I join the Cathaoirleach in celebrating the Greek independence day and commend him on his international approach to being Cathaoirleach of the Seanad. He has touched many countries and friends of Ireland in that role. I support the Order of Business and there are two matters I want to raise. The first is to put on the record of the House for consideration and reflection by Members Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention a number of days ago, which is highly regrettable. That may not go far enough as the ac…

I agree. I use the word "abhorrent" in describing those actions and the EU must take a much stronger stance. Words and platitudes will not suffice in this regard. A second matter is one which we have grappled with in this Chamber since returning for this term. It is the strategy of living with Covid-19 and what we hope is the imminent lifting of some restrictions after 5 April. It would be wise to give Members in the House an opportunity to have a debate in which we can put the views expressed to us from people rig…

I am sharing time with Senator McGreehan. I wish a happy International Women's Day to everyone, not least to all the women in Ireland who suffer with endometriosis, which is what this Commencement matter concerns. The Minister of State will be aware this chronic condition affects one in ten Irish women and girls. It is incurable. Some of the main symptoms include chronic pain and fatigue, heavy bleeding, and infertility or mental health issues, to name but a few. There are still no clear clinical guidelines for GPs…

I know the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, is aware of this and I have spoken to him about it on a number of occasions. The female members of Fianna Fáil will be meeting the women's task force in the coming days to discuss this and other women's health issues. Can we imagine any other area of healthcare where one in ten men would be this impacted and where there would be no care pathway, no proper referral system and no education? I cannot imagine that. There have to be wrap-around services, including mental hea…

I join the Leader in congratulating the artist, Sinead Guckian, on the beautiful piece of art she has gifted to the Oireachtas. It is a proud day to be in the Chamber to see the unveiling of such a beautiful piece of art. It is incredible to think that someone like Nurse O'Farrell was effectively airbrushed out of our history. As stated by the Cathaoirleach, the painting goes a small way towards rectifying that action. I also join the Leader in wishing everyone a happy International Women's Day. I thank the Cathaoi…

I thank Senator McGreehan for facilitating me to make a contribution to today's important debate. I wish all of my colleagues a happy International Women's Day. The women leaders in my life are my mum, Mary, my grannies, Phyllis and Bridie, and my three sisters, Ciara, Michelle and Karen. They are my inspiration for the work that I do, the people who surround me every day and drive me to do the work that I do to make this a better country for the women and girls coming up behind us. We all know the statistics and a…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. Housing is undoubtedly the biggest issue facing younger people in particular. It is no longer an assumption that one will own one's home. That is a really bad situation to be in. It impacts on people achieving certain milestones in life. I know from speaking to my friends that many of them have put off having a family and getting married until they get their house sorted. It is one of the big pressing issues that is hanging over the heads of young people across the co…

Today marks the beginning of endometriosis awareness month. This is a month-long campaign in which we highlight and draw attention to the challenges faced by one in ten Irish women and one in ten women globally who experience this chronic disease. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows around the womb and the vital organs in that area, causing many difficulties for women. As I said, it affects one in ten women and there is no cure. The symptoms include chronic pain, chroni…

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to the House. This is important legislation. I acknowledge Senator Higgins's concerns, which are fair, on the length of debate. They should be taken on board. I am glad to see a sunset clause in the legislation for three months' time. I am sure we will find ample opportunity to address those concerns at that point. It should provide the House with a greater opportunity to explore how the legislation is working, whether there are human rights concerns, whether it is being ope…

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. It is great to have him here and to have an opportunity to discuss what is a very ambitious vision he has set out for his Department. Since he has come into the Department, he has hit the ground running. He has actively engaged with the farming community and the environmental groups as well because he knows and sees, as do all of us, that the future is in working together and ensuring that farming and tackling climate change go hand in hand. The two can and will work together.…

I agree with the Order of Business. This morning we heard the confirmed news that Ulster Bank is to wind down its operation in the Republic of Ireland after 160 years of banking in the State. My sympathy and my heart go out to all of the 2,800 staff who work in the 88 branches and to the more than 1 million customers who bank with Ulster Bank. It is a worrying development for the banking sector in Ireland. Effectively, it means that we have a duopoly in commercial business loans. We now have a situation whereby a b…

I agree with the Order of Business. I welcome this morning the announcement for the country regarding the regional and local roads funding. I welcome in particular the announcement for my county, Mayo, where over €33 million has been allocated to maintain roads. This may seem like an insignificant news story to some, but I reiterate how important this is for a county such as Mayo. I wish to highlight two projects in particular. The first is the allocation of over €850,000 to the R312. For those not familiar with th…

I support the motion. It is great to get an opportunity to debate this issue. I am smiling somewhat at the number of Fine Gael speakers who have referred to delivery of broadband. It has been a long road to get to here and we are all obviously friends in government, but it is worth pointing out that Fine Gael were involved in the two previous Governments and that broadband still has not been delivered to Mayo. Many people are still waiting for it. However, I would agree that it is vital for a remote working strateg…

It is fair to say the levels of State support from the Minister's Department for our citizens have been unprecedented during this time. It is right and proper that a First World country, one that values protecting its most vulnerable, would provide that level of a social safety net when people need it. We have done a good job, evidenced by the €10 billion or so we spent last year, in addition to normal spending, to protect and navigate our country through the worst elements of this pandemic. However, we are still o…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I join the Cathaoirleach in celebrating Australia Day and extending our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the late Professor Brian Hillery, a distinguished and accomplished public servant who did a great deal in his life. We wish his family well and hope they are doing okay at this difficult time. I support the Order of Business, as outlined by the Leader of the House. I will raise three issues. The first, on which we may wish to have a d…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. It is an unenviable task to try to co-ordinate the logistics and roll out a vaccination programme with multiple vaccines in such a short time. It is quite a feat of human engineering to be able to bring these vaccines to the market in such a short time and to have them transported across the globe to vaccinate people as quickly as possible. We should not underestimate that logistical task. It is important that the effectiveness of the programme is not compromised in a…

I thank Senator Boyhan. It is very apt that he is the Chair this evening. It shows the seriousness of the issue and the fact that it is real people and real testimonies that are at the heart of this report. I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. It is good that he is here to listen to the contribution of Senators. This is really only the beginning of the healing process. I am not sure that a State apology, a commission of investigation or even a redress scheme could ever adequately compensate or repair the hurt, ha…

The terms of reference for the Commission on the Defence Forces were published some days ago. Why has the Department of Defence been excluded from the commission given the strategic role it plays and the input into and control it has on all matters relating to our defence forces? It seems like a glaring omission from the commission's terms of reference. It is a specific request from the representative associations. They are deeply frustrated and disappointed by the omission. I ask the Minister of State to relay to …

I thank the Minister of State for the reply but, with respect to the Minister, Deputy Coveney, the fact that he has had a good personal experience of the Department of Defence is beside the point. Having looked at the terms of reference, the defence community have questions over the independence of the commission and questions as to why the Department was excluded. There are members of the commission who have clear links to the Department of Defence. If there is not buy-in from stakeholders and if there is an air o…

I wish to voice my agreement with the Order of Business and raise a couple of items. As Members will be aware, the national development plan, NDP, is currently being reviewed and is open for public consultation. People can submit their ideas and suggestions before the end of January. I know the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will be coming to the Chamber early in the next term, but I think it would be a good idea to request a debate on the national planning framework. As we know, the national d…