People are asking why, if there is enough evidence for one prosecution, there is not enough evidence for more. I ask this Government to publicly state that it will continue to support the families of the Bloody Sunday victims and that it does not accept any attempt by the British Government to give immunity to any British soldier who is found guilty of committing crimes in Ireland.

I begin by again welcoming the Minister to the Chamber. It has not gone unnoticed that this is the second time he has been in the House in a matter of weeks. We should all acknowledge and appreciate that given that this is an extremely difficult time and also the large amount of work in which he is involved. I also thank Senators Norris, Boyhan and Craughwell for bringing forward this Bill. It is most welcome and Sinn Féin looks forward to supporting its passage through both Houses of the Oireachtas. I welcome the …

I thank the Minister for attending. I look forward to working with him and his officials over the coming weeks and months. I wish to put on the public record our thanks and appreciation to him, his officials and the further and higher education establishments, which have been doing fabulous work over recent weeks. I noted with some concern reports yesterday that the individual action plans that had been agreed by various institutions would not in fact be considered or reviewed by the Department. I note what the Min…

This Private Members' motion is both timely and absolutely necessary. It is timely because friends of Ireland across the world in America and in Europe are standing behind us, united as one, to try to protect peace in our country. It is necessary because the British Government must feel the pressure of a united front defending the peace process and all of the Good Friday Agreement. It is a united voice in sending a very clear message to the British Government. It is also a very simple message; hands off our Good Fr…

One might ask "Why?". It is because the British Government has been breaking the law in Ireland for centuries. It should come as no great surprise to anyone in this Chamber that I have very little faith in the British Government acting in good faith for Ireland or its people, North or South. Westminster never has and never will serve in the interests of anyone in Ireland. Conferring powers to the British Secretary of State, which is what is being proposed in the Internal Market Bill, would be a disaster for Ireland…

I bring to the attention of the Leader a matter on which I have written to the Minister for Health and which colleagues in the North have also raised. Issues have arisen with tracking and tracing of cross-Border workers. I ask that we immediately find out for employers what the current protocols are for employees who reside in the South but live in the North and vice versa because there seems to be mixed messages coming from both jurisdictions. I am sure the Leader will agree that the 30,000 cross-Border workers an…

I second the motion.

I welcome the fact that tomorrow we will have the first meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council. It is a very important meeting, as everyone will agree, and an important forum as part of the all-Ireland framework as together we try to deal with the many issues that face us on an all-Ireland basis. Not least of those is the current pandemic and what seems to be the strong possibility, as we are hearing from Europe, that we could be dealing with a no-deal Brexit come January. It is alarming to hear such report…

I extend my welcome to the Minister to the Chamber and wish her well in her job in the time ahead. The Bill is designed to legally regularise assistance for the many people who have lost their jobs or whose jobs have been put on hold due to the pandemic. Of course, we want the payment to be put on a strong, statutory footing, and with that in mind, we will support the Bill. The Government is presenting this as an opportunity outside of the hothouse environment of a few months ago when the virus was out of control a…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak on the proposed amendments. The ignorance across the board as to how the North is actually governed is somewhat shocking. I am really shocked that the Minister does not even know the currency we use in the North. We use sterling.

She referred to euro amounts on several occasions. She should also know that, unfortunately, the British Government sets the rates, much to my pain. If we continue the conversation about the need for the long-overdue reunification of this country, that will be sorted in the future. The ignorance in this Chamber is startling. It scares me but it does not surprise me. It does not surprise me that these frontier workers were forgotten about when the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment came into existence. One could…

Will the Minister check this information? The information we obtained from the European Commission two weeks ago states very clearly it is within the gift of the member state to make the payment. I ask the officials to look at this again. Certainly as far as Europe is concerned, if there were a willingness from the Government to make a payment, it would have no issue with it. What seems to be obvious to me at this stage, unless the Minister is getting the wrong advice, is that the Government is choosing not to make…

In order that the matter is not closed off, if it is the case that what I am saying is correct, can we then look at some sort of regulation that can be brought in after the legislation is passed to ensure that these people actually get a payment?

If they-----

The Minister is telling me that if it could be done she would have done it. If I can prove to the Minister that it can be done can we then do it?

It is, reluctantly.

Over the past few days, we have heard many people discuss, and quite rightly so, the need for people across the island to staycation, as the concept has become known. It is right for so many reasons that we encourage those who are fortunate enough to be able to afford a holiday to stay on the island, not least because it would help our economy and industry. It also encourages people to learn more about their own heritage and cultural identity. I ask that the Leader at this point consider having a conversation with …

On behalf of the Sinn Féin team, I also welcome the Minister to the House. I have no doubt that he has a mighty task ahead of him but he will have our support in doing his job in the time ahead. I am not sure whether it is a compliment to be held in such high regard by the current British Prime Minister but I assure the Minister that I will not hold that against him in the time ahead. I would like first to extend appreciation and my party's heartfelt thanks to all of the healthcare workers wherever they worked with…

Notwithstanding what my colleague has said about us opposing the Bill as presented today, I can do the maths and I acknowledge that it is highly unlikely that our opinion will carry. On that note, I call on the proposed new Minister with responsibility for the potential new Department to meet representatives of the north-west Cross-border further and higher education cluster that was established a few years ago as a matter of urgency, to show where the Government stands on its commitment to the expansion of the Mag…

As has been done by other Members, I, too, send my condolences to Jack's family, but I want to speak about a living soccer legend. James McClean is an outstanding young man. He is a father, a son, a brother and a husband. James McClean is proud to be Irish. He is proud of his roots in Derry and he is loved by the people of Derry where he grew up. He is also an outstanding soccer player for his team, Stoke City Football Club, and for Ireland. He is an inspiring role model for many young footballers and has dedicated…