This Bill, as has been stated by the Minister of State and the Government, is largely technical in nature, protecting the EU's financial interests and creating offences around fraud affecting the financial interest of the EU. We are generally supportive of it. It is welcome to see legislation that will tackle this issue, given that estimates of the volume of fraud against the EU budget range from €400 million to €5 billion, including an estimated €1 billion linked to VAT fraud. This is a massive expense on the Euro…

The daily numbers for Covid might be lower than they were a week or two week ago but they are still extremely high, as is the alarming number of reported deaths. We are in the middle of a crisis with no end in sight. The UK variant, with its increased transmissibility, resulted in flights being suspended from late December in recognition of that increased risk from the variant. Between 11 December and 3 January, 118,000 passengers arrived by air and a further 20,000 arrived by sea. We know there was a requirement o…

Non-compliance with the passenger locator form tells us something about non-compliance. We are aware that the PCR test, while it is required and mandatory, is not sufficient on its own. A second test is required within a number of days. I am aware that people coming in from the United Kingdom and other countries, such as South Africa, are supposed to quarantine for 14 days. Is there an exception to that? Is there an exception because the travel is required for business or other reasons? Is there a requirement or is…

Will the Tánaiste consider the introduction of a trade support scheme equivalent to the Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS, for businesses that are not subject to commercial rates and do not operate from a business premises, in view of the fact that the pandemic unemployment payment and wage subsidy scheme are not especially appropriate to certain business models in the tourism and live entertainment sectors?

It is welcome that it is under consideration. Fáilte Ireland has a €10 million fund called the Ireland-based inbound agents business continuity scheme but it is complex. The information that is required is substantial and not accessible to many small businesses. The entertainment and tourism sector will be terribly important for our recovery. We need to make sure that they are able to pick up, to a degree, where they left off, so that they can recover quickly. Online travel agents, production companies, event plann…

We can all agree that 2020 has been a long and strange year. This time last year, we were facing into a general election where we knew that health and housing would be significant issues, and they were. Health has been front and centre all year and there is greater public understanding of the need for a functioning health service, a proper number of ICU beds, proper bed capacity, etc. However, the housing crisis has not received the same attention this year. One of the most important things for society is citizens …

I have no doubt that a great deal of money will be spent next year. The one thing we cannot do is waste it; the other thing we cannot do is to take a short-term approach. Long leasing for 25 years on 90% market rents with a four-year review is an expensive way of delivering when the State does not own the asset at the end, but I am increasingly seeing it. Developers are being encouraged to choose this option for Part V housing. When we reduced the Part V obligation from 20% to 10%, the assumption was that Part V ho…

Many people were looking forward to the lifting of level 5 restrictions, which takes place from today. We all hope it can be done safely. There has been a welcome reduction in Covid numbers but it is fair to say that they are not as low as many of us would have liked. Therefore, there is an even greater challenge in keeping the numbers as low as possible in the coming period. I have heard a great deal in recent days about personal responsibility and the need for people to be sensible in the precautions they take. I…

The Taoiseach acknowledged that the systematic approach within nursing homes is working. When I saw the outbreak, for example, in Naas with which I am very familiar, more than 80 staff were out either due to being directly affected by Covid itself or having to self-isolate. That has a monumental impact on the ability of the hospital to operate. The same would have been the case in Letterkenny and Limerick. It struck me that it was an obvious setting to carry out routine testing in the same way that it is carried ou…

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. It is essential that those who are appointed to it come through a rigorous process in order that any vacancies are filled by those most qualified to do the job. That is why process is important. The Judicial Appointments Advisory Board, otherwise known as JAAB, is a vetting process. It is all about considering if a barrister or solicitor has the skill set to make a good judge. Once JAAB establishes if an applicant or applicants meet that criterion, the name or nam…

The Minister has told us she had a discussion with the Tánaiste specifically in relation to the former Attorney General. Did she have a discussion with the former Attorney General, with the former Minister or with anyone else in relation to this appointment? Did the Minister take it that the Tánaiste was saying that he favoured the appointment of Séamus Woulfe? Did he tell the Minister that he had told the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, that he had come through the JAAB process?

The very fact there was an informal discussion is an intrusion in the process. It is pretty much saying that "I would really like to see this person appointed, this is who I favour, before you go and have a look at the other list." Can the Minister tell us what criteria she used following that to evaluate the other people against the person who was the preferred person of the Minister and the Tánaiste?

So judicial experience, track record - none of that matters. There are no criteria set down for those. How could the Minister possibly evaluate a person for a job if we cannot understand the criteria?

I am talking about criteria rather than individuals.

There is a scoring system and a mechanism for evaluation for any job one goes for. It is very difficult to figure out how any Supreme Court judge, or any judge, would be appointed in a way that takes account of judicial experience and other relevant experience without some sort of metric. It is apparently being done on an emotional basis as opposed to a rational basis.

I will pick up on a point raised by my colleague, Deputy Cairns. We know that the grant from the horse and greyhound fund for 2021 is set to be €96 million, which is to be split in the ratio of 80:20 in favour of horse racing. This motion concentrates, as the Deputy said, exclusively on greyhounds. The greyhound sector will be funded by the Exchequer to the tune of €19.2 million in 2021 when the proposed increase of €2.6 million is factored in. Without State subvention, the greyhound sector is, quite simply, not vi…

In terms of accountability, what we are getting is five minutes per group for questions and answers. If we went into this and there was good faith shown by the Government, that would be one thing. Instead, the question it raises for me is what it is that the Government is afraid of. What has the Government got to hide?

That it is hiding something is the only conclusion one can come to from this very contained scenario that is being offered. What is wrong with a forward and backward exchange with sufficient time - ten minutes, say - to be used for questions and answers or statements, whichever one wishes to do? That is the way we have done things in the recent past. I do not understand why there is a difference on this occasion. It only opens the matter up to further questions and further doubt.

I also want to raise the issue of the appointment of a Supreme Court judge and the process around that. The Government obviously has a role in the appointment of a judge but it is the responsibility of the Opposition to hold the Government to account. We should not be blocked in doing that. As has been pointed out already, there has been precedent in the discussion in this Chamber of an Attorney General who was appointed to the Court of Appeal only in recent years. We know that the vacancy arose in 2019 and that th…

It is really quite insulting to say Private Members' time should be used for this.