This week marks the 37th anniversary of the murders of trainee garda Gary Sheehan and Private Patrick Kelly. They were both killed by the Provisional IRA in Derrada Woods in County Leitrim in 1983 while trying to rescue the businessman Mr. Don Tidey. There was no justification for the murder of these two young innocent men or, indeed, for the kidnapping of Mr. Don Tidey. Their families have never received justice. The truth of what happened that dreadful day has never been told. Gary Sheehan was training to be a ga…

Like other Senators, I wish to raise the issue of Bus Éireann. For many people in rural Ireland, their only form of transport is Bus Éireann. If someone from Monaghan, Cavan or many other parts of rural Ireland wishes to travel to Dublin, the only hope of getting there is a Bus Éireann bus. People in Cavan and Monaghan do not have a train service that links directly to the capital city. People in Monaghan who wish to travel to Dublin take route No. 32, which is the main route from Letterkenny to Dublin. By the time…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That” and substitute the following: “Seanad Éireann declines to give the Bill a second reading in view of the fact that: Seanad Éireann: - recognises that both the Department of Justice and the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) are taking a pragmatic approach to Deportation Orders in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic; - notes that the Minister for Justice can and has addressed this issue effectively on an administrative basis, and will continue to do so; …

The loss of a loved one is a very traumatic and harrowing experience for any person, but the loss of a loved one who is living abroad is an even more stressful and harrowing predicament. That is the situation in which Colin and Eithne Bell found themselves when their son, Kevin, died tragically while living abroad in 2013. The family was heartbroken and shocked, as Members will imagine, and they turned to their local community. That community raised funds that helped to bring Kevin back to his grieving parents. Fro…

The Minister of State is very welcome. I thank her for taking time out of her busy schedule to be here this morning to discuss the nursing homes support scheme. Calls for the overhaul of the fair deal scheme have been made for a long time. Many people have been calling for a new scheme which would ease the crippling burden that is currently on small farm families and small businesses. As the Minister of State is aware, there is a 7.5% deduction of assets year on year, capped at three years, when it comes to a famil…

I thank the Minister of State for that. That is positive and I do not doubt her sincerity and commitment to sorting this issue out as soon as practically possible. Did she hope to have this invoked by the second quarter of 2021?

That is great news. Will the Minister of State make a brief comment on the fair deal-type scheme for home care packages going forward?

Everyone in the country is eagerly looking forward to the easing of level 5 restrictions next week, the reopening of retail and the return of many aspects of normal life as we know it. The Irish people deserve great credit for the huge effort and sacrifice that they have put in, and thankfully we are seeing the results of this, with the figures falling day by day. However, I have been intrigued recently with the debate around the wearing of face masks as opposed to face shields or visors. Many people out there are …

Now.

Now.

The Minister is very welcome to the House and I thank him for taking time out of his hugely busy schedule to be here. It speaks volumes for the topic we are discussing. From a Fianna Fáil point of view, we believe there must be a full public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane. Such a public inquiry was provided for in an agreement reached between the Irish and British Governments in Weston Park in 2001, which is more than 19 years ago. Pat Finucane was a husband, father, brother and son. He was also a highly s…

Tomorrow morning at 10.30 a.m.

Senator Ward should be first.

On a point of information, in all the debates on justice for which I have been present, when the Minister is a Fine Gael Minister, normally a Fine Gael member has led off.

I indicated to Senator Ward prior to the debate commencing that that would be the case.

I am sharing time with Senator McGreehan. I welcome the Minister back to the House. I compliment her and the Government on the swift action being taken in respect of the images mentioned by previous speakers. It is good to see such swift action being taken. Domestic violence comes into sharp focus particularly at this time of the year, at Christmas time, when families spend more time together and there is increased consumption of alcohol within the household. In the context of getting an indication of the extent of…

Ar dtús by mhaith liom fáilte mhór a chur roimh an Aire Stáit chuig on Teach inniu. At the outset I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him every success in his role and portfolio. I have been contacted by many people in County Monaghan and elsewhere who have voiced their annoyance, concern and anger at the number of substantial State contracts being awarded to contractors outside the State at the expense of local contractors. For example, from 2017 to 2020, Monaghan County Council awarded 22 State …

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I am heartened by the fact that he is going to have a look at this whole area. As I said, it is deeply frustrating for local contractors, and indeed the local community, to see substantial contracts in excess of €1 million being awarded on such a frequent basis to contractors from outside the State and the huge loss that is to the local economy. All I am looking for here is a level playing field. I wish the contractors who are successful good luck and as long as we ar…

I welcome the news from Government last week that the Tidy Towns competition will proceed in 2021. That news was welcomed by many volunteers and community groups across the country. In 2019, almost 900 communities and groups entered the Tidy Towns competition. We are deeply indebted to all those groups, individuals and volunteers who do such excellent work in our villages and towns each year. If I can be a bit parochial, we were particularly proud last year that the beautiful village of Glaslough, County Monaghan, …

I hope that information was sent to Senator Craughwell as well.