I thank the Minister of State for the update. It is encouraging to hear the cycling infrastructure and the appropriateness of the road network at the Strawberry Beds are on the radar, but I want them to be on the radar in the right way. This area cannot be a rat run for the M50. It should not just be there to accommodate people travelling from one side of the city to the other. The potential of the area to act as a recreational amenity, connected to the local communities, must be placed on the agenda. This Governme…

I echo the sentiments expressed by other Senators. We do want to get to the point where companies with fewer than 50 employees will be part of this benchmarking. There is nothing to stop them doing it voluntarily but we do have to consider, with all of the pressures they are under, especially at present, whether they have the HR infrastructure to cope. There is also the capacity and resources in the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC. It will have a role in this, as it is enabled to apply to the Circ…

It is lovely to address Senator McDowell in the Chair. I am not the spokesperson for equality so I feel like I am gate-crashing Final Stage. I have been invested in this over the years. I left my job because of a lack of flexibility. I recognise that there are more than 60 Bills relating to employment and equality that we will work on. This is the benchmark. It is up to us to then provide the solutions. As Senator Pauline O'Reilly said, that is a core part of the programme for Government. It is apt that I refer to …

There are incredibly clever and well-respected people on both sides of this debate and I want us to be fair to them all. Here is what I believe we can all agree on. We all agree we need a new maternity hospital. While Holles Street is full of rich clinical experience, it is infrastructurally poor and no longer fit for purpose. We all agree a new maternity hospital should be co-located with an adult hospital. We all agree the single biggest investment in women's healthcare is well overdue, that Irish women's healthc…

I was not going to speak on this legislation, but I then engaged with some publicans during the week and I want to reflect some of their views in this regard. I welcome the clarity that this legislation gives to them, the Garda and the local authorities. The point made to me by the publicans concerned how stressful it has been for publicans in recent months to be aware of the parameters regarding their responsibilities concerning outdoor areas since they opened. Publicans have told me that it takes more work to man…

Kon'nichiwa , a Chathaoirligh, and a happy one-year anniversary to both of us. He has been fair, fun and approachable and I can ask for no more. I want to raise the matter of Farmleigh estate. Farmleigh estate has 78 acres at the edge of Phoenix Park. The house accommodates dignitaries when they come to visit, but the grounds are open to the public. Last year, I was able to convince the Office of Public Works, OPW, to extend the opening hours from the gates opening at 10 a.m. with last entrance at 5 p.m. and the ga…

This Bill is about breaking down barriers and putting climate action into the hands of communities. Whose hands could be better than the hands of children and empowering schools that are leading the way? This is not just about microgeneration; it is also about letting them know that they have control over their future. While the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill to be debated in the House this week is a legislative framework for action and accountability, this evening we are discussing allo…

My children will thank us for this Bill. They stood outside their schools shouting "What do we want? Climate action. When do we want it? Now." They started doing that when they were four and six years of age. In 2050, they will be 37 and 35 and because of this law, their children will not have to do that same thing. We will have a climate resilient biodiversity-rich environmentally sustainable and climate neutral economy. This is their guarantee that we will act. This is our national climate objective. By the end o…

I thank the Minister.

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

I find it hard to believe that any unionist would be shocked that the leader of Fine Gael aspires to a united Ireland. It is certainly not the first time the Tánaiste or others in the party have said so. He did so only months ago on a well publicised edition of the "Claire Byrne Live" programme. A united Ireland is a legitimate political aspiration, which is enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement for which 94% of us in the South voted. What is shocking is the idea that a political party can only talk about or aspir…

I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for her remarks on the piloting of antigen testing. I wish to confirm my concern for those affected by the difficulties in aviation and with connectivity in general. Connectivity is so important for brand Ireland as well as for consumers and businesses. There is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the digital green certificate and people are asking very practical questions. Senator Doherty has called for a public information campaign which is a really good idea. I wi…

I want to talk to the Minister of State about the newly found localism that Covid has brought about. It is a positive move. Owing to the travel restrictions, people were forced to stay within a radius of 2 km to 5 km but a side effect was that they discovered what was under their own noses and grew to appreciate it more. We were moving towards a sense of that anyway because of concerns over sustainability and because people were sick of their lifestyles, always being on the go, congestion and chasing their tails. I…

I thank the Minister of State. I feel that suburban and urban villages are being left behind. We are doing all this amazing work and we have set out the strategy. Suburban villages such as Ashtown, Ongar and Blanchardstown would really benefit from this. I know there are concerns about city centres, but it is a different thing. We are afraid of the worst-case scenario when the horse has already bolted in terms of the effect that the pandemic has had. We need to be thinking about a dynamic recovery for our city cent…

I thank the Minister for presenting this vital legislation to the House. We have waited for it for a long time. The gender pay gap is often criticised as being a blunt measurement and the argument is the 14.4% pay gap does not mean women are necessarily paid that much less in a like-for-like scenario, although I know that happens. We already have the right to equal pay but we lack transparency The gender pay gap is the overall national percentage difference in average hourly pay for men and women, with women earnin…

Normally, when we get up to contribute to debate on a Bill, we want to add value. The preparation of this Bill, however, has been really thorough. So much work has gone into it that the only value I can really add is my support for Senator Ruane and the Civic Engagement Group. I thank Seb McAteer in Senator Ruane's office, who has put a lot of work into this. I also commend the Cathaoirleach and the Senator on the webinar. It was great to be able to discuss something in that much detail. It really set us up for thi…

This morning, I raise the Tidy Towns competition. It is great to see it back this year and that there are €1,000 grants available. Many groups were disappointed that the competition did not go ahead last year but that did not stop much of their work. Members worked within their 2 km and 5 km zones, and boy did we need them. As we heard this morning, there have been masks on the ground and overflowing bins. Cigarette butts are now emerging as one of the biggest issues, in addition to an increase in illegal dumping a…

I have never been happier to tick the box which states I am in the 40 to 44 age group than when I did so today. The purpose of the digital green certificate is to facilitate the safe movement of citizens within the EU during the pandemic. It is valid in all EU member states for people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and others. There are people from the North who live in the South and availed of the vaccine in the North. They are wondering where they stand in respect of this issue. There are also people w…

The matter I raise relates to equity in education and goes to the heart of an inclusive education system. The backdrop is that a national school in Roselawn, Dublin 15, wanted to provide a reading class for the community and the board of management and staff were fully on board. The school successfully opened a special class for autism called Sonas in June 2019 and I attended the opening. The special educational needs organiser, SENO, endorsed the application for a reading class because they know the demand is ther…