Housing, climate change, and sick pay: What to expect as Dáil returns for 2021
Climate Action and Communications Minister Eamon Ryan, Tánaiste and Enterprise Minister Leo Varadkar, and Taoiseach Micheál Martin. File Picture: Julien Behal
A breathless Government is going full pelt on a treadmill that simply will not stop and, as the Dáil returns this week, many will feel that they never really got a chance to slow down over Christmas.
But away from the Covid chaos, the world continues to turn.
The pandemic has and will dominate public debate, Dáil proceedings, and Government business. Life as we know it may have been turned upside and inside out by the arrival of the coronavirus, but the concerns and issues that existed before have not simply gone away.
There are myriad concerns, from addressing the gender pay gap to ending the shame that is direct provision, banning dual pricing in the insurance market, introducing maternity leave for politicians, and progressing the right to 'switch off' for all workers.
The pandemic has already forced politicians to opt for a pared-back Dáil and Seanad schedule, which will skew schedules and limit the amount of legislation that will be passed this term.
But there are some pressing issues that cannot be ignored.
In late October, a Court of Appeal ruling saw the names of murdered children scrubbed from public discourse.
Children who are victims of homicide cannot now be identified, thereby severely impacting the ability of families to speak publicly, and on the media’s ability to report on trials.
In early December, Justice Minister Helen McEntee promised to move "as quickly as possible" on the court ruling which found that section 252 of the Children’s Act 2001 has a much broader application, making it an offence to publish anything that could identify a child who is an alleged victim of an offence, including a deceased child.
In the wake of the ruling, Fianna Fáil TD and senior counsel Jim O’Callaghan also tabled an amendment to restore the previous status quo — any move to address the issue is unlikely to come up against opposition from other parties.
In bringing forward his Dying with Dignity Bill, which has already passed through the Dáil, Gino Kenny aims to provide for assisted dying in limited circumstances and allow for medical professionals to help some terminally ill patients end their own lives.
"Assisted dying is not about ending life, it’s about ending suffering when you no longer have the option of living," the Solidarity-PBP TD said.
Public submissions on the bill, which would see Ireland follow Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, are being accepted until January 29 before it goes to the justice committee for detailed scrutiny.
The Government had put forward a motion to set up a special committee to examine the bill, similar to the approach taken to the Eighth Amendment. This would have added a year to the progress of the bill and was defeated in the Dáil before Christmas.
Mr Kenny hopes a committee report on the bill will be published before the summer, at the very latest.
The lack of statutory sick pay has been identified as a fundamental weakness in our fight against the pandemic.
It has also highlighted a wider issue around the rights, protections, and conditions of lower-paid workers.
When the virus swept through meat-processing factories last summer, it emerged that just 20% of people working in the sector are given sick pay. It means that already low-paid workers are docked wages if they are unwell, sparking concern that many could be forced to attend work even if they are symptomatic.
While many were quick to call for action as the virus raged through our meat plants, the issue has now gone out to consultation with unions. The Government has provided a vague promise to have legislation by the end of the year.
"We cannot afford to wait until the end of 2021," Labour senator Marie Sherlock said.
"The delay really is not acceptable, there have been multimillion-euro pieces of legislation that have been passed through the Oireachtas within hours, if there is a determination to make this happen by Government then they can make it happen quickly."
The absence of this protection for workers will have implications far beyond the lifespan of this virus, but now should be the time to strike and address an issue cannot be allowed to simply fall through the cracks.
The Green Party made a big deal of getting a commitment to publish the Climate Action Bill within the first 100 days of Government.
In the end, the self-imposed deadline on the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill was missed by a number of days.
The legislation commits to move to a climate-neutral economy by 2050.
The bill, published in October, also brings in a system of five-year economy-wide carbon budgets, which will outline a ceiling for total greenhouse-gas emissions.
However, the measures have been criticised as not going far enough, and calls have been made to further strengthen the legislation, including from many within the Green Party.
The pre-legislative scrutiny stage passed before Christmas and it is understood that a considerable number of amendments will be accepted. It is due back in the Dail soon but the Government could be setting out on a rocky road to passing this essential legislation.
Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien, perhaps more than any of his predecessors, cannot afford to fail.
His Fianna Fáil party spent almost a decade in opposition calling for action on housing and homelessness, so its much-publicised plan to make homes more affordable must deliver.
As the Covid-19 pandemic consumed much of the Government's time last year, the focus drifted away from the housing crisis, but there were still more than 6,000 adults and 2,452 children in emergency accommodation at the end of November.
The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) estimates that 5,000 homes were not built during the last lockdown and output had dropped by 10%, at a cost of €3bn to the industry and the economy.
Mr O'Brien brought his Affordable Housing Bill to Cabinet before Christmas. This will see the Government offer equity loans of up to 30% on new-build homes under €400,000.
However, the plan, which has yet to even reach the floor of the Dáil, was dubbed "an early Christmas gift for developers" by Sinn Féin, which claims it will simply drive property prices up.
Mr O'Brien will have a task on his hands to get the legislation passed, but action is required.
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