I thank an Cathaoirleach. I will be sharing time with my friend and colleague, Senator McDowell. I will first turn to South America, to Brazil under the thug Bolsonaro. There are 200,000 acres of Brazilian rainforest burned each day. This is 150 acres lost every minute of every day, which is 78 million acres destroyed every year. Why is the European Union still buying this Brazilian beef? We have farmers and beef producers in this country. We are told it is not our business and that it is in Brazil. It is our busin…

A Senator.

I had not thought I had anything to say but as usual I find I do. I am not entirely sure it is appropriate for me to welcome the Minister to the House because we are in the Dáil Chamber and this is his natural home and environment. However, I will welcome him for the sake of form. The situation of vulture funds buying up masses of apartments is completely and utterly wrong. Legislation is in the process of being introduced which will cap these at ten but I do not think that this is enough. I ask the Minister to loo…

How very kind of the Cathaoirleach. I greatly appreciate it. I pay tribute to my good friend and colleague, Senator Bacik. She has been involved in issues of human rights over many years. She has been particularly involved in women's rights, although not exclusively. There is nothing narrow about Ivana. I am very glad the Bill has been accepted by Government. It is a very positive move and shows the way in which Seanad Éireann, and the Oireachtas generally, can collaborate with Government. Several of my close frien…

What is the name of that street?

That is not good.

I am on the record of the House as having commended Sinn Féin on its parliamentary contributions but I deplore its continued attack on the Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, about alleged leaks. He has acknowledged the act was inappropriate and he has apologised. The Dáil voted confidence in him. He did nothing illegal or corrupt. There was no self-interest, personal gain or personal benefit involved. The act in question did no harm and conferred no advantage on anyone. The material involved was not a Cabinet document or a…

I am sorry I have not been in the House for the past month but I was in hospital having a couple of operations for cancer, which I think were successful. I would like to raise first the remarkable work of Les Martin, which I have drawn to the attention of the House previously, with regard to screening for genetic disorders in children. There has been a report from the national screening advisory committee but, unfortunately, it still leaves responsibility for applying for new conditions to be included with the publ…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach very much.

I wish to raise the nonsensical notion of enforced fobbing in during the Covid pandemic. The Government has launched an intensive PR offensive instructing everyone to stay at home and work from there. I am in five vulnerable categories - I am 76 years of age, diabetic, a transplant survivor, immunosuppressed and just out of hospital after the removal of another tumour. I have a doctor's certificate that covers me completely, but some half-witted civil servants have decided that they will only partially accept it. W…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I was not in the House last week, so I did not get the opportunity to comment on the Pat Finucane affair. From my background as a southern unionist, I take it extremely badly that the British Government has shown itself to be totally untrustworthy. It is very shocking to me that the British Government first tried to get Her Majesty the Queen to lie, then it broke an international treaty within a year of signing it, and now it is involved in a disgraceful attempt to cover up the complicity…

Hear, hear.

Has there been any movement on the question of Standing Order 41, which inhibits discussion of financial matters in this House? I raised this matter quite some time ago and every party and every individual in the House all agreed it should be got rid of. It was then kicked to touch to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. I would like to know what is happening. It looks like another example of bureaucratic inaction. I would like to see some advance. We are always speaking about Seanad reform. Here is a perfectly…

And the lack of press coverage.

Hear, hear.

What about the young people?

The Bill is a bit like the curate's egg; it is good in parts but stinks in some of the others. I have advocated since 1979 the extension of the franchise to the University of Limerick and Dublin City University. I have always been onside for that and I think it would be a good thing. I also think the idea of an element of universal suffrage is terribly important for the democratic strengthening of the House. My friend who has just left the Chamber challenged me on the question of democracy in respect of the county …

The Senator's party, among others. Of course they did. I remember it. I saw it and was an eye witness to it-----

-----so nobody can challenge me on that one.

I will most certainly not withdraw it.