics, however, the Garda estimated that in the year to the end of March, 6,772 theft from shop incidents were reported to it, which was up from 6,228 in the previous year. In addition to that, there were 49 assault incidents, 54 public order incidents and 19 criminal damage incidents. Indeed, RGDATA estimates that 97% of retail outlets in this country have experienced shoplifting. We know there is a problem with organised retail theft in some parts of the country but it is now reaching epidemic proportions. Even though members of the Garda are trying their best, I believe it is critical that the Minister for Justice comes in and has a debate with us on those issues.
As the Leader might recall, Senator Casey and I brought forward a Bill specifically to protect retail workers, because retail workers are often subjected to foul-mouthed abuse when they tackle some of those involved in shoplifting. Some of it is often racist, sexist and homophobic. This issue is very serious. It is a major cost for retailers in this country. It has been highlighted by ISME, RGDATA and the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association. We need to have a response.
I will begin by echoing what my colleague Senator Lombard said about planning for schools and making sure parents have certainty about where their children will go. It is very important. In addition to what he said, I know that schools in my area are having great difficulty recruiting teachers to do the work. The space is provided and the facilities are there but they cannot get the teachers, with the result that sometimes teachers are diverted out of special educational needs classes to provide education in mainstream classrooms. This is not acceptable. We need to give schools the resources they need to recruit teachers, whatever they might be. I would welcome a debate in which the Minister could set out what her plans are to facilitate this recruitment and make sure schools have what they need.
We owe an enormous debt to people who become community first responders in their area. Community first responders are in place in a number of places. In my area, for example, they are in Dalkey and Shankill. They are there when something happens before an ambulance can get to a person to stabilise them and conduct CPR or whatever other emergency care is needed. They are highly trained and they are in their local area where they live or work. I am happy to say a new CFR team is being launched in Deansgrange, and I acknowledge Kieran Browne and the team who are putting it together. It will be launched later this month. In the middle of this month throughout the country there will be demonstrations on resuscitation and first aid by CFR groups from Dublin, Cork and Tipperary. It is worth acknowledging these people and the work they do. They safeguard communities throughout the country. As I have said, I particularly acknowledge the groups in my area in Dalkey and Shankill and the new group that will be in Deansgrange. It is part of the community spirit that is so important. Without people who do this type of work we would all be much less well off. We know they save lives. It is appropriate to acknowledge the work they do in this regard.
I welcome the €33 million package for cancer support in the recent budget announced by the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly. It includes €9.4 million for the continued implementation of the national cancer strategy, which we have discussed in the House, €10 million for oncology drugs, €2 million for the provision of care for women using post-mastectomy products and €1.9 million for the expansion of bowel screening for those aged between 58 and 70. There is also €5.5 million for community support centres. These centres are very important. They provide support for individuals and families affected by cancer. They are staffed by psychologists, oncology nurses and a range of qualified cancer support specialists who provide support alongside medical treatment.
Cancer Care West and the cancer support centres came before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health earlier this year. They provide very important services free of charge. They were seeking funding of €5.5 million and multi-annual funding and an ongoing commitment funding. This has been agreed by the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, which is significant. There is a range of cancer support centres throughout the west, including the Mayo Cancer Support Association with which I am sure the Leader is familiar and involved. They are very important for those suffering from cancer. One in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime and, unfortunately, one of three of us will die from cancer. From engaging with Cancer Care West I know that at the initial diagnosis, when a person is traumatised and does not want to share with their family immediately, especially if there are young children, they seek support from the cancer centre. When people are going through their treatment or have finished their treatment they also seek emotional support. They do tremendous work and I am delighted with the announcement from the Minister, Deputy Donnelly.
I want to clarify that No. 1 on the Order Paper will conclude at 2 p.m. and not 2.15 p.m. as stated.
I thank all Members who contributed. The first to speak this morning was Senator O'Loughlin. She and many others welcomed the Government commitment to ratify the optional protocol of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is a positive step forward. As Senator Carrigy outlined, it is a recommendation from the autism committee in its report, which will be debated later this evening. It is something that has been long sought. The Tánaiste and the Taoiseach have welcomed the development and the agreement by the Government.
Senator Clonan asked a question on the ratification process. My understanding is that following a Government decision, the Tánaiste must write to the UN committee. The accession document is laid before that committee and 30 days after it goes before the UN committee it will come into force in Ireland. This is the timeline. Perhaps the December date will follow the 30-day wait once it has been laid before the UN committee. This is the process that is in place. It is quite short.
Senator O'Loughlin also spoke about the briefing she held yesterday with Gareth on the XXY syndrome and male infertility. Senator O'Loughlin has made a number of requests, which are very reasonable, on the VAT charge on sperm and egg donors and has asked that the long-term illness scheme be applied to those with the syndrome. She also said an independent fertility watchdog should be established in the State. We are at the beginning of our journey in this country in terms of a publicly funded IVF system, which is very welcome. We need independent regulation of the sector, particularly to protect couples and individuals who are going through a very sensitive process. It can be a very vulnerable time for them.
Senator Boyhan referenced the "RTÉ Investigates" programme on live exports. It was appalling to watch some of the footage. It was absolutely shocking, particularly when we saw similar footage approximately a year ago. There is no excuse for it. Live export is an important part of agriculture and the dairy sector in particular. It keeps the system working. It relies on having a way to get animals off the island on ferries. These services cannot be jeopardised and the sector really needs to get its house in order. This service could be pulled and it has happened elsewhere. There is only so much that people will tolerate. What we witnessed in the footage was disgusting and disgraceful. Those animals should never have been kept in those conditions. I saw somebody reference those young animals as being waste that nobody wanted. It said it all for me as to how they are looked at and how they are treated. I urge the sector and the Department to get it sorted and not have similar footage appearing again in a year's time.
Senator McGahon raised an issue on widow's benefit and people being precluded from accessing illness benefit and that it should not be the case. He also spoke about the council housing list and the various approaches in various local authorities. People who do not reply to a letter could be taken off the list having been on it for a number of years. I agree with his comments in this regard.
Senator Martin proposed an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 12 be taken before No. 1. I am happy to accept the amendment, which was seconded by Senator Carrigy. I concur with Senator Martin's remarks on local media. This topic was also raised by Senator Carrigy. It is good to see local media being supported. It is very important. There is Midwest Radio in my area. Senator Martin mentioned KFM. There are many other regional stations that perform an invaluable public service.
Senator Gavan raised issues regarding employees' rights and precarious contracts in the university sector.
Senator Ardagh welcomed the optional protocol being acceded to by the Government. She commended and congratulated Senator Carrigy on the report from the autism committee.
Senators Seery Kearney and Maria Byrne asked for a debate on the defective block scheme for apartments. I appreciate the Senator has raised the issue on a number of occasions. It is open to her to table a motion on the issue. I am happy to work with her. There is a Minister of State in the Department who might be more available, and the Senator might be able to have a word with her party colleague. I am happy to work with her to try to get it scheduled. I am conscious of other items we have to progress in the coming weeks. I am not sure how much time we have to progress legislation.
I have dealt with the question Senator Clonan asked about the protocol. He made a very valid point on the IDF moving position. It does clear the way if it wanted to do something. The Tánaiste has been very honest and clear on the position. Our soldiers do train for these situations. They are highly trained and skilled. This does not take away from the concern of their families when they are in a very dangerous situation. The Department of Defence and the Minister are watching and reviewing the situation regularly and are keeping a very close eye on what is happening.
We have to trust that those making the decisions know what they are doing, and I believe they do. They are thinking about the soldiers’ welfare and their families at home, as well as their very important role in UNIFIL having them there for so long.
Senator Maria Byrne raised issues related to small retailers and the impact of the sale of illegal cigarettes.
Senator Keogan raised issues around the Summit of the Future and Ireland’s role in that. I have not read the document she referred to. She mentioned action 18, which relates to disinformation, information and hate speech. The Senator has been the subject of misinformation and disinformation, and not in a positive way. We have to deal with that in respect of protecting democracy. The online space has meant that people can say and do whatever they like and put information out there as fact when it is not. We have to acknowledge that will impact the democratic process and our democracy. It has been said in relation to the hate speech legislation that was proposed, which is not being proceeded with. We have had the discussion here over quite a while and I think people have been listened to. We have legislation already in the Statute Book to deal with incitement to hatred. We already have both laws. However, misinformation and disinformation is a huge problem that will only get worse. I think we are all interested in making sure we protect our democracy and making sure that it functions well.
Senator Murphy asked for a debate with the justice Minister on crime in Roscommon. He raised serious concerns for local people and businesses there. I have no doubt the gardaí are doing their best but some of these gangs can be very sophisticated. Things are well planned. They are in and out before they can be apprehended. It might be worth a Commencement matter on the issue as it specifically relates to Garda strength in Roscommon to deal with that issue. I thank the Senator for raising that matter on the floor of the House.
Senator Carrigy spoke about the autism report, which we will debate later.
Senator McGreehan called for increased funding to local authorities through the Department of Transport to try to prepare better for flood in different areas. She highlighted the increased rainfall in Louth and flooding challenges there.
Senator Lombard raised issues around special education secondary school places. Under this Government, there has been much investment in education and a serious amount of investment in special education as well. Senator Ward raised concerns here as well. Two thirds of all special education places have been delivered under this Government, which is a fantastic achievement in a four-and-a-half-year period, considering the first two were dominated by Covid and coming out of that period. To this Government’s credit, we have made huge strides in special education and supporting our most vulnerable students. However, we need to do more. Second level places will now be the pinch point and we need to address the availability of those spaces.
Senator Byrne seconded Senator Dooley’s amendment to the Order of Business. Senator Dooley proposed that No. 11 be taken before No. 1. I am happy to accept that. The Senator asked for a debate on data centres as well. That is an important point. Everything is online now and we are increasingly conducting our lives online. We should be concerned that Amazon will be investing, I think, €30 billion in data centres over the next number of decades, and Ireland will not get any of it because of our regulatory system and the hostile environment we have towards those centres. We have to strike the right balance. We want investment in the State and we want to continue to attract foreign direct investment. We also want to maintain the investment and jobs we have in the tech sector. Our challenge is energy and making sure we have clean, green, sustainable energy so that we are not focusing on how much data centres or other industry are using because we have an abundance of it. It leads well to the debate we will have after the Order of Business on offshore floating wind generation, which I think is the key to dealing with that issue.
Senator Byrne also raised an issue around retail crime and the report from ISME on increased crime in retail and the loss of €1.62 billion to the sector.
Senator Ward congratulated Deansgrange on its new community first responder and wishes them well in that. They perform an important role across communities and are often first on the scene to assist people. It is a good development that they are getting up and running.
Finally, Senator Kyne welcomed the €33 million allocated to cancer supports in the budget. He rightly listed out the supports across oncology drugs, women who are recovering, community supports and other areas. It is significant funding into cancer. We have a long way to go yet. We look forward to the new cancer centre in UCHG getting up and running in the next number of years, hopefully. We are doing well in respect of survivor rates. The numbers are going in the right direction but we need to continue that investment. I concur with the Senator’s remarks in commending the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, for securing additional investment to keep that work going.
I ask Members to bear with me as I have a lot of housekeeping. Senator Vincent P. Martin proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: That No. 12 be taken before No. 1, seconded by Senator Carrigy. Is the amendment agreed? Agreed. Senator Timmy Dooley proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: That No. 11 be taken before No. 1, seconded by Senator Malcolm Byrne. The Leader has indicated she is prepared to accept this amendment. Is that amendment agreed? Agreed.