I am seeking clarification because the primary purpose of a pub is to sell drink.

If the primary purpose is not to sell drink in an outdoor setting, what is it? How is any pub covered?

That is the primary purpose.

What is not the primary purpose?

The Minister of State has twice read a sentence that is completely unclear to me.

What is the importance of the notion of this not being the primary purpose of pubs? Selling drink is their primary purpose, surely.

I will be very brief. I am not a member of the defence committee and nor am I suggesting I should be. As a member of three other committees, my burden is enough. My point is that I did not have the chance to debate the Bill in committee. I am interested, therefore, in the expert views not only of the Minister but of Deputies who were involved in that debate. It struck me immediately when I read the amendments and the intention of the Minister that the issue of employment needs to be addressed. While I understand th…

I too welcome the review chaired by Mr. Justice Michael Peart. I also take note of the Minister's promise of an interim report shortly. In the meantime, we are asked to continue in force certain provisions of the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009. That is the motion before the House. The provisions to be renewed again fall into two categories. First, those enactments created new offences and, second, the provision of the ordinary courts are deemed as inade…

As is evident from the Taoiseach's contribution, there is a wide agenda for this week's EU Council meeting. There will be a sharp focus on Covid-19, the vaccination situation across the European Union and the post-Covid economic recovery plan, all of which relate to our business and our prospects as a country. A number of related matters are important to us. I will briefly touch on a few of them. On the roll-out of the vaccines and vaccine acquisition, after a slow start it is reasonable for the Taoiseach to sugges…

The issue of housing as a right has been debated many times in Dáil and Seanad Éireann. The right to secure shelter of a decent standard is generally accepted by Members of these Houses to be a human right on a par with the right to bodily integrity and access to healthcare or education, but it is a right which this Republic has not delivered upon, despite any number of policy initiatives, programme for Government commitments and White Papers. We could plaster a house with such documents. The Labour Party believes …

I am very pleased to have an opportunity to speak on the Maritime Jurisdiction Bill presented by the Minister of State. As the Minister of State has indicated, this is a consolidation Bill to set out the legal framework for Ireland's maritime jurisdiction. As the Minister of State explained section by section, it is quite a technical Bill not only consolidating enactments going back a very long time but also, in essence, an enabling Bill for the State to set out its jurisdiction over maritime areas in clear legal f…

On behalf of the Labour Party, I support the motion, which is in the name of the committee, that I hope will be passed by all Members. Belarus is not a nation that we have traditionally had extensive dealings with, but many of us have publicly supported the democratic rallies that followed last year's patently fraudulent presidential election. We supported publicly and in this House the sanctions taken by the EU against the Lukashenko regime's violent action against peaceful demonstrators. What is probably the most…

I would like to be associated with the compliments to former Senator Ó Céidigh for his work on this important legislation.

I commend the Sinn Féin Party on tabling this motion and providing the time for this House to debate one of the most important moral issues the world has to face. Labour Party Deputies are very proud to co-sign and support this motion. It has been worked on for some time, with the support of a number of external groups. The focus of the motion in recent weeks has been on the systematic undermining, if not the shattering, of the basis of a two-state solution to the generations of conflict and violence which have occ…

Gaza is a tiny enclave 41 km long and 11 km at its widest point. It has endured a military and economic blockade since 2007, effectively imprisoning almost two million people in an area the size of 362 sq. km. For almost two weeks now, this third most densely populated spot in the world has been under sustained and shocking bombardment by one of the best armed military forces on the planet. We know that at least 230 Palestinians are dead, including 65 children, which I read as I came into the Chamber. The rockets l…

I commend Deputy Fitzpatrick on tabling the amendment. I awaited with interest the response from the Minister of State. Having worked in government in recent times, I was not a bit surprised. There is an extraordinary caution - I use that word advisedly - regarding anything that tramples on so-called property rights. The Constitution is a permanent shield often against the public good. The Minister of State made comment, as I did in my Second Stage speech on the Bill, of the work of the former Deputy, Willie Penros…

These are technical amendments and I am sure no one will have a difficulty with them.

The only amendments tabled are technical amendments and I do not think Members will have difficulties with them.

I take it that the issue addressed by the amendment is the insertion of a comma. I do not see any difference apart from the comma.

The only change I see resulting from amendment No. 3 is the insertion of a comma. Is that the amendment?