I commend the Minister on initiating the review of the national lottery, which I believe is long overdue. When is it due to be completed?

I note the figures the Minister gave for Ireland. In the UK, approximately 53% of every £1 spent goes to the prize funds, 25% goes to good causes, 12% goes to the UK Government as duty, 4% goes to the retailers and 5% goes to the operator, with 4% of that 5% for operating costs and 1% of it for profits. The Minister mentioned €6 billion for good causes in this country. What percentage of sales in the Irish system goes to good causes, prize funds, State levies and the operator? I appreciate the Minister might not ha…

I appreciate the fact that the review is taking place. I am not sure if a review of this scale has been undertaken since 1987 so it is very important. The Minister highlighted the example of the sports clubs. All Members of the House have been contacted by sports clubs, community organisations and others that are eager to access any type of funding, but there has to be a clear pathway to that funding. It is very generous funding but we must have transparency. We discussed freedom of information earlier, so it is im…

Is the Tánaiste aware of the alarming trend of urban post offices closing and the impact this is having on communities? In that past year alone in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown constituency, Monkstown and Foxrock post offices have closed. Residents in Dalkey were told this week that their local post office will be closing on Friday, 8 October, and that the postmaster is retiring after 14 years of service. On a personal note, I wish Christopher Good all the very best in his retirement and thank him and his staff for al…

Could we have Deputy Murnane O'Connor first, please?

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, for bringing the Bill forward and for listening to the observations of colleagues. My thanks to the Acting Chairman as well. This is a great opportunity for me to speak about the Consumer Protection (Regulation of Retail Credit and Credit Servicing Firms) Bill 2021. As my colleague, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, stated, the Bill is long overdue. Certain changes in the regulations were required. The Bill is timely and necessary. The primary purpose of this legislation is to …

May I resume?

I have a few more remarks to make on the Bill. I thank the Acting Chairman. Section 2 is the key section. It amends section 28 of the Central Bank Act 1997. Section 28 sets out the various definitions for the purposes of Part V of the 1997 Act and defines the scope of the Central Bank authorisation responsibilities in respect of "regulated businesses" that are involved in the provision of certain types of financial services. The Bill provides for widening the regulatory scope of "retail credit firms" and "credit se…

Like my colleague, I welcome the opportunity to examine the Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021. I thank the Deputy for introducing this Bill last March. It seeks to increase the maximum prison sentence that can be imposed for the possession of knives. The Bill is a direct response to the increase in knife crime we have witnessed, unfortunately, in the capital and throughout Ireland. We have seen a spate of high-profile incidents, including Josh Dunne and others, in recent years. Physical or other …

I welcome the opportunity to examine the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021, which will enable the reopening of indoor hospitality and amend the mandatory hotel quarantine regulations. I am very uneasy about introducing domestic vaccination certificates on principle and also on logistical grounds. It is not something I would normally ever consider supporting. However, we find ourselves in an incredibly challenging position. The delay in reopening indoor hospitality was very disappointing. Many of these businesses…

I thank the Minister for taking this question. Is he aware that some parents have not received child benefit payments this month? I have received several reports of child benefit payments for children aged 16 being suspended. Before the onset of Covid-19, parents were required to have a form stamped by school authorities confirming that their child was proceeding into fourth or fifth year. The requirement was deferred last year because of the pandemic. I understand that many parents were not aware of this requireme…

I will speak briefly before we finish discussing the Bill. It is apt to mention that, since we last debated it, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County has approved the tender for the largest affordable housing site in the country. It will be 9 ha of social, affordable and cost-rental housing. I have spoken about it previously, but the debate on the Bill is an appropriate place to raise it again because it shows that this approach is beginning to work on the ground. I thank the Minister, particularly for the final subsection…

I am not sure what happened. I apologise to the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, for that. It is really important that we discuss this topic today. Tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence has been a priority of mine. Since I was first elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, I have repeatedly pressed for an increase in the number of refuge places and the establishment of a dedicated facility in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. As a State and society, we must do more to support people, mainly women and…

It is nice to be back in this Chamber. I hope it will be possible to return to Leinster House in September. I speak about the vaccination programme this morning in a totally different context from when I have spoken previously. I acknowledge the 5,000 people who have sadly passed away during the pandemic and I express my condolences to their families, friends and loved ones. Anyone who watched last night’s "Prime Time" programme on nursing homes will have been struck by the sense of sadness and anger at conditions …

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to talk about the Land Development Agency again. It is important before the Bill is finalised to put on record the need for this agency to be established. As Deputy Crowe said, many Members of this House came from councils and over the last decade in particular, so much land was discussed that was never developed by the local authorities for various reasons. This changes that. On Deputy Mattie McGrath's point earlier, there was a commitment that this legislation would…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The right decision was taken last September to postpone the census until 3 April next year. It is important to proceed and gather that information from the census so policymakers can make the right decision over the next ten years. Perhaps the Minister of State could detail the contingencies in place to ensure the census will happen next April. A colleague has raised the question of the 1926 census, data from which are due to be published in 2026. Will the Minister of St…

I thank the Minister for his time. I want to raise the issue of the Irish Naval Service. It has a very proud track record, not only in serving Ireland but within the EU and in Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean. As Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2017, I had the pleasure of awarding the freedom of entry to the LÉ Eithne in Dún Laoghaire. Colleagues have raised the issue of contracts, which is important. Improved conditions are required. I welcome the fact that a recruitment campaign is …

I welcome that and note the comments of the Minister on recruitment. As I said, I have witnessed that myself. The Defence Forces have a wonderful social media presence and have communicated their message about the recruitment campaign, apprenticeships and all sorts of other activities over the years successfully. I note the comments of the Minister on the flagship LÉ Eithne . As he is probably aware, it is twinned with Dún Laoghaire Harbour, something that we are very proud of. I ask that if funding is to be releas…

From my perspective, the main issue is the twinning of the ships. I note the great service of the LÉ Eithne , along with other ships, and the personnel that have crewed all of the various ships over the years. I ask that consideration be given to twinning between Dún Laoghaire and the replacement for the LÉ Eithne whenever that happens in the short term. As I said, I acknowledge the work that is under way. I support the Minister's call for fully manned ships. Post the recruitment campaign and the encouragement of o…

I will. Do not worry.