Senator Bacik calls for debate on Women's Participation in Politics, and a change in Liscencing Laws Regarding Good Friday

Order of Business

Senator Ivana Bacik: I second Senator Fitzgerald's amendment to the Order of Business, calling for a debate today on women's participation in politics. The Leader promised us such a debate this week. As yesterday was International Women's Day, it would be timely to have such a debate this week. As the House is well aware, last October the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights produced a unanimous all-party report on improving women's participation in politics. The report contains a number of important recommendations and the committee has requested that both Houses of the Oireachtas debate it. I ask the Leader to ensure we will that have debate in this House. The Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, is committed to participating in it and anxious that it be held. It was promised for this week, in particular, because of International Women's Day. It will be an historic debate in that the issue has never been debated on the floor of either House of the Oireachtas. The committee will be debating the report tomorrow in recognition of International Women's Day, but it is a pity the Seanad is not doing so today.

I also support Senator O'Toole's call for a change in the law to allow licensed premises to open on Good Friday. It is an anomaly that we do not allow them to open on that day.

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In 2010 it is no longer acceptable that we are holding to a quaint notion that Good Friday is a day on which alcohol cannot be consumed. I am not saying we should have drunkeness on the streets. However, as Senator O'Toole said, let those of us who do not believe Good Friday is a particularly special day choose to do what we want to do in pubs and clubs. In particular, given the match to be held in Munster on that date, it shows up the pointlessness of the provision. It is not so quaint when one looks at the bigger picture. On “Today with Pat Kenny” this morning the issue arose of trainee teachers having to learn how to teach religion. Religious education is a compulsory subject on the curriculm at our teacher training colleges, six of which are controlled by the Catholic Church, while one is a Church of Ireland establishment. The latter can give preference in its admission policies to Church of Ireland applicants. That is also anomalous in this day and age.

I seek a debate on initiatives to improve literacy and reading. I congratulate Dublin City Council and the organisers of the Dublin book festival which has just finished its three-day run at City Hall on Dame Street. The premises were transformed by book stalls, poetry and book readings and even a café. It was very welcome to see the event which attracted large numbers of people. It is the kind of intiative we should be supporting in this House because it is a way of engaging people in improving literacy levels and reading skills among children and adults alike.