I thank my colleague Senator Mark Daly, a well known feminist. I am glad to share time with him on International Women's Day. People might laugh, but he has always supported women, as have my colleagues.

I make reference to what Deputy Micheál Martin said on radio today when he referred to the savage treatment of women and their children in mother and baby homes across the country. He referred, in particular, to the Tuam mother and baby home and the appalling testimonies we have heard in the past few years. I have been appalled and shocked by how the women were treated. They were seized from their homes and dragged kicking and screaming to mother and baby homes where their children were neglected and died. They lived with the stigma and shame for the rest of their lives. They were not able to conduct their lives in the same manner as plenty of men who were pillars of the community and faced no consequences for their actions. They were allowed to continue being pillars of the community. We need to examine our treatment of the women concerned and their children. It is not something that is in the past; they are still living among us in communities.

We need to show compassion to women who have gone through appalling atrocities, as well as to their children and grandchildren. Many generations of people have suffered the consequences of these mother and baby homes. We also make the connection to what is going on at present with the many women and children in direct provision, a matter which has not been addressed. There is a dreadful lack of funding for women's refuges right across the country. In my own constituency it is at an appalling level. I woke up this morning to hear a mother and two children had lost their lives in Clondalkin while living in a women's refuge. We need to find out if this refuge was overcrowded, causing the fire to spread quicker and causing these three unfortunate and beautiful people to lose their lives. It is not good enough. We did not treat women with respect in the past and we need to get our act together in the present.

I am sorry there is not a female here in this seat to represent International Women's Day. As the brother of eight sisters, the husband of a wonderful wife and the father of an equally wonderful daughter----

That qualifies you, Senator.

-----I hope the ladies rock on and have a great day.

This morning, however, I wish to speak briefly about Paddy Power Betfair, who reported profits yesterday of €1.5 billion. Of those profits, €853 million come from their online gambling outlets. We have been talking about a gambling Bill in this House for some time. I wonder how many children went without their dinner in order that Paddy Power could make €1.5 billion, and how many households suffered in order that the Paddy Powers of this world could make such profits. Gambling is the secret addiction that nobody knows about until all hell breaks loose. A man came to me almost three years ago to tell me he had lost €80,000 and was going home to tell his wife that day. He used to wake up in the middle of the night and take out his iPhone in order to bet on ridiculous things. We heard the story in the audiovisual room not so long ago about the postmaster who gambled €10.9 million of the post office's money - not his own - and went to jail for it.

While Paddy Power can make his profit, I know the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, and the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald are anxious to do something on this issue. There are major problems with technology moving faster than legislation. I ask the Leader to convey a request to the Minister that when we bring the gambling Bill into the House, it should be flexible enough to allow for ministerial orders to meet these challenges. Gambling is destroying lives. It was gambling of one sort or another that led to the collapse of the economy. Can we please try to bring the gambling Bill in as quickly as possible? It is absolutely disgusting to see this amount made in profits from gambling.

Next I call the lady who stopped me in my tracks, Senator Conway-Walsh.