I extend my full support to the people from Donegal and others who are in Dublin today to call for 100% redress for homeowners affected by mica. Homeowners have long said that the current scheme is not fit for the purpose. The time for action is now. On another matter, I will talk about an inequality in our system that continues to affect some parents who are not married but are cohabiting, many of whom are in long-term, committed relationships. The organisation Treoir, which works with parents who are not married …

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and I thank the Minister for supporting Senator Ruane's Bill. Sorry, I am after running in.

I am proud to co-sponsor this important Bill. I cannot speak because I am out of breath after running in.

I apologise for the earlier episode. Today, we are part of history. I thank Senator Ruane and her office for all the hard work she has done on this Bill to date. Before I ever had the opportunity to come to this House, Senator Ruane has been a great role model to young women like myself. I thank her and her office from the bottom of my heart for bringing this legislation forward today. It is an issue that is not spoken about much. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this Bill. This Bill would right serious wrongs in o…

On behalf of the Civil Engagement Group, I welcome the new Senators, Senators Maria Byrne and Horkan, to the House. In the past, they had a great relationship with the Civil Engagement Group so I look forward to working with both of them. Following on from the comments of my colleague, Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, on maternity services, it has been all over the media all week that pregnant women still do not have the support of their partner, or a partner, while availing of maternity services. There should not be one …

I will be delighted to support Senator Higgins's Private Members' Bill when it is before the House today. It will put quality at the heart of the procurement process and is rightly being called a game changer. I wish to draw the House's attention to a report that was recently published by Unite the Union, entitled "Hungry Bellies Are Not Equal to Full Bellies: Exploring inequality and deprivation in Ireland". This report addresses the real inequalities that still exist in this country and engaged with groups that w…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. This debate allows us to express our opinions on all sides. This is why we are all in politics. We all have a different story and we are all looking at things from a different perspective. I share concerns that section 2 of the Residential Tenancies Bill 2021 will leave some tenants at risk of eviction. Threshold, the national housing charity, has raised these concerns. Provisions in section 2 of the Bill that deal with people in rent arrears will allow t…

I thank the Cathaoirleach and wish also to thank my colleague, Senator Ruane, for giving me her time slot today. Today marks the fourth anniversary of the recognition of Travellers in Ireland as an ethnic minority group, after decades of being denied our Traveller ethnicity. The then Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, stood up in this very Chamber on 1 March 2017. He made a lovely statement which went down in history and went on the on record. However, we are not legally recognised as an ethnic minority group in Ireland. The f…

Two weeks ago I spoke here to raise the issue of the digital divide. My colleague, Senator Byrne, said earlier this month that funding of €5.8 million has been allocated to the education and training boards. I very much welcome and appreciate this allocation, which was announced in December. We have not yet discussed how the rural digital divide affects children, young people under the age of 18, children in secondary school and young people in third level colleges. I could read through all of my notes but I will m…

I welcome the Minister to the House to address this important issue. We all know the critical and global importance of addressing climate change. Like the current pandemic, climate change is something all countries must tackle together. If we did not know it already, this past year has taught us how interconnected we are on Earth. Today, we are discussing the national climate and air roadmap for the agriculture sector. This roadmap sets out the challenging vision, actions and targets to reach a climate-neutral agri…

Today, I wish to speak about a forgotten subject. Education is at the heart of discussions in Ireland right now and it is at the heart of the political argument and debate. Every single child has the right to an education but the pandemic has taught us that not every child has that equal right to be successful within the education system. Before the pandemic, we obviously knew of the inequalities of the digital divide but that has come to the fore. Every one of us has a responsibility to make sure that children in …

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this critical issue. We have to bring ourselves back to a few weeks ago when parents of children with special needs did not know where they were. One moment, they were told that the schools were to open and the next moment, they were told the schools were not to open. Many parents who contacted me felt they were not heard. I know that as Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, De…

I echo what Senator Norris touched on earlier. A few of us in here have underlying issues. I have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, and I have to travel from Donegal to Dublin. It is only evident that I am working when I am here and I fob in, but last week I attended loads of committee meetings and met the Minister for Education. However, none of that is on record. That is a discussion we need to have because we are also human beings. I am not above the law. I cannot come up and break the rules. I am sta…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. It is remarkable and a positive good news story that a vaccine is being rolled out. I am delighted. I did not imagine that only a few short months after becoming a Member of the Seanad I would be able to speak on the roll-out of a vaccine. I very much welcome that it is being rolled out. I welcome the significant amount of work that has been done to date with regard to long-term residents and front-line healthcare. There are several long-term residences in Coun…

Last week, Inner City Helping Homeless, ICHH, brought the Don’t Forget Me campaign to the gates of Leinster House to highlight the 56 people who died in homeless services in Dublin this year. Dublin city councillor Anthony Flynn has asked me to raise with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the homeless numbers nationally, including how many people have died in our homeless services and on our streets in 2020. I would very much appreciate if this information could be sou…

I thank the Minister for addressing the House. Although many Senators congratulated her on her pregnancy, I did not hear any of them using the word "pregnancy" in so doing. I offer her a big congratulations. I listened to the Minister and certain Senators speaking about the risk of supporting the Bill. I am everything but naive; I understand the risks in this area. For me, the Civil Engagement Group is not seeking to address those risks in the Bill. What we are asking is that, in these horrible and nasty times, kin…

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.