The Order of Business is No. 1, statements on Forestry Licensing, to be taken at 1 p.m. and to conclude at 3 p.m. if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be given not less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; No. 2, statements to mark Science Week, to be taken at 3 p.m. and to conclude at 4.30 p.m. if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, all Senators not to exceed six minutes and the Minister to be given not less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 3, Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2021 – Committee Stage, to be taken at 4.30 p.m.

Two days ago I spoke about the price of tickets for the match between Ireland and Portugal this evening. I am glad to say that the FAI has capitulated and refunded the difference between the cost of a ticket for a child and a ticket for an adult in terms of the person of whom I spoke. That is really good news. I referred to the company that sold the tickets online but it still has not replied to either myself or the individual. Of course, we all wish the Irish team well tonight.

Last night, I watched a recording of the documentary entitled "The Missing Children" that was aired on television on Tuesday night. The programme was shocking, horrific and showed us how the State failed many times to protect these vulnerable souls and the survivors. The documentary tells the story of the incredible work done by Catherine Corless and her discovery of death records for 796 babies and infants. By now the story is well known and I know that the area concerned is geographically close to where the Acting Leader is from. I am confident that the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, is acting on this matter but we, in this House, must send a very strong message. We must ask the Government to make it a priority to exhume the remains and afford these innocent souls the dignity that they did not have in their short lives or, indeed, in their deaths.

Yesterday evening, I had the opportunity to attend the launch of the Irish Thoroughbred Country Destination Experience Development Plan by the mayor of Kildare, Mr. Naoise Ó Cearúil, and the mayor of Tipperary, Ms Marie Murphy. The horse has been an integral part of Ireland's cultural and sporting heritage for the past 2,000 years. Ireland is internationally recognised throughout the world for its equine industry and horse breeding so it is important that we develop all that. The plan is five years in duration and has a vision to deliver the world's best collective thoroughbred experience for both domestic and international tourism. The initiative is headed up by Ms Laura Magee and spearheaded by Mr. Cathal Beale, the manager of the National Stud. I wish them well and encourage people to visit the counties of Kildare and Tipperary, and to see this plan for themselves.

Finally, I wish to mention a fascinating and fantastic project that the Kildare Chamber of Commerce undertook with sponsorship from Intel. The chamber of commerce availed of an app called Ducky and invited companies to join so that their employees can log how they will reduce their carbon footprint. I am glad to say that in two weeks employees have sequestered almost 10 tonnes of CO2. Basically, companies can log on and record activity. The app encourages people to walk or avail of public transport to get to work, to take a shorter shower, etc. We should adopt a similar initiative in Leinster House as 1,300 people work here, including Members of the Dáil and the Seanad. Such an initiative would encourage all of us to make a personal difference in terms of our fight against climate change.

We all recognise that domestic violence is a scourge on society. It is something that affects many families throughout this country. When it happens then we must have in place structures to deal with it and to allow people who are the victims of domestic violence to seek refuge earlier.

That is why I welcome the moves this morning by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, to re-establish that certain payments will not be used against people who are the victims of domestic violence to deny them the opportunity to get housing elsewhere outside that abusive environment.

In welcoming that, I should say I come from Dún Laoghaire which is probably the most populous area in the country that does not have a domestic violence refuge. When I was on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council from 2009, I called many times for a refuge. I found an article this morning by Fiona Gartland in The Irish Times from 2012 which referred to a study that identified what she referred to as a major gap in the provision of domestic violence refuges and domestic violence services in the Dún Laoghaire area. That was nearly ten years ago. This week Ellen Coyne essentially wrote the same story in the Irish Independent, that it has not changed in ten years. This was on foot of another study done by the Irish Independent, again in conjunction with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, on the fact there is no refuge in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area, an area of approximately 250,000 people. There are nine counties throughout Ireland that do not have refugees but Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is by some distance the most populous of them.

This was discussed by the justice committee last week. There is a major problem here. I raised this previously with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. There was to be a study earlier in the year to examine where the gaps in provision were and I have yet to see the outcome, but I do not know what other information is required to identify that there is definitely a gap in Dún Laoghaire, a large suburban area in Dublin, where Dublin generally has a smaller proportion of refuges than the rest of the country. There is a gap there. The problem also has a knock-on effect for surrounding areas, because when an individual or family in Dún Laoghaire needs to be given refuge, they are put into another area which means someone in that area must go elsewhere. It is grossly unfair on people for whom the wider Dún Laoghaire area is their home that they must go elsewhere to seek refuge. They should be entitled to one on their doorstep the same as anyone in Cork, Galway, Letterkenny or wherever. There is a gap which has been identified for more than ten years. It needs to be addressed urgently. I ask the Deputy Leader that we would have a debate in the House as soon as possible and to bring to the attention of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, this massive lacuna that needs urgently to be plugged.

I call for a debate on the reinstatement of the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response. It has been mentioned a few times since its dissolution on 8 October 2020, 11 days before another level 5 total lockdown was imposed on this country. More than a year later, our case numbers are three times what they were then and the dedicated Covid committee, established to consider and take evidence on the State's response to the Covid-19 pandemic has remained disbanded having been forced to give its final report less than half way through the pandemic it was established to help with.

The reason for its dissolution is as clear now as it was at the time. As Senator McDowell explained earlier this month, the Government found it inconvenient that there should be a forum of parliamentarians to which it would be responsible, a dedicated Covid committee established with the expressed dual purpose of (a) critically analysing and evaluating the Government's response to Covid and (b) planning a legitimate roadmap out of this crisis for the country. It is a no-brainer.

At this stage of the pandemic the people deserve something a little more from the Government than sitting and waiting, watching case numbers rise with their hands over the big red lockdown button. Is a grand exit plan being whipped up behind closed doors? No one would be happier than myself but unfortunately it seems the failure of the vaccines and the Covid certificates to suppress the virus is to change nothing and continue to champion the same measures.

The most vaccinated county in this country is the one with the most cases. Covid certificates can allow people with Covid to enter premises while barring those who are Covid free. It is not working. It no longer makes sense. Something needs to change. Most importantly, we need a committee with teeth. Last time, the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, only appeared before the committee once or twice. We need a proper committee with the powers to service its function. NPHET, the national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, the Minister for Health and all must be answerable to it to ensure all decisions being made at a national policy level are adequately scrutinised. Can we discuss this in the House or, better yet, establish the committee with colleagues from both Houses and get on with the work?

I raise this week's report by Daft.ie on the most recent increases in the price of rents. I will home in on Limerick where the average price of a one-bed apartment in Limerick city is now €999 a month. For a three-bedroom house it is €1,277, an increase of 8% in the year. The average cost of renting a single room in Limerick city centre is €464, an increase of 21% year on year. The average cost of a double room in the suburbs is €505, up 13% year on year, clearly driven by the outrageous shortage of accommodation around our colleges. Just 236 homes were available to rent in Munster on 1 November, the lowest ever in a series extending back to 2006. The pre-Covid average for 2019 was 750.

This marks the 36th consecutive quarter where rents are higher than a year ago, in other words, nine years of rent rises. The impact on people is truly horrendous. People are unable to pay their bills. There is a cost of living crisis, with people challenged each month. It is impossible for people to save for a home of their own. They just do not have any money because of these exorbitant increases in rents that have happened over ten years of Fine Gael governments. There is now another phenomenon where adult children are having to live at home with parents because they cannot afford to rent their own homes.

I have to raise the subject of ideology because this decision to outsource large swathes of social housing to the private sector is ideological. We had further evidence of that this morning thanks to my colleague Deputy Ó Broin. The figures for the housing assistance payment and the rental accommodation scheme are truly shocking. Some €1.5 billion was spent on the housing assistance payment since 2017 and €260 million has been spent this year alone. That is a huge transfer of wealth from the State to private landlords. The most shocking figure of all is that one in three people now rent privately. They have outsourced social housing to the private sector. This does not happen by accident. This is not some natural phenomenon. It is because the Government failed to build houses for so long.

Now they tell us they are going to build houses but there are two issues. First, there is no ambition in the targets which are nowhere near what is necessary to address the scale of the crisis. Second is the most outrageous proposal in the most recent budget, which is that 2,600 homes next year will not be bought by local councils but instead the Government insists they will be leased from vulture funds which can then take the profits for the 25 years tax free. How does that make any sense? How does it make sense for local authorities to lease homes so that they own nothing after 25 years of payments rather than buying them? I have yet to hear any decent explanation from any Government Minister. People in Limerick are shocked to hear this is happening throughout the State, but there it was in the budget.

I am calling for another debate on housing because we have not received good answers and unfortunately all the statistics show us things are getting worse rather than better.

By this weekend we expect the outcome of the COP26 negotiations, a profound set of words and commitments it is hoped will demonstrate that developed countries are taking this climate emergency seriously. Profound words are one thing but real action is another. I welcome the declarations the Irish Government has signed up to in recent days on aviation and car transport, but I also question why Ireland did not expressly add itself to a declaration signed last weekend on a just transition. That declaration was signed by Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Sweden along with other countries in the EU, the UK and the USA. We must ask why Ireland decided to hide under the umbrella of the EU and not add its name to that when it did to other declarations. If we are to understand anything about the scale and the challenge of combating global warming, we need to support those who are most vulnerable, least able to invest in changes to how they live and to their housing, transport and everything else, and whose jobs need to change.

I would like to see the Government making a much clearer statement on a just transition. We have had foot-dragging on the establishment of the just transition commission. It was referred to in the climate action plan that was recently published. The Government must take the issue much more seriously.

Going back to putting the profound words into action, this week we had the publication of the draft transport strategy for the greater Dublin area. I am dismayed at the lack of ambition on getting people out of cars. There are a lot of fine words about cycling and walking. I agree that we must encourage people to do that, but we will not truly have safer streets and cleaner communities unless we invest in rail. The extension of the timelines for the metro in particular is simply not good enough. We have spent at least €219 million on the metro in recent years and we still have nothing to show for it. The Government is planning to reduce car use within the greater Dublin area from 52% to 42% over 35 years. That lack of ambition is simply not acceptable, and we must see more ambition on rail and getting people out of their cars sooner rather than later.

Today, I wish to raise two issues. First, I seek a meaningful debate on the St. Michael's House rejuvenation project. This is not just any development; it is one of the State's flagship cost-rental developments. At this stage we do not have a meaningful update from the Minister on where exactly we are with the project in terms of the budget envisaged and the timeframes. I would like the development to be treated with more urgency. It is a huge vacant site in the middle of Inchicore. Traditionally, it housed hundreds of families and we want to make sure that the site is brought back to life and housing families from the area on a cost-rental basis. Perhaps the Acting Leader could invite the Minister to the House for a specific debate on the rejuvenation of St. Michael's House because it is such a significant flagship development for the State.

The second issue I wish to raise today relates to childcare. The budget for 2022 went some way towards extending childcare and laying the foundations for a better childcare system. I mentioned this previously. We are all singing off the same hymn sheet as a House. This is something you could get involved in, a Chathaoirligh, in that the Seanad could champion childcare properly. Early preschool childcare must be brought into the primary school system and curriculum. We will not have a decent childcare system until that happens. If it was brought into the education system, I understand that private providers might not be happy, but there are ways to merge it. That would give workers proper career progression and it would give families and, ultimately, women proper autonomy to flourish in their careers. It would also give them stability. The current haphazard childcare is just not working for families and it would be better if it was brought within the ambit of the State. Many Gaelscoileanna have a naíonra on site. They are a little bit ahead of other types of school. It should be the norm for all national schools to have a preschool on site for families and parents.

This is Science Week, which takes place from 7 to 14 November. Creating our Future is a national conversation that is taking place. It has been great to see the broadcasters going to towns around the country in a few key areas trying to get good feedback from the public about current research that is taking place. We have had virtual Science Week with magicians and scientists and events happening all around the country. It is possible to log on and find an event happening close to where you are based. Events include coding for kids, DNA fingerprinting, Go Fly Your Kite in Cork, reptile superpowers in Celbridge, a bug doctor in Galway, a telescope tour in Birr, a science trail in Sligo, and Pint of Science with stand-up comedians in Tralee. There is something for everyone in there. It is also a great opportunity if you want to find out about careers because that is available with engineers and doctors this week. For fun, there is even a Science of Happiness event.

Science Week is bringing industry, colleges, schools and everyone together. It is important to note as well this week and with COP26 taking place that we had another historic first for Ireland, in particular for the Acting Leader. In east Galway, we had the first ever win for an Irish national school, Clontuskert, which won the climate action project school of excellence award. The children in the school, along with the incredible principal, Kate Murray, are real trailblazers, along with the teaching staff. They are becoming champions and advocates for change. They have a campaign to get rid of plastic on vegetables in supermarkets. The whole community in east Galway is so proud of this school, which has been winning awards for years, such as the Microsoft showcase school. It is a green flag school and also a digital school of distinction. As spokesperson for research, innovation and science, I am so proud this school has achieved such an award. It is a great primary school in east Galway having such an impact at a global level and driving change.