I echo the remarks of my colleague, Senator O'Loughlin, concerning the courage and dignity of Geraldine Mullan in the interview on "Prime Time" last night. I commend "Prime Time" and Miriam O'Callaghan for the sensitivity with which they handled it. It shows we all have challenges in life but that interview really put things in perspective. I wish to briefly raise two issues. Yesterday the Data Protection Commissioner announced that Twitter would be fined €450,000 for a data breach. It is the first time a tech gian…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for coming to the House to address this issue. Over 1,000 people in Ireland require the use of artificial limbs every year. Many people will have heard Saoirse tell her story on the "The Late Late Toy Show" but there was also a piece on "Prime Time" last week with Louise Byrne. A number of stories were told in the programme, one of which was that of Darragh McDonald, a friend of mine from Gorey. He is a gold-medalist Paralympian. He told his story. In his case, because …

I thank the Minister of State. It is welcome that the postcode lottery will be a thing of the past but it does not solve the bigger question. It is a crazy situation that families have to continue to apply for a discretionary medical card. These are permanent disabilities. As the Minister of State knows, they are not disabilities that will disappear. I ask that once a medical card is granted, it should be allowed to continue so it will give those families and parents certainty. Where we have somebody who may exceed…

I start by agreeing with Senators McGreehan and Keogan on the need for a discussion around rural housing. One of the difficulties is that not only are people not allowed to build one-off houses in rural areas, they cannot even live in nearby villages because the required water and wastewater infrastructure is not in place. We need to have a discussion on that issue. I welcome the news that Facebook, Twitter and several other social media giants will work with the national vaccine task force to combat the spread of …

I thank the Minister for coming into the House and for his strong personal commitment to addressing this issue. We all know the facts. Reports are coming out every week highlighting the extent of this crisis, the fact that we have to reach the target of 7.5% reduction in emissions each year between now and 2030 if we are to avoid a 1.5oC rise in temperature that will cause us so much difficulty. The Minister was right in saying we must learn the lessons of Covid as we emerge from it and how that will mean we can re…

The European Union has now adopted the Magnitsky Act, which is something that is very welcome. We need to ensure that those sanctions are used against the last dictatorship in Europe, Belarus. We have spoken in this House before about the need to address the abuses of Lukashenko. Even last weekend we saw that more than 300 people were detained during peaceful protests by those looking for democracy and human rights. I know the Irish Government has been taking a very strong stance on this, but I ask the Leader if we…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address the issue of delays on driver tests. There are delays in getting the theory test. I logged on this morning to see if I could get a theory test in Gorey before Christmas. It was quite difficult to get anything in the immediate vicinity but a lot of my concern is around the driver test itself. I am aware that the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has set a target that if a person applies for a driver test he or she will get that within ten weeks, but at the m…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I appreciate the difficulties but I understand that there are now more than 90,000 people on the waiting lists. As the Minister of State noted, this will seriously impact our efforts to get young people back into employment, education and training. The Government's strategy for recovery aims to target high rates of youth unemployment. It will be very difficult for a lot of young people to take up work if they do not have access to their own transport. I appreciate the ch…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House and for his personal commitment to addressing these issues. I agree very strongly with Senator Moynihan that there are quite a number of issues in respect of housing which have not been fully teased out during debates on this matter. These issues do not affect only those on council housing lists. Situations often arise in which the relationship between a couple that has a mortgage breaks down, possibly as a result of abuse, which may be physical but may also be emotional…

Five years ago, the Paris Agreement on climate change was signed. Yesterday, three reports were published, which I read last night. Their findings did not help me to sleep. These were the World Meteorological Organization's State of the Global Climate 2020 report, the UNESCO report on conservation of nature and The Lancet report on health and climate change. I will outline why some of the findings are particularly frightening. It has emerged that global emissions must fall by 7.6% each year from now until 2030 if w…

I agree with the concerns about data expressed by Senator Seery Kearney. We had that discussion during the Brexit debate yesterday. It is also worth reflecting on the important testimony given today by Senator Craughwell. I agree with the concerns he expressed. I will raise two issues on which I have sought debates a number of times. The first is the recent Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, report. I focused last week on the issue of air quality. Senators will have seen last night that RTÉ highlighted the urgen…

I thank the Minister for coming into the Seanad for this very important discussion on the technological university sector, the changes that have been happening over the past decade and how they will play a part in the higher education landscape, nationally and internationally. It is important that we also thank the staff, students and governing bodies of all the institutions involved, such as the THEA, or Institutes of Technology Ireland, IOTI, as it was previously, the people in the Department and my former collea…

Senator Craughwell is not shy.

I echo the comments that have been made and express my disappointment about the decision of the British Government not to hold an independent inquiry into the case of Pat Finucane. I also echo the comments of Senator Cummins. It does not make sense that cinemas, galleries and museums can open, yet theatres, which are safe and controlled environments, are kept closed. We will see far more people in retail outlets and supermarkets over the next few weeks than we will see in theatres. When theatres were permitted to o…

I thank the Minister for his work. I also thank the officials in his Department and, indeed, other Departments for their work. We are extremely fortunate in this country to have such quality diplomatic staff and, indeed, public service when dealing with a complex challenge such as this one. I note colleagues, including Senator Chambers, talked about the unity of purpose in this Chamber and, indeed, across the country in dealing with this matter. I hope that when the Daily Mail or The Daily Express comes up with the…

I agree with Senator Bacik on the issue of citizenship, with Senator Carrigy on occupational therapy assessments, and with Senators Craughwell and Blaney on the importance of recognising the role of our councillors. However, I disagree with Senator Gavan in his songs of praise for Cuba. In terms of foreign policy, I do not know what Sinn Féin's obsession is with adopting a Cuban policy in Ireland, but Cuba continues to repress and limit freedom of expression and association and freedom of the press and engages in a…

As opposed to an ideological conversation?

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I echo the comments of the Leas-Chathaoirleach that the Minister of State always brings optimism to his role, and we need optimism and hope over this period in order that we can come through these difficult times. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State is engaging with the retail forum, as it is very important to engage with the business sector on this, and also the Government's innovative approach in a number of areas, including, as Senator Ahearn menti…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber. I agree with many of the comments Senator Doherty made about how we live with Covid-19. The issues around well-being and loneliness need to be addressed, and not only for older people. There is a challenge for younger people as well in terms of how we ensure their well-being is protected. I want to talk about when the vaccine is finally released. We have two clear communications messages and challenges. We need to stand up for science. We need to talk about t…

I wish to start by agreeing with Senators Wall and Craughwell on addressing the terms and conditions affecting those in the Defence Forces, who are the worst paid members of the public service. A role has to be found for PDFORRA as part of the discussion, because this issue has being going on for far too long and it is important that it is addressed. I agree with Senator Mullen around the need for debate on the future of the technological university sector. I do not know whether it is appropriate to have it right n…