I support the Minister of State with respect to the deletion of section 8. The original section 8 was well intended but it is clear from an examination of the various penalties involved in professional registrations that the section could potentially have impeded on the ability of regulatory bodies to penalise people who lied on applications, so it is important that that section be deleted.

Now.

I raise the issue of professional withholding tax, which is a matter many will not know about because the only people affected are those who collect it and those who pay it. It affects many thousands of workers in this country who provide professional services to the State through local authorities, the HSE, Departments or whatever it might be. They include engineers, medical staff, lawyers and anybody providing professional services to the State. In those circumstances, 20% is deducted from their earnings at the e…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I welcome the electronic element of this that is coming. It is absolutely welcome and Revenue is generally very good at putting these things online. I am delighted to hear the Minister of State saying this is all about the individual because that is exactly where I am coming from. The question I am asking is whether this is something Revenue will do or will consider doing. Of course we can make voluntary tax payments during the year but that does not reflect the reali…

I welcome the Bill, as have most speakers in the debate. I congratulate the Minister on bringing it forward. This is an issue of concern for a very long time. Some of my colleagues in the legal profession fought this battle decades ago and established in the courts the discrepancies in the way people were paid different amounts for the work they were doing. They deserve great credit for that. Many of them are still in practice and still fighting that battle. It is very difficult for us to understand why it has take…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, duine atá mar chomharsa liom i nDún Laoghaire. D'fhreastail mé ar an gComhairle Contae Dhún Laoghaire–Ráth an Dúin leis an Aire Stáit freisin. Go háirithe sa chás sin, cuirim fáilte roimhe. I welcome the Bill. It is tremendously important as we return to some form of normality. After the cuts under the FEMPI legislation, it is only appropriate that we restore the pay. I absolutely endorse the comments made by Members on the need to recognise the good work done by the public servic…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Seanad agus fáiltím roimh an mBille. Is Bille an-tábhachtach ar fad atá i gceist anseo, fiú go bhfuil sé ar an taobh teicniúil den chuid is mó. Is trua é nár bhaineamar an spriocdháta chun an treoir Eorpach a chur i bhfeidhm amach ach tá áthas orm fáilte a chur roimh an mBille seo, a dhéanann an obair sin. Having listened to the contributions of other speakers and Senators on this Bill, I must say that it is welcome. The Bill goes through a number of boxes that need to be…

Next Monday.

The Senator said he was not going to-----

I got permission.

I did ask for permission.

Senator McDowell said he does not want to hog the time. We are now approximately five minutes away from the end of this session. If he does not want to hog the time, maybe he should be seated.

I want to comment on this because I accept entirely the position of Senator Higgins and understand her concern. Obviously, a regulation could be made out of term but I do not think it would be usual for a "sitting day" provision to be put into legislation. This provision exists in lots of legislation and there has not been a problem with it to date. Perhaps the matter could be resolved by an undertaking or an indication from the Minister of State that there is no desire to try to circumvent this provision or that n…

On the requirement for a certificate in section 11, is the authorisation of a particular statutory body, more often than not the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, required for a particular prosecution? I acknowledge this is a fairly common construct in legislation and I do not have a difficulty with that. However, in subsection (1), which requires a certificate to be granted by the Minister, that then becomes a necessary proof in any prosecution that arises. A further duty is, therefore, created f…

It was great to see so many people out and about enjoying facilities at the weekend. I was in places such as Dún Laoghaire, Blackrock, Dalkey and Killiney and saw a lot of responsible behaviour. The aftermath is clear to see. Parking was a particular feature of places like Dalkey and Killiney. It seems many people drove there to go swimming, go to the beach or whatever it was, but then parked wherever they wanted. While it is wonderful to welcome people to our area and it is great to see people using the amenities,…

Deirtear gur Bille comhdhlúthaithe atá i gceist anseo. Déarfainn níos mó ná sin, is Bille é a thugann dlíthe muirí le chéile and that it is very important that we have a coming together of the law on maritime issues and a clarity that has perhaps been lacking. I disagree with a previous speaker who stated that this is writing some words on a piece of paper to satisfy a UN convention. It is tremendously important to put together on paper, and in a single place, clarity about what the law means, especially in the con…

I also welcome the Bill, which addresses an important point. The idea that any legal aid scheme would take into account income which is not really in the possession of an individual is wrong, and it is right that we should act to correct that situation. I welcome the intervention of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, in this regard. It is important that we recognise that civil legal aid provision should be a reflection of people's disposable income, as it is in the context of criminal legal aid, for example. T…

Tomorrow at 9 a.m. in the convention centre.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I take into account what she has said and if it has not been done already, I am quite happy to second the Government's amendment. What she has said gives us an insight into the services provided. This is a very strange debate to be having. We know a tender process is under way and yet a House of the Oireachtas is discussing what some of us believe the outcome of that tender process should be, which I believe is entirely inappropriate. I do not understand why we are doing that. I d…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus gabhaim buíochas leis freisin as teacht anseo chun labhairt ar an ábhar seo. The Luas, as we know, and I am specifically talking here about the green line that runs along the old Harcourt Street railway line corridor, was constructed without regard to other transport options that might have been put alongside it. For example, as you go through Ranelagh, right out through Milltown and the Milltown viaduct, and through all of the other places as far as Bride’s Glen and Cherrywood, the…