If we had had a small portion of the €2.5 billion in profits the banks made last year, I have no doubt it really would have been helpful to the Exchequer in dealing with all of those measures the Minister of State has just described. The Minister of State is clearly not going to do this in this Finance Bill but let us not wait until the third crisis, which is not far away. I would suggest climate change is a top contender as well as Brexit. We should not wait until the next crisis before we say we should have taxed…

I move recommendation No. 10: In page 56, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “26. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on policy options which could be taken to restrict banks from carrying forward losses against taxability of their current profits of those banks, and where banking profits arise from loans guaranteed by the Minister under the Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Act 2020 and the Credit Guarantee Act 2012…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." As the Minister will be aware, we have very recently discussed issues related to this Bill in debates on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020. I appreciated our engagement on wider issues concerning our international protection and immigration system and the reforms that are needed. I know the Minister is very much aware of the need for those reforms and is looking with great interest at the Day report. I…

Senator Gavan has made a very strong point. This is an opportunity to send a very strong and positive signal that we are listening to the message from the UN, as discussed earlier, that there should not be forced returns during this time. It is an opportunity to send a signal of intent as regards best practice which, it is hoped, would have effects elsewhere and internationally. Returning to Ireland and the situation here, it was mentioned that hard cases make bad law. I always refer to the alternative formulation,…

I would like a copy of the Minister's statement.

We usually get transition statements before we get the copies.

That is fine. I have no problem doing it myself. Normally, because this is a specific reporting function it is accompanied by a more formal report as well. I appreciate ad-libbing as I do it myself.

I welcome the Minister to the House. I can understand the desire to focus on the future, even though we are here to respond to the 2019 transition statement. We need to be serious and solemn about where we are now in order to be credible when we speak about the future. Climate change is continuing apace. The UN Environment Programme has been clear that even despite the pandemic, we are on track for a 3% increase in temperature this century. That is devastating. We declared it was a crisis and we know it is a crisis…

I wish to raise-----

What about the issue of global policy?

I understand that the Bill which my group is putting forward next week has already been formally seconded, so I simply want to voice my support for it. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have talked a great deal about solidarity and vulnerability. One cohort of people who are extremely vulnerable are those who have received letters informing them that they are to be deported and who face the prospect of being placed in unfamiliar situations. Senator Boylan spoke about the vaccine. While we may have the vaccine in Eur…

I second the proposal.

I encourage the Minister of State to review this, at a minimum. There has been a significant impact on businesses and will be an impact in the coming seasons. The proposals being put forward are reasonable, particularly those suggesting that the change being suggested needs to be reviewed so it does not have a lasting impact.

Procedurally, it is important to note and be clear that this decision by the previous Oireachtas was made in circumstances where legislation was being rushed through. Like Senator Boyhan, I have often highlighted that when one rushes legislation through without proper scrutiny mistakes are made. This provision is an example of that. It is important to note that the legislation in question never took effect. It is not the case that we already had a €175 threshold because it was never implemented. As previous speaker…

I have opposed sections 115 to 118, inclusive, because I had an overall concern. All the sections relate to policies on international protection. There are a number of flaws - anomalies and measures that are not compliant with human rights - within our international protection legislation, which it is proposed to re-insert here. I will not call votes on each section but I wanted to indicate that the reason I opposed the sections was I had concerns about this Part, because it is a particularly sensitive part. It wil…

I will not be opposing sections 115 to 118, inclusive. I am keen to move on to the specific amendments on section 119. However, some of those concerns are specific. Again, this is an issue I wish we had had more proper scrutiny of since the last occasion on which we passed withdrawal legislation. There are concerns, particularly if we end up in a situation where the UK withdraws from, for example, the human rights courts. In terms of the deeming of safe third country status and of being a first country of asylum, I…

I move amendment No. 7: In page 91, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following: “(b) by the substitution of “14 years” with “18 years” in all places where it occurs within this section,”. This amendment relates to one of the many concerns in respect of our international protection legislation. Whether the Minister accepts it today, it is one we need to look at. At the moment, the legislation allows for the taking of the fingerprints, without parental consent, of anybody over the age of 14. I note that, in oth…

The GDPR came after that EURODAC regulation so it is the more recent law. Perhaps it is due to the vulnerability of the persons affected that cases have not been taken but I imagine when they do take cases, they will be successful. While the EURODAC regulation allows us to have the database in that regard, we should look to best practice both in terms of our obligations under GDPR but also in terms of the fact Ireland has constitutionally recognised the rights of the child, so we should aim for the highest standard…

I move amendment No. 8: In page 91, to delete lines 21 to 23. The phrase "the person arrived in the State from a safe third country that is, in accordance with subsection (17), a safe country for the person." is used in the Bill. I will not speak at length to this because I wish to address the issue later when we discuss the issue of a safe third country. The European directives give guidance on that, but they also give a lot of scope for countries to set their own mechanisms. Because time is limited, I will instea…

No.