I am glad to be back here again. I was very lonesome for all the Senators over the past few weeks but-----

We are glad the Senator is back.

------my medical people said not that I was a high-risk person but that I was an at-risk person. The last time I was able to come into this Chamber was when I served in Dáil Éireann. It is nice to be back here again. It brings back fond memories. I am probably one of the longest here. I was here in 1989. I am not sure how many Members other than Senator Norris have a longer record of penance and public service. I am not sure how well it was received or how well I did, but sin scéal eile.

I rise today primarily to express my extraordinary concern over the need for the likes of the Cathaoirleach, Ceann Comhairle and President of the High Court to issue instructions and a mandate to people in these surroundings, namely, the lawmakers, not necessarily in this Chamber but in the Oireachtas as a whole, and those who serve in our courts, the barristers and solicitors. I am technically still a solicitor but have not been practising for a while. I am concerned that a caution or warning had to be issued to barristers and solicitors in courts and Senators and Deputies on the basis that they are not fully complying with the instructions on social distancing and the regulations we are supposed to implement.

We are the legislators and the people working in the courts implement the laws. It is hard for people, whether they are on peninsulas such as Sheep's Head, Beara, Mizen, where I live, Inishowen, Dingle, in the Cathaoirleach's county, or in Connemara hearing that they cannot see their children or grandchildren. It is a hard pill to swallow. Yet, we in this Chamber and the Lower House and in the courts refuse with disdain to accept the regulations imposed on us. We should be ashamed of ourselves. Due to circumstances, this Chamber has sometimes sat on Monday and, because of the Dáil, we sometimes sit almost a five-day week. We are giving two fingers to the hewers of wood and the drawers of water. I do not say that in a derogatory or disparaging way but the ordinary working-class people are told they must do this and the pillars of society - that may be too strong a term because sometimes I do not think we are pillars - can do what we want. That is a bad message. If we want the ordinary working-class people of this country to come on board, by God, we are making a hash of it.

I will raise one other issue. I often wonder, putting on my legal hat, if much of the work in the Seanad and the Dáil could be done in another way. My esteemed colleague, Senator McDowell, who has experience in the courts, in both Chambers and as a Minister, asked if this Seanad could have sat with the 49 elected Members without the 11 nominated Members. That is an important point to reflect on. Can this Chamber and the other House do much of its work at a distance? We have Zoom. When I came in here in 1989, there was no Zoom, Twitter, Facebook or anything like that. We were lucky to have a paper and a pen and we have moved on a long way since. Should we look at that and, if necessary, put a test case, by way of State cases, to the High Court and the Supreme Court to see if we can operate in some way under the extraordinary circumstances we are in? This pandemic is going nowhere and will probably be here next year, and lives are at risk. Can we look at the possibility of sitting fewer days and of committee work being done at arm's length? I am sure the Supreme Court or the High Court would interpret the regulations as set out broadly and in a different way because of the circumstances we are in. That might be something the Chamber could reflect on.

I thank the Senator for his important contribution. I call Senator Seán Kyne.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. I raise the issue of services for people with disabilities and their families. Budget 2021 builds on the strong work of the previous Government and the former Minister, Finian McGrath, in this area. I commend the Government for securing additional resources and funding for disability services in this budget. The additional €100 million is much needed and very welcome. It will provide more targeted and tailored services for persons with disabilities, including school leavers, and help with the resumption of day services across the country. Most important, it will help continue the transition to a more inclusive, person-centred system that empowers people.

However, while the initial funding is welcome, we need to focus on how it is spent to ensure it achieves the greatest impact. We need to ensure that the recruitment of additional posts such as therapeutic services, including speech and language therapists, starts immediately and that such important personnel are not seconded to other areas of the health services such as contract tracing, which is happening at the moment. We need to ensure the additional training places and day service enhancements are introduced as soon as possible. We need to ensure disability service providers such as Ability West and the Brothers of Charity Services Ireland are fully resourced so they can carry out their vital services without obstacles or complications and we need to provide more support and respite for the families of persons with disabilities, parents, brothers, sisters and others. It is difficult for many of us to understand how challenging it can be to care for a person with a disability. It impacts on all aspects of family life, including on siblings. The challenge becomes greater as parents grow older and we have all met parents and made representations on behalf of many parents whose greatest concern is who will care for their loved ones or their children when they cannot, or when they die what will happen to their loved ones.

Will the Leader facilitate a special debate on disability services and the disability budget? This will involve a proper, reasoned debate to ensure every euro is spent appropriately for the greatest good. Will the Leader follow this up with the Minister for disability services?