An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-24
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Alice-Mary Higgins (IND), National University of Ireland

I agree with Senator Cosgrove that it was unfortunate and quite disrespectful to the Seanad to see the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 guillotined in such a short manner last week, without even having the opportunity for some amendments to be spoken to, given the significance it has for so many. It is a practice we should be pushing back on collectively as a House.
It is unfortunate that a previous speaker tried to take what is a collective motion on the Order Paper today and make it about the €90 billion question. I was there for that debate, which did not centre on the amount of money or on whether it would be spent, but on how it would be spent - on the question of €60 billion for military expenditure versus €30 billion for very important humanitarian rebuilding, which is vital work. There is so much that can be done. I have just stepped out of the foreign affairs committee which, as we speak, is discussing peace building and the importance of giving resources to peace building.
That is why today's motion, which focuses on the question of a just and lasting peace, and the work of that, is very positive. I regret it was not possible to add the phrase "of international law", which I looked for. I think it was too late to have that added. Referencing that is crucial though because that is where Ireland comes in. We heard today about international law and its crucial role in peace. Take the International Criminal Court. The EU could be doing so much more to back that court, which has issued warrants for Putin and others. More could be done to back those who are trying to document the many crimes Russia is committing and ensure they are fully documented so there is justice in a meaningful way at a later point. There is also the huge humanitarian, medical and rebuilding work. There is a huge amount that can and must be supported and some of us simply have concerns in relation to the military aspects of that. For example, I had questions about cluster munitions and was hoping for their exclusion, but that is a different piece. I am very glad to have cosigned that motion. In looking at peace and the voice Ireland can bring to supporting peace in Ukraine and internationally. One of the things we should do is be champions for international law, be that the ICJ, the International Criminal Court or the UN Charter itself.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:41+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-24