Joe Conway
Cultural and Educational Panel · Independent · Ireland
“I move amendment No. 73: In page 41, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “Report on the protection of whistleblowers 63. The Minister shall within 12 months of the commencement of this Act lay a report detailing how whistleblowers who expose information related to artificial intelligence technologies can receive enhanced pro…”
“I want to be associated with the congratulatory remarks for Senator Byrne. I want to put on the record of the House the decorous and sincere apology given on behalf of the State by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, and attested to by the other party leaders, to the victims of the Kenneally abuse in Waterford.”
“Yesterday, I had a meeting in Leinster House with a visually impaired artist and a namesake of mine, Emilie Conway from Mayo. She was the recipient of an Arts Council open competition bursary, which she was delighted to get. She thought it would make a big change to her life. It did, but it also had a downside.”
“Chuala mé níos túisce ar maidin an Teachta Moynihan ag labhairt ar an raidió faoi chás na e-scooters agus an méid oibre atá déanta ag An Garda Síochána chun iad a bhaint de na sráideanna agus stop a chur leis an dainséar. It was a point very well made by Deputy Moynihan.”
“When we come back after the recess, we should have a comprehensive debate in this House with the Minister where we can ventilate our concerns about various road safety matters. I do not want to labour the point, but we can see that things are not getting better in relation to road safety.”
“Senator McCarthy talked about what happened at London recently. It is happening at airports all over the world. The resilience factor and regional airports are very important. There has to be a plan B if the big airport goes down. That is self-evident. I am happy to indicate those items that are of concern to me.”
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“If we extrapolate the figures from then and now - and I am looking back at a teaching career that lasted 32 years before I went working with one of the colleges of education in 2005 - every time I was in front of a class, there were two or three children who needed special needs assistance but did not get it. In a sort of oblique way, I want to celebrate the fact that we have it now, but é sin ráite. This is putting the cart before the horse slightly because, as my colleague Senator Curley knows, we have a meeting of the Joint Committee on Education and Youth tomorrow and this matter is going to come before that and we will be able to scrúdú níos fearr agus iniúchadh a dhéanamh leis na daoine atá ag teacht isteach, and we may be able to get more reasoned debate.”
“I do not have all that much to add to Senator Clonan's exposition, but I want to put a little bit of historical perspective on the matter under discussion today. I come at it from the point of view of a múinteoir scortha, chomh maith leis an Seanadóir Clonan, agus b'fhéidir an tAire. My time in the classroom finished in 2005. At that stage, I had been a teaching principal of a four-teacher school in County Waterford for 19 years. It pre-dated the 2014 circular so there was no such thing as an SNA in the schools I worked in. When we look at the numbers that are involved in special needs assistance now, one thing that we should look at, from the glass half-full rather than half-empty perspective, is how far we have to come with support for children with special needs.”
“It does not necessarily have to be about women facing up to violence. In their own quiet way, as somebody said, it is often the people who say the least who can be the most effective. Back in the 1990s, the trade union that I belong to was 90% female. I am just saying this to my female colleagues because it is a trap that they could fall into. Indeed, I heard it mentioned in the House already today. Even though the trade union had a 90% female membership, there was a big push, if not a groundswell, for reserved places on the national executive for women. I am sure most people here would believe that democracy is indivisible. It is one person, one voice. If one starts looking for reserve places for women on anything, one demeans the whole cause.”
“We are encouraged by the meeting between the Commissioner and the chief constable last week that there may be greater collaboration between the police forces on that particular subject, but she made a very cogent argument for the refuge. There was an impassioned speech from Senator Flynn and my response to that is that I knew nothing of those difficulties when I was growing up. I grew up in a very traditional nuclear family but I would have to say of my dear mother that her husband emigrated back in the 1950s when things were tough and she brought up six of us. She also kept lodgers to keep the show on the road, so in her own quiet way, even though she did not have any interchange with drugs, violence or anything like that, I still consider her one of the great heroes that I would have come across in my life.”
“I came up today with absolutely no intention of saying anything. I just came up to be part of the occasion and to show cause with my female Seanadóirí colleagues but I want to take the opportunity to respond to a few things that I heard during the course of the day. I want to begin by acknowledging what I heard via the monitor this morning from Senator Comyn. She spoke about the vulnerability of sections of our population and I want to thank her for drawing attention to that. As a principal teacher, I came across several instances of that type violence and it leaves an impression. I thank her for raising it on the Commencement this morning. Senator Tully was talking about women's refuges and the lack of a refuge in County Cavan.”
“Mar is eol do na Seanadóirí go léir, tá an leasú talún de dhíth go géar ag feirmeoirí san earrach mar tá na feirmeoirí sin ag cur. Muna bhfuil an léasú talún go flúirseach againn sa tír seo, beidh an soláthar bia ag éirí gann níos déanaí sa samhradh agus san fhómhar. Iarraim ar an gCeannaire cuireadh a thabhairt don Aire talmhaíochta, an Teachta Heydon, teacht isteach chun an Tí seo le tuairisc chuimsitheach a thabhairt dúinn faoin ghéarchéim atá romhainn.”
“Dar le daoine áirithe le déanaí, ní haon Winston Churchill é an duine atá in 10 Sráid Downing. Más é sin an cás, is cinnte nach aon Franklin Delano Roosevelt é an duine sa Teach Bán. Déanfaidh mé tagairt den ghéarchéim atá ag tarlú san Meánoirthear faoi láthair de dheasca na troda idir an Iaráin agus na Stáit Aontaithe agus an Iosrael. Mar is eol don Teach seo, tá soláthar gáis agus peitril ag laghdú go práinneach faoi láthair. Ní bhaineann sé le gás agus le peitreal amháin, áfach; chuala mé trácht le déanaí go bhfuil ganntanas leasú talún romhainn. Tá tancaeir sáinnithe i gCaolas Hormuz. Níl siad in ann dul níos faide ó dheas. Taobh thiar de na longa sin, tá loing lódáilte le leasú talún le teacht chun na hEorpa agus na hÉireann. Tá an ganntanas sin ag éirí práinneach.”
“In the context of the few people in Waterford I have tried to get legal aid for, it has been quite a struggle. If this burden is imposed on the legal aid system, there will be a need for serious investment to deal with the problems that will ensue. I am more than happy to give my blessing to this legislation. It tackles a very vexed problem that is troubling all of Europe. Standing together with the other nations in Europe is the right way to go. I would be hopeful that what we will get at the end of the day will be a decent Act that will fit the bill.”
“To have a united Ireland, we have to have respect for the people in other communities as well. It sends a very bad signal if we cannot get regularised legislation here that will bring decency and speed to the way people are processed in the context of their attempt to get a better life here. From from looking at the progress of the Bill through the Lower House, such as it was, I note that 14 amendments out of about 300 were dealt with. That is a strike rate of about 5%. I do not think that really does justice to the importance of the legislation. It would be remiss of the Government and the Minister if more time were not given to the concerns of Members of this House when it comes to Committee Stage. I am also concerned regarding the option for asylum seekers and people who are migrating here to avail of free legal aid.”
“Des O'Malley famously said, "I stand by the Republic". All of us here who stand by the Republic today would have to aver that we would be happy to champion the rights of people trying to make a better life for themselves in this country. I am absolutely sure that the vast majority of people in the country are pervaded by a sense of humanity and welcome, but they do not want a farrago of regulations that are not fit for purpose. That is why I commend the Bill. It is good, insofar as it goes. I am sure there are imperfections in it, but I commend the Minister and the Minister of State on the fact that they and the Government have tried to address a very testing problem regarding the whole business of people coming in from abroad. We heard some references to the possibility of a united Ireland.”
“We all know in our heart of hearts, however, that what we have at the moment is not entirely satisfactory. The explanatory memorandum to the Bill indicates that the IPAS legislation was enacted in 2015. I refer to the new proposals in relation to the current Bill that the Minister of State has brought to us today. The purpose of the Bill is to regularise the position in the context of EU Directive 2024/1346 and EU regulations 2024/1347, 2024/1348, 2024/1350, 2024/1351, 2024/1358 and 2024/1359. That list tells the story that the Bill is an effort on the part of the Government to move on a strategic plan for dealing with immigration and asylum seeking that is quite different from what pertained in 2015 compared with what we have now. Most of us in the Chamber would claim that we are good republicans.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht os ár gcomhair inniu agus an Bille seo a leagan amach. Ní thógfaidh mé mórán ama ag dul ar ais ar phointí a rinne Seanadóirí eile inniu. There are some things that Senator Higgins said that I concur with and welcome, particularly in the context of kindness, humanity, respect and all of those virtues that are an inherent part of most of the people in our country. The Government is to be commended on what it is trying to do. In political discourse, we often hear the expression "They are damned if they do and damned if they don't." The whole business of immigration and the migration of peoples that has become part and parcel of life over the past 15 years or so is something we have struggled with and made brave efforts to contend with.”
“Mar fhocal scoir ar an leasú seo, ba mhaith liom a rá that the likelihood is that we have a very generous window of time to discuss this. I see this as one of the parts of the Bill that have the most critical implications for the whole industry. Like me, the Cathaoirleach played a bit of football and I suspect the Minister of State probably did as well. They will recognise the expression "to be given a hospital pass". I think the Minister of State has been given a hospital pass to see this through. In the short time I have known him, I have known him to be reasonable man and I find it hard to understand how anybody could dissipate the powers of the controller over to the Circuit Court, despite the fact that is an outlier in Europe - nobody else is doing it - the costs involved and the unlikelihood of it being taken up.”
“None of our neighbours in the EU is doing it. I am sure the Minister of State is going to tell us that he is standing over this provision but I am at a loss to know why. I am sure, as we heard from Senator Black, that there is no hue and cry from the performing industry for this. I am sure the man on the Clapham omnibus is not calling for it. Where is it coming from? I would love to know.”
“Is it that the Government is dissatisfied with the controller and feels the need for another arm of redress to be brought in? Was it some blinding flash that occurred to the Government, despite the equalities in Europe? I will read out some information now for comparative purposes. The adjudication of disputes in the UK is dealt with by reference to the copyright tribunal. In EU member states, the results of a survey carried out by RAAP indicate that, in most countries, there has never been a dispute at all. Where a dispute is possible, either competent authorities or supervisory institutions have a role, both being State entities. In no EU country can we find the use of the courts system as the only form of dispute resolution. Why this headlong gallop to the Circuit Court when nobody else is doing that?”
“If one looks at the performing organisation, RAAP, it has been involved in a court case that has been going on for the best part of ten years. I believe, and maybe Senator McDowell can confirm this, that the case is listed to be heard in the Supreme Court in late October this year. The cost for that organisation is enormous. I dread to think what it will be but I am sure it will be into the millions. To exhort non-waged, low-waged or impecunious performers and their cohort to look to the Circuit Court for resolution is both flying in the face of Europe and asking them to do something that is completely counterintuitive, namely, to buy into a system of redress that is way outside their affordability league. Where is this impetus coming from?”
“Very often, if they complained, the did not get hired again. Nowadays, their equivalent are the young performers, some of whom may not even be all that young. Some of them can be at it for a long time and still only be making a pittance or nothing at all. If they have a dispute with somebody who has their intellectual property or their performance rights, they are exhorted to go to the Circuit Court to have it sorted out. I am a good while around but I would be very slow to go into the Small Claims Court or the District Court, never mind the idea of ever willingly or trustfully facing the whims of the Circuit Court, with the cost of solicitors and barristers. We are talking about several multiples of tens of thousands of euro, possibly.”
“If the impetus behind all of this is regularisation and harmonisation within Europe, then why are we flying in the face of what Europe wants us to do with alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and going pell-mell to the Circuit Court? Actually, that last is not us, but why are we recommending this to impecunious groups, performers and musicians that are starting out? Recently, I was looking at the 1911 census as it applied to my own county of Longford. The vast majority of males in that census were listed as agricultural labourers. For that, we can read slaves, basically, because they were hired at will at margaidh na saoire, about which the poet Rafferty wrote. These were the uneducated, the lowest form of personnel in the whole countryside. They were agricultural labourers who were hired and given a pittance by the big farmers.”
“All of us in this room would pride ourselves on being good Europeans and I am sure Government Members, including the Minister of State, would be no exception to that. In a time when there is a certain amount of fragmentation in Europe, we are very much steadfast to the cause. We accede to a lot of things that demand a certain amount of nose pinching because we are good, steadfast, solid Europeans. This legislation is trying to harmonise with and conform to an EU directive and that is a very understandable imperative for the Government. However, something that is championed by the European Union is a thing called alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. That being the case, I wonder where this sudden flight to the Circuit Court is coming from.”
“I have a very brief point. On the exposition by Senator McDowell on the decimation of the 50:50 split to a more likely 25% split for the performance, this is very likely to be the case. If that happens, it would be a singular lack of fairness and a singular demonstration of a miscarriage of fairness to the performers. If we are talking about an equitable split, this is the antithesis of it. I really cannot see how we can stand over this legislation and say it is fair and equitable.”
“As I mentioned last week, there should be average speed cameras, an increase in the strict application of penalty points, and an increase in the minimum number points from three to six. As I said on that occasion, over a third of those who get penalty points reoffend. That tells its own tale, which is that the penalty points regime is not strict enough. It should be the case that if you get six points, and then another six points, at that stage you are out. If these things were enforced, if we financed An Garda Síochána to increase the number of unmarked cars and average speed cameras, and if the courts imposed penalty points at a greater and stricter level, we would succeed in moderating the generally atrocious driver behaviour we all see. Everybody in this House and abroad sees that road behaviour in Ireland is at a very poor level.”
“Any right-thinking person would have to stand with Ukraine at this hour of great urgency and I express my solidarity. I want to hark back to something a couple of colleagues mentioned earlier, which is the issue of road safety. I am very definite in the opinion that what we need most in this country in relation to road safety, as I said during the debate last week, is a dramatic change in driver behaviour. The attitude that pervades on Irish roads seems to be "it does not apply to me". From speed limits to using mobile phones to allowing children to drive unaccompanied as learner drivers, all these things are seen as, "It does not apply to me. What harm would it do the odd time." That really comes back to the whole business of enforcement.”
“Not alone would it be of great satisfaction to the Members of the Houses, but it would also be an international tourist draw for people who visit the Houses.”
“He was arrested and, probably in a sort of vindictive action against the suffragist and pacificist movement, realising the time that it was and the Great War, shot dead without trial in the barracks. Given that whole period of history, there was revulsion in the audience that night to the portrayal of the new Irish Republic, with the Tricolour in the pub and the prostitute on the stage. The message was, "Is this what our heroes gave their lives up for?". We then had Yeats on the other side pleading with people to allow the new Republic to speak and develop its own culture. I know the Leas-Chathaoirleach chairs the committee that deals with art acquisitions for the House. I am on it too. I ask that when we next meet, we consider ensuring a portrait of William Butler Yeats is hung in these Houses. I am sure one is available somewhere.”
“He tried to pour oil on the troubled waters that night, using the famous, oft-quoted remark, "You have disgraced yourselves again", hearkening back to the riots 19 years earlier at John Millington Synge's play The Playboy of the Western World . The kernel of the issue was that the protest was led quite dramatically by Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington. Many Senators will know that her husband, Francis Sheehy-Sheffington, was a victim of the 1916 Rising. He was shot dead in Portobello Barracks by Captain John Bowen-Colthurst after no trial, even though he was a suffragist and a pacifist and was on the streets of Dublin during the Rising to try to prevail upon the rioting mobs to refrain from looting.”
“Ar maidin, is mian liom tagairt a dhéanamh ar eachtra stairiúil a tharla 100 bliain ó shin sa chathair seo ar stáitse Amharclann na Mainistreach i mBaile Átha Cliath. I refer, of course, to the famous riot at the Abbey Theatre in February 1926 on the fourth night of the performance of The Plough and the Stars , Seán O'Casey's play that had been accepted for production. It was very significant because it happened ten years after the Rising. The Rising of 1916 fed very definitely into what transpired on the stage that night. It was not just the performance and the riot that were of significance but the intervention of one of our forerunners from this House, William Butler Yeats, a Senator from 1922 to 1928.”
“The impact it has on the psyche of a teacher as they try to return to normal teaching and normal supports in the classroom can very demanding. That really is the essence and the basis of this proposed legislation. It is there to make our system better, to be compassionate, to look after the children who have difficulties, and to look after the welfare and the strength of the main prime actors who bolster our education system, namely, the teaching and support staff in schools.”
“Back in the day, when I was teaching principal in County Waterford, these things did not happen at the school. In fact, in my whole teaching life, I never saw a teacher being assaulted by a child. However, it did happen on a few occasions when teachers in schools close to us were assaulted by a parent. The result is really just the same. It is an extremely traumatising situation. Not alone does it occasion physical harm, but there is huge evidence of post-traumatic stress syndrome. A person does not have to be in Angola or Vietnam to suffer that. People were injured in situations which they previously thought were perfectly safe, like a classroom, a playground, a corridor or a staffroom. To find that they are suddenly attacked, through absolutely no fault of their own, means that their status as a professional is undermined and weakened.”
“I feel that I am pushing at an open door here because there seems to be a rounded sense of support for this. It is, as the Minister said, based on fairness and equity. It has been receiving a lot of input from the two main trade unions, Fórsa and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, INTO, of which I a proud former member. I fully endorse the work they are doing in conjunction with the Members of the Seanad and the Minister and her Department. I could be here boiling cabbage twice. A lot of things people have said were addressed in the Minister's speech and I accept her bona fides. I think that she and the Department will work with the Seanad and the Labour Party Members and their grouping here to progress this very fair, reasoned, and timely proposed legislation.”
“Cuirim fíorfháilte chaoin roimh an Aire. Guím gach rath uirthi san obair thábhachtach atá os a comhair amach. I am delighted to be here on behalf of the Seanad Independent Group to register our full-throated support for the Bill that has been brought forward by the Labour Party Senators, in conjunction with their group. I supported the minimum wage for apprentices legislation before Christmas, another Bill brought forward by the Labour Party which did not get the same benign look from the Minister and the Department at the time. Nevertheless, it was earmarked for progress. It had all the hallmarks of very sensible proposed legislation and that is something it has in common with the Bill being brought by Senators Harmon and Cosgrove tonight.”
“In Europe, about 125 million of our citizens are aged 60 or over. I am sometimes distressed to see that we have Directive 98/58/EC, which governs the welfare of cattle in the EU. Would the Cathaoirleach care to guess how many directives we have governing the welfare of our older citizens? Zero. If we look at the letter of appointment from President von der Leyen to Commissioner Micallef who has responsibility for these matters, it shows his tabulated responsibilities are intergenerational awareness, culture, sport and youth. However, there is no mention of older citizens. I have a question for our Ireland South MEPs. I address it in particular to mo chara Seán Ó Ceallaigh mar tá sé ar chomhaois liomsa agus an duine is sine ar an mbinse sin. Tá fáilte roimhe freagra a thabhairt dom.”
“My contention would be that in the context of a first conviction for speeding or using a mobile phone, it is time the number of points was increased to six. After that, I am of the view that we would see an obvious change in driver behaviour. It is like the smoking ban or the ban on smoky coal that Mary Harney brought in. These were unpopular measures. The Government will have to have the cojones to address this matter, because there will be a lot of blowback from people who do not like things being regulated. There are some difficult choices ahead for the Government in the context of road safety. We had a 31% increase in the number of road deaths in the past year. I hope the Government has the cojones to tackle the issue of road safety.”
“When we are investing in speed cameras, should we put them into the areas where the most obvious incidents relating to speeding and bad driver behaviour occur? When I was a relatively young driver, it was not unusual for my mates to boast in the pub that they had driven home with eight or ten pints on board. In my recollection, that did happen. The fact of the matter is that by introducing the relevant legislation, we have almost eradicated drunk-driving or driving under the influence of excess alcohol. The same could be done in the context of speeding. We have a ridiculously low penalty of three points for people who are convicted of driving over the speed limit. The statistics, as best as we can interpret them, indicated that one in three people who get three points go on to get more points.”
“As they did, the one common thing about them was that they all had yellow rear numberplates, which suggests that they are either from GB or Northern Ireland. Is there any a reciprocal possibility of enforcing our speed limits or driving legislation in the context of the people who drive these vehicles? Are they simply immune because they are from another jurisdiction and are driving in this State? The next thing I want to talk about is average speed cameras that are becoming more widely used in this State. I do not want to refer to specific instances, but we all know the areas of the country where fatalities and road accidents are more likely to occur. They tend to be near the Border. There may be a historical reason for that.”
“They will take any chance that presents itself and break any regulation in order to plough ahead, thereby putting everybody else on the road in a position of discomfort or danger. In the main, we task the Garda Síochána to enforce the laws we have and to address bad driver behaviour. Coming up here this morning, I used the M7 and M9 and I drove at or marginally below the 120 km/h speed limit. On three occasions, I was overtaken at high speed by a BMW, a Porche and an SUV, respectively. Of course, SUVs are sometimes referred to as Chelsea tractors. I knew from looking in my rear-view mirror that these cars were approaching from behind at ridiculous speeds. I would not hazard a guess at what speeds they were doing, but they flashed passed.”
“This monstrous face sat behind windscreen. The voice-over said that Mr. Walker has now become Mr. Wheeler. With that, he took off at breakneck speed, throwing old grannies to one side and going down the street. I tell the House this story because I wish to make an emphasis on the whole business of driver behaviour, which is at the root of a lot of the problems we have in this country with road safety. This is like teaching your granny to suck eggs, because everybody in this Chamber probably drives and is probably on the road many days each week. Senators know full well that the vast majority of drivers are benign in their impact. They respect the law and move from one place to another without undue hassle or fuss. However, there is a small minority of people who have no concept of what constitutes benign or co-operative road behaviour.”
“Tacaím leis an rún atá ardaithe ag Fine Gael. Rinne siad sárjab an t-ábhar seo a chur os ár gcomhair sa Teach seo anocht. Many years ago, I remember watching a little road safety cartoon in the classroom. It lasted four or five minutes. I remember showing it to a third and fourth class on an old projector. Those things have long since disappeared. It involved two characters. One was Mr. Walker, who was a very benign lovely old gentleman. He walked along the streets, picked daisies, patted dogs and spoke to the neighbours. As he went down the street, he found his car parked. He opened the door and looked around very cautiously then sat into the driver's seat and started up the engine. The camera panned in on his face. His face transformed from the Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. He became toothed and angry.”
“We are very good at spouting the legal points and the desiderata, the things that need to be done, but when it comes down to brass tacks there is a problem with producing the finances to send out the enforcement officers, particularly at weekends. The difficulty of dog fouling in coastal counties does not get addressed because very often it is hard to get the dog wardens out at weekends. If we want to clean up beaches and have a pristine neighbourhood, we should be financing it. That is something the Minister needs to address in consultation with local authority executives and councillors.”
“We can have all the on-the-spot fines summary convictions or whatever we want to introduce as a deterrent, but unless the money is invested in enforcement, we might as well be ag séideadh in aghaidh na gaoithe because it will not get anything. In Waterford, having CCTV to monitor litter black spots has been on the agenda and a current topic in council meetings for a decade. At this stage. we may have got a few bob down in Waterford to have a roving CCTV that barely scratches the surface. Any council executive will say that the number of convictions there have been under waste management or litter legislation is abysmally small, which tells its own story.”
“Unless there is consultation on things like this, you are going to stir up the proverbial hornets' nest. I do not think that is advisable as regards progressing the green agenda. There is another matter I wish to raise. I cannot find it now in looking back over the Minister of State's remarks. It has to do with enforcement. It might have been about beefing up enforcement. That is a very good. We have a great ability to produce cogent and decent legislation in this country, at both local and national level, but, from a lifetime spent in public representation, I notice there is a ritual falling-down on the whole idea of enforcement, whether we are talking about scooters, fish kills, waste management, illegal dumping or on-the-spot fines.”
“That is not a reason not to include it but, as it is outlined, it seems to be a sort of fait accompli to be issued to the local authorities. I suggest that the Minister and his team engage with the local authorities prior to introducing this to see if something might come up that would not drive the officials and councillors in local authorities simply cracked. I have enough experience of council chambers at this stage to know that the whole green argument is on a knife edge at the moment. There is a continual battle in progressing the green arguments, which we all appreciate and admit are necessary. When it comes to brass tacks and comes down to the bottom line in councils, you will find that a lot of councillors will say that this is mad or insane.”
“Section 30 proposes two new sections to the circular economy Act allowing for a public body to be designated for the purpose of preparing green public procurement guidance. That is very good. However, it is stated that public bodies - I presume that includes local authorities, one of which I was a member of for over 20 years - will be required to outline in an annual report each procurement of goods, services or works in the previous calendar year where relevant green public procurement criteria were not integrated into the procurement process and explain the reasons why. I can imagine that will not get a lot of traction with the people in the local authorities. In fact, I would say it will generate a lot of stubborn digging in of heels.”
“From what I gather, by the time the evidence was being addressed, much of it had gone as a result of the natural flow of the river. At this stage, it is likely that nothing will ever be done about the perpetrators of this crime against the natural beauty and integrity of that particular river and the surrounding basin. My question is very simple. Is there anything in this Bill that will sharpen our practice? If a major fish kill like that happens and it all just disappears under some kind of marine carpet, it looks like our existing legislation to address such matters is not fit for purpose. The next logical question is whether there is anything in the Bill as outlined that will give the legislation sufficient teeth to address its inherent weaknesses in respect of this issue and other incidents.”
“That was a nice exposition of the thrust of the Bill. I will address a couple of issues that have been raised. There is a level of urgency in looking at this. I want to advert to the incidence of a serious and major fish kill in Waterford and Cork last summer. Something like 40,000 fish were killed in the River Blackwater. As far as I know, to this day, nobody has been found culpable and, as a result, nobody has been taken to task over it. The matter now seems to be shrinking away into oblivion as an unsolved crime, and it was a crime. The livelihoods of an awful lot of people were put at risk. It is not just that. For one reason or another, a beautiful and pristine river was the recipient of a lot of toxic substances over a few days. The way this was addressed leaves me and many others with a feeling of unease.”
“For people who are resorting to the resolution process, is the Bill designed inherently to make them think not just once but twice and three times about the feasibility of going to the resolution process? Independent arbitrations like that would seem to be a lot more amenable and a lot less costly. A lot of these artists are fairly strapped for cash and may be setting out on their career. The Circuit Court is the proverbial sledgehammer to kill the fly.”
“Good evening, Minister. I just have one question in relation to this. One of the stated thrusts of the Bill is to improve the dispute resolution process in cases where agreement cannot be reached between producers and performers by substituting the Controller of Intellectual Property with the Circuit Court. To what degree does that improve the resolution process? To the ordinary layman looking at it, the resolution process that entails going into the Circuit Court looks like a much more money-draining device than the Controller of Intellectual Property. What would be the putative relative cost of going through the resolution with the Controller of Intellectual Property vis-à-vis the costs that might be involved in the Circuit Court?”
“When I was a young teacher in Tallaght out the road back in the 1970s, it was not uncommon for me and most of my colleagues in the school to stay until as late as 4.30 p.m., 5 p.m. or sometimes 6 p.m. doing games or extracurricular activities. That is not a feature that comes easily to young teachers at the moment. To put a roof over their heads, they are moving further and further out and, consequently, facing long commutes. They leave school pretty much at 3 p.m. and the idea of knitting into the community is more or less a thing of the past. If we want a steady supply of good teachers in our urban areas, we need to look critically at this whole idea of teacher supply. It is very important at this stage and the problem should not be allowed to fester.”
“I would like to use my few moments to beseech the Deputy Leader - she will know where I am coming from - to ask the Minister for Education and Youth to come to the Seanad to talk about what is now becoming a critical issue of teacher supply, particularly in our cities and bigger urban areas. In this month's INTO magazine InTouch , the editorial states that an increasing multiple of teacher salaries on point 5 of the scale is going to finance the buying of a house. As all of us in politics probably know, it makes the idea of getting a house in, say, Dublin or one of the other major conurbations around the country very difficult for even joint salaries on point 5 of the scale.”
“Consequently, they may not reach out to get the supports they need at a time of great stress in their lives and their family lives. I do not want this to be misinterpreted in any way as a sort of a gender conflict or anything like that. I absolutely praise the Senator for bringing forward this motion, but I want us to stop for a moment in recognition of the fact that this is a two-way street. Young men, in particular, and fathers in general need lots of support as well.”
“I know from being a principal in a rural area that a lot of young men will ask me what training they got to be a father. A lot of these chaps are parenting in their early 20s, at a time when they self-admit that they are immature young men. To expect them to take on the support of a partner and the support of a child, to hold down a job, to go through sleepless nights and all of those things is a big ask. We should also look at the suicide rates in males, where 77% of the population in the suicide stakes are male. The two highest cohorts are men between the ages of 15 and 25 and between the ages of 40 and 44. That also tells a story of a vulnerability in men. I know for a fact that men are very unlikely to admit they are failing, they are weak or they are not coping.”