Before I ask the Leader to outline the Order of Business, I welcome to the Distinguished Visitors' Gallery the Lord Mayor of Cork, Mr. Colm Kelleher, and his son. We are delighted to have them here today. Mr. Kelleher informed me that the chain of office he holds is just one year younger than the United States of America, at 245 years old. I welcome him to the Chamber and am delighted he is with us.

The Order of Business is No.1, Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, to be taken at 4.45 p.m. and to adjourn at 7 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the opening contribution of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, and the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 2, Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Bill 2022 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 7 p.m.

I add my voice to the welcome for my esteemed colleague and friend, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Colm Kelleher, and his son. It is a great pleasure to have them in the Chamber for today's business.

Stoyu z ukrayinoyu: stand with Ukraine. I was on the phone this morning to my esteemed friend and colleague, Yevheniya Kravchuk, who is a Ukrainian parliamentarian, speaking about the current situation in Ukraine. It is imperative that we condemn the actions of the Russian President, we stand with Ukraine and we demand sanctions.

On a lighter note, I thank the Cathaoirleach for his very warm welcome to Athy Sing and Sign Club. They are an incredible group of young people, led by the inspirational Maggie Owens, who has a super choir that signs everything they sing. They came to Leinster House this morning and signed the national anthem for the Cathaoirleach. It is wonderful when we see innovative people and communities like this throughout country and we need to celebrate them. It just happens this group is from Kildare, but they are very appreciative of the Irish Sign Language Act that was brought through the House.

I will also raise the issue of affiliation to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, for the Defence Forces. I understand the reason my Commencement matter on the issue was ruled out of order, but I will very briefly raise it now. In essence, we know public pay policy is set by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the public services committee of ICTU, but PDFORRA and other Defence Forces personnel cannot influence this because they are not members of ICTU. It is simply wrong that while members of the Defence Forces are currently beneficiaries of the public sector pay determination process, they are, in fact, precluded from participating in any meaningful way because their representative bodies are not permitted to affiliate with ICTU. It is vital they are offered the support of ICTU prior to the commencement of any pay review and this should happen within the next four weeks.

Yesterday, I met Caoimhe O'Connor from Newbridge, who is graduating from the special needs assistant, SNA, course in University College Dublin on Thursday. She reminded me of the meeting I attended of the north Leinster branch of Fórsa union representatives, who were very clear in their demands for respect for the SNA campaign. It is very important that SNAs, especially those who have done this particular course, receive the appropriate accreditation and that they have a more professional qualification at Quality and Qualifications Ireland level 6, which would increase the standing of SNAs in the school system and secure proper recognition for their work. I am happy to say I will have a meeting with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, on this and other educational issues tomorrow, but this has to be a priority.

On behalf of the Fine Gael group, I accept the Order of Business. I also join with colleagues in welcoming Lord Mayor Kelleher and his son to the Chamber. It is a very prestigious position to be Lord Mayor of Cork, our second city. I wish him well during his trip to Dublin and for the course of this very important year.

The Cabinet is today approving the disbandment of the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, and the removal of most remaining public health measures, including the wearing of masks. It is appropriate this House sends a very clear "Thank you" to NPHET, Dr. Tony Holohan and Dr. Ronan Glynn for the outstanding work they did during this pandemic. From the very start and the very first press conference, right through to now, their communication skills have been outstanding.

They were conservative in their approach but that approach saved many thousands of lives. It is also appropriate to thank the people who support them. We think of Paul Reid and Damien McCallion and the team at the HSE.

They did not get everything right but nobody gets everything right. In the fullness of time, lessons will be learned for future pandemics from what we achieved and did not achieve during this pandemic. The critical point is that everybody proceeded with the best of intentions and the ultimate goal of protecting public health and saving the lives of our citizens. They did a damn good job. On behalf of this House, I propose that the Leader send a letter to Dr. Glynn, Dr. Holohan and the HSE and its management team.

I pay particular tribute to public health mid-west in my area. One looks at Dr. Favier and people like her and the manner in which they went on local and national radio. They were very clear, distinct and articulate in selling the necessity to abide by the public health measures. At a local level, I acknowledge the great work done by public health mid-west, not just during the pandemic but prior to it. I know that work will continue post pandemic.

It has come to my attention that the blind and visually-impaired students who are doing the leaving certificate this year will not have access to digital examination papers. Modern technology - iPads, computers and sign readers - has done such wonders for visually-impaired young people in terms of being able to communicate, do their business and study for their examinations. I remember when I, as a visually-impaired person, did my leaving certificate 30 years ago. Despite what is available now and the opportunity technology provides, the Department of Education is still so antiquated that it does not provide examination papers in digital form. I would like the Leader to bring this matter to the attention of the Minister for Health. Perhaps the House will have a discussion on it.

I first want to remark on the fact that representatives of the Uyghur community were in Leinster House today. It is a testament to the Seanad that we are not afraid to recognise and bring into the House people from any community anywhere in the world who are being subjected to horrendous treatment. I also welcome the Lord Mayor of Cork. It is always a pleasure to see him in the House.

I know the Leader has an interest in issues relating to aviation. She must be aware of the change in the law that took effect on 1 January as a result of a European directive on security clearance for people working at airports. The Garda vetting system is breaking down. Employers do not know who to contact. They do not know how to expedite for clearance people who are brought in to work. We presume, although we do not know, that the clearance procedure involves investigating the backgrounds of family members, as well as the individual concerned. There is some suggestion that people coming from overseas can be Garda vetted much faster than indigenous Irish people. We need to look into this fairly urgently.

There is much talk about Ireland's seat on the United Nations Security Council and how we won it. According to an article in one of today's newspapers, we won it with 945 pairs of socks and with umbrellas, badges and notebooks. Some €125,000 of our hard-earned taxes were used to bring on side the diplomats who would be voting. It is repugnant to everything the United Nations stands for that these annual competitions should take place for a seat that rotates every 20 years in any event. There is something terribly wrong, in a world that is full of inequality and hunger, about us throwing out socks, umbrellas and fancy notebooks in order to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council. It is horrendous.

I will move swiftly along to Ukraine and what is happening there today.

On Mr. Putin's suggestion that he would move into eastern Ukraine in a peacekeeping role, there is only one organisation in this world that can decide on peacekeeping and that is the United Nations. If Mr. Putin is that afraid of the possibilities of problems in eastern Ukraine, what he needs to do is to bring it to the United Nations Security Council and let it pick a peacekeeping nation that will look after the needs of the people in eastern Ukraine.

I have been engaging with the Ukrainian ambassador and her staff over the past few days. My heart goes out to them today. They are miles from home and at the end of the day, they have no idea what will happen over the next 24 or 48 hours. We saw that in the incursions into Georgia, there was absolutely no support. We cannot allow that to happen in Ukraine.

Since the Seanad last sat, we learned the sad news of the passing of a fellow parliamentarian on the island. On behalf of the Green Party-Comhaontas Glas, I convey my deepest sympathies to the family, friends and the DUP on the sudden loss of Christopher Stalford, who represented the people of South Belfast since 2016 and had been the Assembly's Principal Deputy Speaker since 2020. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Like previous speakers, the Green Party is appalled by the developments in Ukraine, and the aggression. The Russians are not only recognising but are occupying the two eastern provinces in Ukraine. It is in flagrant breach of international law and the Minsk agreements and is a wholesale assault on the sovereign integrity and the territory of Ukraine. It is a matter to which this House perhaps should devote a separate debate. Last week, we celebrated 100 years and one thing that was said is that we can play an advisory role to the Government. We can think differently.

Maybe in a debate, Ireland, which has a good solid reputation, could in a most difficult situation pave some small way forward. At such a debate, I would ask why Ireland is not one of the following eight EU member states which have signed a declaration on the EU membership perspective for Ukraine, namely, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Slovak Republic, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria. I believe the Czech Republic and Romania are due to give that support. It is a complex and challenging matter applying to be a member of the EU. I would like an explanation. There may be a reason for it. There are other countries conspicuous by their absence from that support. We talk the talk but when Ukraine wanted to come into the EU, which is such a difficult task, Ireland with its credibility was not leading the way.

Also, we have learned from the peace process here. Despite a long-term occupation on the island, it did not stop peace. It did not stop the silencing of the guns. Have we something to offer our fellow European neighbours here as we face the worst outbreak potentially of bloodshed and war since the Second World War? Could we nudge some great peacemakers, like them or not, such as former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, Gerry Adams, Lord David Trimble, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, Ms Monica McWilliams, and Liz O'Donnell? If they were asked, they would bring our credibility and experiences. It is a precious peace, albeit not a perfect peace, on the island of Ireland but maybe we can bring something to at least trigger bilateral talks, which, according to what I am reading, do not seem to even be happening at present. There is no sign of bilateral talks. I note both parties might be reluctant to enter bilateral talks but as a catalyst, even if it is behind the scenes, Ireland, as a credible country, has something to offer on its own peace journey.

Cuirim fáilte roimh Ardmhéara Chorcaigh agus a mhac atá linn inniu fosta. I welcome the lord mayor to the Chamber.

I echo the sentiments of Senator Martin in relation to the very sudden and very sad death of Christopher Stalford, MLA. I have known Christopher for a long time.

We were on Belfast City Council together. We travelled on a number of international delegations to the United States, in his role as chair of the development committee and my role as ardmhéara in Belfast. I knew Christopher before that, perhaps not in the same personal sense but certainly in a political sense, as he would often turn up at events wearing Union Jack socks and a pinstripe suit. One thing you could never take away from Christopher was his commitment to his unionist and, he would say, conservative views and the very articulate and passionate way that he advocated them. He and I had many disagreements on political issues relating to Ireland but also more broadly. I have to say, however, that I always found him a great character and a great wit. After a robust debate, I could join him for a cup of coffee or, dare I say it, even the odd pint, to have a really respectful conversation.

One thing that struck me in later years with Christopher was the real love and commitment he had for his wife Laura and their four children. They are first and foremost in all of our thoughts. Christopher's death is a big loss to them, his broader family, his DUP family and his constituents in south Belfast. On my behalf and on behalf of the Sinn Féin group and, I am sure, colleagues across the House, I extend deepest sympathies to Laura and Christopher's children.

I might return to this matter given the limited time I have available to me but the Leader will have seen coverage of our neighbour, the National Gallery, whose staff and a number of artists have taken issue with the award of a particular contract. I sense your eyes on me, a Chathaoirligh, so I will not go into the specifics around contractual and procurement issues. Nevertheless, the best artists are those who hold a mirror up to society and challenge some of its worst elements. Direct provision remains a real issue and a problem and concern for many people across society. I hope to return to the issue, but in light of what has been said in the public domain in recent weeks about the National Gallery, it is timely for the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, to come to the House to discuss the programme for Government commitment to end direct provision and to give an update on that.

I very much welcome Lord Mayor Kelleher and his son to the Chamber. I also extend deepest sympathies, on behalf of the Labour Party Senators, to the Stalford family on the loss of Christopher. It is a shocking time for the DUP and the wider unionist family but there was shock right across the island of Ireland in recent days when people learned of his passing.

The Continent of Europe has entered a very dark period with the events in Ukraine in recent days. I express my solidarity with all the people of Ukraine. While the news of the package of sanctions is very welcome and the detail is eagerly awaited, we need to hear a very strong message from the Government about supporting the sanctions. Ireland is a net exporter to Russia, but we rely hugely on fossil fuel imports from Russia. We must be seen to be very strong in backing the sanctions against Russia at this point following its acts of aggression against its neighbour, Ukraine.

The main issue I wish to raise today relates to the announcement yesterday of the postponement of the citizens' assembly on drug use until 2023. This flies directly in the face of the Taoiseach's commitment on the floor of the Dáil just two weeks ago. It runs contrary also to what he said in the Fergus McCabe lecture last year. We must have an open, honest and detailed conversation about drug addiction and drug use in this country.

People's lives, their communities and their families depend on that conversation. As my colleague, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who spent many years campaigning on these issues, said, lives are going to be lost. Ireland has one of the highest rates of lives lost to drug overdoses when compared to every other EU member state. In 2017 alone 377 people lost their lives due to a drug overdose. Many were concentrated in some of the most deprived and disadvantaged parts of this country. It is, however, important to say this is an issue affecting all of Ireland. It is not just confined to Dublin, Cork or Limerick or the main urban centres.

There is much anger and frustration at the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. We had tried to work constructively with the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, on the drugs issue since he took up his position but we now need to hear from people more senior than him, namely, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health, what they are going to do about drugs policy in this country. If there is going to be a citizens' assembly on drugs in 2023 - we are told it is going to happen then but it may not - it will be 2024 before the Government can even begin to consider the recommendations. Are we really going to have a Government make sensitive and difficult decisions a year or months out from a general election? There is a very serious question mark over all that but the key issue is that we need to hear from the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health what their plans are with regard to drugs policy in this country because lives depend on it.