I move: “That Seanad Éireann: recognises that: - Ireland’s Search and Rescue (SAR) system is derived from the Irish Government’s adherence to the following international conventions and guidance manuals: - International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Convention, Annex 12; - ICAO Convention, Annex 14, Volume II, Heliports; - International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) 1974: Chapter V ‘Search and Rescue’; - Convention on the High Seas 1958: Article 12 ‘Master to render assistance and Coastal St…

The primary concern in any search and rescue situation is the individual or individuals on top of a mountain or in the sea who need rescuing. They do not care who rescues them. They could not care less. There has been some talk in this debate about surge capacity. It is a nonsense argument because when the Costa Concordia went down in Italy helicopters from all over got involved in the rescue operation. There is no historical evidence to back up the requirement for a surge capacity. If it was required, every asset …

The Cathaoirleach has fairly blown us away.

I thank my colleague, Senator O'Donovan, for speaking out today. So many people do not speak out. I have personal experience within my family of somebody with epilepsy and it is a tough station. I thank Senator Kyne for raising the planning issue. We have seen what it did in Galway and Athenry, particularly, and it would be good to have that debate. I am very proud to stand here this morning and to advise anybody who does not know that Ireland's first female Defence Forces general has smashed through the glass ceil…

The Irish Examiner carries a story today about members of the Defence Forces who are not Irish by birth and who are unable to get a passport without paying €1,000 for it. It is horrendous that somebody who is prepared to stand on that wall, and look after us while we are in our beds, is denied a passport while in service. It is not uncommon for those who arrive in the United States to walk into a recruitment office, sign up for a couple of years and automatically get citizenship, and similar applies in most parts o…

I welcome the Minister to the House. It is the first time I have addressed him since this Government was formed. I welcome the reopening of the country as it is happening in a clear, managed way. The calm manner in which the Minister has dealt with questions on live media over the past 12 months about the state of the economy and the damage Covid is doing to it has been remarkable. It encourages a certain amount of confidence in people and helps them to relax. I congratulate the Minister on that. We are talking abo…

The Minister of State is welcome to the House. This is my first time to address him in this House since his elevation. I congratulate him on that. There is no better man for the job, and I can honestly say that. I thank Senator Seery Kearney for bringing this motion to the House. The first part of it is extremely informative in setting out the number of people who are tied up as carers in this country. The word "carer" is such a simple little word but when one digs behind it and sees what is involved, one finds chi…

I join with my colleague with respect to May Day. It is rather ironic that he brought up the issue of workers' rights and how workers are treated in this country. One of the worst employers in this country, if you get on its wrong side, is the State. I have brought many examples to this House of the denial of pension rights to community employment, CE, supervisors and various other issues. Today, I raise an issue regarding education and training boards, ETBs. There are 16 ETBs, which were established under the 2013…

After speaking about the vaccine and my concerns on Friday, I went and took the vaccine yesterday and I am still alive. Most of the people I spoke to in my age group felt hard done by insofar as they were offered AstraZeneca and nothing else. One person said it was as if they bought a load of this stuff and needed to give it to someone, so they are giving it to us. I compliment the people in Citywest. My beloved Defence Forces were out there making sure everything was running smoothly, as were the volunteers. The n…

He is on Twitter.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House for this small but vital motion. Any blow against organised crime is welcome. Large-scale organised crime is not something that happens far away removed from the lives of ordinary people, it happens here and victimises people in a direct and painful way. The threat of terrorism is also something that must be answered. We are no strangers to terrorism on this island. We have seen at first hand the ugliness and devastation it brings about. The regulation we seek to opt int…

I welcome my two new colleagues, Senators Horkan and Maria Byrne, and congratulate them on their re-election. I expect we will have a tough time with Senator Horkan in the Chair again in the not-too-distant future but I am delighted for him. I endorse what my colleague, Senator Boyhan, said but I am not going to go back over that ground. I am one of those who was able to register for the vaccine last week. It is with a heavy heart that I come in today to state I am absolutely petrified. I cannot outline how petrifi…

Earlier on "Morning Ireland" we heard two young ladies talk about their experience of stalking. They asked that we amend legislation to make stalking a criminal offence in its own right. The two perpetrators in this case ended up being jailed for seven years each with two years suspended. As one of the young women said, the guy who stalked her will be out in three years. I cannot begin to imagine the fear that must exist in somebody's life if somebody is stalking them like that. It is something we should probably h…

I support the plan for rural resettlement. I hope it comes to fruition. It is a pity the old scheme was done away with because the rural resettlement scheme was a success in its own small way but I wish the new plan well. The Leader will not be surprised I am on my feet once again because of the Defence Forces. Ireland has a responsibility beyond its borders. We are a member of the European Union and have a responsibility to protect Europe's assets. We have a responsibility to ensure drug and people trafficking doe…

I welcome the Minister of State. She is only just in office. Unfortunately, part of her role is to take on issues like this. When I started teaching, I had a wonderful principal by the name of Jack Griffin. His advice to the teachers he hired was, if they placed the student at the centre of everything they did, they would never have a problem with him. A caring State would place the child at the centre of everything it does. We would drive to deliver the best possible outcome for every child regardless of class, cr…

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. Not unlike her, I will express my condolences to those who have lost loved ones during this horrific period in our history. To lose a loved one is one thing, but to lose a loved one and then be on your own in your grief must be terrible. I compliment the front-line staff, including our hospital workers, cleaners, retail staff and everyone else who keeps the economy going, including my beloved Defence Forces, which have always been available whenever called upon. We…

The Minister of State is welcome to the House. I must agree with my colleagues, Senators Higgins and Warfield. What we do not want now are short, stop-start measures. We want some degree of certainty. Everybody accepts that this country and the world as a whole will not be back to normal trading and living conditions in 2021. As vaccines are rolled out, we will see slow progress back to normal. It strikes me that it is a waste of parliamentary time to have provided for an extension to July in the legislation. If we…

I thank the Minister of State for outlining the situation as it is. I want to acknowledge my colleagues who, like me, are supportive of the legislation he is putting through. I want to put on record that I am 100% supportive of what he is trying to do. However, I have two issues, and the first issue is as follows. There are eminent lawyers in the Chamber. Can somebody explain to me what is the difference between the Minister of State accepting the amendment to December 2021 and having to come back to the House betw…

We should have informed the Leas-Chathaoirleach before the House sat.

I woke this morning to find that once again there has been a fiasco with respect to vaccines. I am talking specifically about the administration of vaccines from the Beacon Hospital to teachers in St. Gerard's School in Bray. I see nothing wrong with vaccinating teachers and, indeed, I believe they should be up there with front-line workers. God Almighty, when there were 20 spare vaccines available in the Beacon Hospital, which is surrounded by GP surgeries within walking distance and public sector national and sec…