Ba mhaith liom mo ghlór a chur leis na daoine atá ag tabhairt ómóis don dream bocht a fuair bás sa tine tragóideach i gCluain Dolcáin inné. I add my name to the tributes that have been paid to those that perished in the tragic fire in Clondalkin. Our hearts go out to them and to all their families and friends. It was a tragic event.

I wish to propose an amendment to the Order of Business. I understand that there is a motion to be taken without debate on the extension of the deadline of the work of the Joint Committee on Future Funding of Domestic Water Services. I would like to debate that for a number of reasons and I am proposing an amendment to the Order of Business to the effect that we debate that issue. It is important that we take stock at this stage of where we are with water charges, but the extension of the committee's deadline is unnecessary. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil voting together in the committee is a clear attempt to buy more time to reach a backroom deal on this issue. They are unable to make a decision between them even though they have a confidence and supply arrangement and even though a majority of people elected to the Dáil were elected on a right to water front and were opposed to water charges. The can is being kicked down the road once more. We in Sinn Féin have no objection to the taking of legal advice, but the fact of the matter is that the legal opinions heard to date all seem to be different.

The committee could and should have met its original deadline. We will not have a report until April now, with the Oireachtas due to vote on the issue in May. We are still debating the issue of domestic water charges in these Chambers one year after the formation of the Government and almost 15 months after the Thirty-second Dáil was elected. This issue should have been put to bed at the beginning of this Dáil term. We are again seeing Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael obfuscating the issue. The committee does not need another month. We need to make a decision on this matter and to put it to a vote once and for all. It is important that we get a chance to debate the issue in this Chamber as well, to see where the majority of Senators stand on the issue. I propose the amendment to the Order of Business that the motion on the work of the Joint Committee on Future Funding of Domestic Water Services be taken with debate.

We are not going to bring the Senator to court anyway.

Order, please. No other interruptions please. Senator Ó Clochartaigh's time is up.

I concur with Senator Burke on the issue of the driver's licence, but the issue was raised two weeks ago with the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with responsibility for the diaspora, Deputy Joe McHugh. Instead of us having another debate about it, he might speak to his fellow county man, who is the Taoiseach, and we can have some action on the issues that the diaspora is facing.

I would like to be associated with the condolences to the young children who died in the fire this morning, and to the person who is in hospital. She will hopefully have a speedy recovery.

I am alarmed at the figures released this morning about the interim applications to the Central Applications Office, CAO. The applications for nursing are down by over 9% and the number for teaching is lower as well. I know the closure of beds in St. John's Hospital in Limerick was raised here in the last two days, and 15 of those closures were because of the lack of nurses. It is alarming that the application numbers for nurses are down by over 9%. I would like the Leader to have a debate about ways that we could incentivise people and encourage them to apply for the nursing course. Health and nursing care are brought to the fore every week here on the Order of Business. We need a debate to look at ways to incentivise and encourage people to apply for nursing courses, so that we can help to reduce the waiting lists and reopen beds.

As we approach St. Patrick's Day and the Taoiseach prepares for his visit to Washington, D.C., domestic matters here require some attention from the Government, particularly matters north of the Border. I take the opportunity to congratulate the Sinn Féin party on the vote it obtained there last week, coming within a whisper of being the largest bloc - I think the dividing zone was 1,168 votes. There are issues which require immediate and urgent attention by both the Irish and British Governments. It is incumbent on the Irish Government to pressurise the British Government to deal with some of the legacy issues from the past which affect communities in the North of Ireland.

Last week in the House I raised those issues surrounding independent, objective scrutiny and analysis of the killings during the Troubles due to collusion by British forces. The British Government seems to be wholly focused on and consumed by the issue of Brexit and all the while people in the North of Ireland probably turned out and voted in greater numbers as a result of not just the political options but the fear of a dividing wall separating our country again. For the first time since 1922, the Good Friday Agreement all but removed that dividing barrier. Now we are faced with the prospect of it being erected again. The symbolic movement of people and goods across the Border has been very beneficial to the island of Ireland and it is important that it would remain. There is a need for a new infusion of impetus by the Irish Government with regard to the issue. While the Taoiseach parades all over the world and travels to Washington, which is also important, there are domestic issues affecting Irish people, whether North or South of the Border, that require urgent attention. Take the politics out of it. Let us sit down and ensure that the British Government plays the part it should in dealing with this particular issue.

I also send my condolences to the families of the woman and young children who perished in Clondalkin. It is very sad. Sometimes we need to reflect on the fact that these awful things happen. We must do everything we can to try to ensure that they do not happen again.

As we approach St. Patrick's Day and the St. Patrick's Day events, I note that the week is an important one for the island of Ireland and our diaspora. I pay tribute to the organisations and Ministers that are selling Ireland abroad. I do not normally agree with Senator Leyden, but I do agree that the LW radio is very important. From my trips to Kilburn and the United Kingdom, I know that they are much more in contact and in touch with what is happening in this country. Senator Gavan would agree. They have The Irish Post and get the local newspapers sent weekly. I pay tribute to those involved in new media. In my town of Boyle, we have realboyle.com and boyletoday.com. The information on those websites is invaluable to the diaspora living in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. The men and women providing the websites are providing another way of communication and such websites are to be found in every town and village throughout the country. It is a new medium. Given that we are coming up to St. Patrick's Day, I note that they are providing an absolutely wonderful service.

The election in Northern Ireland was a good one for nationalism, Sinn Féin, especially, and the SDLP. However, I think the people in Northern Ireland also came out to vote because they were unhappy about the result in the Brexit vote. Much of it was a Brexit issue. All I can say is that there will be interesting times ahead on the two islands.

I second the amendment proposed by Senator Ó Clochartaigh to the Order of Business.

I refer to the Hastings dispute where a group of workers has been out on the picket line in all weathers for six weeks. I am glad to report that there was a tremendously successful march in Westport last Saturday. My colleague, Senator Conway-Walsh, was there, as was I. There was tremendous support from the SIPTU trade union on the day. However, what struck me most was the support of the Westport locals. These workers were cheered through the streets of Westport and Jack O'Connor gave a rousing speech on the day. I am glad to report that there are now signs of progress; the company has apparently agreed to go back into talks. Tribute should be paid to the union and, in particular, the members in Westport for the courage and determination they have shown.

The dispute highlights the vulnerability of workers, particularly when we consider towns in rural Ireland where they can feel quite isolated at times. It is incumbent perhaps on the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to attend the House. There are a number of outstanding issues on the agenda for trade unions in terms of supporting workers' rights. Many of them came up during the debate on tourism and the hospitality sector yesterday. For example, we still have no sign of any progress in terms of implementing the report of the University of Limerick on low and zero-hour contracts. I genuinely do not understand the delay. In fairness to the last Government, it seemed to recognise that there was an issue and the need to move on. The report is nearly 18 months old at this stage. We really need to move on this because workers are vulnerable. Unfortunately, unscrupulous employers continue to push for a race to the bottom in terms of conditions. We have the means to build in protections for workers. I am genuinely puzzled as to why the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has been silent for as long as it has. I request that the Minister would attend the House. However, I am delighted to report good progress in the Hastings dispute.