The Order of Business is No. 1, Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024 – Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 5 p.m and to adjourn at 6.45 p.m. if not previously concluded; and No. 2, statements on disability, to be taken at 7 p.m and to conclude at 9 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 each, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes each and time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than ten minutes to reply to the debate.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
I thank the Leader and support the Order of Business he has proposed.
I will raise a couple of topics. We have a lovely bit of sunny weather but with that, unfortunately, came a rise in public order incidents in the Drogheda area over the weekend. I received a number of disturbing videos of serious public order incidents in daylight. We are talking about 2 p.m. This raises something I would like to debate with the Minister for Justice, namely, garda shortages in that particular area. Drogheda is the largest town in Ireland with approximately 50,000 people. In 2022, there were two sergeants and 14 gardaí. I got these figures from one of the senior gardaí yesterday. In 2025, we have one sergeant and five gardaí, which is not ample for the number of people.
Another area I will raise is Laytown Garda station, which is one of the feeder stations for Drogheda. It is a tiny bungalow in a small housing estate in a village in east Meath. It was promised eight gardaí a couple of years ago, but it has three gardaí and is a part-time Garda station. The then Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, visited in 2022 with the Commissioner, Drew Harris, and they assured people this station would go into a ten-year Garda plan and a new location would be found for it, a search that is looking at a very wide area. There are 17,000 people in the Laytown area. These stations service Bettystown, Mornington, Stamullen and 50,000 people, so the garda numbers are not sufficient.
One reason for some these public order incidents, according to local community and outreach workers I was speaking to over the weekend, is the lack of a HSE outreach worker. There is somebody who is out on leave. I spoke to representatives of a local drugs and addiction service, The Red Door Project, and they said €20,000 would cover the position for four months. That would make a huge difference, allowing people who are now at a loss out on the street to engage with an outreach worker. It would be great to see if funding is available along these lines. We have many security issues at the moment – they may fall under the Department of Justice or the Department of Health – so I would appreciate the opportunity for a debate on them. We are coming into the summer and they could escalate.
Last Thursday morning, on 2 April, it was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of a former Kerry Gaelic footballer and iconic Gaelic football manager, the great Mick O'Dwyer. Micko was king of the Kingdom and sprinkled some of his gold dust, wisdom and love of Gaelic football on other counties and places beyond with great success, leading his teams with unmatched passion and inspiring countless Gaelic football supporters and teammates alike. As a top-class footballer, the Waterville and south Kerry star won four all-Ireland medals with his beloved Kerry and was named footballer of the year in 1969. However, the king was not finished. He became the Kerry senior football manager in 1975 and went on to have an enormously successful career in that role, leading a team of legends to eight all-Ireland titles from 1975 to 1986, a period fondly remembered as Kerry's golden years. It was the greatest football team ever.
Micko subsequently spread his love of football with great success in Kildare, Laois, Wicklow and Clare. Micko was not just a manager; he was also a leader, motivator and man who breathed football. His passion, knowledge and ability to inspire were unmatched. His impact on Gaelic football was immeasurable and his legacy will live on forever in the hearts of all GAA fans in Kerry and, indeed, beyond. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and the wider GAA family at this sad time. Rest in peace, Micko. Your extraordinary legacy will forever be remembered.
I formally propose a minute's silence in the Seanad in memory of the great Mick O'Dwyer.
I echo the sympathies offered to Micko's family. As for the assertion that Kerry has had the best football team in history, I will just say “five in a row”. As someone who used to go to my grandmother in Killorglin, Kerry, in the 1970s, I remember the great rivalry between Dublin and Kerry, and Heffo's Army. However, the question of which football team was the greatest ever is still out for the jury.
I want to raise a couple of issues, the first being the situation that confronts Ms Evelyne Cynk. She is a disabled young lady from Germany who has come to Ireland to follow her dream of pursuing a masters degree in creative writing in UCC. She is a very talented artist and has been facilitated by UCC by having been given accessible accommodation. However, she is being failed, again, by the HSE. The HSE is either unable or, more likely, unwilling to provide her with the care package with which she would be provided as a matter of course in Germany and with which all disabled citizens throughout the rest of the European Union would be provided. At the moment, it owes the care provider she is using €55,000. She is a young woman with a complex disability, and while doing her course away from home she has to contend with the stress, uncertainty and fear of having a debt of €55,000 because the HSE will not, or cannot, discharge its functions as an agency of the State.
Also on disability matters, I want to raise the issue of the HIQA report on the independent review of governance of Children's Health Ireland. The report was published at midday today and I have started reading it. It really makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Yet again, Ireland is shown to be a pathologically ableist state. I am finding it hard to read the document because of what is contained within it but also because of the language used. In the limited time available to me, I will say that, when you read this report and see the repeated failings of the executive leadership team and board of Children's Health Ireland, you could not have confidence in their being charged with the move from Connolly Hospital and the hospitals at Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght to the new children's hospital. This scandal is not about the billions spent on the hospital; it is about the children and the families. The families whose children are on waiting lists or who have been operated on in this manner are very upset today. They are completely in the dark. They are hearing nothing from CHI. There has been no consultation with them. We need a full statutory inquiry into this. Could we have the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, in to the House for a debate as to whether she can really have confidence in the executive leadership team and board of CHI with regard to the move to the new children's hospital? This is another inflection point.
St. Francis School is a special school in Portlaoise. It got a new school building in 2021. Because it took so long for the new school to be built - 14 years - as a result of all of the hoops that had to be jumped through, when it opened in 2021, it did not have the capacity it needed. The principal made accommodations by turning 19 classes into 12. Since 2021, the school has been promised a modular build to facilitate its growing needs, but this has not been provided. In recent months, the principal has received sanction for nine new school places. He was assured the modular build would be in place and he would be able to take on more students. These nine students have been offered enrolment for the school year starting September 2025, but there has not been any communication yet. Every week, the principal contacts the Department of Education but is just pushed further down the road. The parents are absolutely outraged. They do not know what is going on. There are also 45 children on the waiting list. We do not have any other special school. Children who need to attend a special school have nowhere else to go. They have complex needs that need to be accommodated. Can we request that the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, update the principal and families of this school? If we are getting this modular build before September 2025, which we must, it needs to be large enough to accommodate all the families because, if it is not, what are the other families on the waiting list going to do? There is nowhere else for them to go. Laois, especially Portlaoise, has one of the fastest growing populations in Ireland. We cannot leave these vulnerable children behind.
There are two issues I want to raise with the Leader. One relates to the potential shelving of the introduction of BER certificates for private rental properties, as reported by Caroline O'Doherty of the Irish Independent. This was a key commitment under Housing for All during the previous Government's term. Does the Government now intend to shelve plans to bring in BER certificates for private rental properties? That might have been acceptable in the 1980s when I was renting flats around Dublin with a poster of The Smiths on the wall but it certainly is not acceptable now. It would push a lot of families, individuals and students into fuel poverty when they are already paying exorbitant rents. I ask the Government not to shelve those plans. It is a retrograde step that only kicks the can down the road as regards environmental targets. The Exchequer and ultimately the taxpayer will pay the cost but, in the shorter term, renters will pay the cost if we do not have proper standards for energy and insulation in private rental properties.
The second issue I will raise relates to the fires that are still raging in Wild Nephin, Kenmare, other parts of Kerry and the Mourne Mountains. We have seen the devastation again. It is fantastic to have the weather we have outside but at this time of year, we seem to have a persistent problem. We had made some strides in recent years, particularly with the training of National Parks and Wildlife Service staff and direct liaison with local authorities and fire emergency services. In light of the increased investment due to take place in the Defence Forces, we should consider looking at dual capability of Defence Forces equipment and personnel in situations like this.
We are in a biodiversity crisis, which is added to by the devastation and destruction caused to habitats, with the loss of species and ground nesting birds, not to mention that properties are also being threatened. The ability to rapidly deploy resources to address these fires will be critical because, unfortunately, there will be an increased incidence of them, given the weather events happening around the world. Following the increased investment, I ask that the Minister for Defence give consideration - it could take place by way of debate in this Chamber - to the dual use of personnel and equipment and their deployment to address these horrific and destructive fires.
This is autism awareness month. Notwithstanding that the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities will be before us this evening to take statements on disability and that there will only be one week left in the month when we come back in the week of 29 April, it would be fantastic if we could have a session on autism. In the previous Seanad, a committee led by the Leader's good colleague Deputy Carrigy, then a Senator, produced some fantastic reports on it. One of the reports has 109 recommendations. We also had the report on autism school provision, which contained another nine recommendations. Those recommendations span not just disability services but also employment, housing, education, independent living, personalised budgets and much of what has been already raised this afternoon. I would welcome the opportunity to have statements on autism awareness while also getting an update on the status of the autism innovation strategy, the chairperson and where the one-stop shops are being rolled out.
I will start by congratulating Jim McGuinness and the Donegal team on their great win over Derry at the weekend. It was great to see and gives the whole county a lift.
I also thank the Donegal fire service, the Garda and local volunteers who turned out on Sunday night to put out a gorse fire in Barnesmore Gap. It was great to see how the community came together to help and work along with the fire service.
I stand here very annoyed. Over the weekend - it was a busy weekend - an Irish vessel landed 750 tonnes of top-quality blue whiting at Killybegs on Friday evening. When the vessel landed, its crew were told they would have to have a monitor. That is where it all went wrong. We have no problem with monitors in Killybegs, but it should be done in the factory. They were requested by the monitor to put fish through a fish machine for weighing. Blue whiting is a very soft fish and it comes out like a paste, destroying the fish. By Sunday evening, when we could not it sorted out, 750 tonnes of prime quality fish went to the fishmeal plant. That would have fed 30,000 people in west Africa where they are crying out for fish.
There is something wrong here. Somebody has to stand up to the plate and somebody's head has to roll over this. How can any Irish person turn around and turn away 750 tonnes of good quality fish and not answer the questions? Some 50 people were sent home from the factory. It was Sunday when wages were paid at double time. It was worth a lot of money to Killybegs and its people. I want the Minister to come in here and answer the questions. Who gave the go-ahead to do this? It is wrong when a high-protein food that could feed so many people was turned away after two days and turned into fishmeal. I hope we can get the Minister in here to answer those questions.
Today, the Minister for children, disability and equality, Deputy Foley, published a report on negotiations with religious organisations associated with the mother and baby institutions payment scheme. Ms Sheila Nunan was the independent negotiator tasked with leading these negotiations with these religious organisations and was very much involved, of course, with our former Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. She engaged with eight religious bodies. This is all clearly set out in the report, which has been available to view on the gov.ie website since this afternoon.
On foot of these engagements, only one body, the Sisters of Bon Secours, offered a cash contribution of €12.97 million, which is in line, according to the report, "with the negotiator’s determination of a meaningful contribution". The Government has agreed to accept this contribution. Another body, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, offered to contribute a building. The Government has agreed that the Minister should consider this offer of this building and engage further with the congregation in respect of it. Only the third body, the Sisters of St John of God, offered a conditional donation of €75,000 to be used as a charitable donation towards the charitable purpose associated with the mother and baby home scheme. The remaining bodies did not offer any contribution.
To clarify, in case there is any misunderstanding, the Government wrote to these eight bodies, namely, the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, the Sisters of Bon Secours, the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of St. John of God the Legion of Mary and one I am glad to see on this list, although I am disappointed with its response, the Church of Ireland representative church body. Clearly, therefore, there are major issues.
This is a very important report. I thank the Minister for publishing it today. It raises very serious concerns with regard to the religious organisations but also the Government's response to addressing the redress scheme. We might have a debate on this particular issue at a time that is appropriate to the schedules of the Minister and the Leader.
Hear, hear.
I wish to raise the issue of the passenger cap in Dublin Airport. As Members are aware, the Government has outlined its commitment in the programme for Government to lifting the cap as soon as possible. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has described the situation as urgent. That is welcome. It is essential it be done as quickly as possible.
There has been a slow start to the year in terms of tourism. We all recognise how important that sector is to our economy and to the thousands of SMEs right across the country. Dublin Airport Authority, which is also responsible for Cork Airport, has said that, like other European airports, Cork Airport saw strong growth to begin the year, with passenger numbers increasing by 6% in February, while passenger numbers in Dublin Airport fell by 0.5%. Cork is not unusual in terms of growth, given that the vast majority of European airports have seen passenger numbers rise to begin the year, making it clear the passenger cap is significantly impacting on Dublin Airport's capacity to grow. This is more crucial now than ever given the tariffs decision by the US Administration and the uncertainty that has created in terms of economic impact. We need to examine following the UK model, where central government is taking control of planning decisions on critical transport infrastructure to deliver faster decisions. We simply cannot afford this process to be dragged out and for it to continue to limit the growth of Dublin Airport and our tourism sector nationwide. That sector has more than 250,000 people working in it and in thousands of SMEs and, obviously, it is a critical part of the Irish economy. It is vital that the Government act quickly to ensure the sector continues to grow from strength to strength. This is a significant issue for the Irish economy. Will the Leader request that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, update us on the matter and on options the Government is considering?
On the front page of my local newspaper, the Roscommon Herald, this morning, the owner of a retail business spoke about the deep impact a burglary has had on his life and his business. No one deserves to feel unsafe in their own workplace. I am hearing about retail crime and shoplifting and about businesses not chasing people they catch stealing in their shops because of the cost of doing so and the poor likelihood of a conviction. We are failing businesses if that is the way we are leaving things and we do not protect them.
For business owners who even ask somebody or take somebody they suspect of shoplifting aside, we have this whole issue of retail defamation. The person who has been approached can go after the business and get money off it. If someone has previously been convicted of shoplifting or robbery, he or she should not have a character to protect. It is our job to protect those businesses in that regard. Small business owners invest everything in their businesses - their time, their energy and their resources. I call on the House to have a debate on retail crime.
I raise the increasingly urgent issue of access to youth mental health supports in rural villages, particularly in my constituency of Cork North-West. In towns across the constituency like Kanturk, Millstreet and Charleville, parents have been contacting me in despair about the lack of timely access to CAMHS. We are seeing long waiting lists - some for months, if not years - for younger people at a stage when early intervention could be the difference between a crisis and getting the support they need. In rural communities, this is often compounded by a lack of localised supports. Parents are being asked to travel long distances with no certainty of appointments, while community-based services are overstretched or sometimes non-existent in these areas. We cannot keep responding to youth mental health with constant reports and reviews when families are living real-life crises day in, day out.
I call on the Leader to arrange a debate with the Minister with responsibility for mental health to address the specific gaps in CAMHS and ensure services are available to all young people, not just those in the cities, so that they have access to that vital support no matter their postcodes.
I raise an alarming issue. We had another case of foot and mouth disease, FMD, in Hungary on 6 April. As everybody knows, the sector in Ireland has exported 100,000 cattle this year. The industry has grown and grown and beef is now at €8.40 per kilogram. We have tourists visiting Hungary, Slovenia and places like that. Have we the right measures in place to protect our industry when they come back? Have they been in contact with livestock? Have we disinfection areas at our ports and airports? Have we departmental officials searching bags for meat or content coming into this country? This is serious. If it starts spreading over Europe, we will wipe out an industry that took so long to get off the ground. Diseases do not respect borders and I am very fearful of that. FMD is the most contagious disease at this moment in time in the livestock industry. Is every avenue being followed to protect our industry?
Before I call on the next speaker, I welcome the school from Ballyvourney, guests of Aindrias Moynihan. We also have guests of the Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy, and of the Leader of the Opposition, Mary Lou McDonald. They are all welcome to Seanad Éireann today.
I rise to address the ongoing disruption caused by the Opposition parties in the Dáil. Last week, after weeks of obstruction over a question of eight minutes, the Opposition continued its childish behaviour by walking out during Deputy Nolan's speaking time. While they were doing this, Ireland along with most of the world was seeing the financial markets descend into chaos in the wake of Trump's tariff announcements. We are in a bad situation when the Government does not want to face the crisis looming over us. We are in a dire one when the Opposition is more concerned with tilting at windmills than with dealing with these very real and severe problems. When we have these crises in the international markets and in housing, migration and health, eight minutes is simply not worth it. The recent tactics employed by the Opposition, including endless debates, procedural objections and motions of no confidence-----
I remind the Senator that what happens in the Dáil is a matter for the Dáil.
I am well aware of that.
Arrangements for Dáil speaking times are not a matter for the Seanad.
I thank the Cathaoirleach. The tactics that have been used not only amount to obstruction but are also a blatant attempt to derail the legislative agenda and hinder progress on the critical issues that affect the lives of our citizens. It is also deeply concerning to witness how the Labour Party and other Opposition parties are allowing themselves to be led around by Sinn Féin in this obstruction.
We must ask ourselves what the true motive behind these disruptions is. Is it to serve the people of Ireland or is it to further the political ambitions of the few? The answer is clear. I call on Opposition Members to rise to the occasion and show ourselves to be worthy of our constituents. We must hold the Government's feet to the fire on the real and concrete issues that concern the nation.
I also want to raise-----
I remind the Senator that I will give her more time. Everyone here has an opportunity to raise issues.
I understand that, a Chathaoirligh.
What is done in the other Chamber is a matter for the other Chamber. Senators have ample time - all the time in the world - to raise whatever concerns they have. I will afford Senator Keogan the opportunity to do so. However, the Dáil's arrangements are issues for the Dáil.
I thank the Cathaoirleach.
Last week, Members of the Oireachtas, including Members of this House, stated that members of Mothers Against Genocide protesting outside Leinster House were strip-searched by gardaí. That did not happen, according to the Minister, Jim O'Callaghan. It is important that Members of this House retract claims made against our country's police force.
The Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival, which started on Monday and will run through to next Sunday, involves 123 free events to do with literacy. It is being run by the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, LCETB, and other supporting bodies. There are activities involving IT skills, art, entrepreneurship, open days, tours, education, dance and the Healthy Ireland programme. It is about highlighting the importance of literacy, education and learning as one goes along. The organisers are in their 15th year of running the festival. Limerick is a UNESCO learning city and these events feed into that narrative. People of all ages should go along. There are events for children, adults and those who are not so young. The festival is beneficial to many people and has encouraged some to go back to learn how to read and write. I compliment all involved and wish the festival all the best.
Last week, a young zebra was brought into a bar in County Clare. Colleagues might imagine I am about to tell a joke but this is actually true. Many people thought it was an April Fool's Day joke. Bizarrely, this is not against the law and it highlights the lack of legislation and enforcement relating to animal welfare. My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue recently called for urgent reform of legislation on dog breeding and enforcement of control of horses. When we consider the various incidents involving horses around the country, it is horrific how society and the Government have been unwilling to enforce the laws or fund enforcement. My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue is calling for the establishment of an independent animal crime unit within the Garda to protect vulnerable animals. The organisation is also launching an "Enough is Enough" campaign. Enforcement should not be a luxury. Silence is, in effect, protecting cruelty. The fact somebody could take a zebra into a pub and face no consequences shows how abysmal the Government's attitude is to animal welfare. This issue must be raised with the Minister and we need a debate on animal welfare, including the welfare of dogs, in the Seanad.
The Bus Éireann school transport portal is open for applications and expires on Friday, the 25th of this month, so I encourage all families who intend to send their children to school via Bus Éireann school transport to make those applications before that date.
Today, however, I wish to talk about the mandatory retirement age of 70 years that Bus Éireann insists on for drivers driving schoolchildren to school in the morning. This is discriminatory and an ageist policy that needs to be addressed and re-examined. We will be here come September discussing school transport and no doubt there will be a shortage of buses, but we will have a bigger problem in that there will be buses but nobody to drive them. We have a cohort of people who are fit and well, who are medically assessed, who have their driving licences and who are keen to work but, unfortunately, the system being adopted by Bus Éireann, the one-size-fits-all attitude, does not allow them to do so. There is no problem with a 70-plus-year-old driving a school bus in the UK so I do not see why there should be a problem here. We now have a large cohort of people who are post retirement, quite a lot of whom are driving school buses and very happy to do so. It is not a 40-hour-a-week job; it is an hour or an hour and a half in the morning and perhaps the same in the afternoon. It is not overly taxing, and surely to God the same medical assessment carried out by Bus Éireann on a 69-year-old who is deemed capable of driving a school bus could be carried out on a 70-year-old or a 71-year-old. Bus Éireann needs to examine this. I ask that the Ceannaire write to the Minister about this issue and ask him to re-examine this criterion adopted by Bus Éireann.
I want to highlight the ongoing water outages on Whiterock Hill in Wexford town. My office was inundated again this morning with phone calls when the local crèche in that area of Wexford town was forced to close. This is the eighth outage Whiterock Hill has experienced since the beginning of 2025, which means that in the 13 weeks to date in 2025, the water has disappeared and the taps have gone dry eight times. Some of these outages have lasted for days at a time. We are told that Irish Water is monitoring the situation closely, but the knock-on effect of this in Wexford town is that there is now a lack of confidence in the water supply in that area of the town among residents, businesses, developers wishing to expand that area of the town and people operating businesses, who do not have confidence that their businesses will not be impacted in a negative way.
The Government has committed €6 billion to Irish Water in the programme from 2021 to 2025, with a new programme operating at the moment. The reality, however, is that if we cannot get to grips with urban areas like Whiterock Hill that are facing substantial outages regularly, we really need to examine where that money is actually going. I call on this House to have a debate on the delivery of infrastructure, including wastewater and water, for towns and villages like Whiterock Hill.
I welcome the news today that the national planning framework, NPF, which I spoke about last week, has been approved by Cabinet today. Now we just need to get it approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas without any delay so we can focus on housing and the need for housing, as we have outlined several times.
The Chamber also needs to address, on a separate note, the inequalities, which have been mentioned here before, that are embedded in our inheritance tax laws. Under current statutes, there is an unfair burden on those who are single and without children.
It is clear those who are unmarried and without direct descendants face significantly higher tax rates when passing on their estates. Unlike married individuals or parents, they are offered little relief regardless of their lifelong contributions to society. This is not a matter of tax efficiency. It is just a matter of fairness. A single childless person who has worked diligently all his or her life, who has paid his or her taxes, is doing as much as his or her colleagues who are married or are parents and has built assets over a lifetime should not be penalised for his or her individual circumstances. Such a person is often left with no option but to leave the estate to a friend or extended family member, who then has to pay the highest rate of tax. This disparity in the law is discriminatory and imposes a financial penalty on people who want to bequeath their life's work to friends. It effectively values one citizen differently to another.
The tax code should not be a tool of social preference. It should be neutral, fair and respectful of all individuals. I urge the Government to consider reforms of the inheritance tax policy that will eliminate this unequal treatment and ensure all citizens are given equal dignity in life and death.
Never before in our history has democracy been so under threat. We now have three leaders in the world who feel they can do as they please with impunity. We have Putin taking what he wants in his attacks on Ukraine; we have Donald Trump in the United States threatening to take Greenland by force if he has to; and we have, further south in the world, the Chinese threatening Taiwan, a peaceful, quiet democracy in the middle of that area.
Last week, 76 aircraft, 20 naval and coast guard ships and the Shandong carrier group were in positions off Taiwan. It was clearly a threatening move by the Chinese against Taiwan. China has always seen Taiwan as one of its provinces, and I have no doubt that while the world is consumed with what is happening in Washington, Gaza and Ukraine, there is a chance we will take our eyes off what is happening around Taiwan.
The threat to the Taiwanese straits impacts the world as much as Trump's tariffs. We now have two great dangers facing the world, and it is long past time that Ireland reopened an office, if for nothing else than to underpin the democracy that is Taiwan. Many of us in the House have been to Taiwan and many of us have met the Taiwanese, and we know exactly the threat they live under. It is time that we had a debate on Taiwan. Our friends in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will not be too happy about it, but it is time we were honest and open in a debate about where Ireland stands on Taiwan. We are looking for new markets and my colleague Senator Ahearn made the point last week that we should be looking closer to Berlin than to Boston, and possibly we should be looking to the Far East as well. If the Cathaoirleach could organise a debate, I would appreciate it.
I had the privilege of hearing sepsis stories from Hannah Tormey, Catríona Cahill and Sinéad O’Reilly, two of whom are nurses. They shared their personal experiences with sepsis. The presentation was incredibly personal and heartbreaking, but the part that stood out the most for me was when the nurses were asked if they had trust in the accident and emergency departments and both women, shockingly, answered "No".
Anyone who has been in an accident and emergency department knows that the atmosphere can only be described as chaotic. In fact, your treatment plan can often be determined by how effective you are at advocating for yourself or your family member, and this was the case for Hannah's 17-year-old daughter Sophie. Sophie had ongoing symptoms for ten days before she had blood cultures done. After spending three days in accident and emergency, lying across plastic chairs with her head on her mother's lap, Sophie was discharged from hospital without any results. The next day, the family received a phone call from the doctor to say Sophie was seriously ill and the hospital was sending an ambulance for her. Hannah did not want to wait a minute longer for her daughter to get treatment and immediately drove her to the hospital.
Our healthcare system is failing to implement safe and appropriate measures for people who are sick and vulnerable. The only reason Sophie even had blood cultures collected was that a family friend who worked as a paramedic told Hannah to demand them when he saw them in the hospital.
What would the outcome have been if she had not had that information or fought for Sophie to get help? People will always make mistakes but they are more likely to make mistakes when the accident and emergency departments are overcrowded, understaffed and under immense pressure. The sooner sepsis is detected, the faster an individual can be treated and the less impact it will have on their life. Hannah, Sinéad and Catríona have raised the need for hospitals to have a diagnostic machine that would detect bacteria, and the type and the level of it within the blood, within 45 minutes. Blood cultures can normally take 48 to 72 hours to come back and that is too long. We need to continue to raise awareness of sepsis but awareness alone will not solve the problem. We need targeted investment in emergency departments, increased staff and those diagnostic machines, which could detect sepsis much faster.
There is an unintended loophole in the Public Health (Alcohol) Act, which came into effect in January 2022 and needs to be amended. The stated intention of the legislation was twofold, namely, to reduce alcohol consumption nationally in a country where we lose an estimated average of four people per day to alcohol-related deaths, and to provide protection for children throughout the country from the exploitative and predatory marketing practices of the drinks industry.
The loophole to which I refer is the targeted marketing of 0.0% alcohol products by alcohol companies in areas where the advertising of the same companies' equivalent alcoholic products is prohibited. One well-known drinks company, which has a close association with the rugby international Six Nations Championship, cited in its annual report of 2024 a 15% year-on-year increase in the sales of its alcoholic products in the venues hosting the matches, while it saw a 26% increase in its sales of non-alcoholic products over the same period, although from a far lower revenue base. It is estimated that 0.0% alcohol products account for less than 2% of revenue generated by drinks companies, while an estimated 25% of their advertising spending is committed to the promotion of 0.0% alcohol products. If accurate, this expenditure is clearly massively disproportionate and needs to be investigated. I ask the Minister for Health to consider the impact of the advertising of 0.0% alcohol products throughout Ireland, particularly in areas where, and at times when, the advertising of alcoholic products is prohibited, and to address the question as to whether this advertising is helping to drive the sales of alcoholic products in Ireland.
I thank all Senators for their contributions. Senator Comyn raised public order incidents during daylight hours and the shortage of gardaí in Drogheda and Laytown and asked for a debate with the Minister for Justice, which I will certainly try to arrange. There have been some shortfalls in Garda numbers because of the Covid pandemic and Templemore College being closed at the time but there has been an increase in numbers, not least due to the changes that were made over recent number of years on the advanced retirement age for Garda members and the entry level being increased to 50 years of age. I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, to come in.
Senator Kennelly called for a minute's silence for the late, great Mick O'Dwyer and I would certainly be happy to facilitate that, subject to the Cathaoirleach's agreement. The Senator is right to describe Micko as a leader and motivator and someone with a great ability to inspire the young and old all over the country but especially in Kerry. I send my sympathies to his family, friends and neighbours. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
Senator Clonan raised the case of Ms Evelyne Cynk and the fact that she is in a difficult position over possible debts the HSE has not provided cover for, and called for answers from the HSE. He might raise this directly as a Commencement debate and see if the Minister will give a more comprehensive response. By raising it here today, the Senator has given impetus, I hope, to resolving the issue. I will take this up directly with the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.
Senator McCormack raised the issue of the St. Francis School in Portlaoise. I ask her to raise this as a Commencement matter to get a more direct response relating to additional modular accommodation for the school year starting in September.
Senator Noonan talked about the shelving of BER certificates, which were committed to under the Housing for All proposals, and asked the Government not to shelve them. I will have to get an update. I imagine it may be something to do with reducing the burdens on landlords. I understand the Senator's point, as somebody who a long time ago used to scrub the mould off a wall in rental accommodation because I was concerned about the health impact. The Senator also raised the issue of the tragic fires in Wild Nephin National Park, Kenmare and in the Mourne Mountains. It is very difficult to witness the loss of habitat and wildlife given the work that goes on and, indeed, the investment by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, in particular the walkway in Wild Nephin. The Senator also called for a debate on increased investment in the Defence Forces and the dual use of equipment. That might be a topic more suitable to a Commencement matter. I will certainly ask the Minister to come in, in due course, on matters of defence.
Senator Rabbitte talked about autism awareness month and the recommendations in the autism report. As the Senator mentioned, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, is in this House today, but the Senator asked for a specific debate on autism, which I will try to arrange. Previously, when there was a report published by the Committee on Autism, there was a debate in the House. Perhaps we can look at that at a future date.
Senator Boyle raised something I had not heard of, that is, 750 tonnes of blue whiting ending up as fishmeal. I recommend he raises a Commencement matter on that with the Minister to get a direct response. We will, in due course, try to get the Minister in to talk about marine matters as well. From what the Senator has said, it does not make sense to lose that valuable protein-rich food.
Senator Boyhan raised the mother and baby institutions payment scheme. The negotiator of the report, Sheila Nunan, engaged with eight religious bodies. The Minister, Deputy Foley, has stated that she is deeply disappointed by the overall response from the religious bodies and she has asked them to reflect further on their shared and collective responsibility for the tragic legacy of the mother and baby county home institutions and the intergenerational impacts which endure. She has said she will ask her officials to liaise with the Office of the Attorney General to consider if any further options are available to the State. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, to come in to debate this matter as soon as possible.
Senator Crowe raised the issue of the passenger cap at Dublin Airport and its impact on tourism. He called for the Minister for Transport to come in. I will try to get him to come in to address that issue.
Senator Scahill called for a debate on retail crime. We will have a debate soon on small businesses with the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon, but if not then, we can look at an overall debate on crime with the Minister for Justice, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan.
Senator Ryan called for a debate with the Minister for mental health regarding timely access to CAMHS, which we have put in a request for.
Senator Brady raised the issue of the foot and mouth outbreak in Hungary. I know our Department is monitoring the situation there. There has been no movement of susceptible animals from Hungary or Slovakia to this country since, I think, January. Austria has closed dozens of border crossings with Slovenia and Hungary. There is ongoing monitoring of this situation. The Senator is right to raise it. We all remember the previous foot and mouth disaster in the 2000s, its impact on all sectors and the visuals of that both in this country and across the water.
Senator Keogan spoke about the Dáil, which I will leave to others, although I agree with her on the need to establish committees, which was being delayed because of the goings on in the Dáil. She also raised the issue of comments made in this House. The Cathaoirleach might advise on whether, if there is an issue with comments made here, it might be open to contact or write to the Seanad Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight.
Senator Maria Byrne raised matters relating to Limerick Lifelong Learning.and commended it on its great work in terms of IT, entrepreneurship and highlighted its work in literacy and learning. It is now in its 15th year and I wish it well in its endeavours. It is great to see that community coming together on such an important issue.
Senator Andrews raised issues of animal welfare. I do not know where the zebra came from. Did it escape? Was it bred privately? Was it bred in one of our zoos or wildlife parks? I do not know where the zebra came from but if there is a need for legislation to tighten up animal welfare, then that should certainly be looked at. The Senator is right that it is an animal welfare matter and I will ask for a debate on animal welfare as soon as I can.
Senator Gallagher raised the issue of Bus Éireann's mandatory retirement age of 70, a matter that has been raised on numerous occasions over recent years with the previous Minister for Education, Deputy Norma Foley. I will raise it with the present Minister too. I know it is a decision more for Bus Éireann than for the Department but it is nonsensical, as I have said so often, that the same bus drivers are prohibited from doing the school run but can collect the children and bring them to a sports event while working for a private company. It does not make any sense but it is a rule that Bus Éireann has. If dealt with, it would make such a difference.
Senator McCarthy has welcomed the approval of the national planning framework. I hope we will get a chance to debate it in this House. He also raised matters relating to inheritance tax laws. We will try to have a debate on issues with the Minister for Finance at a later date. In the absence of that, perhaps the Senator can table a Commencement matter.
Senator Craughwell has raised the grave concern of threats against Taiwan. The world is in such flux now. It is a grave concern that the good people of Taiwan would be targeted by China. I will ask for a debate on the matter with the Tánaiste as soon as possible.
Senator Sarah O'Reilly spoke of the issue of sepsis in hospitals. Unfortunately, having known people and their families who have lost loved ones in their teenage years and younger to sepsis, it is of grave concern. The Senator might table a Commencement matter. When the committee on health returns, perhaps it is an issue that the committee will look at.
Senator Kelleher raised the issue of a loophole under one of the health Acts relating to alcohol consumption and 0.0% products. He gave statistics about this. It is a valid point. The Senator might table a Commencement matter to see if he can get clarity on the issue and whether the Department and Minister have any plans to deal with it, because it is a valid concern that the work and decisions made by the Houses of the Oireachtas to reduce the marketing of alcohol would be circumvented in that fashion.
Order of Business agreed to.