The Order of Business is No. 1, Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Areas) Bill 2021 - Second Stage, to be taken at 1 p.m. and to adjourn at 2 p.m., with the opening contribution of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed seven minutes, and all other Senators not to exceed five minutes; No. 2, Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person (Amendment) (Stalking) Bill 2021 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 2 p.m. and the proceedings thereon shall if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 3 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall in relation to amendments include only those set down or accepted by the Government; and No. 3, statements on violence against women.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
In regard to the arrangement for the statements on violence against women, is it to be taken at 3 p.m. and to-----
It will conclude when it concludes. It will be taken at 3 p.m. with the opening contribution of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, the contribution of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, and the Minister to be given not less than ten minutes to reply to the debate.
I call Senator Chambers.
The Leader will be aware, as will other Members, that recently the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, announced that there would be a new scheme in place for childcare in this country and the Government has announced core funding for the childcare sector. The Minister is due to publish specific guidelines for the sector that private and public providers will be required to engage with in order to receive this core funding. I understand the Minister is working on this. I respectfully ask that at the earliest opportunity, when he is in a position to update the House, we request a date for a discussion with him on this core funding and the provision of childcare.
The second issue I wish to raise is endometriosis and the ongoing difficulties many thousands of women in this country face. Members may have heard the ongoing discussion on Newstalk that began last week with my sister, Ciara, and went on for almost seven days with women ringing in. It started a national conversation on this horrific condition that is not curable but is manageable if there is early intervention. Last year we had the announcement of the first specialist clinic in Tallaght, which was welcome, but we are just scratching the surface. Many women in Ireland continue to travel for much-needed surgery to the UK and further afield because they cannot get the specialist care that they need here. Women still wait a very long time to get properly diagnosed. It is on average nine years. As I said, early intervention is key as the longer this disease is left unchecked, the more havoc it wreaks inside. There is a need for a comprehensive education programme at primary and secondary school levels, as happens in other countries. I will speak to the example of New Zealand, where the menstrual education, ME, programme has been rolled out across schools and has been very effective. They have reduced their diagnosis times because they have educated young women and girls as to what is normal and what is not in terms of menstrual and reproductive health in order that women are empowered to ask the right questions, to seek the care they need and to demand that they get the treatment they so deserve. I request that at the earliest opportunity we invite the Minister for Health to this Chamber to have a specific discussion on the whole area of endometriosis, the care pathway, the treatment available, the diagnosis time and the education.
I request also statements with the Minister for Education because both Departments will have to work together on this. It is not just under the remit of the Minister for Health. It is an important topic. It is one of those many women's health issues that have gone unspoken of for generations because women were told it was just part of being a woman, you are one of the unlucky ones, just get on with it. We now know that is not true. We have a long way to go to educate young girls and women because much damage has been done over the years.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Luaigh mé anuraidh na deiseanna agus na buntáistí a bhaineann le calafort domhainmhara nua i Ros a Mhíl i gConamara. Tá caipiteal faighte ag an gcoiste stiúrtha don chalafort nua agus táimid Green Investment Group, GIG Macquarie ag súil le dul chun cinn go luath maidir le maoiniú don togra. Tá pleananna ag GIG McQuarry chun feirm ghaoithe a thógáil cois cósta ag Na Clocha Sceirde i gConamara agus tuigimid go léir an tábhacht a bhaineann le fuinneamh in-athnuaite agus na deiseanna a chruthaíonn sé.
There has been a planning application for a new deepwater harbour at Rossaveal in Connemara for some years. This has been debated in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in terms of getting it on a list for funding. In 2020 the Sceirde Rocks development for a wind farm proximate to the Rossaveal Harbour received special relevant status from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. This is a game-changer in terms of the development of wind energy off the west coast. Obviously, a new deepwater harbour at Rossaveal would act as an incentive to develop that wind farm project and could be used in connection with the maintenance and development of the wind farm, both during and after construction. I have asked that this project be progressed and I hope the Minister can deliver funding for the project in the very near future.
This week representatives from the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, and the Irish College of General Practitioners, ICGP, came before the Joint Committee on Health on GP services. As we know, GPs are at the front line of healthcare in this country and certainly with Sláintecare in development, the primary care medical networks and GPs will play a leading role in preventative medicine and health treatment. There are some 3,500 GPs in the country and, clearly, as the population grows, the number of GPs will need to grow. As it stands, we are already well below the number of GPs per head of population in the UK. Some rural areas have no doctors. Some urban areas are under huge pressure with doctors not taking on new clients. I asked how a new GP just out of training sets up a practice in a growing urban area. It seems the biggest impediment is the cost of establishment, or the set-up cost.
Assistance is needed in that regard. I ask that we have a debate with the Minister for Health on GP services and the impediments to increasing the number of GPs required in both urban and rural areas to provide necessary health treatment and preventive services.
I endorse what Senator Chambers said about women's menstrual health. I want to raise another issue on which she may agree with me. The state of the Defence Forces in Ireland has been run down deliberately and systematically by Government after Government to the point where they are no longer fit for purpose. The Reserve Defence Force, formerly Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil, FCÁ, has effectively been contracted to nothing. It is a shadow of its former self, just as the Garda Reserve was simply binned because it was inconvenient. The Defence Forces are now reduced to between 8,000 and 9,000 personnel across three services. We have ships out of commission because there are no crews to man them. It is a laugh to think that we are worried about the Russians when we cannot even put our small Naval Service out to sea in any circumstance in its entirety at the moment. This is a scandal.
Yesterday the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, the leader of the Green Party, announced that Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines is to be bulldozed, as the newspaper said, to make way for social and affordable housing. I do not want to comment on whether that is a good or bad idea because I have not yet seen the proposal, and I welcome social and affordable housing close to the city in Dublin 6, where it is badly needed, but the proposal means the Defence Forces in Dublin, where 1.2 million people live, will now have one facility only, that is, McKee Barracks. That is the last barracks they are to have. It is an antiquated, Victorian or Edwardian structure used for the equitation school and other purposes. It also means the only facility next to or near Dublin will be the Curragh. The Defence Forces are shrinking under our very noses. If we are to remain outside NATO — I believe we should — we have a responsibility to give to the Government of Ireland, for the time being, what the Defence Forces have always been: the ultimate means to exert executive, governmental and democratic authority against any internal threat, terrorist event or external threat, within its capacity.
The process of shrinking the Defence Forces has gone beyond what is acceptable, as has the shrinking of the Reserve Defence Force role. It is the same as with the Garda Reserve. This is laziness. I am not making a personal point in saying that if we are to vest in one person the power to run the Defence Forces and the Department of Foreign Affairs, we should realise that the Defence Forces do not have any real voice at Cabinet. The time has come for that to be reversed. The reason I say all this is because I want a debate on the subject in this House.
I wish to raise two issues. The first is that while many are concerned about the ongoing international difficulties and challenges concerning Russia, Ukraine and the build up of forces across the NATO region and the east, I really hope our Government is playing a constructive role in trying to de-escalate the tension. The more arms and munitions that are being ferried by both sides, the more likely it is that there will be a conflict. We have a seat at the United Nations that I really hope we are using constructively to ensure the continuation of dialogue. We all know that war would be an absolute disaster.
If we really want to respect the idea of the sovereignty of states and the view that one state should not invade another, we need to address the elephant in the room, which is that, over the past 20 years, the Departments responsible for foreign affairs and transport have approved the refuelling of an estimated 15,000 US military-associated aircraft at Shannon Airport, the transportation through it of more than 3 million armed US soldiers, and the transportation of an unknown quantity of munitions to and from illegal wars in the Middle East that have cost the lives of millions of people. Those are absolute facts. If we are serious about building a more peaceful world, we have to address what is happening in Shannon. We cannot ignore the fact that planes are taking off today with US personnel and munitions. They are not heading off on a pleasure tour of the world. We know the horrendous damage that has been done by US wars — illegal wars — across the Middle East. How many people have died? Is it 1 million at this point? We are helping to facilitate that still.
If they are going to Ukraine, is that not okay? Would the Senator object to that?
Of course I would object to it. Absolutely.
They are going-----
I believe Ireland should be a neutral country. I am proud to support our neutrality.
If a Senator wants to intervene, he or she must follow Standing Orders.
I want to finish this week on a positive note. The Leader may recall the distressing story of a Pakistani national facing homelessness at Christmas. I wrote to Kilkenny County Council on the back of it. The man in question had undergone a horrific experience of human trafficking. He was living in a stable and was being treated by a vet for three years. It is a horrific story. Kilkenny County Council did write back and responded very positively to me. It took the initiative, working with Migrant Rights Centre Ireland and the Immigrant Council of Ireland, to ensure the man was not homeless at Christmas. In fairness to the council, it did write and deal with the case appropriately. It acknowledged that providing an emergency bed and hostel facility in Kilkenny would in no way allow a person without legal status in the country to exit homelessness, secure supports or become financially self-sufficient, but it ensured the man was not left on the streets of Kilkenny. It liaised with the relevant organisations. I am glad to state the man has accommodation in Dublin while applying, with the Garda, to be recognised as a victim of human trafficking. We have to have a separate conversation on human trafficking, but I want to recognise today that Kilkenny County Council, in fairness to it, responded positively and in the right way.
The Labour Party very much supports Senator Chambers's call for a debate on what is being put in place for those in this country who suffer from endometriosis. As we know, it is a silent disease and imposes such a cost on young women in respect of their education and family and social life, in addition to so much else.
The issue I want to raise this morning relates to a discussion that has been going on for several days. It concerns the right to flexible work or to request flexible leave. At the weekend, we called for the right to flexible work because it is crucial to take account of the work arrangements that have evolved over the past two years. We have heard so much about the primacy of the contract of employment. For many who took up work prior to March 2020, the contract stipulates the office as the place of work. When the Leader was Minister for Social Protection, she introduced the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, which recognised that there can be a difference between what is in a contract of employment and the reality of a worker's working week. We talked to a home help employee, somebody in retail and somebody in hospitality. They would have spoken to the Leader, the former Minister, about the need for banded hours. Those same principles can apply now in terms of recognising the arrangements that have evolved successfully over the past two years and that need to be recognised in the conversation. I am very disappointed with the Government's heads of Bill, published during the week. Of course, people will say I would say that. We take issue with the lack of a mechanism to appeal on grounds of refusal and with the effort the Government has made to set out 13 grounds for refusal. I would like to see a clear message go out to the effect that the Government needs to redraft the legislation. It is saying this morning that it is willing to accept amendments but I believe it needs to start afresh.
We are all clear as to why we need to promote flexible work, including for those from rural constituencies. It is to sustain and revive villages and towns and reduce the need for commuting and the financial and carbon costs associated with commuting. The promotion of flexible work would benefit women and those of us in this Chamber who are committed to trying to improve the lot of women in workplaces and ensure they hold on to their jobs and do not have to reduce their hours to part-time hours. The right to flexible work is crucial. I have been following the data for a while. We saw it confirmed by the Central Bank yesterday that the full-time employment of women increased during the pandemic.
So many women have said to me they are able to manage their full-time work and those other responsibilities in their lives. If they have to be in the office for 9 a.m., they cannot do the school drop and everything else. We need to send a better message to those women in particular over the coming weeks that they will be supported in staying in their jobs and not having to drop full-time work. The legislative underpinning for this should be very positive and constructive, and it should incentivise employers to help women and all workers with caring responsibilities to stay in the workplace.
This is my first Order of Business of the year and I did not get a chance to come in last week. I take this opportunity to express my sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Ms Ashling Murphy. She was a beautiful young woman who was needlessly murdered. I also express my condolences to the family and friends of all the women who have died needlessly and violently at the hands of men in Ireland. I welcome today's statements on gender-based violence and violence against women. The murder of Ashling is so sad and it is clearly not an isolated incident. It provides an opportunity for a watershed moment in Irish history. I did not intend to speak today but I will speak to that matter. Statements may be of little consolation to Ashling's family and friends but we must ensure her death was not in vain.
I call for a discussion of the recent review of care of children in the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in Kerry. What has happened in truly shocking. We have heard about the risky treatment of 227 children and significant harm done to 46 service users. It is absolutely vital the matter is discussed. How can this happen again? There was nobody really looking to see what was going on down there. It is the same HSE that is closing services at the Owenacurra centre and it is another area that must be addressed. We must consider why that centre is being closed and so many people are being moved out of the service. It is a place they have considered their home for the past 20-odd years. My main call today is for a debate on the review of the care of children under the mental health services in Kerry.
Yesterday, RTÉ's director general, Ms Dee Forbes, appeared before the Oireachtas media committee and one of the key issues we discussed was funding of RTÉ and public media services in general. The RTÉ submission yesterday had a section titled "Why the TV current licence fee model is no longer fit for purpose". There is approximately €160 million brought in via the television licence but €65 million per year is lost because of evasion, amounting to over €500 million over a ten-year period, with a consequent impact on programming. In the UK the Tories are promoting the idea of abolishing the television licence altogether. It is popular because 60% of people supposedly do not want to pay for a television licence. My television licence costs me €160 but my Sky subscription costs over €1,000 per year.
Before Christmas, the chair of the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, Mr. John Purcell, came before the committee. He stated bluntly that most of the organisation's 34 local radio stations would be one week away from closure were it not for the support of the Government and the sound and vision or emergency funding. Our local newspapers got no such funding because there is no similar mechanism for them. It is amazing that we did not lose a whole swathe of them last year. Our national newspapers have seen their advertising customers migrate en masse to Facebook.
All this time we have been told the Future of Media Commission report, which has been sitting on the Minister's desk since October, will provide all the answers to the problems besetting the media in this country. The most farcical thing is it has been leaked to be damned and supposedly proposes abolishing the television licence. That is fantastic. The report will be able to tell us what is wrong but we are not being told how we can fund a different model because the political system ultimately has to make that decision. Through the leaks from its section, we have seen the Department of Finance baulk at the idea of not having a television licence because it would have to pick up the €200 million bill.
Five years ago, a previous Oireachtas committee proposed that the Revenue Commissioners collect the television licence and a move to a household broadcasting charge. Again, the political system did not want to grapple with that hot potato and the can got kicked down the road. We got a report from the Future of Media Commission. I am shocked we have not lost local newspapers and radio stations because this system is so rigid, it cannot deal with the pressing matters before it. I ask that the Minister and the Cabinet publish the report. Judging by the length of time it has taken us to deal with the sector already, it will take us another five years to work through what is in the report.
Who will fund the sector? As a proud member of the National Union of Journalists, I do not want to see us going down the road of having something like Fox News, trashy papers or a generation led by social media news content. It would destroy the very fabric of this country and political discourse. We have seen enough hate and we must ensure we can get a properly funded media sector in this country. It will require the political system to act, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, to publish the report and the Cabinet to act on those recommendations.
Well said.
Get somebody to act.
It is a pity the process was not started five years ago when Fine Gael was in government. It had the opportunity to fund RTÉ.
We must be close to an election with this type of heated debate becoming evident.
I ask the Leader to arrange for a debate on credit unions. There was a commitment in the programme for Government for something to be done on how credit unions operate. I presume the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, who has responsibility for credit unions, will soon publish a draft Government policy on credit unions.
Credit unions are seeking various outcomes. They want to do community banking, which would be a great asset to them. They want levies on credit unions abolished because they see them as a form of tax. A good debate could take place in the House on how credit unions could move forward and provide community banking. They already provide great services to local communities, including funding for the lower class. In some towns, they are the only banking service, as I have seen in Ballyhaunis in County Mayo. First Choice Credit Union in Castlebar has taken over the services at Ballyhaunis, Achill and Swinford, providing the banking or credit union services there. Ballyhaunis has no bank at all because the last facility, an Ulster Bank branch, closed. It is a sizeable town and has some of the largest processing industries in the country but the only form of banking it now has is provided by the credit union. I hope the Leader will provide in a timely fashion for a debate on credit unions.
Last night there was a private discussion at the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party-----
Really.
The Deputy was a member one time.
-----and the work of the Defence Forces Chief of Staff was brought into disrepute. The matter was reported in the newspapers. It is absolutely outrageous that there would be any comment on the Chief of Staff, who is not in a position to respond.
Hear, hear.
He is a servant of this State. The Minister must go further than he did in the Dáil this morning in making an apology to the Chief of Staff. I am not for a moment justifying anything the Chief of Staff did. The meeting with the Russians was scheduled and the photograph on Twitter was a mistake.
The issue of the Russian fleet being off the south-west coast of this country in the coming weeks carrying out an exercise is something we must monitor. My colleague, Senator McDowell, spoke about the depletion of the Defence Forces over a long time in this country. We must send a Naval Service vessel to the south west with members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence observing what is going on there. Not only that, but they must be there to provide search and rescue for those on the trawlers who are taking their lives into their hands by sailing into a live firing exercise area. I have been involved in live firing events myself down through my career and I can tell the House that when one starts to fire live ammunition, there is no guarantee that there will not be an accident. The Naval Service must go there and I ask the Leader to bring that request to the Minister for Defence and to tell this House next week that it will do that.
I ask the Cathaoirleach to indulge me for a moment as I have to address the issue of Shannon and of aircraft flying in and out.
The Senator has five seconds.
No aircraft flies into Shannon with troops on board on a mission that has not been authorised under one of the chapters of the United Nations. This needs to stop. If we do not want these aircraft flying in and out of Shannon then we need to address this at UN headquarters and not in this House as it is not the place for it. We are a member of the United Nations and sometimes we have to be involved in the things we do not like, which is the truth of it.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. I echo the calls of Senators Chambers, McDowell and others for the debate on our Defence Forces. What is happening at the moment exposes the fact that Ireland on its own cannot deal with this. I agree with comments made by Senator Craughwell and others that this is not a neutral country. We are a non-aligned country and I am very proud that we have a non-aligned foreign policy. We have to be very clear, however, because on issues such as human rights abuses and attacks on the sovereignty of other countries, we cannot be neutral. We have to provide support for them. Human rights, incidentally, apply just as much within the European Union as they do on a wider basis, and we should be speaking out about them. Our foreign policy can never be neutral and we should not be afraid to speak out.
I also support the remarks of my colleague, Senator Cassells, about a properly funded public sector media.
I also want to raise the point about the economic battle at the moment, where Ireland’s model traditionally used to be one of tax and talent. The tax thing is somewhat to one side now, so it is about a global battle for talent at this point in time. We are seeing the workplace changing more quickly to the point that in the next decade, 65% of current jobs are likely to be either redundant or significantly changed. We have talked before about all of the jobs that are in demand around data scientists, looking at artificial intelligence, AI, cybersecurity and so on. We need to look at having a debate in the context of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and its long-term strategy on how it is going to reskill and upskill all our citizens to be able to cater for that. Retail banking as we know it, for instance, is dead but we have very skilled workers in the banking sector and we need to upskill and reskill them to be able to take advantage of the new opportunities. We need a big debate around the future of work and what we, as a State, are doing to upskill and reskill our citizens to avail of it.
Gabhaim buíochas, a Chathaoirligh agus a Cheannaire. This week the Government announced €35 million for what it is calling Brexit infrastructure funding for local authority piers and harbours around the country. Reading about this in Afloat magazine this week, it is very much talking about the rehabilitation of piers and harbours that are owned by local authorities. My concern about this is that it overlooks those other aspects which may not be directly connected with Brexit, particularly in heritage areas like Dún Laoghaire Harbour and Coliemore and Bullock harbours.
These were ancient sites for trade on the east coast of Ireland in and around Dublin Bay. It is far too easy for the Government overlook the importance of these particular areas that need investment because they are very old sites and in several areas require urgent attention and maintenance. Coliemore and Bullock are two very small harbours close to Dalkey but Dún Laoghaire Harbour, which is an enormous Victorian harbour, has great heritage value but also has a trade potential to be part of our Brexit response. I would be very concerned if this announced block of funding overlooked harbours like Dún Laoghaire and focused instead, let us say, on Dublin Port, which is a much more commercially viable entity, or on other ports around the country which may not need this funding as much as those smaller, less commercially strong harbours.
Can we have a debate on where that funding is going to go and whether or not we can specifically provide heritage funding for small harbours like Coliemore and Bullock and Dún Laoghaire? Gabhaim buíochas.
I thank the Cathaoirleach. The Leader and many other Members of this House will know that I am very committed to the concept of a flexi-ticket for commuters. It is something that I am very passionate about and have been talking about for a long time. I am very confident that it is something that in the coming weeks or months will get across the line, based on what the National Transport Authority, NTA, is saying. One concern I have, and I spent two hours yesterday speaking to commuters from Drogheda and Dundalk who were going home on the Matthews bus, is the number of people who are having to pay for a monthly or annual ticket today. The cost to go back to Dundalk on the bus is €2,700 a year; to go back on the train it is €3,600 a year or €362 a month. These people are having to pay for these tickets now.
My fear is that the NTA will not have a seamless transition over to a flexi-ticket for someone who has to pay for a monthly or annual ticket today, when it is introduced in perhaps six to eight weeks’ time. It is fundamentally unfair that someone would have to fork out for a full monthly or full annual ticket today and then be left with that for the next 12 months. I am asking that we engage with the NTA in some shape or form to ensure that there is a procedure and practice set up for anyone who has to buy a full monthly or annual ticket in January and that they can make a seamless transition over to a flexi-ticket when it is introduced at the end of the first quarter or the start of the second quarter of 2022, as the NTA has advised us.
I rise today to bring to the House's attention, in the context of the evolving situation in Ukraine, the mixed reports on the ground of people living their normal everyday lives, and those reports from the international arena. I note that there are Irish families who are expecting babies in Ukraine. Between now and May, 14 babies are going to be born. I want us to have empathy for those families in what is already an anxious time but with heightened anxiety and distress. I am liaising with the solicitors, the advocacy groups and, most importantly, with the Minister, Deputy Coveney, where he and his team in the Department of Foreign Affairs have continued to be exceptional and will be no less so in this circumstance than they have been in recent years.
There are some families out there who may not have given notification as yet and may not have said it or brought it to their solicitor’s attention that they are travelling out. We know of 14 such families for sure and if any others come forward, they can contact me as I am liaising with the Department of Foreign Affairs, in order that we can have contingency plans in place for whatever arises, although, hopefully, nothing will.
Last week I called on the Minister to honour the commitment he gave to tender openly for the position of independent chair for the review of the abortion legislation and I did so because it had by then emerged, by way of a reply to a parliamentary question, that the Department had not fulfilled the commitment but had contacted a small number of persons inviting them to express interest in the position. Yesterday, I said that it did not augur well that the eventual appointment that was made came on foot of such a closed process. I repeat my call for the Minister to come before this House to explain his and his Department's actions in the matter.
The issue is independence and the perception of independence, and crucial to independence is the issue of perceived impartiality. There was considerable support for me in this House, including I believe from the Leader, when I stressed the importance of independence in the role to be filled by this chairperson. In the past a judge in this country had to recuse herself from an abortion-related case not because she would have shown bias but because there could have been a reasonable perception that impartiality could be wanting because of her previous professional role. Like Caesar’s wife, a person in that situation has to be above any doubt or suspicion. That is why an open process is needed to ensure that the choice made would not just be independent but would be seen to be so.
Let us suppose then that a person had shown prior support for the repeal of the eighth amendment, for example, by retweeting a post in favour of repeal, including the hashtag of the repeal campaign at the time of the referendum.
Let us suppose there was a pattern of tweets showing a preferred view on abortion, maybe disagreeing with the intervention of Pope Francis on the subject, agreeing with former President McAleese's criticism of the Catholic Church on the subject or joining in an online conversation criticising illegal "No" campaign posters on the N11 during the abortion referendum campaign. The point is that the moderate expression of all of those points of view would be legitimate but it would mean that the poster of such tweets would not be the right choice of appointment for the role of independent chair of the review of operation of legislation in such a sensitive area, however decent a person he or she might be. I am afraid there is no supposing in this case. It is my unhappy role to point out that the appointee in this case has engaged in a pattern of social media intervention along the lines I have described. I, therefore, say that she should honourably withdraw from the role to which she has been appointed, that the Government should re-advertise for the role by way of an open tender process and that the Minister should come before the House now to explain his and his Department's role in all that has led to this undesirable situation.
Senator Mullen raised a very interesting point. I am not going to name names on the floor of the House but the appointment of the chair by the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, is a good appointment. The person is eminently qualified. In fairness to Senator Mullen, there is a need for debate and transparency in all processes. I think what Senator Mullen may be trying to achieve is to have that transparency. I do not agree with him in the context of the appointment of the person, who I think is very qualified. If we were all to have our tweets and Facebook comments judged there would be very few of us left standing with 100% perfection, to be fair.
I am not referring to perfection but perceived independence.
I think what Senator Mullen is saying is that we need a debate on it in the House. That is the importance of what he is asking for.
I ask the Leader to facilitate a debate on transport. The National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland has been published. All of us received a copy in our pigeon holes today or yesterday. It is the strategic framework for future investment decision making on transport. It underpins the work being done under the national development plan and national planning framework in terms of how our future investment will be guided in the development of our country. Senators Burke and McGahon already made interesting comments about the development of our country this morning. I hope the Leader will facilitate that debate with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on the National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland. It is a matter of urgency.
My other point is in the context of legislation for next week. Senator Craughwell and I are on the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications. We have a very important Bill coming to the House next week. I appeal to the Leader not to guillotine that legislation. It is of absolute importance to our aviation sector. It behoves all of us as Members to thoroughly investigate and interrogate that legislation and to work with the Leader and with Government to make our aviation safer and safe for those who use it while working and travelling.
I wish to raise the issue of the age threshold for parental leave. From September 2020 each parent is entitled to 26 weeks' unpaid parental leave. However, they must take that leave before the child is 12 years of age, or 16 if the child has a disability. I recently wrote to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to ask if his Department would consider increasing the age limit to 14 or 15 years. I have been approached by a large number of parents who are struggling with childcare especially during school holidays. In 2019, the Parental Leave Act was amended and the leave period was increased from 18 to 22 and then 26 weeks from September 2020. However, the threshold was also increased from eight to 12 years of age. I am asking that we consider increasing the threshold in order that parents can avail of the leave during the holidays.
Despite how sensible many 13 or 14 year olds might be, they can panic and react in an unexpected way to incidents at home. Unfortunately, many parents have no other option but to take the calculated risk as many teenagers object to being babysat and are eager to prove how grown up they are. There are all sorts of camps for children under 12 to keep them busy during the summer holidays. However, once they reach 12 these camps are very limited. Times have changed. Statistics show us, and we can all readily observe, that children and young adults today live their lives with mobile devices in their hands. It is not only the stranger outside the home that is the fear now. Parents now face risks which include children coming into contact with adults posing as children online, strangers who persuade teenagers to meet them in real life and online scammers. The risks to children inside the home are now an even bigger worry for parents. I ask the Minister to consider increasing the age limit for parental leave to ensure that parents who want to avail of it for their teenager can do so.
I ask that we have a debate with the Minster for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on childcare providers. There is a whole range of things that we need to do to improve the service and how they manage. Parents are telling me about a real situation at the moment on foot of the really positive news last week that everything is reopening. We have parents across the country who have had children at home for the last two years. They are now getting calls from their employers to come back to work next week and they are trying to get childcare. The earliest a person I have been talking to can get childcare providers is August. Some parents are being told next February. There is real worry and panic for people being asked to come back to work, which the employers are more than entitled to request. I would encourage employers to be in some way understanding of the changes that parents and employees have had over the last two years.
We really need to support these childcare providers as a Government. We need to do so throughout the next years and we need a long-term plan. However, there is an immediate issue in terms of supporting childcare providers. There is no financial benefit for them taking in young babies. They make no money out of it. We need to support the childcare providers to be able to take in more young babies. I am getting calls daily from extremely worried parents who need to go back to work and can get no childcare provider. It was really good news last week but it is really changing what working parents have been doing for the last two years. We need to figure out a way of managing that over the coming months.
The consultation process for the Dublin to Galway cycleway has been extended. It was due to close on 31 January but has been extended until the end of February. This gives more opportunity for landowners and farmers to engage with our cycleway project team and public liaison officers. Our Fine Gael councillors in Galway engaged with the project team to request an extension. It is so important that we acknowledge these corridors for public consultation.
The only way we can achieve this project is through engagement with our landowners and farmers; it is by consensus. It is very important that our communities recognise that this wonderful project which will deliver for them and their areas is very much thanks to the landowners in our local areas. The primary focus, of course, is on State-owned lands along canal banks and boglands where possible. I would encourage landowners and farmers to have early engagement with the public liaison officers, and also to review the Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenways. It was just published in December with input from many stakeholders in this process. The code details accommodation works that can be provided, including erection of walls, gates, fencing, farm crossings and water troughs. It provides information on the greenway sustainability payment. Landowners and farmers can take on their own independent adviser or agronomist. For people who want to find out more, the document can be posted out to families. They can contact the Galway to Athlone cycleway at info@galwaytoathlonecycleway.com or by calling 091 509267. Now is the time to find out all the information they need and to engage and make sure we do it by consensus in order that the route selected will be of benefit to all in the community.
I welcome yesterday's announcement by the Taoiseach that there is going to be an investigation and priority given to University Hospital Limerick, and that the Taoiseach is going to engage with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. I thank the Leader and Deputy Leader for making contact with the Taoiseach and for their work on this.
A report was commissioned by the HSE on drug and alcohol abuse in the context of babies being born. The figures for 2020 were up significantly. We need to carry out an assessment to look at what happened during Covid in relation to drugs and alcohol. It is frightening to find that children are being born with symptoms of drug and alcohol abuse. The issue needs to be dealt with. I would like a review to be carried out.
I welcome this morning's news that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has announced that the Seanad by-election will take place and that 11 February 2022 is the date by which nominations must be received. This is good news. It was officially announced this morning. We must always welcome elections. I wish all of the people who have been considering standing for election for a long time the best of luck. It will, no doubt, be a challenging and an exciting election. It will be great to see a new Member in Seanad Éireann.
Senator Dolan and others have spoken of the importance of greenways and the connectivity and marketing opportunities they present. It is time to organise a debate in this House on the future of tourism. The last time Ireland was in a recession, back in 2009, 2010 and 2011, tourism was the first industry to help kick-start our economy. Pre-pandemic, some 10 million people visited this country from abroad every year. We need to constantly upgrade our tourism offering and invest in our gold-plated tourism attractions, such as the Cliffs of Moher and other places. We also need to have good-quality, silver-plated tourist attractions that might not necessarily be as high-profile but would be interesting and keep people in areas for longer. The better and more substantial the offering we have, the more tourists will come to our country. We have a golden opportunity because of our beautiful landscape. We are an island nation with phenomenal panoramic views. Tourism will play a huge role in the future of this country. A debate on tourism would be opportune at some stage in the not-too-distant future.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus leis an gCeannaire. I reiterate a call, which I referred to during the week but did not get a chance to speak on specifically. Colleagues from across the Chamber referred to the need for statements from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, on the Passport Office, the huge increase in demand for passports and the measures the Department will take to respond to that. I have raised this issue consistently since 2016, when I saw it coming down the track, not least with the upsurge post-Brexit in new applications from across the island and, in particular, from Britain. This warrants not just statements but also serious consideration from the Government, given the consistent references to it in this Chamber and the real concern among representatives across the board. The Government must tell us what it is going to do to address this issue.
In the past, as Members who were here pre-pandemic will know, officials from the Passport Office came into the Houses every year to facilitate a worthwhile briefing for Members on the work the office does. I have great admiration for Passport Office staff and none of those who raise these issues are calling into question their dedication and commitment. Over the past weeks and months, however, anyone who has been dealing with these issues will have noticed an acute increase in waiting times, leading to delays, backlogs and concerns. While there are issues around travel that relate to passports, a passport is an important document for a whole range of reasons and it may be needed for many reasons other than travel.
I welcome the momentum that is building among groups on the issue. I encourage all of us to work together to ensure that we do not just tick a box, as welcome as statements would be. I do not say that to be disparaging but we must work together collectively to use the influence of the Seanad to ensure the Government meets demand for passports and invests in and improves Passport Service delivery and infrastructure. One of the best ways it could do that would be to open a passport office in the North, where there is such high demand. I thought I would get this call in now while I have the chance.
I thank the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Charlie McConalogue, and the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Heather Humphreys, for renewing their annual call for people to protect lambs and sheep from dog attacks, especially during lambing season. As someone from a farming community and a sheep farmer, I know the damage that dogs can do to pregnant ewes and lambs. It is devastating. Our family had 13 sheep killed last year in just one incident. All that is needed is for the dog owner to love animals, as we love our animals, and to protect them as they should protect them by keeping the dogs safe, away from sheep and in kennels. I ask people who walk with a dog on commonage land to keep it on a lead. The dog does not know the fluffy animal in the distance is not a teddy or for fun. The dog does not know that sheep need to be protected. The dog believes the sheep is something to be played with. It is not the dog's fault for killing sheep but the owner's fault.
After the Leader’s response to the Order of Business, we will hold a minute's silence for the victims of the Holocaust on this International Holocaust Remembrance Day. I ask the Leader to respond to the Order of Business.
It is obvious from some of the engagement that most Members had their Weetabix this morning. It was lovely that the "C" word was mentioned only once in the five pages of notes I made this morning. It is great to be back to normal. I hope by next week we will be back to normal in the Chamber, sitting close to each other and working collectively as we normally do.
I thank Senator McGreehan for raising the issue of dog attacks on sheep. I welcome the statements this morning by the Ministers, Deputies McConalogue and Humphreys. I live beside a very large sheep farm. In the past week, the farmer posted up some pictures of what is absolute devastation. There is the normal outcry about dogs but the Senator is absolutely right that it is not the dogs' fault but the owners' fault. In Ireland we have a high rate of dog ownership and we love dogs. Most people have one dog, if not a few of them, but we must be responsible and recognise that we are talking about people's livelihoods and that sheep are also living, breathing animals to be cared for, as well as everything else. I thank the Senator for raising the issue this morning.
Senator Ó Donnghaile will be pleased to know that the Fine Gael Party will introduce a Private Members' motion in the Seanad next Wednesday to discuss exactly the topic he and others have raised in recent days. The matter is as important as the Senator stressed in his contribution. It is very important to get the Passport Office back into the House to give us a new briefing. It is taking on 300 new staff and there is a proposal for the office to operate seven days as opposed to five days a week. We all have good and positive suggestions to get ready for what will be an onslaught this year as people look for travel documents, which is great. I just want to let the Senator know that.
I thank the Leader.
Senator Martin Conway asked for a debate on tourism. The Senator is absolutely right that the tourism industry was one of the sectors that caused the rebound in 2011 and 2012. I hope it will be as fruitful again as the country rebounds after Covid. I will organise that debate as well as I can.
Senator Boyhan just made the announcement that the closing date for nominations for the by-election is 11 February.
I did not make the announcement as such. I just passed on what I heard.
It is great and, obviously, a new Senator will bring added excitement. I wish everybody who participates in the election the best of luck.
On Senator Maria Byrne's point, I acknowledge that the Taoiseach has acquiesced to the suggestions we made. Senators Gavan and Conway also raised the issue here recently. There is certainly something unusual going on in Limerick and it is necessary to discover what it is. The only way we can do that is to have the investigation. I welcome the Taoiseach's commitment to do that. Hopefully, the investigation will be speedy, independent and transparent.
Senator Maria Byrne also referred to a report I read the other day, which is disturbing. It is on the number of babies who were born in recent years suffering from withdrawal symptoms from drugs and alcohol. This highlights that we need to give more supports to some women who experience extra stresses in pregnancy, other than the obvious stresses we all know can arise.
Senator Dolan spoke about the Galway cycleway consultation process being extended today.
Senator Ahearn and another colleague asked for a debate on childcare.
I will organise that as soon as I can. I know that the Minister is absolutely intent on providing new and extra funding to the childcare sector each and every year for the next number of years. However, there certainly is an immediate crisis with regard to the lack of places because people have been working from home. I will organise that debate.
Senator Carrigy asked for the threshold of parental leave to be increased from the current European standard of 12 years of age to 15 years of age. I will bring that to the Minister's attention.
Senator Buttimer asked for a transport debate on the wider national development plan with regard to the provision of roads etc. He also raised another issue. As Members are aware, there has been a break in Committee Stage of the Air Navigation and Transport Bill for a number of months now to allow for consultation between Members who have concerns - I happen to be one of them - and the relevant experts in both the Department and the Irish Aviation Authority, IAA. That Bill is coming back before the House next Wednesday. I give Members a commitment that Committee Stage will not be guillotined. We should not be guillotining any Bill in any House, unless there is a national emergency. There certainly is not, other than improving the safety of our aviation industry, which really is an emergency, in my opinion. There will be no guillotining of that Bill. Senator Buttimer also mentioned transparency, in support of Senator Mullen's contribution before him. I am loath to even relate this back but we had a debacle over the summer about how doing things in a non-transparent way in an open process gets people into trouble. I think we have just gone and done it all again. I really do not understand why this has happened, if we have an independent process to take on board a chair for a body of work that is going to be incredibly important, and perhaps contentious. There may be different opinions; that is fine. We need to have confidence in the independence of the chair. We have heard people expressing different views today. I will certainly ask the Minister to come and explain why the process was not as open as was originally intended before Christmas.
Senator Seery Kearney requested that we reach out to the families of the parents who may be having surrogate babies between now and the summer in Ukraine, to enable them to engage with the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure that there is a safe transition home when the babies are born. We will certainly facilitate that if we can.
Senator McGahon talked about the three-day flexi ticket that he has been talking about and getting implemented for the last number of years. It is lovely to see that it is going to be implemented. It is a real plus. However, it would not leave a good taste in your mouth if you had just forked out and could not get a refund. I will get in contact with the National Transport Authority, NTA, to ensure that there is a smooth transition.
Senator Ward asked for a debate on Brexit funding for our piers and harbours. I will see if I can organise that.
Senator Malcolm Byrne asked for a debate on the global battle for talent and the future of work in Ireland. I will certainly ask the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to come and talk to us about that. The Senator also touched on media funding and the Defence Forces.
Senator Craughwell spoke of potentially sending a naval ship to the area off the south-west coast of Ireland, starting, I think next week-----
With him at the head of it.
With him at the head of it, probably, and other Oireachtas Members. I am not sure how feasible it is-----
I will pass on that one.
-----but I will certainly pass on the request to the Minister and let him respond directly.
Senator Paddy Burke asked for a debate on credit unions in Ireland and the community banking model, as he has done before, to be fair to him. I will see if I can get that organised.
Senator Cassells, in the way that only he can, spoke passionately about the importance of local print media. We can all see how passionate he is about it. We have been talking about the issue for ten years. To be fair to the Senator, he is right that the time for talking on this issue, and on many other issues, needs to stop and the time for doing needs to start. I will make a call to the Minister's office today to find out when the report will be published and come back to the Senator. I think it would be very worthwhile to have a debate in this House on what we see is the future of media, particularly local media, and not just local radio, which is supported, but local print media, which we all know is important.
I welcome Senator Black back to the Chamber. I know she has been working elsewhere. I thank her for her comments today. I will certainly look for a debate on youth mental health services. If she does not mind, I do not think we should have a debate just on the Kerry case. What we read was shocking beyond words. The father of young Jason was on the radio this morning. I do not know if the Senators heard him. I am not sure that this is just a local issue. The Taoiseach announced yesterday that there will be an independent nationwide review of CAMHS and oversight mechanisms. I think we should have the debate on a nationwide basis. We must debate the issue of how little we spend on youth mental health services. I know that the issue is very close to Senator Black's heart, as it is to mine. The fact is that of the €1.3 billion the State spends on mental health every year, less than 10% is spent on our children. The biggest crisis that we have is in our children's mental health at the moment. I will organise that debate as quickly as I can.
Senator Sherlock raised the issue of the heads of Bill that were announced by the Tánaiste on Tuesday with regard to the quality of work-life balance and the ability to request and have proper, sincere engagement and replies from employees, which was not always the case before Covid. I hear her concerns. Having been the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for four years, I share some of them. However, I think the world genuinely has changed in the past two years. I really hope that the moves by some of our particularly large employers have bona fides. We will tease that out within the heads of the Bill and the pre-legislative scrutiny. I know that the Senator will certainly bring all her concerns from her experience to the table. Hopefully, we will improve the legislation to get that proper work-life balance as a right for people and not just something that we are talking about.
I will be very bold and tell Senator Gavan that I am not going to go near the first topic he raised today, if he does not mind. I was not here before Christmas when he brought up the case of the man in County Kilkenny. It really is heartwarming to hear that people actually do sometimes listen and respond. I wish him and the Senator, who is supporting him, continued success. I hope his legal status gets rectified as quickly as possible.
In response to the issues raised by Senator McDowell, I noted earlier, and I probably continuously get myself into trouble for saying these things, that Cathal Brugha Barracks is an active operational barracks at the moment. The announcement that was made by the Minister this morning was totally ill-judged and was made at the wrong time.
Hear, hear. It is demoralising-----
I know we need houses. I do not really have an explanation for the Senator, but as Senator Chambers and Senator Malcolm Byrne mentioned, we need a debate on the Defence Forces. I will see if I can organise it in the next few weeks. I was at a loss when that announcement was made this morning.
In response to the issues raised by Senator Kyne, we will certainly have a debate on the issue of GPs. I know their world has changed significantly in the last 22 or 23 months. Their workload has increased by 40%, which is significant, given that we have the impression that nobody goes to their GP any more, which clearly is not true. We definitely have a crisis not just in rural Ireland, where there are no GPs, but in urban Ireland, where there are GPs but not enough of them to go around for the number of people that there are. I will organise a debate as quickly as I can. I wish the Senator and the people in Rossaveel every success in combining what would be a great project on wind development along with the deep harbour. If there is anything I can do to assist the Senator or get information for him, I will.
Senator Chambers opened today's proceedings and spoke about her sister's interview on Newstalk. I did not hear it live but went back and listened to it. It was powerful. The issue at stake is endometriosis and the fact that we have only recently just opened the first clinic in Tallaght for every woman in Ireland, who has to travel there. It is like other issues in that women are supposed to silently suffer and put up with it just because they are women. I am sorry, but we are not putting up with anything any more. I thank the Senator for raising the issue today. We will definitely organise a debate on that, as well as the issue of menstrual health in Irish society and how we deal with, treat and support women, in the coming weeks.
Order of Business agreed to.