Joe O'Reilly
Labour Panel · Fine Gael · Ireland
“As the Minister said, the Commission is coming up with proposals, and this exercise by us, and please God we will finish it before the summer, will make a difference in leading the European effort. We are winning support for suspension of trade.”
“At the outset, I welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for her leadership in this area and commitment in her opening remarks to go on pushing at European level to get a consensus on real action on the trade agreement and individual sanctions.”
“We recognise the State of Palestine. We have been consistent in our public criticism of the genocide in Gaza, we took a strong position at the UN, we were a co-sponsor of the ICJ, and latterly, we have given leadership at EU level.”
“To turn to the issue of today, the illegal settlements, in international law they are clearly illegal and are expanding. They cause access to land resources for Palestinians to be restricted, there is settler violence, and Palestinian families continue to face displacement and growing insecurity.”
“It will enhance our moral authority in Europe and give leadership to other European countries. It is, at its most fundamental level, coupled with our previous action on recognising Palestine, joining the ICJ case and strong public statements, another act of solidarity with the victims of these illegal settlements.”
“If the opposite were merited, we would be saying it equally loudly. The Minister of State made a point that was echoed by my colleagues, Senators Boyhan and Casey, about the importance of the necessary transition from fossil fuels. I would like to hear the Minister of State respond at the end of the debate.”
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“As a result of societal change and for other reasons, it is very difficult to get staff for the hospitality sector. I am aware of hostelries that are closed for half the week and more for want of staff. That is a significant issue. There are also pricing issues. There has been a bit of a revival recently with the weather, and that is good. Senator Scahill also spoke about bringing back the VAT initiative, which was probably one of the best initiatives of the then Government and Minister, Michael Noonan. I do not have to remind Senator Scahill, who is a man of extreme intelligence and rationality, that one of the issues with that initiative was the misuse of it by certain hoteliers and the price-gouging that occurred despite it. That has probably been its greatest enemy.”
“It is obviously a women's issue but not just a women's issue; it is a societal issue of gravity. I hope the position can be improved. I know the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is exercised about the issue. Having said that, it needs to be dealt with and we need specific results. The Minister should be invited to the House. I will make the Leader aware that we should have a debate on breast care and the ministerial response. I have more than a passing interest and knowledge of Roscommon where I have a lot of good friends. Senator Scahill, my colleague and friend from the county, raised the pertinent issue of the hospitality sector. There are a number of challenges in hospitality. One that I anecdotally know about from experience and talking to friends is the huge staffing issue.”
“There is not one person in this room or many a room who would have an issue with anything the Senator said or that Senator McCarthy said later. I spoke about this issue at the Council of Europe recently and posted my speech, in which I made the point that what is happening is a totally disproportionate response. It is of course necessary to say that what Hamas did on 7 October was wrong and that antisemitism is a horror. However, that is not what we are talking about. We are talking about a completely disproportionate, genocidal, inhuman response to a particular grievous incident. Senator Costello raised breast care and the waiting lists for care, scans, etc., involved. This is a hugely important topic. Needless to say, it is a family issue and a people's issue.”
“There was all of that but to think that an all-out ground offensive, a worse form of offensive, and the total demolition and takeover of Gaza are being planned and about to be executed fully, if not already mostly executed, is just tragic. I am heartened to know that the Tánaiste, Deputy Harris, is bringing the heads of a Bill on the occupied territories and trade with them to Cabinet. RTÉ has raised the question of the Eurovision and there is a debate on it. All of this needs to be addressed. The Tánaiste made the point on "The Late Late Show" the other night that it is difficult to assess and control what is happening in the skies. Nonetheless, an effort must be made there too. Those points were well made by Senator Stephenson.”
“While the Senator called for debate on the whole area of fertility, grief, etc,, and reasonably so, both the specific case of Melanie and the late Dylan, God rest him, needs to be brought to the attention of the Minister for Health and investigated. Senator Patricia Stephenson, a colleague of mine, Senator Mullen and others on the Council of Europe, raised the question of Gaza. There is not one of us in this room, whether a Member or a member of staff, who is not tragically and painfully aware of the horror that is Gaza. That horror is increasing and has taken a shocking turn. It was genocide, a horror story with targeted destruction, of which children and women were the big victims. Houses were demolished and health schemes destroyed and there was no access for supplies.”
“Senator Nicole Ryan raised a question about the heartbreaking story of Melanie, one of her constituents, whose husband Dylan had cancer. He began chemotherapy and arrangements were made to have his sperm frozen. He gave his full consent for this. He signed the necessary forms clearly stating that Melanie could use his samples. Yet, when Melanie attended her consultation in January, those critical forms were missing from the digital system and there was only a hard copy that had not been scanned. They drafted a fresh document but now Melanie finds herself in a cruel limbo. Despite having legal consent and despite paying monthly to store Dylan's samples, she has been told there is no protocol for a widow in her situation. Of course, this is disturbing. She does not have the luxury of time. This needs to be dealt with.”
“That tragedy took the life of my young neighbour and drew a veil of sadness over our community, For that reason, I am very attuned to what Senator Craughwell is talking about. He made a very good point that the Air Corps is not a lobbyist on the issue. It is not an outside seeker of position. It is, in fact, central and should be the main entity here. The amount of money the Senator says has been spent - €800 million - is very high and calls the marking scheme into question. Needless to say, this issue will be raised by the Senator at the defence committee. I will make sure that it is brought to the attention of the Minister, arising from what has been said here. We will keep it on the agenda. It is an important issue, and I am happy that the Senator raised it. I salute and respect his bona fides and his knowledge of this matter.”
“I humbly suggest that the Senator bring it to the transport committee also. Even if the Senator is not a member of that committee, she has right of audience. I recommend she does that or gets one of her colleagues to do it. I will certainly see that the issues she has raised are moved forward. Senator Craughwell raised an issue that is dear to my heart for a very sad reason. There is a family who are neighbours of mine. They are good people who live in the Cootehill catchment area. They are a very well-known family and have a history of huge community endeavours spanning many years. One of the family's uncles, Tom Fitzpatrick, was Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil. One of the Fitzpatrick family lost their life in the awful tragedy a couple of years ago involving Rescue 116.”
“It is shocking that we are back to the future, as it were, in trying to deal with the situation. As stated, there will be a long-term strategy at Christmas. However, we need to deal with this in the interim. Senator Ryan also referred to public transport in Limerick. My colleague Senator Sarah O'Reilly will agree that there has been a huge improvement in public transport in our area. This is one of the great legacies of the previous Government. There was a great improvement in the public transport network, and I hope that Limerick will not lose there. I know Senator Ryan, the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the fine people who represent Limerick will not allow it to fall off the agenda, but it is disturbing that there would be a deficit in a major city. That deficit needs to be bridged. I will take the matter up with the Minister for Transport.”
“It is sad that this issue is still ongoing and that Senator Ryan, who is a fearless advocate, must deal with it. I will take the matter to the Minister. We should have a debate on it. The situation there is a horror. There should be short-term measures to address the problems. I acknowledge there are plans for the medium and long term to deal with the many issues. It is not just a question of resources, as Senator Ryan knows well; there are management issues and many other questions. I agree with her that it needs an immediate strategy. It also needs a long- and medium-term strategy, a review of management systems and structures and an exploration of the systemic issues. I am glad the Senator raised the matter. That sounds like a horrible cliché but it is important to discuss it.”
“I know she is passionate about it. I will take the matter to the Minister but I humbly suggest that the Senator also keep raising it with him. I hope she is correct that sanity and common sense will prevail this coming Sunday. Senator Dee Ryan referred to University Hospital Limerick. It is always good to have a lot of new Members, as we do, but one of my vivid memories of the previous Seanad, if not the most outstanding memory, is of my great friend and colleague, Senator Maria Byrne, now the Leas-Chathaoirleach, and former Senator Paul Gavan, who was an excellent contributor, vying with each other to speak about University Hospital Limerick. They were outdoing each other with adjectives to try to show the gravity of the situation. They both did their job, as they should.”
“I was very happy to hear the announcement this morning that a special congress has been called for a few weeks' time to deal with this question. I hope there will be a sensible, realistic and modern-day outcome. I heard Aisling Maher being interviewed this morning on the topic. She made a very good point in expressing her hope that after this debate, we will continue to focus on camogie for the excellence and beauty of the game and its being one of the most wonderful traditional heritage games in our country, and that we will not just forget about it again when the feminist issue is sorted and put it back in the Cinderella spot. Aisling Maher, the captain of the Dublin camogie team, was correct to bring that into focus. I hope she will have the outcome to which she aspires. Well done to Senator Ní Chuilinn on raising the issue.”
“I am happy to accept the amendment proposed by Senator Keogan and seconded by my neighbour and colleague, Senator Sarah O'Reilly. I will revert presently to the substantive issue raised in the proposed amendment. I thank colleagues for their many and varied contributions on a range of issues, all of which were pertinent and topical. Senator Ní Chuilinn raised one of the biggest contemporary issues, namely, the ongoing discussion regarding the wearing of skorts by camogie players. There is a nice piece on it by Miriam Lord in the newspaper today. Senator Ní Chuilinn is not only well placed to speak on this issue but passionately interested in it. She is a passionate advocate for women's participation in sports and their equality within sport.”
“if not previously concluded, with the time allocated for the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes each, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes each, time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than ten minutes to reply on the conclusion of the debate. On the conclusion of business today, the House shall adjourn until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 13 May 2025.”
“The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the First Report of the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight on Orders of Reference and Establishment of Committees, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; and No. 2, motion regarding the proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of a proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2015/848 on insolvency proceedings to replace its annexes A and B, to be taken at 12.15 p.m. and to conclude at 1.45 p.m.”
“The United States has been a great and successful project. Both have pivoted on free trade. It is a madness and a reversal in human history that we will be going in a backward direction here but we have to keep our heads and negotiate. We have to build further resilience. I come from an area where food processing is strong. Food processing, agriculture and the tourism sector need to be focused on at this stage.”
“While we had tragedy, we dealt with it very well. We have a history and an in-built resilience. That has to give us courage. We should consider the fact that President Trump and the people around him are inherently transactional. He prides himself in being transactional. We should look to that transactional dimension and seek to negotiate and support the EU initiative to negotiate. It is good to hear the leadership of the EU talking this morning about negotiation and not engaging in unnecessary sabre-rattling. There will be internal pressures in the US. Various sectors as well as consumers in the US will be hit. Those internal pressures, the impending mid-term elections and sectional interests in America, combined with our negotiations with a cool head, can achieve a good outcome. Obviously, the EU has been a great and successful project.”
“I welcome the Tánaiste and thank him for his clear, focused leadership in this area. When you look at a challenge, you look to the built-in resilience you have to deal with it. We have that built-in resilience, in that we are attractive for investment given that we have industrial peace, an educated workforce, a budget surplus, full employment and a rainy day fund. We also have a recent history that should encourage us. With Covid, we overcame what was probably the greatest challenge of contemporary times, and indeed the Tánaiste was the Minister for Health during that period. We did so in a way that other sophisticated European countries did not. They had people dying in hospital car parks, etc. We successfully kept our population hospitalised, our emergency services going and our vaccination programmes working.”
“If we can get the assessments speeded up, we should be better able to make projections as to special class needs based on those assessments and on experience in recent years. If we could achieve those objectives, it would be great. Time is short, but I want my colleague, Senator Nelson Murray, to have an input into this debate as well.”
“There was a recent announcement of €1.9 million by the Minister of State, who is being very proactive, and the Minister for Education, Deputy McEntee, for the Atlantic Technological University to provide in-service training to augment the skills of SNAs. That is a great figure because the SNAs are crucial and I know this from talking to my youngest son. I am very proud that he is a primary teacher and he tells me that the SNAs are so meaningful and that they make an enormous difference in the classroom. They go beyond the call of duty and beyond anything that might be reasonably expected of them. Those are some of the situations that we are in. I know the Government is increasing the number of SENOs but we need to speed up assessments. That is the one issue.”
“Initially, I want to look at has been achieved and then move on to talk about some of the challenges implicit in the motion. It is important to note that we have 124 special schools, 3,330 special classes and that budget 2025 provided for 300 additional special school places and 400 special classes. These new places will accommodate 2,700 students and five new special schools will open in the coming year. That is all encouraging. It is also important to note the huge State investment this year of €2.9 billion in supporting the provision of special education, a 48% increase on 2020. Those are the main headline figures but there is one other figure that is quite extraordinary. We now have 23,000 SNAs in our schools which marks a dramatic change from my youth and from my own time as a teacher.”
“I welcome the motion from Sinn Féin. This is an important debate. The motion makes a valuable contribution to a debate that we should be having on a rolling basis. I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome his commitment. I also acknowledge, as others did, the work of Senator Rabbitte in the Department previously. All politics is local, according to the great Tip O'Neill, who was of Cork extraction. For that reason, I will begin by welcoming the new ASD units in Clifferna National School in Stradone, in Ballynary National School in Kilnaleck and St. Joseph's National School in Kingscourt. These are very good and welcome announcements that were made just last week. I am also very happy that we have two excellent autism units in my hometown of Bailieborough in both the primary and second level schools.”
“If the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach might just indulge me to correct the record, I referred earlier to Kilmainham Gaol by accident with reference to the car park and the contactless payments, whereas I meant the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.”
“The process involved is quite comprehensive. If people are willing to register their properties and comply, I would have thought they should be welcomed with open arms - hallelujah - and not have a whole set of obstacles and delays put in front of them.”
“I would like the Minister of State to explain where the role of the credit ombudsperson kicks in and where the overlap in duties lies. That is a little confusing. The Minister of State might speak to that if he does not mind. I agree with Senator McDowell, who has such professional competence and experience here, when he says that we should not have delays from these tribunals. I ask the Minister of State to see if timings are good and if there can be speedy solutions. The Senator is right about the Private Residential Tenancies Board. I have been trying to process a case for somebody recently. It seems to be taking a very long time. Considering the requirements of people who are trying to register their properties with the board, to be good and to do the right thing, you would think they were seeking international passports.”
“In that context, Internet scammers are using vulnerable people who apply for loans. They search for cheap finance, special finance or whatever. Scammers come to them and say that if those people give them their details, the scammers will process their loan applications, with a small fee of just a few euro, then they deny the poor people of the few bob they already had. We are on Second Stage. I addressed the legislation earlier. I know it is not specific to the legislation, but these are real issues for real people. We do not often have the opportunity to raise them. All in all, the legislation is good. Anything that modernises, strengthens and improves the process relating to the financial ombudsman or ombudsperson is important.”
“Whatever terminology you might use, it is a horrible reality for the victims. In such circumstances, I would like to think we might do something about that too and make that a much more transparent process, with reasoning, notice and justification for it given. The finances of vulnerable people, including those who have a bad credit history and so on, is a big area. They are prey to various things that could be pernicious, with terrible small print. I have great confidence in the Minister of State. I am not acting the fool; I really mean that. I have worked alongside him and I know how good he is at doing stuff. I would like him to look at this area of vulnerable people and products targeted at them in circumstances in which they can be victims and can be exploited. This can happen on the Internet.”
“That might seem simple and almost absurd to some people. I could bring them to meet people for whom this is a real issue. For that reason I would appreciate a response from the Minister of State. I invite him to come and meet people and I will spend a Friday taking him around meeting people for whom this is a day-to-day issue. Another difficulty for a very different cohort of people is the issue of debanking. It is a minority issue. There are a number of people who are having banking services removed from them on fairly arbitrary considerations. It could be that they have extreme politics of one type or another. It could be because they allegedly had difficulties in the past but whatever the reasons, people are being refused financial services on arbitrary grounds. The posh term for this, I gather, is debanking.”
“The car parking service is gone to a private provider, not inappropriately and I understand why that might happen but people can only access the carpark via contactless payment. Many car parks around Dublin can only be accessed by contactless payment. There was dispute around going into various sports matches over a similar issue, which has been resolved. Contactless payment is not appropriate for everyone. Financial institutions will lobby the Minister of State intensely for contactless payment, as it reduces a lot of difficulty for them relating to security and staffing issues. While that may be so, the Minister of State is the people's representative in this and I appeal to him to ensure that while cash may not be king anymore, we do not lose the use of cash for those who have a difficulty with anything else.”
“I will make a number of general observations that I would like the Minister of State to bear in mind and speak to in his reply. Some of them are not totally germane to this legislation but it is Second Stage and they are, in a sense, connected. In many respects, they are very relevant to the entire exercise today. The first is something the Minister of Sate might relate to because of where he represents but is something people find very strange in an urban environment or a cosmopolitan setting like this. A lot of people have a difficulty with the entire move to contactless payment. A lot of older people, but not necessarily all older people, have a difficulty with everything being contactless. For example, there are beautiful gardens and a lovely public space in the grounds of Royal Hospital Kilmainham.”
“Equally, section 17, which states that mediation will be in private, is important. A lot of consumers would not be happy to go into a public space and would not want to think they were in a mediation process that had any public dimension. It is important that it be voluntary to enter into it and that it is possible that within that space, to use a modern cliché, a confidential solution to problem can be designed and agreed. It is important that this can be done and that there is a mutuality and an agreement possible. Ultimately, it is all about being a watchdog but also being solution-focused. These are amendments to the 2017 principal Act. The definition of "financial services provider" is being widened and will include institutions that have left the jurisdiction in order that all mortgage holders will be protected.”
“It is an important office and is an important bulwark for the public and a reassurance for people. It is important that we amend the legislation to take it into a good, modern and more holistic space so it can deal with more issues. We are doing that here. The amendments in the legislation outlined by the Minister of State are important. The introduction of cross-examination is particularly important, as indeed, as Senator McDowell correctly stated, is the criminalising of deliberate, fraudulent submissions under oath. That is important for the efficacy of the entire exercise and process for getting good outcomes. The cross-examination dimension is an important amendment. The decision as to whether an oral hearing should take place is important and in some instances that will be appropriate.”
“My colleague will probably be called immediately thereafter. I concur with the latter remarks of Senator McDowell. It must be almost a respite for the Minister of State to get into this House for a while. I welcome him. Not only does he have family in my area who are particularly good friends of mine, but I also served on the Council of Europe, where he served with great distinction and made a big impact for a number of years. For that reason it is a particular personal pleasure to welcome him to the House and indeed, as my colleague did earlier, welcome this legislation. As the Minister of State stated at the outset, the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, or ombudsperson, to be politically correct, is an office that is very widely used. It dealt with in the region of 6,000 complaints, with 5,000 resolutions in 2023.”
“Such a facility exists and happens in many instances during the year. It would need to happen early in order for the work to be done. The Minster of State has briefs relating to rural affairs and road safety. I know he will take both seriously. The road structure in Cavan is breaking down again. A problem is developing there. We could be back to where we started. We made huge progress in recent years. I am anxious that we do not let what I am referring to happen. Will the Minister of State take that into consideration? We need an education campaign regarding the problem of people wearing of dark clothing when walking on roads at night and that sort of thing . There is so much more I could say. It is good to have the Minister of State here and to be having this debate. I will hand over to my colleague.”
“I will be sharing one minute of my time with Senator Brady. I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber in his new role. I congratulate him on his elevation to that role and commend him on the that fact that he is so proactive and enthusiastic. He will bring the same skill set to his role that he brought to so many other roles in the past. He brings great talent and energy to every role he adopts. The two are a great combination. I wish him well. The Minister of State referred to funding for roads. While Cavan was allocated €19 million this year and Monaghan €18 million - that represents an increase in objective terms and on last year - when one factors in inflation and, in the case of Cavan, the whole programme for road signage to be paid for out of that funding, it is obvious that we will need a top-up.”
“We need our Irish ambassadors and our diaspora out there batting for us in these very important economies, and they are willing to do it. It is important that they do so. As 17 March approaches, we take the opportunity to wish all our emigrants abroad a very happy St. Patrick's Day.”
“I, too, had the pleasure of serving here with Billy Lawless. He was just a wonderful man. As the Minister of State said, he was a wonderful advocate and he brought the whole issue of our undocumented into focus. In many instances, they are not able to come home for family funerals and so on. This is such an important thing. There is €4.5 million from the special fund going to the Irish organisations this year. Some €320,000 - the Minister of State can correct me if I am wrong - will be going to the Coalition of Irish Immigrant Centers in the United States of America. The issue of abuse victims and survivors abroad also needs to be kept in constant focus. Ireland exports a huge amount of goods to the US. The value of these has soared to €72.6 billion. Exports to the UK are worth €78.8 billion.”
“It is so important that we encourage these people to come home, particularly as they are so badly needed. I do not believe that anyone in this House needs me to elaborate on that to any great degree. We encounter it every day in our work. The big item on the agenda at present is housing. There is a particular need for construction workers. We need workers in healthcare and education as well. To make it easier for people to come home, to encourage them and to make them welcome, this is a crucial dimension. The time is coming when the Taoiseach will go to Washington to meet President Trump for the shamrock ceremony and so on. The question of the undocumented Irish arises in this regard. It was very apt that the Minister of State made very kind references to former Senator Billy Lawless.”
“The new emigrants have a different need and many were in a much more fortunate position when they left. They had more skills but they need support too. They have a lot to give. That all has to be part of the new two-pronged strategy. A very important dimension, as the Minister referenced, are returning emigrants. We need people to come back to work in the specific sectors of construction, healthcare and education but also many other areas. We are all aware people who returned in the past had trouble with PPS numbers and driving licences. These people have also had trouble with insurance, which has been an issue. I hope that as part of the new strategy the Minister of State will, as part of his interdepartmental consultations, see his way towards alleviating these difficulties.”
“That is so important, but it also supports other emigrants, as well the GAA, prisoners and myriad people. That budget is increasing. Some €16,493,000 will be spent this year and in an important initiative, small grants of less than €30,000 will be provided. These can be more easily accessed by organisations. This is an important element of our support for our emigrants. It is good to see the funding improving and I know the influence of the Minister of State will see it improve again. A new diaspora strategy is being developed and prepared. That is important. There is a two-pronged dimension to this. There are the old emigrants whom we all know, many of whom come from our own families or are neighbours and friends. They need welfare support.”
“They are good for developing our trade and business abroad, they are important for the tourism product and encouraging others to come and they create goodwill, which has been crucial to Ireland on many occasions, including in Europe during the Brexit phenomenon. The emigrant support fund is very important and has been referenced by the Minister of State. It gives grants to organisations in the voluntary sector and provides advice and support. Since 2004, €250 million has been given to 850 organisations in 51 countries, of which 50% has gone to Great Britain and 30% to the US. Canada, Australia and New Zealand were the other main beneficiaries. This funding supports elderly emigrants, people to whom, as the Minister of State noted in welfare terms, life was not so good and who are now in difficult or marginal positions and need support.”
“This debate is important for three reasons. First, we have the bonds of kinship, the emotional ties and the friendship with our people abroad. They are our own people and we have those important ties. Second, the vast majority of the people who are abroad did not leave by choice. Most of them left out of economic necessity and we owe them. We have a debt to those people. In many cases, they sent the emigrants' remittances, which kept families in this country going. For that reason, I think we owe them. The third thing that is important is that they want to help us, and they can. They are ambassadors for us.”
“The world was a different place but I used to spend the summers working in London among the Irish emigrants and did a number of months on one occasion that fitted me academically. I was doing a postgraduate course and was able to stay there. One particular summer extended for a long time. It was great, and I got to know the city. Then I did a long summer in America as well, where I met the emigrant community. Arising from the relationships and friendships I built as a local authority member and chair of a local authority and, indeed, since I came to this House, I have gone out on a number of occasions to meet the Irish associations in London and New York. Last year, I went out voluntarily to visit the Cavan association in New York and took part in its parade. All of that is important. It is amazing how much they value it.”
“I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and thank him for his kind words. I am delighted he has been given this very serious brief. A few of the things I will say in a few moments will indicate how seriously I take this brief and the importance I attach to this Ministry. The Minister of State has immense experience, not only as an emigrant for a short while but also from his work at the Conference on the Future of Europe and his previous responsibilities. He brings great ability, communication skills and experience to the role. I am delighted that somebody of his calibre is dealing with this important brief. Like the Minister of State, I spent a number of summers in London. It was a big deal in my day.”
“I think he will bring great energy to his new Department. If we could do it before St. Patrick’s Day, it would make more sense.”
“I was accompanied on that occasion by newly elected Senator Sarah O’Reilly, among others. We all did it in our own time and of our own initiative. It was wonderful. They were delighted we were there to help to lead the parade. We immensely enjoyed meeting them and interacting with them. If Sarah were addressing this question on another occasion, I think she would testify to how impactful and valuable it was in terms of the tourism product and potential investment in this country, for example. It is an important link. The thing I have most enjoyed in my public life down the years have been the visits to our diaspora, whether it is in London, Luton or right through America. It is very special. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, who is a distinguished former Member of this House, to discuss this topic here.”
“In light of that, I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the role of the Irish diaspora internationally, how we can tap in more to the resource that they are, how we can be supportive of them and how we can have tighter links with them. It is incumbent on us to have this debate. I ask the Leader to request the Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora, Deputy Richmond, to come in for this debate. If we could have it before St. Patrick’s Day, it would be much more apt, so people in this Chamber of all political parties and none could come forward and give their ideas of what should be said to the diaspora, what we should be asking from the diaspora and what we should be offering the diaspora. I had occasion last year to meet the Cavan diaspora in New York and join them on their parade.”
“The time of year is looming when St. Patrick’s Day approaches and officeholders of this House, the other House and Ministers of the Government visit all over the world, showcase all that is good about Ireland and, importantly, meet the diaspora in those countries. We have a debt to our Irish diaspora in the sense that they are our own kinship and they had to off and leave in difficult times. Apart from that, they are a great resource for Ireland abroad, they are great ambassadors for Ireland, they are very good at marketing Ireland abroad, they are very good lobbyists for Ireland abroad and they are very good at showcasing Ireland. They are actively promoting Ireland abroad. They maintain a loyalty to the home country and a patriotism. It is quite wonderful.”
“People know Maria does things for the right reasons and she is very principled and motivated. This all matters. As Senator Kyne pointed out, Senator Maria Byrne is a distinguished former Mayor of Limerick. She is a former member of Limerick City and County Council and the EU Committee of the Regions. When she had her slight sabbatical, to which Senator Kyne alluded, she used it to pursue a masters degree. She is not just a woman of political letters; she also is a woman of academic letters. This also brings a gravitas and a level of awareness and intellectual depth that would be necessary in the role. For all of these reasons, and the general decency of the person which is the ultimate consideration, I am very proud and happy to second the nomination of Senator Maria Byrne as Leas-Chathaoirleach.”
“Is cúis áthais dom tacaíocht a thabhairt don mholadh go mbeidh Maria Byrne tofa mar Leas-Chathaoirleach. Is iarrthóir den chéad scoth í. Before I make another few remarks, I acknowledge the presence of Maria's colleague the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, in the Gallery. The Minister of State has stepped out of the Chamber for a moment. I also acknowledge councillor Rachel Kerley, and former colleague and Senator emeritus Catherine Noone, who are also in the Gallery. It is a great pleasure for me to join with the in proposing Maria Byrne for the position of Leas-Chathaoirleach. Maria is respected across the House. She is very collegial, a good colleague and people like her, which is important for the role. That she is liked and trusted by people would be important as she sought to keep order. She would have buy-in from the Members.”