I thank the Minister of State for his response but the language in it does not give me much comfort. It states: "... I understand from An Garda Síochána that proposals for a new station will be considered as part of the next Garda accommodation programme". The assistant Garda commissioner announced in June 2019 that it would happen. I worry when I see words like "proposals" and "considered" in the Minister of State's reply. I appreciate his comments about the proposed commission for the north side and Drogheda. Thi…

I might cut my contribution to five minutes or thereabouts to facilitate other Members who wish to make contributions and who have been here all day. It is only fair we share the time. While everybody wants to support the Bill tabled by Sinn Féin, and the Labour Party also appreciates the opportunity to speak on the issue of housing, I am disappointed the Minister is no longer in the Chamber. We have, however, had some constructive engagement with him in the past, particularly on one of the housing strategies the L…

I congratulate Deputy Joan Collins and the Independent Group for tabling this motion. Quite a number of motions have been put before this House on workers' rights. Unfortunately, and I mean no disrespect to the Minister of State, it is a common theme of the debates on these motions that a senior Minister is not in attendance. The Minister of State may consider that to be a political jibe and an unfair political criticism but it is the truth. The last time we discussed a motion of this nature a number of months ago …

We had a debate earlier on workers' rights. I know the Tánaiste will have an interest in what was said and in the nature of the economy we are trying to grapple with, even since before Covid arrived, which is a low-pay economy. The Tánaiste spoke about this in his remarks also. We have spoken before about the disproportionate number of young people and migrant workers who are on low pay and the huge numbers of young people in insecure work. I will give context to the debate and what we are facing. This is not a deb…

My point is made but I want it to be recorded. The Minister of State, with respect, is here and he made a contribution which was well put together and was appreciated, but the Government cannot go on the airwaves and in the media and suggest that the Opposition is not being constructive, that the Opposition is part of the problem or that the Opposition is trying to sow confusion when in the middle of a contribution by the Opposition the Tánaiste decides to leave. He left halfway through it. We are all in this toget…

We are in a pandemic situation; we have a virus that is making people unwell and is killing people. I wish that other aspects of Irish society and public policy were dealt with in the same manner which the Government has dealt with this issue and indeed other issues such as Brexit. There is nothing the Government would not do or say, no intervention it would not make and no resources it would fail to find in order to deal with the Brexit issue or indeed with this pandemic. There is another scourge in this country w…

I welcome the Minister. Politics can be a difficult and harsh game but we in the Labour Party do not see it as our job to make the Minister feel uncomfortable over the next number of years. In fact, I want to be in a position to congratulate the Minister as often as I possibly can. There are certain issues in Irish public policy that go beyond the over and back, Punch and Judy style of politics and education should be one of those. We are in an historic situation where for the first time in the history of the State…

I welcome the Minister to the House and the establishment of his Department, which will give us an opportunity to focus on the issues of further and higher education. I very much welcome his opening remarks because he covered a number of issues, such as the stigmatisation of young people, which is unfortunate, and the issue of sexual violence in third level institutions, which he is passionate about tackling. We also want to discuss the funding of third level education and the Cassells report, which the Minister re…

I welcome the Minister of State and appreciate the opportunity to share some thoughts with her. My time is short so I will speak to two main matters. The first is the way SNAs are treated and the second is access to very basic provisions for children with additional needs in the community, including school places. A crisis often reveals what society is really like, the priorities of that society and what it genuinely respects. The SNA role has been in our education system for approximately 20 years and there are en…

I intend to be brief, but I concur with my colleague, Deputy O'Reilly, about the Tánaiste's engagement with his portfolio. It appears to those of us in opposition that it is beneath him to address matters pertaining to his Department in the Oireachtas. It is approximately two weeks since he took a swipe at the Labour Party's proposal to introduce legislation in reference to the High Court decision on sectoral employment orders. He dismissed it as virtue signalling. I have been waiting for an opportunity on the floo…

The point I am making relates to remote working and the fact that there is an assumption that it is in all circumstances a positive. If, however, a company decides that a worker can in all circumstances work remotely and connect remotely to the workplace, that is something which will need to be regulated heavily by the Government and via legislation. There may be overcrowded housing, the workers may be young or may not necessarily have access to the appropriate materials or IT equipment. In addition, workers may no…

There is a commitment in the programme for Government to establish citizens' assemblies, including one on drugs and on education, which I believe is restricted to primary and secondary education. I seek further detail on this commitment, including when will this be established, its terms of reference and the timescale for its sittings.

Some of the reservations people in education have about the Minister's appointment do not relate to any lack of ability, competence or understanding of the education system. Our nervousness is that when a conservative Department meets a conservative Minister, the possibility of a radical overhaul of our education system may be affected. Such an overhaul could lead to having equality at the centre of the system and addressing its constitutional underpinning, which ensures that we do not really have a State education…

That all sounds great. My problem is in predicting our engagement with the Minister. Over the next period when we raise something that could radically overhaul the education system or bring in legislation that could enhance equality provisions within education, her go-to answer could very easily be that we will deal with the matter in the citizens' assembly. What I need from her is a commitment on when she wants the citizens' assembly to be established. Even if she could name a year, I would appreciate it. The last…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: “(2) (a) The Government may from time to time by order extend the emergency period, either generally or with reference to any particular purpose or provision, for such period as it considers appropriate if it is satisfied that, having regard to the threat to public health presented by Covid-19 and the need to mitigate the economic effects arising from that disease, the making of such order is in the public interest. (b) Every order…

I will be quick. Regarding the issues outlined by Deputy Ó Broin, we in the Labour Party will support this amendment. I also want to record my gratitude and that of my party to the Minister, Deputy Harris, for recognising the literacy issues in this State. Some 17.9% of Irish adults are functionally illiterate, and these are the people who we are asking to navigate the housing schemes we put through the Houses of the Oireachtas. That is why we support this amendment and that is why I was glad to see the Minister, D…

I move amendment No. 4: In page 5, to delete lines 14 and 15. I wish to correct the Minister. Section 4(1)(b), as drafted, does not allow for a declaration by a tenant after the event. I want the Minister to correct his assertion. Unless something is in law and written down in black and white, the Minister's comments on the floor of the House only travel so far. Many of us are frustrated by attempts to criminalise in respect of any aspect of public policy unless it is absolutely necessary. I spend a significant amo…

The Labour Party has an issue with the lopsided nature of the Bill. Somebody who owns property with a tenant in his or her property can play the game and get away with it by making declarations which many people know to be a half-truth, a non-truth or a blatant lie. That person will not end up with a criminal sanction under the provisions of this Bill, but the tenants who try to keep their family together, as other people have mentioned, face criminal sanction on top of potential eviction. That is why we feel so st…

I will be as brief as possible in support of these amendments. The overarching thing we are trying to achieve was referenced by the previous speaker, with whom I agree. There can be a level of political game playing, either here or in Leinster House, as the Minister knows, in which the Opposition tries to depict the Government as uncaring, unfeeling and on the side of everything that is bad while everybody in the Opposition is on the side of everything that is good. It is not as simple as that, as we know. We know …

It is not agreed to.