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Seanad
‹ Order of Business

Homelessness and prison debate

Summary

Senator Bacik welcomes new emergency accommodation and modular housing but seeks comprehensive debates on housing, rent certainty and prison conditions; Senator Barrett’s congratulations are also recorded.

I also welcome the announcement that numerous new facilities will provided for emergency accommodation for homeless persons in Dublin city.

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What difference will they make?

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In particular, we heard yesterday an announcement of a welcome new facility on Thomas Street. I also welcome the proposals in respect of modular housing. Clearly, however, these measures are only part of the resolution to the homelessness problem. I am conscious that Senator Hayden has been calling for a comprehensive debate on housing and rent certainty for some time. I would like the House to have that debate in due course.

I also call for a debate on prisons in light of the report published yesterday by the Inspector of Prisons, Judge Michael Reilly, on the culture in Irish prisons. The report contains some serious and worrying findings regarding the gang culture that has, to some extent, been tolerated and allowed to develop in prisons. We also need to debate the report in the context of the comments made by Judge Reilly on a culture among Prison Service staff. While he commends most of them on the tough work they are required to do, the report makes some worrying comments on some aspects of conduct by prison staff.

I welcome the establishment of an interdepartmental task force to examine claims of exploitation in the fishing industry, about which Senator O'Keeffe and I spoke yesterday. We all note comments from representatives of the fishing industry in Castletownbere and other ports strongly disputing the claims made in The Guardian newspaper. It is clear that an investigation is required into the extent of exploitation and abuse taking place in the fishing industry and serious concerns that people are been trafficked into exploitative labour in the industry.

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I congratulate Congressman Paul Ryan on his election as House Speaker in Washington. This is a most important part of parliamentary democracy. Congressman Ryan follows in a very proud tradition of Tip O'Neill and other Irish-American Speakers and I wish him well. I understand he visited Ireland a couple of months ago to reconnect with his Irish roots.

I also congratulate the Irish hockey team on qualifying for the Rio Olympics next year. Its achievement ranks it in the top 11 field hockey teams in the world, a feat not accomplished since 1908. This is an occasion for great celebration.

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