Hear, hear.

That makes the case stronger as well.

Next is Senator Dolan. Senators may have eight minutes apiece if they wish. I am a great Chairperson.

Senator Casey should be allowed to speak without interruption.

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I am standing here again today to raise an important issue around the energy relief that was promised to us all. As we know, the electricity costs emergency benefits scheme that was first promised to us all last year was for the sum of €200 in 2022. This has been extended to €600 over 2022 and early this year. However, many members of the Traveller community have still not received the full credit, or any credit at all, because of the type of accommodation they live in.…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. When this scheme was first rolled out, it did not include Traveller accommodation. That will have to be looked at going forward for other schemes. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, are committed to dealing with this issue. To the best of my knowledge, there are between 300 and 600 Traveller families that have not received a single cent of this electricity credit. That is unfa…

It is National Traveller MABS that is doing all this work with the Traveller community.

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 th…

It is time to have a debate or discussion on the homeless crisis and on the temporary accommodation we provide for single parents and children. I spoke in the House at the beginning of the week around people being evicted from hotels, from hubs and from bed and breakfast accommodation. This is a serious matter. I see it happening with people in the Traveller community, people from other ethnic minorities and with people from the general population as well, if my language is correct in saying it like that. We have n…

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

Great leadership.

I seek a debate on the regulation of people who are living in hotel accommodation. On what grounds can residents be evicted? I know of many people in hotels who have been there for more than five years, moving from one hotel to another. I now work with a woman who with her four children was evicted from a hotel. It is appalling given that people go in to seek safe accommodation. Obviously, rules are rules but the reality is that these hoteliers are making profit from people. Basically, whatever rule breaking there …

Last Saturday I was privileged to stand with county councillors and people from local communities such as Ballyfermot, Bluebell, Clondalkin and Drimnagh, people from working class communities. I do not like saying the far right or far left and all this crap. If you give a damn about people, you give a damn about people, end of story. However, to see the number of people who showed up on Saturday was heartwarming for me. While we focus on racists and hatred in this House, there are only approximately 20 people in al…

I wish to support Senator Sherlock in asking the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, to come to the House because a few of us in this House do not feel safe on social media. Never mind politicians, many ordinary people from minority backgrounds in Ireland do not feel safe on social media, now more than ever. In the past 24 hours, I have reported hate and threats of violence towards me for simply putting up quotes on social media. Facebook does not see that I am being threatened; it is the same with Twitter. It is in…

We need to work together.

Yesterday, I spoke about the rise of hatred in Ireland. On the activities I saw last night, it does not matter what party somebody is with or what their politics is. Once that politics involves hating individuals because of who they are, that is what hurts many of us in this House. It breaks my heart to see the level of hatred towards migrants and refugees, because that once happened to Travellers. I am sure to God it will continue to happen to my community. I know exactly what it feels like to come from an oppress…

We have to stick to the time allocated for this matter because the Order of Business is due to commence at 3.30 p.m.

I am sorry, Senator. We have to suspend the House now in advance of the Order of Business.

I am looking forward to the new year, working with the new Leader and the new Cathaoirleach. Hopefully I will have as good a relationship with both of them as I had with the previous two people in those roles. I know I often get up to speak about the inequalities that the Traveller community faces within Irish society. For many years we have been the subject of hatred. We have been told that people do not want Travellers living in certain locations. We have seen Travellers' houses being burnt. We have seen lots of …