There is never a dull moment in politics and the last two weeks certainly lived up to that with an array of events, from Presidential Debates, Clinics, Ministerial announcements and a trip to Warsaw.

The Presidential election 2011 with a record seven candidates all vying to be the next President of Ireland has had a fair few twists and turns at this stage.  Whilst each candidate has their own unique selling points, I am supporting Gay Mitchell for this political office. I believe if substance matters over image, Gay is the man for the job. As he says himself ‘handsome is as handsome does’.  What impresses me most about Gay is his value set: ‘To deliver on a socially just society we need enterprise and a strong economy’ along with his clarity that ‘ with rights come responsibilities’. He will serve us well at home and is ready to be the face of Ireland to the world.

Following my own intervention, I was delighted last week that Min. Ruairi Quinn extended the JobBridge scheme to primary and post primary schools. Having raised the issue on a number of occasions about the hundreds of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who are seeking an opportunity to complete their probation, this is big news. By participating in JobBridge many of these young teachers will now be able to undergo their probation and become fully registered with the Teaching Council. Both schools and teachers need to register with FÁS so both sides can avail of this programme. It has been made clear that schools cannot use the scheme to displace existing members of staff.  A radical departure for different times, this scheme presents a win-win situation for teachers and schools alike.

On Wednesday, I hosted a briefing in Leinster House for Paul Fallon from ‘On the Road Again’. Paul is a fit Galway man with a mission. Uniquely, he has helped rehabilitate homeless people  through fitness, mainly running. Paul will run 1,000 miles around Ireland in aid of homeless services during the month of December. Working with Cope and Simon, he will stop at all the shelters en route. He is looking for 1000 people to join him and run one mile at a sponsorship rate of 100 euro. In so doing he will raise €100,000 for homeless services! I think this is a great idea. As long as my knee holds out, I will be joining Paul on New Year’s Eve in Galway city as he completes this incredible trek. He deserves our support. If you would like to join in, visit Paul’s website on http://www.otra.ie/www.otra.ie

Last week the Seanad had the pleasure of an address from special guest Dr. Maurice Manning, President of the Irish Human Rights Commission (HRC) and Chancellor of the National University of Ireland. Inviting in outside guests/ civic leaders is a new departure for the Seanad. Dr Maurice Manning has a distinguished track record as a former politician, academic and human rights campaigner.

One observation he made especially struck me. He said if any single factor had led us to our current position, it was the failure of scrutiny. Listening to him, I felt, as well as scrutinising legislation in the Senate, we must also scrutinise our rights and examine how they are activated in reality. I commended Dr. Manning on his human rights work and especially the HRC report into the conditions at the John Paul centre for intellectually disabled adults in Ballybane.

In addressing the role of the Seanad he gave us a powerful sense of its past and its future. Remembering the many former members of the House he cited ‘Mary Robinson and Catherine McGuinness, courageous and far-sighted reformers; John A Murphy and Joe O’Toole, both fearless and iconoclastic; Ken Whitaker and Maurice Hayes, probably the two finest public servants in the history of the State, and the late Jim Dooge, a superb legislator – and perhaps the most memorable of all, the late Gordon Wilson who stood for generosity and forgiveness, even in the worst of the Troubles’. He perfectly summed up the future of the Seanad – ‘the Irish people are fair-minded. There is no ingrained hostility to this House. The case is yours to make. You can make it a good case.” I needed to hear his inspirational address.

On Thursday, before heading for Galway, I paid a visit to the Ministers’ Corridor in Leinster House with a list of health, education and social protection issues as well as some useful constituent-based proposals. The trick of course is to catch the Minister or failing that the next in command. After a busy set of weekend clinics in Galway city, Oranmore, Clarinbridge and Claregalway, it won’t be long ‘til I’m chasing Ministers again. Meeting with constituents in Galway city, Oranmore, Clarinbridge and Claregalway, the concerns spanned a wide range of issues from children’s diabetes, nursing homes, carer’s allowance and social welfare to road works, anti-social behaviour and education funding. I am particularly concerned about the state of Galway University Hospital.

Saturday week last  was a special day in my home area of Maree. It marked the opening of the new community pitches with a family fun day. A seven year project coming to fruition, you would have to see it to believe it. It is a veritable sports campus. To top it all I was delighted to be able to announce a grant of new funding from Galway rural development of 120k euro odd for an indoor arena and astro-turf. The whole community but most especially the children and parents of Maree and Oranmore are fortunate to have had a series of dedicated committees through the years. Names that come to mind include John Shaughnessy, Louis Burke, Andy Clohessy, Clare Conneeley to name but a few, and of course Joe Broder, the man who prepares the robust proposals that never fail to impress. The work of Anne Flynn at Galway Rural Development in recognising community population needs must also be acknowledged. Long may Leader continue!

Next week I will tell you about my trip to Warsaw as part of an EU27 meeting, as we commence our preparations to host the EU presidency beginning Jan 2013. Till next week … All the best.

Senator Fidelma Healy Eames,

Spokesperson on Social Protection and member of EU affairs committee.