Families and people woke up to the news today that Dublin Zoo faces an uncertain future. This is sad but understandable in the circumstances. The zoo is a magical place for children. While it is important for domestic and international tourism and it is a major employer, it is part of the fabric of family life, particularly where I live in Dublin 15. Many families have annual passes and the recurring visits are like markers in the development of a child. They come back and notice how much their child has grown and …

Last week I spoke about directors of nursing in nursing homes. These directors have years of experience doing assessments for tests for all of the other viral infections except Covid-19 but must go through GPs who do not necessarily visit homes every day. While I might call my GP and organise a test quite quickly, directors of nursing cannot do so. I can also call my out-of-hours service which can organise a test without delay. However, a nursing home might have to wait for a GP to visit and officially say that a t…

I am not an expert on Travellers' rights but I deeply care about equal rights and opportunities and I am willing to learn from the experience of people in the Chamber. I grew up close to a halting site in west Dublin, living for over ten years with a halting site 200 m away from my house. We were all good neighbours. I would like if all communities could be the same way. From an early age, where I grew up in County Tyrone, I was taught to respect difference and to know that deep down, we all want the same thing, wh…

I second the motion.

Recent weeks have shown that Sinn Féin is willing to make four individuals in its party accountable for their actions but as an organisation, is it willing to be accountable for its actions? Is it willing to answer questions about its financial culture? This motion is an opportunity to do so. Sinn Féin is a party of contradictions. It prides itself on standing up for ordinary workers but it is the party of big money. It prides itself on being an anti-partition 32-county party but it is partitionist when it wants to…

I welcome the Minister of State. I wish to speak about nursing homes, particularly those that were directly affected by Covid-19 during the first wave. Normally, the director of nursing in a home can do an assessment test for viral infections and does not have to go through a GP. However, that is not the case when it comes to Covid-19. I might ring my GP and get a test very quickly but nursing homes have to wait until a GP visits. They do not necessarily come every day. I ask the Minister of State if that process c…

Next Monday is equal pay day. We look forward to the #WorkEqual campaign run by the Dress for Success group. Equal pay day underlines the inequality between men and women and their pay. The average pay gap in Ireland is 14.4%. Technically, Monday, 9 November is the day on which women stop being paid for the work that they do. Women are disproportionately over-represented in lower-paid positions and under-represented in the labour market. They take on the bulk and burden of care and domestic roles and the struggle t…

I congratulate the Minister on yesterday's budget. The purpose of it was clear to me, namely, to save lives and livelihoods and I think it will be successful in that regard. I have a couple of specific points that were not the Minister's primary focus yesterday but I will take the opportunity to keep them on the agenda. There is an issue affecting the north west and the Border area and people's ability to work remotely, which is obviously important and relevant at the moment. Residents in the Republic who work in t…

I was going to raise three issues but will confine myself to just one. The Government's resilience and recovery plan is premised on doing everything we can to keep schools and childcare provision open. As it transpires, minding children is the glue that keeps us together, except when it comes to maternity services. I am sure the Minister of State has heard the expression "happy mama, happy baba". There are many unhappy mamas at the moment because of the hospital restrictions that mean they have no one by their side…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That Seanad Éireann:” and substitute the following: “welcomes: - the recent introduction of a new social insurance-based paid parental benefit scheme and extended parental leave rights; - the Government’s intention to examine a further extension of this leave in response to Covid-19 and acknowledges that work is underway in this regard; acknowledges: - that the €7.4 billion July stimulus package was in addition to the existing measures totalling €12 billion in supp…

I thank the Minister for her time today and for her efforts over the past few months. I am aware that she is in demand so I will have to give her a whistle-stop tour of the issues affecting Dublin West. What can be done about the removal of the sibling-first admission policy in primary schools that has been undertaken by the archdiocese in Dublin? I realise this relates only to schools that are oversubscribed but it affects a significant number of schools in Dublin 15, which has one of the most dense populations in…

I welcome the Minister of State. It is good to see him here and it is lovely to be in this Chamber for the first time. I thank the Fianna Fáil Party for proposing the motion. Breaking the law, bending the truth and acting in bad faith are not words that any modern democracy should want to be associated with, and yet here we are debating the actions of the UK Government doing just that. The withdrawal agreement was signed less than a year ago. Implementation of the provisions of the Internal Market Bill will turn la…

Whether it is under Sunningdale or the Good Friday Agreement, power sharing is an essential part of reconciliation and building a shared future. Communities work together for communities, solving problems, creating opportunities, building the future and showing that democracy works. After three years of unnecessary deadlock and political impasse, it is vital that these powers be protected. It is hard not to come to the conclusion that the British Government has anything other than poor regard for commitments to the…

I congratulate both candidates. I will support my colleague, Senator O'Reilly. It will be lovely to see a fellow northerner in the Chair. It is a proud day not only for his family but also the network of Fine Gael in Cavan and the councillors there. I enjoyed listening to Senator Wilson's contribution. He is absolutely right about old politics versus new politics. Much of politics is about building relationships and that is what Senator O'Reilly epitomises. One can even see that today in the people who are here sup…

I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber and outlining the Bill. I am very supportive of it and, of course, the July jobs stimulus which offers a range of supports including the €2 billion credit guarantee scheme which was discussed previously in the House, as well as €5.4 billion in direct expenditure, taxation measures and grants. The Bill is mainly focused on tax liabilities and tax measures, but it also provides for the employment wage subsidy scheme which follows on from the temporary wage subsidy scheme…

I welcome the Minister to what is usually the Dáil Chamber. It must feel strange. I welcome the Bill and how the PUP is being placed on a statutory footing. I also welcome the clarity that the Minister has given people in recent days, especially concerning those sectors that have not yet opened. I enjoyed Senator McCallion's humorous references to tongue twisters and flip-flops. However, I laughed out loud at her advice on how to work in a coalition and put public health rather than party politics first and her com…

People have also been in contact with me regarding community employment schemes. It is hard to believe that only a few months ago we were talking about full employment and labour activation schemes for women who may have chosen to rear their children and for whom it is difficult to get back into the workplace. The former Minister, Senator Regina Doherty, was working on returnships. Community employment schemes are for people on the live register. They are not for women who may have chosen to be at home for a period…

I welcome the Minister and congratulate her on her appointment. The majority of the local schools I represent in Dublin are digesting the guidelines released yesterday. I welcome them, and particularly the elements relating to minor works, well-being and increased teaching resources. The challenge now is for each school to apply these plans in a bespoke way, to identify what specific supports are needed to ensure public safety and peace of mind, and for the Minister's Department to deliver those. There is an opport…

Okay. There is a pilot in Malahide called School Streets. It has been used and has been successful. It is about small and large-scale proposals to provide what I have just spoken about, namely, more sustainable transport. If we deliver bespoke plans in conjunction with the community, this can help in a significant way.

I recognise the passing of Dr. Ali from Tyrrelstown in west Dublin and I pay tribute to his life, work and sacrifice, and that of his very young family. I also acknowledge the seven other health workers in Ireland who tragically lost their lives because of Covid-19. Their names and that of Dr. Ali should be remembered. Yesterday, we had the announcement of the July jobs initiative, which includes €75 million for minor works for primary and secondary schools to prepare for the much anticipated and needed return to s…