Happy Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday, to everybody. I call on the Leader to outline the proposed Order of Business.
An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023, referral to committee, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No. 2, Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) (Amendment) Bill 2021, Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 4.45 p.m.; and No. 3, Oil Emergency Contingency and Transfer of Renewable Transport Fuels Functions Bill 2023, Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 5.15 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 2, whichever is the later.
The Leader will be aware of a news report that issued on Friday evening through RTÉ’s “Prime Time”. I will be cautious with my remarks here. It was considered by many to be surprising that AIB had settled a debt of €9.5 million with a retired sports celebrity. That surprise turned to shock and anger over the course of the weekend, when many people sought to recall incidents of small mortgage holders having been pursued aggressively by AIB and other financial institutions to a point where, in many cases, they were forced to sell their home to settle debts or forced into relinquishing all their assets and found themselves homeless. Others last year had their mortgages bundled into a block with a sale value of €400 million, believed to be originally worth about €700 million, and the assets were sold on to Cerberus. Those of us in public life who have constituents or people in our area whom we represent regularly hear from people who have had to deal with those vulture funds, which are seeking through every possible means to recover the outstanding debt. The stress, hassle and pain that has put on families is intolerable in some cases and, according to my information, has led to some people's demise and death because they felt there was no way out.
Consequently, many are shocked that somehow, there was a twin-track approach. There was another way if a person was considered to be of standing, part of an elite or of some particular stratum in society. AIB has a duty, not just to the shareholder, who is the taxpayer in this incidence, but to all its other customers who have gone through the torture and pain of attempting to address their indebtedness to the bank and for whom there was no write-down. AIB needs to come out clearly and explain. It will not be acceptable for it to hide behind the usual line, which is it does not discuss personal matters. This is in the public domain now. It is a matter of public record. It needs an explanation. I call on the Leader to arrange a debate on behalf of this House on the particular way in which AIB deals with customers and if necessary, write to the bank to seek a very clear and concise statement from it.
This weekend the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, LGFA, introduced a new policy allowing for trans-identified teenagers to play with, and against, girls and women. This decision flies in the face of globally-recognised medical and scientific evidence such as the evidence upon which the Irish Rugby Football Union, IRFU, based its opposite decision. Previously, the IRFU used the testosterone threshold method of assessing the risk resulting from male players engaged in full-contact sports with women. After an in-depth review of the operation and suitability of this test, the IRFU scrapped it. Peer-reviewed research has shown that the physical difference between biological males and females showed advantages in strength, stamina and physique brought about by male puberty are significant and are retained even after testosterone suppression. One year on, the LGFA has decided to go in the opposite direction. It has greenlighted biological males participating in women's sports based on increasingly defunct testosterone thresholds. Its policy gives no information to clubs on safeguarding, does not address the consent of other players, does not mention the rights of women and girls already in the sport or give sufficient consideration to the clear risk of injury to female players from bigger, stronger male players. The LGFA said its new policy followed a lengthy and detailed consultation process, yet declined to say what exact consultation it undertook and no players or clubs reported having been consulted. It is not clear on what scientific evidence, if any, the LGFA based its decision. Had there been any real consultation, the result would have been obvious. A Sunday Independent Ireland Thinks poll carried out last year posed the question as to whether transgender women should be allowed to take part in sporting activities against other women. Some 17% of the respondents said "Yes"; 15% were unsure; and a whopping 68% gave a "No" response. Obviously, members of the public do not exist in the same ideological captured NGO bubble that many key decision-makers in this country do. The vast majority of people have not yet learned to reject the evidence of their eyes and ears. One player who was interviewed by the Sunday Independent said "The testosterone levels stick out a mile." To me, this is dangerous. Clubs and county boards have been encouraging teens not to use younger girls in women's matches because it is dangerous but now they want transgender women to take part. How are we supposed to encourage young girls to play when there could be a man on the opposite team? The player quoted previously stated that, while she had been playing Gaelic football since primary school, she felt as though she could no longer encourage young girls to pick up the sport, given the new policy. It is a shocking state for women's sport to be in, when lifelong players can no longer in good conscience recommend getting involved to the next generation. I urge everyone involved in women's Gaelic football to contact their local club and their county representatives and let them know that this policy does not serve the women and girls of this country.
I remind Members of the three-minute rule on the Order of Business and I will be applying it stringently from today onwards. In fairness to Senator Dooley, he was within the three minutes. I ask Members to co-operate with this.
I warmly welcome the latest round of cost-of-living supports announced by the Government today, particularly its focus on supporting those most in need. It was absolutely correct that the measures which the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, had proposed around universal measures to apply over the winter proceeded and, indeed, a third round of €200 supports for everyone is to come in March and April.
When looking at State funding, we need to prioritise winter over summer because it is in winter that people really need those universal supports. This package is unprecedented. It focuses on those who are most in need. There is an extra €100 child benefit payment, an additional €100 for the back-to-school clothing allowance and a move to extend the hot meals programmes to all DEIS schools initially and thereafter to all schools. These measures show the Government is prioritising those who need support the most.
An issue that has been brought to my attention and, no doubt, to others in the Seanad and the Dáil is that older persons are very concerned about costs. The measures being introduced will ensure older people living alone and pensioners will receive additional support, as will families with children, lone parents, low-income families, carers and those on disability payments.
The commentary on this issue has either made the case that there should be no universal payments whatsoever or, alternatively, that we should continue with universal payments. These measures strike a balance, recognising that everybody has been impacted but also that the most vulnerable need the greatest support. We in the Green Party warmly support the measures announced today. They show the collaboration that is possible between the three parties in government.
I refer to an issue that has been raised in the House by numerous colleagues concerning the ongoing situation in hospitals, particularly in emergency departments. It is nothing short of a disaster at this stage. I stress that this is not through the fault of any of the staff working in those hospitals. Last week, Tallaght University Hospital was extremely busy due to the high number of patients who presented at its emergency department. The pressure was such that hospital management had to issue a statement asking people with non-urgent conditions to visit either their local pharmacist, GP, GP out-of-hours service or local injury unit. Tallaght is not the exception in this regard. It is happening in hospitals right across the State.
We need to look at where the failings are in the health service. One of the accepted failings is the shortage of staff, which is one of the main issues in our hospitals. Last year, 442 Irish doctors applied for Australian work visas, with up to 1,800 nurses making similar applications. The question is why staff who are trained here and are very well-qualified are choosing to leave the health service. My colleague, Deputy Seán Crowe, recently chaired a meeting of the Oireachtas health committee on the topic of the welfare and safety of workers and patients in the public health service, to which he invited a cross-section of staff representatives. They pointed out that the latest statistics from the HSE show that between January 2021 and October 2022, there were 5,593 assaults against nursing and midwifery staff. Moreover, they noted that the incidence is considered to be underreported. A nurse who gave evidence to the committee, Ms Sylvia Chambers, said that in her 18 years in nursing, she has never experienced the aggression to which she has been subjected in the past few years. She indicated that during exit interviews, nurses are saying that they are leaving the health service because they are stressed and afraid in work and cannot provide the appropriate care.
Tomorrow, we will debate a motion put forward by the Labour Party on issues affecting the welfare of workers in the health service. I will not have an opportunity to speak in that debate, which is why I am raising the matter on the Order of Business today. The violence and abuse, including racial abuse, to which staff are subjected is not being adequately addressed. There is disappointment at the reaction from the Health and Safety Authority which has been extensively lobbied and engaged with on a number of occasions by staff representatives seeking a greater role for the organisation in the inspection of facilities and support for health service employees seeking prosecutions when they have been assaulted. I want to put it on the record that this matter needs to be treated urgently.
Unlike Senator Keogan, I commend the LGFA. I went through the guidelines it published last Friday in detail.
They must be commended for their overall sensitive and well-rounded approach to welcoming transgender players into the code. It is not easy to develop a policy, but the reality is that trans women are already playing ladies’ football. It is already there and it is nothing to be afraid of. The Ladies Gaelic Football Association, LGFA, has done a very decent job in its policy.
The other issue I want to raise is the forced expulsion of Europe’s leading trade unionist from Tunisia on Saturday. Esther Lynch is the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, ETUC, and on Saturday she attended a protest in Tunisia. Tunisia was one of the few bright hopes coming out of the Arab Spring, but the President there has become increasingly authoritarian and aggressive towards trade union rights and trade unionists. That has culminated in all sorts of attacks and intimidation, as well as the forced expulsion of Esther Lynch on Saturday. I want to acknowledge that both the Taoiseach’s office and the Tánaiste were very helpful to her personally. Obviously, it was a shocking incident. I acknowledge that they responded and made a very clear statement that trade union rights need to be respected.
The last issue I want to raise is today's announcement of the cost-of-living measures. Some €1.2 billion was designed to give a little bit to a lot of people, and a lot to the hospitality sector. We all want to maintain jobs in the hospitality sector, and we want to ensure businesses that are finding themselves in difficulty through no fault of their own are being supported. However, can it be justified that 20% of the cost-of-living package will go to just one sector? Some 20% of the €1.2 billion will be going to prop up some very big players in the hospitality sector. We know the revenue per room exceeds the pre-pandemic rates. There are other hospitality employers who are having a difficult time, but for all the talk of a targeted package, there was no targeting within hospitality.
It is a deflection away from the real problems in hospitality. First, they can no longer live with a business model that is founded on a cost of operation that prevailed 18 months ago. This is a business model that depends on minimum-wage labour. The State cannot even get its act together to pay those hotels that are hosting refugees at this point in time. Today was a missed opportunity to put together permanent measures to help people and workers within the hospitality sector.
I welcome the Mica Action Group from Donegal to Leinster House. They will be in the audiovisual room at 4 p.m. All are welcome. The event will be hosted by Deputy Pringle and it will be an opportunity to hear the voices of the campaigners who deserve and should get 100% redress.
Tomorrow at 11 a.m. a south Dublin mental health report will be launched about Travellers. Over the last two years, credit should be given where credit is due. It may not be the amount that is needed to fix the mental health inequalities that Travellers are experiencing in Ireland, but we are getting some funding and some good support from the office of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. It is remarkable to be able to say that as a person who represents our community at times in this House. If people want to come along to that event tomorrow, it will be held at 11 a.m. in the audiovisual room. They will get to hear the voices of the Traveller community and issues that impact Travellers' mental health, as well as some of the positive changes that have been made. It is not all negative.
I welcome the discussions that will be held tomorrow about people who are living in direct provision and their accommodation. I ask people with all my heart that before they come in here tomorrow to remember that in order to debate these people’s lives we have to understand that they are people first and foremost. We must have no racist comments in the House. I do not believe that we in this House stand for racism, discrimination or xenophobia. I remind Members to think about that before the debate tomorrow.
Garda vetting is a hugely important part of any job application, and rightly so, particularly for jobs that require people to work with children and I know there are always issues regarding delays. I have come across situations where individuals have worked abroad, for example in Dubai, and had to get the United Arab Emirates to provide that vetting. In one case, a person has run into difficulties in getting that in terms of logistics. The person worked in a similar position in the United Kingdom and did not require vetting for the time in Dubai. The Garda states that the person would have to fly back and actually get fingerprinted in the United Arab Emirates and would require a request form, which the Garda does not provide. It advised the lady to get one from the embassy. The embassy claims it does not have such forms. The HSE states that it is up to the applicant to sort the clearance forms with individual authorities so it will not have anything to do with it. This all has to be done within three days or a job offer can be rescinded. It is a very onerous requirement for somebody to actually fly back to a country in which she previously served a number of years to try to get fingerprints taken. To do so a person must have a request form that the Garda and the embassy do not know anything about and the HSE states it is nothing to do with it. At a time when we absolutely require staff, when there is somebody qualified who has spent time abroad in the UK and in Dubai, it is important that there would be greater flexibility and leniency regarding State jobs such as this. As I said, garda vetting is hugely important, and we understand that, but to be able to rescind a job offer in the space of three days because a person does not have vetting from a country where they cannot get the request forms to actually go there and get their fingerprints taken is onerous. Can the Leader contact the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin, and the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris, about cases like this?
We now move to the two-minute slots and I remind Members they are entitled to raise one item.
I ask the Cathaoirleach for some leeway in that because I would like to commend Mr. Mícheál Naughton, the president of the LGFA on the leadership he has shown and to commend him and his team on the publication of the report. As the Cathaoirleach may know, Mícheál is a Fianna Fáil councillor and we are very proud of the work he is doing in that regard. I would like to put on record that the elite LGFA players I know are very big and very strong and they are not to be messed with. I have every confidence in their leadership. I think it would be particularly mean-spirited if trans girls were prevented from taking part in Gaelic football in their communities because quite often in rural communities that is the only sporting activity that might be available to them, so I commend Mr. Naughton.
I would like us to have a debate in this Chamber on swimming pool provision across the country. As we all know, we are an island nation and swimming is a life skill we should all have and it obviously has many health benefits. We have a particular issue in north county Dublin. We have the youngest and fastest-growing population in the country and we have no public swimming pool that young and old can avail of. Children travel long distances from schools in Balbriggan and beyond, from the Naul, Balrothery, all of these places in north county Dublin with large communities. They go to Drogheda at much cost to the school. Many of them cannot even afford to send their children to avail of swimming lessons so we should have a proper discussion on where we stand as a country and where we want to go. Are we going to provide swimming pools in communities that desperately need them? We were very lucky in Donabate that we had a pop-up swimming pool recently and that worked really well. Let us look at these different models and let us provide public swimming pools for people right across the country but, in particular, in north county Dublin. It is something I have requested for a long time so if we could have a debate on that matter, I would really appreciate it.
First, I want to offer my warmest and heartiest congratulations to my good friend, office mate, comrade and party colleague, Senator Rebecca Moynihan and her husband, Barra, on the birth of their daughter, Margot, over the weekend.
Great stuff.
She is absolutely gorgeous and I am utterly besotted with her so I can only imagine how happy and thrilled both of them are. She is just fantastic.
I want to raise the issue of what the National One Parent Family Alliance has been saying in the run up to the cost-of-living measures announced today. The alliance highlights, as it always does, how one-parent families are disproportionately affected by poverty and deprivation. It is calling for a huge package of measures. Some of the specific measures it would like to have seen, and we should certainly bear in mind, included the extension of the fuel allowance for families in receipt of the working family payment. That is a very targeted measure. It was also calling for an increase in the qualified child allowance for those under 12 by €5 and by €10 for those over 12 to match the cost of raising children and prevent an increase in child poverty. The estimated cost for that was about €110 million. For anyone who is wondering, the One Parent Family Alliance is an alliance of civil society organisations which are concerned about the high levels of poverty experienced by lone parents and their children. These calls are supported by Barnardos, the Children's Rights Alliance, FLAC, the Family Resource Centre, the National Women's Council, One Family, SPARK, St. Vincent de Paul and Treoir. It was calling for an extension of the fuel allowance to families in receipt of the working family payment and increasing the qualified child allowance for those under 12.
I want to raise the issue of the startling figures recently announced by the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland that 8.3% of motorists are driving around without insurance, which is almost unbelievable. This is a whopping figure of 187,803 and an increase of 32,000 since 2020.
While there are strict penalties and sanctions for people who are apprehended without insurance, unfortunately, detection is the issue. Gardaí are not in a position, unless they encounter someone without insurance at a checkpoint, to get a handle on all of those 187,000 motorists. They are bound to be able to evade detection.
The article by the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland stated that the solution to the problem would be an automatic number plate recognition system. The Garda is installing such a system at the moment through its vehicle-based systems and indeed hand held systems. For that to work fully it needs to be linked up with the motor insurance database. This database has not yet been fully adopted. Legislation is required before the two elements can be synched and before the insurance database can be produced.
Unfortunately, the article by the Motor Insurance Bureau states that the database is held up awaiting the legislation which is crawling through the Houses. I would ask the Leader to try to expedite this legislation. Hopefully it will come before the Houses and I will be happy to debate the issue then. If it is not going to be coming through the Houses in the near future I will also be requesting that we would have a debate on this issue.
I would like to pass on my sympathies to the family in Cork of Bishop David O'Connell who was brutally murdered in Los Angeles. This is a shocking crime and I hope that the perpetrator is brought to justice as quickly as possible.
I want to raise the need for a veterinary college in the mid-west. The University of Limerick is very keen to press ahead with plans to establish a veterinary college. This would be an excellent initiative. In my work with the expert group as part of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, I travelled to Poland last October from Shannon. I met 60 young people who were travelling to Poland to study veterinary science. There is no reason in the wide earthly world why these young people cannot study veterinary science here in Ireland. We have a college in the mid-west in an area that has a growing population. The university is thriving and has students placed in industry, commerce and various other disciplines throughout the world. UL is prepared to open a veterinary college in the mid-west. This would offer an opportunity for students from Munster and the west coast to be able to study veterinary science outside Dublin.
Of course UCD wants to extend and upgrade its veterinary college but if the Government is investing money, the fair thing to do would be to invest it in the mid-west, establish a new veterinary college and provide people with choice. Somebody studying veterinary medicine should not have to go to Dublin to avail of the course. We need choice and we need to support the University of Limerick in its ambitious plans to open a veterinary college in the university.
I raise again University Hospital Limerick. We welcomed the Taoiseach there on Friday. It was important he came to visit the hospital but since then we saw 109 patients on trolleys on Monday, a record for this year so far, and 96 on trolleys today. That gives a grand total of 2,320 patients on trolleys from the beginning of the year. The statistics do not tell of the pain and hurt of all the people on trolleys but paint a picture of things continuing to get worse week in and week out, month in and month out. The starker statistic is that when Fine Gael came to power in 2011, 3,500 patients were on hospital trolleys in that year. In the year just ended, it was 18,000. We have had a letter from 87 doctors working in the hospital making it absolutely clear they are entirely unhappy with the current circumstances and calling for radical change. When will people recognise that fundamental changes in senior management are required? How much worse does it have to get before that change is acted upon by the Government? I am glad to say HIQA is there today, having arrived this morning. After the last HIQA report, there should have been fundamental change. It was a damning report of the failures of hospital management. Sinn Féin was clear in calling for such fundamental change to happen. I cannot for the life of me understand why the Government has not acted to date. The last time I raised this I was told not to talk about overnight solutions. With all due respect to both Government parties, Fine Gael has had 12 years and Fianna Fáil has had seven budgets. The crisis is ongoing and has been the damning failure of Government policy for far too long. I call for an urgent debate.
Last week in the House I raised the plight of workers at the Nuremore Hotel and Country Club in Carrickmacross. These workers and their families have been left high and dry by their employer, who appears to have disappeared into thin earth and people are finding it very hard to contact him. These workers have no work and are owed wages, holiday pay and redundancy payments. I commend them for the stance they are taking. I also commend SIPTU, which has been assisting the workers in their plight. I call for the Government to do more to locate the owner. The fact he is there at all was facilitated by the immigrant investor programme, which closed to new applicants last week. I ask that it redouble its efforts to locate the owner to find out his exact plans for this hotel and 18-hole golf course. It is a fantastic facility and has been a focal point for tourism in County Monaghan and the north-east area. It has been a great employer for the town of Carrickmacross and the surrounding areas. I call on the owner of the hotel either to invest the money needed in the facility or else to do the honourable thing and dispose of the property so some other person can come in, invest in this fantastic facility and get the jobs back that were there prior to this situation going off the rails. When workers find themselves in such situations, it is important for the government of the day to reach out to assist them in their plight. They have bills and mortgages to pay and families to keep. They need help and I ask the Government to provide that help.
I thank the Members who contributed to the Order of Business. Senator Dooley spoke about the "Prime Time" report on AIB and the mortgage issue. We did not name the individual who was mentioned in that report but people will be aware of the sports personality involved. I concur with the Senator’s remarks. Over many years, many families, individuals and homeowners were put under significant pressure to repay mortgages, with mortgages sold to other entities to be chased up. It serves to retraumatise and hurt people when they see that there appears to be a twin-track approach to how people were dealt with, depending on where they sat in society. I will request a debate with the relevant Minister on banking and mortgages and how this matter was handled. We will try to get that scheduled at the earliest opportunity.
Senator Keogan spoke about the LGFA decision on allowing transgender girls to play in Gaelic football games, as did Senators Sherlock and Clifford-Lee. All three Senators took slightly different views, with two in favour of the decision and one opposing it. The debate is quite divided. Senator Keogan represents the views of many people, as do Senators Sherlock and Clifford-Lee. My hope is that on this particular issue we do not go the same way the United Kingdom and other jurisdictions have gone, where the debate has become extremely toxic. That does not serve any particular purpose. We need respectful debate and to acknowledge that there are very differing views on this issue. Senator Keogan mentioned the different view and approach the IRFU took. That is illustrative that is not an issue on which there is consensus and that there are differing and opposing views on it. Needless to say, however, it is the right of all Members to raise issues in the House, as long as we are respectful in how we make those points. That is important.
Senator Pauline O'Reilly welcomed the cost-of-living measures announced by the Government and stated it was important they were targeted. The Government has done a good job in avoiding a cliff edge with certain supports. Some Members, particularly Senator Sherlock, and the Labour Party are not in favour of the retention of the 9% VAT rate for hospitality. From my party's perspective, maintaining that rate was a key ask, while understanding that the hospitality industry in some of the cities and hospitality businesses in rural areas are in a different space. The 9% VAT rate is not a special one but is probably what the VAT rate should be. If we compare ourselves with other European countries, our rate is not wildly out of sync with the VAT rates elsewhere. We previously had a high VAT rate. After some of the multinationals are taken out of the mix, hospitality is the biggest employer in many rural areas. It is a key industry for many communities.
Senator O'Reilly also welcomed the €100 child benefit payment, which will be universal and paid to all those with children. She also welcomed the decision to ease out the excise duty cut on fuel as opposed to it being reinstated in one go. Many people will welcome that.
Senator Boylan spoke about the accident and emergency departments in hospitals. She focused in particular on the concerning issue of assaults on nursing staff and people working in the healthcare sector. The Joint Committee on Health heard today from the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, and Fórsa on this issue. The Labour Party has a Private Members' motion on the issue tomorrow evening as well. I look forward to that debate, which will give an opportunity to all Members to discuss the matter with the Minister. It is an issue we have to be mindful of and seek to address. The Minister is working with the nursing and health sectors to try to fix it.
As I said, Senator Sherlock spoke about the LGFA issue. She also raised the expulsion of a trade unionist from Tunisia and made broader points on trade union rights. She acknowledged the input of the Taoiseach and Tánaiste in support of that issue. She also raised the cost-of-living measures and the significant package announced today. However, she questioned whether so much should be going to hospitality, which I have dealt with.
Senator Flynn welcomed the protestors on the mica and pyrite issue from Donegal. I understand there were also people from Mayo at the gates of Leinster House. A briefing started ten minutes ago in the audiovisual room for any Members who want to get to it. The Senator also drew our attention to the launch tomorrow of a mental health report from south Dublin. She also cautioned about the debate we have scheduled for tomorrow on accommodation for refugees, asylum seekers and international protection applicants.
She asked that people be respectful and not use racist language in the debate.
Senator Kyne raised the niche issue of people having to go to Dubai for Garda vetting. I ask him to table a Commencement matter seeking a response from the Department of Justice. If the matter is not resolved through that, we will seek further clarification on it.
Senator Clifford-Lee spoke about the LGFA issue as well. She also asked for a debate on the provision of swimming pools, in particular in her area given the growth in population and the number of young families with children there. Swimming is an essential life skill and there are clearly not enough facilities for children and young people in her area. That is something that should be addressed. Perhaps the Senator could submit a Commencement matter, as the issue is quite a niche one. We could then consider having a broader debate if necessary.
I concur with Senator Hoey's welcome and extend my own congratulations and that of the House to our colleague, Senator Rebecca Moynihan, and her partner Barra, on the birth of her lovely daughter, Margot. I wish them well and hope they enjoy this lovely time as a family. It is great news and it is nice to welcome a new member to the family.
Senator Hoey also spoke about the National One Parent Family Alliance, which has made particular requests in terms of the cost-of-living measures. She rightly pointed out that single-parent families are at most risk of poverty and deprivation and that must be reflected in the cost-of-living measures.
Senator Paul Daly spoke about the staggering figure that 8.5% of motorists are without any insurance. I did not realise it was so high. That is greatly concerning. I suggest the Senator submit a Commencement matter on the issue and if it requires a more extensive debate, we will get one scheduled. The number is a lot higher than I would have imagined. The issue must be addressed and automatic number place recognition would certainly assist with that. I am sure the technology is available to get that organised.
Senator Conway spoke about the need for a veterinary college in the mid-west, in the University of Limerick. I support the Senator's remarks in that regard. It would be great to see additional veterinary medicine places on offer in the University of Limerick, which would serve the entire region.
Senator Gavan spoke this morning, as he often does, about University Hospital Limerick, and the ongoing challenges there with patients on trolleys. The situation is particularly acute in University Hospital Limerick. I acknowledge, as he did, the Taoiseach's attendance at the hospital. It speaks to the focus of the Government on trying to address the very challenging issue in the hospital. I also acknowledge that it is a very difficult environment for staff to work in as well for the patients who go there for treatment. I hope to see a resolution to that issue.
Senator Gallagher spoke this morning about a hotel in Carrickmacross, the difficulty in locating the owner of the hotel, and the challenges in getting proper redundancy payments and outstanding pay to people who have been left without work. I might liaise with the Senator after the Order of Business to see if we can make a request to the relevant Department to try to assist with the issue. I send well-wishes to the staff who find themselves in a very difficult position. Nobody should be in that position. It is regrettable that the hotel owner has left the scene, as such, and not paid the staff properly what they are owed.
I wish to be associated with the congratulations to Senator Rebecca Moynihan and her husband Barra on the birth of baby Margot Iosóid. I wish them every success and happiness, and I welcome baby Margot to our parliamentary community.
It is also a day of sorrow. As Senator Conway outlined, Bishop David O'Connell was tragically killed in Los Angeles. We send his family in Cork our sympathies as well.
Order of Business agreed to.