Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Leader back from her nuptials. We are glad to have her back. Congratulations or comhghairdeas.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach. I, too, welcome the ambassador to the Chamber. I wish her and her team well on Poland's Constitution Day. It is great to have them in the Gallery. The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding arrangements for the address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union, on Tuesday 9 May 2023, to be taken without debate on conclusion of the Order of Business; No. 2, motion regarding Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 2) (Qualifying Conditions) Regulations 2023, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of No. 1; No. 3, statements on the Report of The Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe: United around values in the face of extraordinary challenges, to be taken at 4.15 p.m. and to conclude at 5.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed eight minutes, those of all Senators not to exceed six minutes, and time can be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than eight minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 4, Private Member's business, National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Apprentices) Bill 2023, Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, to be taken at 5.30 p.m. and the time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I also welcome to our Public Gallery guests of Senator Fiona O'Loughlin. Mary McCarthy is here. Her granduncle, Gerald Bartley, was a former Fianna Fáil Deputy and Minister. I also welcome her husband, Liam, and her friends, who are here today. I am glad they are here. I offer our sympathies on the bereavement of her mum, who passed away recently. Mary is very welcome to be with us in Leinster House. It is an honour for us to have you here. Thank you for your family's service to public life in our country. I am glad that Senator O'Loughlin is here with her today to commemorate not just her dad and mum but also because our guests are here as citizens of Ireland, in the Oireachtas, where her granduncle served.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the ambassador and the rest of the team accompanied by Deputy Devlin. They are all very welcome on their day of celebration. I look forward to seeing them later this evening. I thank them for the role they play, the engagement they have with all of us, and the different visits they make to our constituencies, where they have met educational institutions and businesses. Long may that continue. I congratulate the Leader and welcome her back after her wedding. It is good to have her back.

It would be remiss of me not to raise the issue of University Hospital Limerick, where the numbers are two people short of April 2022. There are an extra 98 beds in the hospital and another 60 beds and still the numbers are rising. I am going to start speaking about it again. We need a debate on safe healthcare for patients but also for staff in the hospital. I know the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, is out today speaking about it and is referring to the fact it is not safe for the people working in the hospital or for the patients. It is quite worrying. It needs to happen. Numbers were coming down but unfortunately they are going back up again.

Many people in the Chamber have interest in sport. The International Rugby Experience opened in the main street of Limerick yesterday. I pay tribute to everybody involved in it. It is named the International Rugby Experience and has attracted interest not only locally and nationally but internationally. It has some of the big names. Yesterday, we had some very influential people from all across the rugby world, from New Zealand to Australia, present because they all support the ethos of what this museum is doing. I wish the McManus family and Barry Hannon, the manager, all the best with this museum. It will attract an awful lot of tourists to Limerick and the mid-west region. I wish it the best.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I add my voice of welcome to the Polish ambassador and her team. I welcome Mary and Liam and friends. It is a great privilege and pleasure to have them here.

This morning I hosted a tea party in Leinster House as a fundraiser for the Alzheimer's society. I thank everybody for supporting it, both Members and staff. We were particularly pleased to have such strong ambassadors and advocates in Brian Murray and his partner Una. It is wonderful when one sees people who are living with dementia acting as peers, and talking about the difficulties and the stress. This is both to remove the stigma and to make us aware of all of the supports that are needed, not just for people with dementia, but for those who are caring and supporting. It is really heartening to see the number of full-time clinics that are opening around the country. When I spoke to the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Mary Butler, she said that the 42nd clinic is opening this weekend in Dungarvan. Multyfarnham is opening in about two weeks' time. I am looking forward to the full-time, permanent centre for Kildare. We have never had one, and that is going to be opening in Kildangan at the end of June or early July. Some 60,000 people live with dementia in Ireland. It is important we support the tea day, which is formally tomorrow, and I encourage everybody to do so.

There was a match of epic proportions on Sunday, and I want to extend my congratulations to Dublin. We are not sore losers in Kildare, but I want to say how proud I was of the Kildare team and management. In losing and in commenting afterwards, the Kildare manager Glenn Ryan made a very valid point in saying that Croke Park is not a neutral venue when Dublin is playing. It is important that we send a message to the GAA that that is the case and that we need to have fairer, more neutral venues for two warring teams. We do it for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, so we should do it for Croke Park.

Over the weekend, I also attended an event in the Curragh run by the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel, ONE, the organisation for ex-servicemen and veterans. It does incredible work, and it has four houses for veterans who are, sadly, homeless. We are looking to have one in Kildare, which is the heartland of the Defence Forces, because we have veterans who need support. It is not just veterans. We saw recently where a young woman, a serving soldier, and her child were made homeless, and there was no place for them in the Curragh. The Tánaiste has given a commitment that houses would not be demolished there. It is hugely important that in addition to those ten houses another 50 are added for serving and retired personnel and that we have an ONE premises in Newbridge for the St. Conleth's branch.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I, too, want to associated with the remarks to the ambassador, H.E. Ms Sochaska, and to Colonel Michal Sprengel on Poland's independence day.

I am calling for a debate on independent journalism in this country, and this Government's attitude to it. Does the Government believe that the inconvenient truths are still truths, or that the public has a right to know these truths? Is it the Government's philosophy that oversight and accountability are outdated concepts, and that those seeking to engage in investigative journalism should watch themselves, lest they fly too close to the sun?

Today, the United Nations celebrates world press freedom, although, as RTÉ's Yvonne Murray noted, there is nothing to celebrate. Eighty-six journalists were killed in 2022, making it the deadliest year yet for that profession according to UNESCO, while hundreds more were attacked or jailed. While no such murders took place in Ireland, it would appear that character assassinations are alive and well. The use, or abuse, of parliamentary privilege to single out The Ditch- a minor, independent news outlet - and launch an attack on its credibility has rightly been met with condemnation. The National Union of Journalists has criticised it, stating that it was unfair that the Tánaiste was free to speak as he wished, while Irish journalists are subject to extremely restrictive defamation laws, and I have to agree.We have seen a few grassroots Irish media outlets spring up over the past few years. A person would not have to do much reeling in the years to see the impact those outlets have had in the context of the stories they have broken and the role they have had in shifting the Overton window in Ireland and forcing us to reckon with the serious issues facing this country. The free press is often the first casualty in the demise of democracy, and the murder weapon is usually the ever-tightening bands of legislation that constrain, constrict and eventually kill any ability to exchange any information that challenges the status quo. While authoritarian regimes usually imply frog-in-boiling-water-style gradual increases in censorship, our progressive Government has decided to progress things at a brisker pace with the sweeping changes to be introduced by the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences Bill) 2022. Having been passed by the Lower House last week, the Bill will soon be before us here. Many of us will be aware of the international attention the legislation has received, with both Twitter's Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jnr. contributing, all of which has been entirely critical of the contents of the Bill and the extremely chilling effect it is guaranteed to have on the free exchange of ideas, which is the bedrock of any functioning and healthy democracy. I urge every single one of my colleagues to study the Bill carefully, read the contributions made in the Lower House and come to their own conclusions. This will be a watershed moment in Irish legislative history, and they do not want it to be on their conscience that they sleepwalked into it.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the students from Eastern Michigan University, who are here on a visit until Friday. I thank them for being with us in Dublin and for all their work and studies. I also welcome Pat and Aideen Burke and thank them for being here.

Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an gCeannaire ar ais, agus déanaim comhghairdeas léi as a pósadh.

I extend sympathies to Randa Musa and her family after the death on hunger strike of her husband, Khader Adnan. Khader is the victim of the punitive occupation and apartheid Israeli regime. Khader was interned 12 times under so-called administrative detention and spent a total of eight of those years imprisoned. His only option to resist the injustice of apartheid Israel was to protest using his body, something familiar to us in Ireland's long struggle for freedom. As we approach Bobby Sands's anniversary on 5 May, we call on the Irish State and the international community as a whole to act. Gaza is once again under Israeli bombardment. On this World Press Freedom Day, as has been mentioned, we remember Shireen Abu Akleh, murdered by Israel while shining a light on the reality of a brutal apartheid regime. I have asked several times for statements on Palestine and what the Irish Government is doing at an international, an EU and a UN level to hold apartheid Israel to account for its illegality. That is not too much to ask. I want, as I am sure other colleagues across the House do, the opportunity to raise these issues with the Irish Government to show solidarity with the people of Palestine and to support all efforts and all moves towards peace and justice for all.

The second issue I wish to raise is to call for the publication - without delay, I hope - of the all-Ireland rail review. I know, given the importance of the western rail corridor, that this is something that will interest the Leader as well. I accept fully that, given the refusal of one party to re-establish the institutions in the North, the Department there is unable to publish the review. Nevertheless, I do not think that should hold back the important work needed to improve and to restitch Ireland, to address the historic neglect of the west and the north west, to address head-on the scars and amputations to the infrastructure there caused by partition and, as I said, to restitch the whole country, with all the economic and societal benefits that go along with that.I would welcome the publication of that report without delay. I engaged with the shared island unit on this very issue at last week's meeting of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. The Government needs to act speedily on this. In light of that, it would be appropriate to have statements on our all-Ireland rail network and transport connectivity.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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In calling Senator Higgins, I congratulate her and Ken on the wonderful news of their impending arrival. I congratulate her and wish her the best of luck. I wish her every joy and happiness.

Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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Comhghairdeas.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Comhghairdeas.

Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent)
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Thank you very much, a Chathaoirligh. I echo Senator Ó Donnghaile's points on the western rail corridor. I note the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action also called for a complete reassessment of the cost-benefit approach previously used and to look to the very real and significant benefits we have seen wherever rail is created. The fact is there is a pull and not just a push factor. When this kind of infrastructure is created, it makes an immense difference, as it would to our whole western seaboard.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 25 be taken before No. 1. The proposal will be seconded in due course by my colleague.

I will highlight and speak in particular about something that has been extremely distressing over the past week, which is the news we have seen out of Sudan. In April 2019 in this Chamber, I spoke about Sudanese civil society. Indeed, I hosted Sudanese civil society groups and activists to mark the fact they had successfully and peacefully ended the 30-year rule of Omar al-Bashir. At that time, I spoke with members of the Sudanese community and was inspired by some of the strongest speakers I have ever heard. For example, young women spoke about picking up paint brushes, cameras, pencils and microphones instead of weapons to ensure a peaceful transition to civilian-led government. It has been disappointing, in the interim period following al-Bashir's departure, that the international community has given insufficient regard and support to supporting that fragile new arrangement. For example, the insistence by international partners that there would be an immediate fulfilment of austerity measures came at a very politically vulnerable moment for the new political leadership. When civil society had agreed a 50:50 relationship with the military, it was being pressed to pay back immense debts it was not responsible for. This came at a time of extra pressures and constraints, when understanding political latitude and support for government was needed.

As a country with experience of peace negotiations, I would have liked Ireland to have played a more active role. Ireland did some very constructive work in South Sudan, for example. However, it should take a similarly more active role in supporting, for instance, Ethiopia and others, which are trying to act as mediators to support that peaceful transition. We are now, however, in the situation where more than 100,000 people have fled Sudan, where there are two warring generals, civil society is again crushed in between these military actors, upwards of 330,000 people have been displaced in the country since 15 April, and ceasefires are failing to properly hold. Yesterday, we again saw another, in principle, truth-----

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat.

Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent)
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Apologies. I suggest we need to have a debate and discussion on how Ireland can constructively engage around adequate humanitarian support to Médicins Sans Frontières and others during this emergency and, at UN and EU level, what peacebuilding and conflict resolution support we can provide. I acknowledge many members of the Sudanese community in Ireland, including many doctors, have experienced family loss during the past few days.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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We send our solidarity to the Sudanese people. The Senator is right that a number of them have lost family members. I thank her for raising that point.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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I will briefly raise two small matters. I was contacted by a constituent regarding Eircode. This individual's eircode is wrong for their home address. When this person gives their eircode, the website brings up a different road that is wrong. They have been trying to contact Eircode to change their eircode address. On the Eircode site, the address shown on the eircode finder is different from the actual address and cannot be changed.According to Eircode:

There is no one official address for any location in Ireland and many versions of an address can exist such as geographic, postal, electoral, or historical addresses.

The Eircode Finder contains the geographic and postal address, both addresses are provided to us ...

Eircode cannot amend or change these addresses.

If something is wrong, it has to be changed. It is not good enough, in the context of a system that has been designed by the State and in which the State is involved, to just say something cannot be changed. That is not appropriate. Eircode will not engage with anyone on this. This matter needs to be taken further.

I would welcome it if the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning came before the House. His suggestion on housing has been a watershed in the context of the contribution paid to councils for water for new homes, one-off homes or larger developments. I ask that applications that are being appealed to An Bord Pleanála and that come through the process with full planning permission be treated in the same way and that the people who made them should be entitled to what others are getting when their planning applications are held up just because people object to them.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I concur with Senator Ó Donnghaile's remarks about Palestine. I met with the Palestinian ambassador here today. I support Senator Ó Donnghaile's comments.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Well said.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I welcome two students and their teacher from my old school, St. Mel's in Longford. We have with us a couple of transition year students, Jamie and Joshua, and their teacher, Mr. Clyne. They are spending the day in Leinster House and getting a feel for some of the work that goes on behind the scenes here. I welcome them and wish them well in their studies. I got a great education at St. Mel's. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It is a fantastic school. I have always advocated on its behalf and will continue to do so. In particular, the school is seeking a modular build for its special classes before the upgrade of the old college building, where I got most of my education, which has not been used for some years. I want to highlight that to the Minister of State with responsibility for special education whenever we have a discussion on the matter.

I also welcome Ciara Daleiden. She has been working in the Houses on an internship. She is from Luxembourg and came to spend a year in college in Ireland. She is spending a term in the Houses. She has been a fantastic resource for me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I wish her well in her future career, whatever it may be.

We have had an announcement from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the housing adaptation grants. In reality, there is only a 2.3% increase on the initial funding from 2022. That will not get work done in houses. People have told me and Michelle, who works in my office, that they have found it difficult to get builders to do jobs for the amount of money they have available. Central Statistics Office, CSO, figures show that construction costs increased by 16.2% last year. The maximum levels of the grants need to be increased in line with the CSO figures so we need at least 15%.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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I congratulate the Leader on her nuptials. It shows great dedication to the job that she is here and not off in some sunny part of the world. I wish her and her husband many happy years together and many, many children.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Many, many children.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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I come from a family of 11.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Get started. No pressure.

An Cathaoirleach Gn?omhach:

Is this a debate?

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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In the context of the evacuation of Irish citizens from Sudan, the Tánaiste made a big play at the weekend of thanking France, Sweden and the UK for their assistance. We thanked everybody for assisting us. We sent 12 of our people out to assist with the evacuation when we did not have to restrict the number to 12.The triple lock does not apply in humanitarian situations. We survived for 80 years without the triple lock and it is time we got rid of it. It was brought in to shut people up after the referendums on the Nice treaty. Let us be honest here. Do we really want the Chinese, Russian, Americans and British having a say over what we do with our Army? It is time we had a long look at this issue.

Thanking countries is one thing, but freeloading off them is an entirely different matter. We have consistently freeloaded off our European, United States and British neighbours. We did so because we do not have the capacity to carry our own citizens out of places of trouble. Ireland needs to learn from what Australia is learning right now, which is that if states want people to join their armed forces, they will have to pay them properly and give them terms and conditions of employment that make the job worthwhile.

I will not run over time. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his forbearance.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator. I am glad one or two Members of the House understand the nature of the Order of Business.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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I will try to be as timely as Senator Craughwell. I welcome the Polish ambassador and her new defence attaché. Colonel Sprengel is based in London and has come over specifically to celebrate Constitution Day, which is a national holiday in Poland. It is important to note that there are approximately 120,000 people from Poland living in Ireland. Many of them are well established. Their children were born in Ireland and they have raised them here. We do not have the most recent census figures but the previous census showed that, after English, Polish is the second most spoken everyday language in Ireland. Polish people have made a huge contribution to this country and we should be appreciative of all the work they do and the fact they have integrated so well right across the country, in both urban and rural areas. They bring a lot to our culture and society. I am wearing a red tie today not to show support for Donald Trump or for the Cathaoirleach, who is a Cork man, but because red and white are the Polish colours. I am joined in doing so by Senator Craughwell and others.

I congratulate the Leader, who is my party leader in the Seanad, on her recent wedding. Congratulations to Lisa and Jarlath. I also congratulate Senator Higgins on her news and wish her the best of luck.

I welcome the speech yesterday by the Tánaiste on the relationship between China and Ireland and how that relationship is developing. He acknowledged the One China policy but stated that any attempt to deal with Taiwan by force would be unacceptable. He further stated that it is important, permissible and welcome that we would have cultural, economic and other ties with Taiwan and that such ties are not any snub against China. The lecture he gave was very interesting and thought-provoking and I encourage Members to listen to it.

Like the previous speaker, I will not run over time and I, too, thank the Cathaoirleach for his forbearance.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an Seanadóir.

Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael)
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I congratulate the Leader on her wedding. I am also delighted by Senator Higgins's news, on which I congratulate her.

On several occasions, I have asked for a special debate on apartment defects. Such a debate must happen as a matter of urgency. The remediation scheme, and the money allocated for it, was a positive decision by the Government. I do not understand the delay in the Minister coming to the House to explore the aspects of apartment defects that need to be discussed by way of statements. I urge the Leader to ensure that happens as quickly as possible.

Every Wednesday at 1 p.m., members of the Not Our Fault campaign are outside the gates of Leinster House. I urge colleagues to go out and talk to them. They are headed up by Sam and Odette, who have been guests in the Gallery in the past. They have spoken eloquently about their experience in Park West of being presented with a massive bill for defects that were not their fault and about which they could not possibly have known. They are living with the daily stress of having to fix those defects in a context in which the Government has committed more than €2.5 billion to a remediation scheme but discussions on the mechanisms of the scheme seem to be going on forever. I wish I were able to inform them of what is happening. As a member of the housing committee and of one of the parties in government, I would like to think I would be briefed directly. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I am hearing the information second-hand from the people who are experiencing this issue and from those who advocate for them and who have the ear of the Minister.It is not reasonable that this continues. It would be reasonable for the Minister to address the House on exactly what is happening and the timeline, and that we all get an opportunity to make an input and speak on behalf of our constituents. There are 100,000 of those apartments across this country. It is of relevance to every Member of this House to speak and advocate on behalf of the people they represent.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Many congratulations to the Leader.

As this is World Press Freedom Day, I once again wish to raise the case of Julian Assange. Julian is now entering his fifth year of incarceration in one of the harshest prison regimes in Europe, namely, Belmarsh Prison. He spends 22 out of every 24 hours in his 8 ft by 12 ft cell. He receives his food through a hatch. He has only ever seen his children, who are aged four and five, within the confines of a prison. The UN special rapporteur on torture has confirmed that he is victim of torture under this regime and the UN rapporteur on arbitrary detention has confirmed that he is being arbitrarily detained. All of this is happening for one simple reason, one which all of us know, namely, that he told the truth. He told the truth about war crimes in relation to Afghanistan, Iraq and, specifically, the torture and imprisonment of 780 Muslim men and boys in Guantanamo Bay. Yet, now he finds himself in exactly the same position as those detainees in Guantanamo, all because he told the truth.

Jean-Paul Sartre famously said, “Every word has consequences. Every silence, too.” The body politic in this country has been silent on this issue for far too long. If we passionately believe in press freedom and its importance, how can we ever mention those words and not mention Julian Assange?

I call for an urgent debate. I also call on the Leader to make a simple statement, as others in her European group and members of the European People’s Party, EPP, have done, by simply calling for Julian’s freedom. She should do this one service on international World Press Freedom Day. I ask that the Leader please call for Julian’s freedom.

Barry Ward (Fine Gael)
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I dtús báire, deánaim comhghairdeas leis an gCeannaire agus Jarlath as ucht a bpósta. As it is now over a year since the enactment by the Oireachtas of Coco's Law, I call for a debate with the Minister for Justice on the progress made in relation to prosecutions, arrests and so on under Coco's Law.I acknowledge the call by Ms Frances Fitzgerald MEP to introduce a Europe-wide law on the sharing of images and the tragic events that led to Nicole Fox's death. It is something we should certainly debate as we were very strong on it in this House when it was passing through as law.

I also acknowledge the Tánaiste's comments about China in his speech yesterday to the Royal Irish Academy. We have seen a very progressive move there in Irish foreign policy and in our acknowledgement that China is not always good. I am aware it is an important trading partner for us but we need to be truthful with China and say how little we accept some of the human rights abuses we know are occurring in China. The lack of naivete on Ireland's part in future is a very welcome thing.

There is a public consultation in the Dún Laoghaire council area around the living streets initiative in Blackrock village. During the Covid-19 restrictions, traffic measures were put into Blackrock village to make it one way. These were widely welcomed by residents and businesses. The measures have made Main Street in Blackrock a very pleasant place to be, to cycle, to walk, to shop, or to take a coffee. Now Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is looking to put that on a permanent footing. There is a public consultation in place until June. I encourage people to get involved in that. This model is being followed by many villages around Ireland. There is potential to put in place a real and proper public realm that serves people, not cars. I hope people will engage in this as much as possible.

Marie Sherlock (Labour)
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Today is our first sitting since May Day on Monday and since the Workers' Memorial Day last Friday. Of course, while May Day is a great celebration of the achievements by the trade union movement and by workers, it is also a time to reflect on the enormous challenges for workers. A group of workers who were fired from the company Murphy International in Limerick came to Leinster House some weeks ago. They are now known as the Murphy Four. They were fired because of their trade union activity. This is a reflection of the enduring hostility that remains within many workplaces in this country towards trade unionism and towards those who are just looking to vindicate their rights to a better livelihood and to secure better terms and conditions. It is also a reflection of how much Ireland is out of step with the rest of the EU in not having a right to be recognised for collective bargaining purposes. While we have the EU directive on adequate minimum wages coming down the tracks and while we have the high-level group report from last year, the fact remains that the Government in Ireland needs to get its act together now in ensuring workers have a right to be recognised for collective bargaining purposes in the State.

The other key point I wish to raise is on foot of Workers' Memorial Day. I stood with many others, including the Health and Safety Authority, employers, and trade unions, at a very moving event last Friday in the Garden of Remembrance. It was to remember the 28 people who lost their lives in Irish workplaces last year and to remember and recall the hundreds of others who have been seriously injured at workplaces. The remembrance ceremony took place at a time when we saw a very serious incident at the Stryker plant just a fortnight ago. It is important to bear in mind that there were three Labour Court recommendations against this company urging it to engage with trade unions, which the company ignored. Between that and the pleas by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, last Friday and again this morning regarding workplace safety, we need to hear more from the Government about looking after and protecting workers.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Well said.

Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail)
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A number of speakers have referred to World Press Freedom Day, which is today. Press freedom is something we take very seriously in Ireland and it is honoured and cherished. To this day I am still a proud member of the National Union of Journalists, NUJ. To say in here that we do not have press freedom in the State is wrong. Journalists in this State operate in a free society. Not only is their work conducted without fear, often the work of the media is financially supported by the State.At a hearing of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, of which I am a member, the chair of Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, Mr. John Purcell, spoke of how his 34 member stations came critically close to being eradicated and shut down but for the support of this Government, when it put in place an emergency fund of €2.5 million. In 2020, the Future of Media Commission was established by this Government. Why? To create sustainable public funding and supports to ensure media in Ireland remain viable. Those are hardly the actions of a State that wants to shut down free debate and free media in this country. To say so is to conflate political debate and politicians being able to be critical of media. It works both ways. It is to do a disservice to scores of journalists who have real threats on their lives. I have seen them. My fellow Navan man, Simon Cumbers, was murdered, working for the BBC, by terrorists in Riyadh. The Leader and I went to a meeting in Minsk in Belarus that was attended by Lukashenko, where he had journalists dragged out and jailed. He had 100 journalists jailed the year the Leader, the Cathaoirleach and I were there. I do not see Hugh O'Connell, Miriam Lord or Ciara Phelan being dragged out of the press gallery here and thrown in prison. We thank the media for their work. We acknowledge what journalists do in a free society and we acknowledge the freedoms they are afforded by this State.

Lynn Ruane (Independent)
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First, I wish to second the amendment to the Order of Business tabled by my colleague, Senator Higgins, and join in congratulating both the Leader and Senator Higgins on their news. Amid all the talk of marriages and babies, unfortunately, my comments will take a different turn. In the past two weeks, I have buried another three friends. I have attended three different funerals with three different families of people who died way too young. In the last two months since I have been on the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying, I have been watching lots of documentaries and films, and reading lots of commentary, on death. I am not really making a point about where people stand in that conversation. It is more that when I am watching somebody reach the end of their life in their 70s or 80s, when they have lived a full natural life, I find myself not being overwhelmed by the fact that a person is choosing to die, but envious of the fact that they could live so long to even have that moral dilemma to be able to think about when they want to die after living a full life. I find myself thinking about how unfair and outrageous it is that in a community like mine and others around the country it is almost normal to lose many people on a monthly and weekly basis. I remember listening to the 2Pac song "Changes" as a ten-year-old, and its lyrics, "That's just the way it is". It is probably where I got my politics from. I believed that for years. I was comfortable to believe that it is just the way it is, because then you feel like nothing can change or you do not have the power to change it, or to change your own circumstances. The thing is, it is not normal, it is not okay and we should not be living like this, where death comes to so many people so quickly. When you pull back the threads on it, poverty and inequality lie deep under so many of those deaths. To finish, I propose that we invite the Taoiseach in to discuss his plans for the child poverty unit he has established in his Department and the implementation of them. Most of the issues I work on may appear varied, but inequality and child poverty are at the heart of all of them. I think we should have a discussion with the Taoiseach around his plans in that area.

John McGahon (Fine Gael)
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I would like a debate on public lighting in this country, and what our local authorities are doing to try to increase our energy efficiency with public lighting. We have 31 local authorities with 480,000 public lights across the country. Local authorities have already embarked on a process of changing them to LED lighting to make them more carbon efficient and environmentally-friendly. That is a really important aspect and level of work. The issue I want to raise is that of rural one-off public lighting. I raise it in the circumstances where in my own county of Louth, a total moratorium has been placed on the erection of public lighting because the local authority does not want to take on the cost of it. Not a single public light has been erected in Louth County Council, other than by developers, since 2009. It is a moratorium that has been sanctioned by a local authority.My issue is that it differs from local authority to local authority. Other local authorities are able to do it but in County Louth they are not. We are embarking on a massive switch-over with our LED lighting to make it more energy efficient and that is excellent. However, it is not an excuse for local authorities to say they do not have the money to run the lighting or that they are not going to look at introducing any sort of lighting whatsoever. I am referring to lighting in rural areas where there are serious safety concerns, hazards, issues on the road and a whole range of things. It is not acceptable for a local authority to refuse, for 12 and a half years, to introduce any sort of public lighting, while at the same time we are making great strides to change thousands of public lights in urban areas to make them more energy efficient. It is an example of a level of discrimination between urban and rural areas. I would like a good debate about public lighting and what we are doing to make it more energy efficient and to ensure it is available in rural areas in the same way as it is in urban centres.

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I also wish to congratulate the Leader on her wedding. I congratulate Jarlath and Louis as well and both families. I compliment Senator Keogan on hosting an event in the audiovisual room today with a young girl who is from my parish, Cara Darmody. She is fighting for services for her two younger brothers, Neil and John, who both have severe autism. They are calling for three things in respect of early intervention. They as a family have seen first-hand what early intervention does. Of their two boys, one had early intervention and one did not and it is very clear to see how one has progressed while one has not progressed as quickly as possible. They know first-hand what early intervention does. The first thing they are calling for is access to early intervention. The Government and the HSE cannot provide early intervention for the 18,000 children who need it. They have to get it privately which means they have to pay for it themselves. The ask the Darmodys are making is that the HSE pay the bill for people who have to get services privately. The only reason they have to go private is that the HSE cannot provide the service it has promised to provide.

The second call is for accountability in the HSE. There is a feeling from people who work in autism that there is no accountability in the HSE service. The third is for an increase in the payment to family carers. At the moment a person gets about €1.40 an hour. Cara's mother, Noelle, has a degree and a PhD. She is fully qualified but had to give up her profession to care for Neil and John. That needs to be recognised. There are people in this country, particularly women, who have to give up careers to care for loved ones long term. The State needs to support them. I commend Senator Keogan and Cara and Mark for the presentation today.

Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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I congratulate Senator Higgins on her news. I am very happy for her. Congratulations to our Seanad Leader and her partner, Councillor Jarlath Munnelly. I really like how County Galway was the location of choice for their special day.

The EU just transition launched last week. It provides €180 million for community groups and businesses, coming through Fáilte Ireland, Pobal and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Start-ups, micro-enterprises, social enterprises and community groups can apply to this fund. It is relevant for me because Ballinasloe municipal district, the east Galway section, is part of the area that is included for the EU just transition. Shannonbridge is only ten miles away from Ballinasloe. The town supported many families working in Bord na Móna in Shannonbridge as well as Lanesborough and Ballyleague in Roscommon. Many of these applications for funding will be opening up later in the summer and later this year. Many of the groups will be working with research groups such as the Technological University of the Shannon in Athlone, Atlantic Technological University, ATU, and the University of Galway. I want to highlight how crucial this fund is. Groups in the west are being left behind in some cases because we are not seeing a fair transition.It is about how we support our communities, towns and groups to revive themselves, come alive and find new incomes and ways to live in the west.

I was invited to speak at an Irish Radio Transmitters Society event last weekend. Shannon Basin Radio Club, which is new to me, is based in the west. It is located outside of Ballinasloe. Mr. Patrick O'Connor, who is a member of this group, is a world champion. The people involved with the club have short-wave and citizens band radios. They connect with other groups. There are more than 1,000 amateur radio licences in Ireland. I met the president of the British group. There are between 50,000 and 60,000 licences across Britain. The president here, Mr. John Gould, is based in Northern Ireland.

The Irish Radio Transmitters Society celebrated its 90th anniversary at the weekend. I wanted to highlight that as something that is so important because it is linked with scouts. It links in with children. It tries to promote the importance of telecommunications, science and radio, particularly in areas of catastrophe. When it comes to climate change and there is a catastrophe in a country, they can locate and support civil defence personnel and set up radio communications within 20 minutes.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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I thank all the Members who contributed to the Order of Business. Senator Maria Byrne was the first to contribute. she again raised the ongoing challenges being experienced at University Hospital Limerick and the capacity issues and bed strategy there. The Senator acknowledged the additional 98 beds that have been provided but noted that the situation is particularly difficult for staff, as highlighted by Senator Sherlock, and patients. This matter is being worked on actively by the Minister for Health and his Department. It has been raised consistently in the house by a number of Senators.

Senator Maria Byrne also wanted to acknowledge the opening of the International Rugby Experience on Limerick's main street and wish those involved well.

Senator O'Loughlin spoke about the Alzheimer's tea party that she hosted in the Coffee Dock. Tomorrow is the key day for hosting tea parties across the country in order to raise funds. The Senator also referred to ONE and wanting to get housing for ex-services personnel in the Curragh.

The Senator highlighted an issue that has been raised by many people outside the Chamber, namely, the fact that Croke Park is not a neutral venue for matches involving Dublin. Acknowledging Kildare's recent defeat to Dublin, the Senator stated that Kildare people are not sore losers. She raised an interesting point, however. I am sure it will not be the last time that this issue will be raised.

Senator Keogan and others referred to the fact that this is World Press Freedom Day. The Senator acknowledged the 86 journalists killed in 2022. That is a staggering number of people who lost their lives doing an important job. I would disagree strongly with the Senator in terms of the suggestion that there was character assassination of anybody working at any publication. There have been robust exchanges. I certainly agree with Senator Cassells that the Government has been supportive of press, particularly local press and local radio. I think we all acknowledge that there is a healthy tension at all times between public representatives and the press and that is supposed to be there. That does not mean one cannot be critical in both ways, but there is a healthy tension. We need each other in order to have a functioning healthy democracy and we need to have freedom of the press. However, I agree with Senator Keogan that the defamation laws are very restrictive. I would welcome a debate to see how we can deal with that because, while there are reforms afoot in terms of strategic lawsuits against public participation - and those changes have been asked for by the EU for quite some time - we operate in a restrictive way. That can often have negative consequences for public representatives. It can be a two-way street on that front. Overall, this is a good country in which to be a journalist. Thankfully, we do not have any of the issues the Senator referred to in terms of people losing their lives doing their job here.

Senator Ó Donnghaile raised again the issue of Israel and Palestine. I have requested a debate from the Department of Foreign Affairs with the Tánaiste on the issue and we have not had a date yet. We will put in a request, even for the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, to come in and have the debate. It is open to the Senator to put down a motion under Private Members' business, if he would like to help accelerate that debate, but I am seeking and have sought a date from the Department. The Senator also acknowledged the upcoming anniversary of Bobby Sands's death and also the hunger strike in Israel as well, and I acknowledge his remarks in that regard.

Senator Ó Donnghaile also called for the publication of the all-island strategic rail review. We had a debate on rail networks in the Chamber a number of weeks ago. The review is something I am also keen to see published. The Senator will be aware that, because it is an all-island review and we were working with our counterparts in the North, without an assembly and a functioning Executive, the report cannot be fully signed off.However, I believe it is the Minister's intention to publish the elements of the report that relate solely to projects in the South and to try to proceed at least on that basis. I certainly support that move forward. I hope to see the Assembly and Executive back up and running so we can get the full report published and get on with getting the rail network back to where it should be, with better services and connectivity across the island.

Senator Higgins proposed an amendment to the Order of Business, namely that No. 25 be taken before No. 1. It was seconded by Senator Ruane. I am happy to accept the amendment, which is on the introduction of a Bill. I concur with Senator Higgins on Sudan and the number of people in Ireland who have been greatly affected. I am aware that two doctors working in Castlebar hospital had gone back to Sudan just for a visit and got caught up in what happened. It escalated very quickly. How quickly things escalated to their current level took everybody by surprise. The doctors were able to get out but it was not without difficulty. Many people worked to achieve that. We send our thoughts to those affected in solidarity. I agree that we need to consider how best we can support those on the ground in what is an aid emergency because the reports we are hearing are just terrifying. There is a horrific situation on the ground.

Senator Davitt spoke about the challenges in getting an eircode changed to match an address. I ask the Senator to approach me directly on this. We might get some more assistance through the Department. The Senator welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to the effect that the development levy would be waived for the construction of homes commenced within the next 12 months and completed by 2025. The intention is obviously to get things moving and ensure commencements continue at the rate we want.

Senator Carrigy called for an increase in the housing adaptation grant.

Senator Craughwell also spoke about Sudan, but from a different angle. I disagree with his remark that we are freeloading on other countries in getting assistance. It is quite normal and good to have international co-operation in evacuating people in emergencies. If we can get seats on a plane operated by another country to get people out, I do not see a problem in doing that. That is sensible. Countries working together to get people to safety is to be commended, not something to turn your nose up at.

Senator Horkan spoke about the Polish community in Ireland and the 120,000 Poles who have made Ireland their permanent home. He also welcomed the Tánaiste's remarks on China, as did Senator Ward.

Senator Seery Kearney asked for a debate on apartment defects. We actually had a debate on housing on 29 March, a couple of weeks ago. It would have been an opportunity to raise the issue with the Minister. We will have a debate on housing again but, since the last one occurred so recently, it will not be for some weeks.

Senator Gavan spoke about press freedom and Mr. Julian Assange. The situation that the latter is in is terrible. I really feel for his children because they have been deprived of their father. There are very few in the international community satisfied about the circumstances in which Mr. Assange is living – if you can call it that – or stuck in. Many would like to see a more equitable solution found. I agree with many of the Senator's remarks on this. It is good to have the issues highlighted. To make a point I made earlier, we do not have a situation like that in question in this country when it comes to press freedom. It is a different space. We have to be careful not to use inflammatory language or language that would give a different view on the reality for those working in that space.

Senator Ardagh commended Senator Keogan on her work on hosting a briefing in the audiovisual room today with Ms Cara Darmody, whom I met a few weeks ago and who is advocating not only on behalf of her brothers but also on behalf of all children with autism and additional needs and families caring for people with additional needs. I wish her well.

Senator Ward asked for a debate on Coco's law, the number of prosecutions and arrests that have taken place and the progress in this regard. He also welcomed the Tánaiste's comments on China and spoke specifically about a public consultation in Blackrock on the Living Streets initiative.

Senator Sherlock spoke about the Murphy Four, the trade union movement and many workers' rights issues. I concur with her remarks and thank her for putting these issues on the record of the House during the Order of Business. It is important, not only in May but always, to ensure that we protect and advance the rights of workers and that workers across the board feel the benefit of advances in technology, improvements in the country's living standards and increases in wealth. We should always be cognisant of this.

Senator Cassells spoke about World Press Freedom Day.The Senator's remarks were very well made and there is no need to go back over them. I concur with what he said. Senator Lynn Ruane requested a debate on child poverty with the Taoiseach. I will make that request and arrange the debate at the earliest possible opportunity. It would be great to have that debate. As always, the Senator hit the nail on the head. It all comes back to a person's start in life and the opportunities he or she does or does not have. Not all children come into an equal society or an equal situation. All children should be treated equally but they are not. In terms of poverty and deprivation, the links are quite clear in respect of health outcomes and ultimately people's ability to reach their potential and to have access to all things we take for granted. We will make that request to the Taoiseach's office and try to get a date at the earliest opportunity.

Senator John McGahon spoke about public lighting and local authorities and made the point that there seems to be a ban or a moratorium within Louth County Council. I am not familiar with the situation in that particular local authority but the Senator has made the point well that it if we are trying to reduce our energy consumption, it makes sense to convert lighting.

Senator Garret Ahearn spoke about the briefing he attended organised by Senator Keogan and spoke about the challenges for family carers. He made a very valid point about women predominantly often having to leave their professions in the workforce to care at home and the challenges faced by many family carers across the country.

Senator Aisling Dolan spoke about the EU just transition fund. It is great her area is able to apply for that fund. It is significant funding and it is important we let communities know whether they are eligible to apply and that they are assisted in making the applications and in being successful in those applications. It is a transformative amount of money if it is accessed and spent. That will be our next challenge, getting access to it and spending it. I wish the communities well. It is great to hear it being acknowledged that transitioning to a greener economy requires significant changes for many communities, but particularly rural ones where it is different in terms of transport and services and where we operate in a different way. It is more of a challenge, particularly in agricultural communities. It is important to see the funding being put in place to support communities in adjusting, taking a different track and finding alternative ways to make a living and in enabling people to continue to live in rural Ireland as well as the west of Ireland.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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Senator Higgins proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 25 be taken before No. 1". It was seconded by Senator Ruane. The Leader has indicated that she is prepared to accept the amendment. Is the amendment agreed to? Agreed.