Winter is always an extraordinarily difficult time in our health service, whether one is a healthcare worker, a patient or one who is anxious about a loved one in hospital. My party colleague, Deputy Kelly, raised the issue of the flu vaccine in the Dáil. We are seeking an update on that issue because there is serious concern among general practitioners and many other sectors of society. Pharmacies are advertising the flu vaccine online but when one fills out the form, one realises that one cannot get the vaccine. …

I am glad we are discussing this motion here again, as it gives us in the Labour Party another chance to implore the Green Party, Fianna Fáil, and Fine Gael to reconsider the Government decision to kick the issue of sick pay down the line. As my colleague, Senator Higgins, said, the amendment includes the line, "an alternative to sick pay", which I think is a laudable thing to put in, but unless the alternative is actually to eradicate illness altogether, which is a bold thought in the Covid crisis, I cannot really…

I will join in on this jingle-jangle of amendments. I will specifically speak to amendments Nos. 26 to 28, inclusive. When we were first spoke about removing the provision regarding the relevant person, I commended the Minister of State. I echo Senator Higgins's concern that this measure may find its way back in through another mechanism. The people who may seek to make an appeal in a given case include rural dwellers, environmentalists and others who have very real concerns about the environment, biodiversity, the…

There is no clock in here, which makes things a little more difficult.

That is no problem. I welcome the Minister. I am delighted that there is a Minister with responsibility for further and higher education, innovation, research and science because those are my favourite topics in the world. I am thrilled that there is a Minister focused on the area. I could take the Minister on a whistle-stop tour of all the different things I could talk about. I will try to get through as many as I can. Last week, I met representatives of the Alliance for Affordable Insurance for International Stud…

I welcome the Minister to the House. It is great to get to address her for a second time. It is a good opportunity to get to look at what has happened recently and to delve a little further into the reopening of our schools and other recent issues. I fear, however, that what we are now seeing in primary and secondary education are the chickens coming home to roost and all the issues Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have been putting on the long finger for a couple of years. Class sizes have been a consistent cause of conc…

I welcome the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, to the House. It is a great honour to see one of our colleagues elevated to the role of Minister of State and it is great to have her here. There is no doubt that there is a crisis in forestry licences and there is an impact due to delays. I am cognisant of the delays and the impact these have on individuals. Forestry in Ireland, including the sawmilling industry, is in crisis because the forestry service is simply not able to process licences for applications to pl…

I would like to offer my thanks to the ushers and to the other staff of the Oireachtas. They have shown great kindness and have made me feel very welcome, as have many people in this Chamber. I hope everyone working here also gets a wonderful break. The Boyne valley is less than an hour away, so they might zip up there and have a look-see. I would like to take a moment to refer to the controversy that raged this week in respect of a Tampax ad. I will not weigh in on the quality or merits of the ad. All sorts of ads…

I thank the Minister for coming here today and I look forward to the work to be done by both her Department and that of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on the matter. I will speak specifically about the Cahersiveen case, using many of the words of the people who are there. In their words, the people in Cahersiveen are already victims of trauma, including torture and rape. There are over 100 residents in a 56-room hotel and it has been known since April that this accommodation was unsuitable because, eve…

Over the weekend I spoke on the Labour Youth panel at our Tom Johnson Summer School about the issue of tackling systemic racism. The speakers on the panel were Amanda Nyoni from the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, MASI, Bernard Joyce from the Irish Traveller Movement, and Dr. Ebun Joseph, who is an incredible lecturer. If Members have a free moment, I suggest they take the time to watch that panel discussion, which is available online, on systemic racism in Ireland and the actions we need to take both within…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus déanaim comhghairdeas léi agus guím gach rath uirthi ina ról nua. The Minister comes into this position at a challenging time with huge decisions around the reopening of schools and indeed the reform of the sector as a whole, with the creation of the new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. As the Labour Party spokesperson on further, higher and all aspects of education in the Seanad, I am glad to have…

I will speak about direct provision and some serious concerns raised by residents of direct provision centres about how they are treated. These are based on recent correspondence residents received from the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, regarding those who leave direct provision overnight and similar matters. The correspondence states that in line with previous public health advice, any resident who is absent from the centre for one night or more without notifying the manager will not be per…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate him on his appointment. We met on the radio yesterday, so it is nice to meet him in person across the Chamber. On behalf of the Labour Party, I welcome this Bill, which demonstrates a commitment from the Government to higher and further education. The new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has great potential to address the huge challenges facing the sector. This Department will be justified if it can prove its w…

It is disappointing that the amendment has been included in the Bill. I reiterate the Labour Party's support for the foundation of the Department of further and higher education, research, innovation and science, recognising that learning needs to be a continuum from early years through lifelong and adult learning, so it is disappointing the amendment is included. The previous two speakers have outlined very succinctly and clearly our reasons for opposing the amendment, the inappropriateness of it at this time reco…

The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind for students and the education sector. Yesterday saw the launch of the further education and training, FET, strategy, which I warmly welcome. I look forward to working with the Minister and the further education sector on vital issues relating to upskilling, training and skills. Yesterday, too, the Labour Party launched its July stimulus which called for significant investment in retraining, upskilling and lifelong learning to provide people with real work opportunities. Many…

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I reiterate my Labour Party colleague's support for the Bill. We broadly agree with the principle of developing a €500 million climate action fund from the proceeds of an existing levy paid by all companies and using it for climate action projects to decarbonise the economy. It is not, however, a suitable long-term plan to fund our climate action plans from revenue collected from burning fossil fuels. It is important that a long-term strategy is put in place to fund the cl…

This time four years ago the Cassells report on the future funding of higher education was launched. Today I was announced as the Labour Party spokesperson on higher education. At the time of the report's launch, there was great energy around. It was thought that we would solve the funding crisis in the higher education sector. Obviously, that has not happened. We often use the phrase that we are kicking the can down the road and that we are going to run out of road. At this stage we have, quite literally, run out …

I offer my congratulations to the Cathaoirleach. I am very new to all this and so I do not have great accolades to go back on. I was struck by the fact that, this time three years ago, I was packing up my office and leaving the student movement where I had been the president of the Union of Students in Ireland, USI. I did not know what I was doing, where I was going or what was going to happen, so it has been quite an interesting three years. I am sure Members in the Upper House or Lower House got emails from me or…