It is happening.

The issue is staff shortages.

The issue is staff shortages.

And back pay for people who have been working.

I am sharing time with Deputy Paul Murphy. I thank Sinn Féin for putting this Bill down and it is very good news that the Government will not oppose it. That is welcome. We have talked about this subject frequently in the recent past, notably in relation to Covid and the huge spike in domestic violence incidents, and people and families seeking refuge in difficult circumstances. We also talked about it in relation to the abuse images we saw recently and which we will deal with next week when the Bill goes to Commit…

I first want to note the absence of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. We cannot be in two places at the one time but it is a bit of an insult that he is not here this morning to make a statement on this matter. I want to tell him and the Minister of State that this Government amendment is among the most outrageous and misleading efforts I have seen in years, and it also has enraged the students, who know the reality of their situation. Perhaps the most outrageous idea is that their unpaid work in our hospitals…

On a point of order-----

I will shout if the Ceann Comhairle likes but there is a point of order to be raised. I disagree with the Ceann Comhairle regarding the advice of the Office of the Parliamentary Legal Adviser, OPLA. I attended that briefing in the convention centre and the office gave contrary advice.

Deputy Murphy was not there. I was.

I have other Deputies in this Chamber who will confirm what I have said.

A Cheann Comhairle, it is the explanation that I want to challenge you on.

There are other Deputies in this House who will confirm my version of events.

We are talking about taking advice. There are two versions of advice.

I asked a question on the advice. I was told doctors differ and patients die. That was the answer.

It is not agreed. I repeat the point made earlier that everyone should see it as in his or her own interests that the Standing Orders are not misinterpreted. I say that with all due respect to those who are interpreting them. It is not very clear at all, according to what the Ceann Comhairle is telling us, that Standing Order 77(2) still does not stand. It states: Where such an Article 35.4.1° motion is put on the Order Paper for any day, the Dáil may either reject the said motion, or on a motion made to adjourn th…

The legal advice given to us, a Cheann Comhairle, never once said to us that we had to take it in Private Members' time. The Standing Orders do not say that. It is your interpretation of it that says it has to be taken in Private Members' time. We are not making a choice between defending these student nurses and their right to be paid properly and the constitutional right of a Deputy to put down such a motion under Article 35.4.1° of Bunreacht na hÉireann. It is the interpretation that is standing in the way, not …

A very welcome process, which the Taoiseach helped to initiate by intervening in the Debenhams dispute, has begun. Tomorrow the parties will be meeting for more talks, with Mr. Kevin Foley as mediator. However, a serious problem has arisen. Commitments were made whereby the workers agreed to relax the pickets on the stores and KPMG undertook not to attempt to remove stock. KPMG has now confirmed to the media that stock has been removed from branches in Newbridge, Tallaght and Mahon Point Shopping Centre in Cork. Ye…

I thank Deputy Costello for allowing me to speak on the matter. We had a virtual meeting that involved the Minister of State and it was made clear that she would visit the proposed school and the community. That is imperative now, because as the Minister of State herself said, a report expected before the end of the year. We are almost at the end of the year as it is 1 December today. There is not much time left to do this and for the Minister of State to get some idea and, we hope, to make some promise in respect …

There is a danger in the Government's policy of setting up a commission to review the pension age. This commission, chaired by a senior civil servant at the Revenue, will examine the sustainability and eligibility issues and outline options for the Government to address issues, including qualifying age, contribution rates, total contributions and eligibility requirements. One would have to be naive in the extreme to believe that this commission is not going to offer a fig leaf to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, who inte…

I thank Deputy Kenny for foregoing his very serious question on abuse of human rights in Palestine to allow me to raise this matter. The reason he did so was that yesterday Ms Loujain al-Hathoul was 1,000 days in custody and had her first appearance in court, having been transferred to the anti-terrorism court by the Saudi regime. Her crime was to have posted on social media posts on women's rights. Ms al-Hathoul was jailed just before driving was made legal for women but she also campaigned on domestic violence ag…