The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024 - referral to committee, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion regarding proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of the Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 51(3)) (Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry) Regulations 2024, to be taken on conclusion of No. 1, without debate; and No. 3, Health Insurance (Amendment) and Health (Provision of Menopause Products) Bill 2024, changed from Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2024 - all Stages, to be taken at 3.15 p.m., with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister in the debate on Second Stage not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes and time may be shared, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate, and Committee and Remaining Stages to be taken immediately thereafter.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
I have come from a conference in the Ashling Hotel hosted by Family Carers Ireland. I take this opportunity to note the vital work Family Carers Ireland does in advocating for carers. Those carers, as we all know, are the backbone of our health and social community and without them we would be lost. They save our country billions every year. They have a few small asks, one of which is to get rid of the means test. We have worked in this House on increasing the income disregard but I hope that will go further in the next Dáil and we will fully get rid of the means test for carers. Major work needs to be done on respite for family carers, not just overnight respite but respite that suits people's needs and wants, as well as on access to education, which I have spoken on before, therapists back in schools and remodelling of the HSE.
It was a very insightful conference. There is a great deal of hurt among family carers. They do not feel they are listened to. I want to say that I and my colleagues in Fianna Fáil hear them. There is a huge amount of work we need to do to ensure carers feel valued. It is not just from a monetary point of view that they get an extra few bob, but that they feel their place in society is valued and they have worth. It was great listening to them and contributing today. I really enjoyed it, but I know there is much work to do.
I acknowledge the great work that the organisation itself is doing. It has been relentless in advocating for family carers.
We are in the closing days of the Seanad, although I hope to have another chance to get to my feet. I thank the Seanad Office, the Cathaoirleach’s office, Mr. Martin Groves and all his staff for helping us and running the Seanad so smoothly. I also thank all of the other staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas and all of my colleagues. I wish everyone the best of luck. It has been an honour to be a Senator.
I echo those comments to the team in the Seanad Office and the wider Houses of the Oireachtas.
I agree with Family Carers Ireland’s proposal. We need to move away from a means test quickly. If someone is doing a job that saves the State a fortune, he or she should be paid for it and there should not be a means test. I would like to think that the body politic is moving towards that position, which is welcome, and I hope that the change happens sooner rather than later.
The Leas-Chathaoirleach and Acting Leader will be disappointed to hear that 120 people are on trolleys in UHL today, which is terrible. This situation continues to worsen. The Minister has commissioned HIQA to carry out a report. I note and welcome the Taoiseach’s recent comments on Clare FM when he stated that he would be prepared to make more resources available to escalate and conclude HIQA’s work in a timely manner. Currently, HIQA is scheduled to report in June. We all know that an election will be called this week and that a new programme for Government will be negotiated. I hope that those negotiations will not continue until June and that we will have a new programme in place early in the new year. It is essential that we know the direction of emergency care in the mid-west for those negotiations, whatever the collection of parties or Independents in the new Government. Next June will be too late to get the report. We need to have it very soon after Christmas. The people of the mid-west deserve a better emergency service than what they are getting at the moment, with more than 120 people on trolleys on a Tuesday. How many will there be on Saturday? This is not acceptable and no one could stand up and defend it. The nurses and other staff are doing their best, but there clearly are issues. Those may be with management, but there are absolutely issues with capacity. This situation needs to be addressed. We need the HIQA report urgently so that it can inform the mid-western healthcare element of whatever programme for Government is put in place.
I wish to raise the case of Caitlin Ada Joanne Hassan. This is not the first time I have raised it and I am bringing it to the House’s attention again. This young woman was sexually and physically assaulted in a publicly funded care provider. It was subcontracted by the HSE to do what should be done by the State as a matter of human rights and entitlements. Unfortunately, we are 30 years behind the rest of Europe in that regard. This young woman was physically and sexually assaulted while in the care of-----
I must interrupt the Senator.
It is a matter of public record.
That is all right, but-----
She was physically and sexually assaulted. This House quite rightly expresses concerns about safeguarding and vulnerable people. Much has been made of those matters in recent weeks,-----
It may all be a matter of public record, but-----
-----but when it comes to this young disabled woman, there appears to be less-----
In case there is a prosecution pending or anything, I just want the Senator to be careful in this regard.
I shall continue. A report was commissioned by the HSE in much the same way that the Catholic Church used to investigate itself. It has its own little investigative arm. It investigated the allegations and the report was withheld from Louise Hassan, a single mom and Caitlin’s mother, for no reason.
When she wrote to the HSE to the disability services manager to get sight and access to the report, I can tell you that the response, which I have a copy of, was patronising, condescending and implied that, simply by asking questions, one is being querulous or a troublemaker. That is because everything in this country, and I echo what the Senator said, is predicated on a charity model and not on a rights-based model. I ask that the Houses invest the same urgency and level of concern about the safeguarding of this young disabled woman as has been shown recently in respect of other vulnerable young people.
As a parent and a carer, when you hand your son or daughter, whether they be an adult or a child, into the care of another, what worse case scenario can you imagine? If we do not speak for citizens like Louise Hassan and Caitlin Hassan, then what are these Houses for? I ask that this be conveyed, in whatever time we have left in the lifetime of this Government, that this report be made available to this family, and to Louise Hassan, as a matter of priority and urgency this week, and that an end be put to this adversarial employment of legal firms. In the first quart of this year or last year, €67 million was paid by the HSE to one legal firm mobilised against families of vulnerable people like this. That is absolutely indefensible. A sum of €67 million was paid in one quarter. That is a quarter of a billion over a year. Families cannot get services and supports, yet the State is prepared to spend that magnitude of our money to fight them. Caitlin Hassan's case is emblematic of what is toxic in Ireland with regard to the status of disabled citizens. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for letting me go over time.
I want to raise two issues. The first is Limerick city centre because, as Members will have heard, the International Rugby Experience is due to close in a couple of weeks. It is in a beautiful new building with millions invested in it but it will now be shut down. The model has not worked. It points to a bigger crisis within Limerick city. Limerick city centre has never been in worse shape. It is hard to understand that given it should be doing well with the huge increase in population, but there are a number of fundamental problems that Limerick and the local authorities have never addressed. I will not comment on the new mayor because I want to be fair to the man and give him enough time to see if he can address the issues, but it is very hard to get in and out of Limerick city centre. The bus service is, unfortunately, very unreliable, and I will come back to that issue. We have an overground train service. We have had lots of promises from this Government but we have had no actual delivery of additional train services. This is a massive problem because you cannot get into Limerick city centre. I almost missed my train this morning. A journey that should take about 20 minutes took me 45 minutes. Limerick is in constant gridlock. More importantly, there are no actual city centre attractions. There is no cinema, bowling alley or ice rink. There is nothing in the city centre. When you talk to retailers, they will tell you the situation has been getting worse for years. The International Rugby Experience is living proof of that. It was a massive investment, and now 18 jobs will be gone and a prime building on O’Connell Street in Limerick will be empty. We urgently need proposals for the rejuvenation of Limerick city centre.
There is an issue of political accountability. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have run the council for years. For example, when it came to their plans to change the city centre, they bottled it. Instead of pedestrianising the city centre properly, they half did it and it just has not worked. As a result, the city centre is quiet at the weekend, all of the outdoor shopping centres around the city are busy and we are losing our city centre. Whenever we are back next, I call for an urgent debate on this issue.
A related issue is safety on public transport. I have just come from a meeting with SIPTU about its Respect Transport Workers campaign. SIPTU has a simple ask, one that Sinn Féin certainly has signed up to, which is the establishment of a new national public transport police service. We heard directly from bus drivers who spoke of horror at physical attacks - we have seen that in Limerick - threats, assaults, spitting and stone throwing. As a result, there is a huge turnover of staff. Bus Éireann cannot keep its staff because of a lack of staff safety, yet we still have no national transport police.
This is something that we should all be willing to sign up to. Let me be clear that I am not talking about a privatised body or RoboCop venture like we see on the Luas but, rather, about proper jobs and proper public-transport police to protect our services and encourage people to use public transport. I ask for a debate on the matter to be held whenever the time might be right.
At the outset, for fear that this may be my last opportunity, I, too, would like to be associated with the remarks of thanks to the Seanad staff - Martin and all his staff and the ushers and everybody involved in helping us along our way and making life so much easier for us in fulfilling our roles here. In case I do not get another opportunity, I thank them all.
As we speak, members of the ICSA are protesting outside the gates of Leinster House with regard to the Mercosur deal. I met the ICSA members before coming to the Chamber. They were joined in their protest this morning by members of the IFA and the Irish Rural Association. I am aware that, due to the circumstances and time constraints, there is no point in looking for Ministers, the Taoiseach or anybody else to come to the House at this stage to address this issue, but I want to send out a warning to all those involved, including the Ministers and the Taoiseach, that we will be all acting during the process of the election and thereafter, along with our MEPs, and we need to keep our eye on the ball with regard to the Mercosur deal. The Taoiseach is on record as stating last week that we needed consistency of approach. An article published today in the farming section of the Irish Independent details that EU officials who performed a food-safety audit in Brazil between 17 June and 24 July found that the traceability of Brazilian beef cannot prove that the hormone estradiol-17b is not present in Brazilian beef that is being imported to Europe at present. This is a carcinogenic hormone. We need consistency of approach. We have had environmental and sustainable issues in the past with regard to the removal of Brazilian rainforest to produce beef but if there is still that inability to prove through their own traceability system that the beef does not contain these hormones, that is not consistency of approach. That is not a level playing field. While I am in favour of free and fair trade, that is not fair trade. Where our beef sector stands to lose anything from €45 million to €55 million if this Mercosur beef from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay comes in as part of this deal, that is not on. I urge all those incumbent Ministers, the Taoiseach and MEPs during the process of our election to keep their eye on this ball and let nothing go in under the radar with the excuse of that we were in election mode at the time and did not have an acting Government.
I wish to raise an issue relating to tracker mortgages. We had a big debacle in recent years with regard to tracker mortgages and how unfairly people on tracker mortgages were treated by the banks. In all, more than 40,000 people were badly treated by banks over a number of years in the context of tracker mortgages.
Some time ago, a number of borrowers brought a case against Ulster Bank. The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman made an independent decision in respect of those tracker mortgages. Two borrowers brought cases to the FSPO after they failed to be included in the tracker mortgage examination – an industry-wide probe by the Central Bank into 40,000 cases of mishandling and overcharging of tracker customers across the banks. After the financial services ombudsman issued its decision upholding the complaints, Ulster Bank appealed the decision to the High Court. In June of last year the court found against the bank, saying that it found no evidence of any error or any significant error of law in the decision made by the financial services ombudsman. The judge said the ombudsman's decision to uphold the complaints was valid and the bank’s conduct was contrary to its contractual obligations and its obligations under the consumer protection code. The bank appealed to the Court of Appeal, which reversed the decision that was made by the High Court and the independent decision that was made by the financial services ombudsman.
I am calling on the financial services ombudsman to make a statement regarding the decision made by the Court of Appeal, given that he made an independent decision himself, which was upheld by the High Court. The very least the financial services ombudsman could do for the people who brought those cases is to make some sort of an assessment of it and make a statement on it. I call on the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman to make a statement regarding the High Court decision, which was nearly two months ago.
It is nice to start on a celebratory note. I acknowledge the important Irish jockey, Robbie Dolan, who rides Knight's Choice. What a fantastic victory he had in the Lexus Melbourne Cup. As someone interested in equestrian sport, it is a great opportunity to celebrate him, and I know the Acting Leader is from Kildare and champions the equestrian and bloodstock industry. It is a wonderful achievement. I had more emails from Tipperary than from Kildare this morning regarding this great victory. It is an important victory.
Did Senator Boyhan have any money on the horse?
No dosh.
He was outsider.
Senator Boyhan does outside bets a lot. He always backs himself.
He was an outsider. I want to acknowledge that. It is something we will celebrate, certainly in the equestrian world.
On a more serious note, I acknowledge Deputy Duncan Smith, the Labour Party TD, who hosted the transport workers' union, SIPTU and others today. This is important work on a transport police force. The Acting Leader and many Members will recall that I brought proposals to this House on a transport police force, which were not supported. The other day I was delighted to read the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin's commitment to a policing committee. We have moved on. The Acting Leader will also recall that I circulated the Red Shoe Movement report to everyone in this House. It is a powerful report on how women have been subject to vile abuse, sexual harassment, intimidation, hate speech and hate aggression on our public transport. Let us not call any more Ministers into this House. Let the parties get together because we know what the record is. Now more than ever, there is a need for dedicated police force on our public transport. I ask that people might reflect and use their influence individually and in the different parties to see it embedded in the election manifestos with a view to it being embedded in the programme for Government of the next Government, whoever it will be.
I will be in the House tomorrow and the next day, but some of the Senators have other business and other committees to attend, which I respect. I know the spokespersons will be moving around. I genuinely wish every Senator every success in their challenges to be elected to Dáil Éireann. I also thank the Clerk of the Seanad, Mr. Martin Groves, and his team, who guide us, give us advice, show professionalism and keep us on the straight and narrow in this House. It is appreciated and I thank them.
I hope we will be here tomorrow to have the opportunity to pay tribute to Mr. Martin Groves and all of the Seanad team and to thank them for their work. It is appropriate that this House acknowledges the passing of David Davin-Power. He was an outstanding, informed, balanced and insightful journalist whose funeral is taking place this afternoon. It is appropriate to mark his passing.
I welcome the news today confirming Mr. Michael McGrath as the next European Commissioner for Justice. He is handling a very important portfolio regarding the rule of law and dealing with questions such as online safety and foreign interference in elections. There are a lot of big challenges, but there is no better individual to be able to face them.
I want to focus on the new Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, who was approved by the European Parliament. He gave a very spirited presentation before the Parliament, where he talked about - and these are important things - fair pricing for farmers and the question of generational renewal in farming, which is really important and something that Macra na Feirme has been raising regularly.
One of the issues he highlighted related to the mental health challenges faced by those in farming and in rural communities. He spoke movingly about his brother who took over the family farm and about the stresses his brother faced, which his family believe ultimately contributed to an accident that took his life last year. Mr. Hansen spoke about the importance of all of us being aware of our mental health but particularly among farming and rural communities. Farming is often a lonely career. I know a lot of good work is done by farm organisations and others such as See Change, and in my area, people such as Patrick Hipwell, George Graham and Emily Barker have been highlighting this concern about positive mental health specifically among the farming community. Nevertheless, it is something we need to continue to stress and raise and I welcome the fact the new European Commissioner has listed it as a priority.
I am up to my ears with work, so I was not going to come to the Chamber, but I heard Senator Clonan's contribution and felt I needed to do so. If this is going to be one of the last times I speak in this House, I need to say that whatever happens in the next Administration, the issue of the culture in the HSE has to be grabbed by the scruff of the neck. I have to hand a copy of a letter that came in earlier from someone living in the constituency in which I am going to run. Because the person has advocated for a member of her family, the response from the HSE indicates she may be removed as the person legally entitled to speak for her family member and the HSE is going to make an application for a decision-making representative in her place. Other families who have stood up where a person with a disability is taken into the care of the State have not been allowed video calls with them and have been ostracised and excluded, and the minute they raise a problem with that, the HSE trots off to solicitors to get injunctions, to issue defamation proceedings and so on. It would suit the HSE better to actually do its job in providing facilities and services to these people instead of expending millions of euro of taxpayers' money on legal bills to try to silence those who speak up for the most vulnerable.
Whatever happens after the election, whoever is Minister for Health in any future Administration has to deal with the HSE and stop this nonsense, this absolute travesty of its role as public servants, whereby it behaves like this. The next Minister has to grab this culture, change it and deal with it, and the people in the HSE have to be accountable in the same way as anyone in the private sector. They have to be at risk of losing their jobs for threatening this type of rubbish. I have had it. I previously received a letter asking me to rectify the record of the House after I had lawfully stood up, under parliamentary privilege, and raised the issues of a family, only to have the HSE, instead of actually delivering for that family, say I should correct the record of the House. The cheek of the HSE to behave like that. Whatever happens, we need this to be solidly addressed in the next Administration. I hope I will be part of it, in some form or another, but whoever is sitting on the Government Front Bench in the Dáil needs to make sure they deal with this and put an end to the bullying of families in this country.
I congratulate Paul Brady, who happens to be my first cousin and is a brother of Councillor Philip Brady, on winning his sixth world handball singles championship in Croke Park last weekend. It is a remarkable achievement because this world championship happens only every three years and he has been unbeatable for that length of time. It is remarkable also because he is 45 years of age. He is probably one of Ireland's greatest athletes and sportspeople and we should acknowledge his achievements.
I raise also the alarming rise in crime and the distressingly low morale among Garda members, which should be central for the public as we head into the election this month.
I call on the Minister to address the long-term plans for the future of An Garda Síochána.
The recent surge in violent incidents, particularly in towns like Ballaghaderreen, has left our communities in fear and law enforcement stretched thin. We have seen an increase in violent crimes in Ballaghaderreen that has shaken the foundation of that community. Families and elderly residents are afraid to walk the streets of their home town. This is not a unique story in Ireland. It is sadly a legacy of this Government and particularly the Department of Justice in the last five years. Ireland is measurably less safe. Working conditions and recruitment strategies for An Garda Síochána are failing. Over recent years there has been a worrying decline in the strength of the gardaí. There were 14,750 gardaí in the first half of 2020. The Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, has said that numbers need to reach 15,000 in the short term with a view to having a force of 18,000 to meet the modern policing demands caused by Ireland’s population growth. Despite recent recruitment drives, Ireland is nowhere near meeting this target. The brave men and women of An Garda Síochána put their lives on the line every day to protect us yet are unsupported and undervalued by this Government. It is our duty to ensure they have the resources, training and support they need to perform their duties effectively and safely. I call on the electorate to highlight this concern on the doorsteps in coming weeks. Our future Government needs to address the safety of our communities and citizens.
I wish to raise a couple of issues. Representatives from the ICSA and IFA are outside the gates with their presidents Seán McNamara and Francie Gorman to highlight the potential knock-on effects of the Mercosur deal which may be finalised later this month. The viability of the beef sector in Ireland will be greatly effected by the deal. The agricultural sector and farmers in this country do not want compensation. They want fair market access for what is a premium product. Any party and all must make sure that we protect the agriculture sector. The Taoiseach has been very proactive in meeting farm organisations. I welcome his recent comments on the Mercosur deal.
I also raise special school places. I have met many parents in my home county of Longford about the number of places in post-primary schools and special classes across the county. The numbers of places are not sufficient for the numbers coming from the special classes in primary schools. We are at the end of the term but it must be a priority for September 2025. We can see the figures coming from the primary school system. We need to match them up and make sure we have the places in place in September so every parent knows six or nine months ahead of the school year starting that they have a place and not have the situation that exists now where parents are writing to public representatives because they know almost a year in advance that there is no place for their child in the post-primary school in their own home county. I do not think we can accept that.
I call on the Acting Leader to respond.
We started this morning with Senator Ardagh who spoke of attending the Family Carers Ireland conference. She rightly said that carers really form the backbone of our communities. She mentioned some of their asks particularly around getting rid of means testing as well as the need for more respite. I could not agree more. There has been progress in increasing the income disregard but there must be a basic income payment regardless of income. I totally agree. She made the point that people are feeling hurt that they are not valued or listened to.
We in Leinster House must do better in terms of showing we are listening, that we do care and that we are determined to make a positive difference. As the House knows, last year the woman's caucus, which I chair, decided caring was the key issue we wanted to highlight in both Houses. We brought forward a motion in the Dáil and Seanad on supporting carers and updating the carers' strategy. We want every single party to make that part of their manifesto.
Senator Conway spoke about the huge concerns in respect of emergency care in the mid-west, that while HIQA is doing quite a lot of work, the report will not be completed until June, and given we are heading into an election, it is important the date does not slip, whoever is in government. The numbers will dictate what happens after the next election, but we need to ensure that, in the programme for Government that will need to be negotiated between whatever parties are elected, emergency care is looked at in depth and that that does not delay the report.
Senator Clonan spoke about Caitlin Hassan. I have been here when he has spoken about her before, about her mum, Louise, and the need for the report to be made available. He is correct to raise concerns about safeguards in private or State-run institutions for anyone who is vulnerable, no matter what age they are. This is genuinely one of the key priorities we need to address to ensure safeguarding is in place and we continually try to improve it at all times. I support his call for the report to be made available.
Senator Gavan spoke about issues in Limerick, including a lack of services, Limerick being in gridlock and the difficulties getting in and out of Limerick city. He said it has been quite some time since I have been in Limerick city. There needs to be a rejuvenation programme. I hope that having a directly elected mayor will help that process. I accept what he said. I have no doubt that whoever is elected to represent Limerick will take on that call. It is to be hoped the Senator will have an opportunity to raise the issue again.
Safety on public transport is a major issue, something on which Senator Mary Fitzpatrick has led in particular. Dublin Oireachtas Members, including Senators Ardagh and Fitzpatrick and Deputies McAuliffe and O'Callaghan, have taken a major lead and have changed our policy on this in Fianna Fáil. It is an important point.
Senator Paul Daly spoke about the Mercosur deal and concerns about traceability. He urged all incumbent Ministers, MEPs, etc. to keep a watchful eye on this. We support that.
Senator Paddy Burke called for the financial ombudsman to make a statement on a High Court decision from two months ago regarding failings in banking, and again we support that.
I agree with the comments of Senator Boyhan. It was wonderful to see Robbie Dolan from Kildare town riding the winner of the Melbourne Cup. I believe the odds were 90-1. I only saw that afterwards; I did not have a bet myself. I am delighted to see Robbie bring that home. The Melbourne Cup is of huge international significance and it is wonderful to see that happen. Senator Boyhan also thanked Deputy Duncan Smith for hosting a transport meeting and again emphasised the need for transport police.
Senator Malcolm Byrne quite rightly noted the sad and premature passing of David Davin-Power, who was incredibly insightful. We will all miss his commentary over the next few weeks when we finally have the election. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I offer my deepest sympathy to his wife and children. We know there is great sadness among the press community as well as among the parliamentary community.
I congratulate Michael McGrath, who has been confirmed as the next EU Commissioner.
I know he will make a huge difference in a very important and sensitive portfolio.
The Agriculture Commissioner, Mr. Hansen, is prioritising fair pricing and generational renewal but, in particular, the mental health of those within the agricultural industry. There was a large IFA conference at the Curragh last Friday, and this issue was touched on. It is right that we look at the mental health of those who are working in the many industries where people work alone. We need to be mindful of this across every industry but many of those in farming are working in isolation from others.
Senator Seery Kearney spoke about the need for the culture to change in the HSE. I certainly agree, as would many others in the House. The Senator spoke about a situation whereby there is a threat to remove a person from the care of a family and make them a ward of court. I am dealing with a family in respect of which a similar situation is ongoing at the moment. It has to be a major concern for all that if a family or a public representative criticises the way the HSE is doing business, straight away, all the legal constraints come in. Senator Clonan noted that €65 million has been spent on legal cases, which is simply not good enough and which takes away from accountability and transparency within the system.
Senator Keogan spoke about her cousin Paul Brady who is the handball champion at the age of 45. Congratulations to Paul. I wish to mention Christy Downey from Milltown, who I met when canvassing last week. At 77, he is the world champion for the underhand rings, although I do not even know what that means. It is amazing that he recently became world champion at 77 years of age.
Senator Keogan also mentioned the issue of crime and people feeling unsafe in their communities. This is one of the biggest issues that we need to concentrate on. We need to bring back a zero-tolerance approach. If people do not feel safe in their communities, on the streets, in their homes or on public transport, the system is failing them.
Senator Carrigy spoke about the need for special school places at secondary level and the lack of joined-up thinking with regard to knowing how many children are in special classes in mainstream schools or special schools. The lack of facilities available at secondary school level is shocking. We also need to look beyond the secondary school level because many young people aged 18 do not have opportunities. The OWL programme in the Oireachtas is fantastic and gives young people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to do an apprenticeship. Many go on to permanent jobs within the Oireachtas or in the various Departments. This needs to be a priority.
I am sure this is the last time I will be taking the Order of Business as deputy leader of the Fianna Fáil Party. I thank everybody for their courtesy any time I have had the opportunity to step in for the Leader, Senator Chambers. I am quite emotional thinking about it. I thank the officials in the Cathaoirleach's office and the Clerk, Martin Groves, and his team. I wish everybody well in the general election and the Seanad election. There has been great camaraderie. We have sometimes been on different sides of the issues, but we have all been on the side of the common good and on the side of trying to make this country a better place for all who need it.