I thank the Minister of State. We are all on the same page. I thank the Minister of State for delivering the message from An Taoiseach and I thank An Taoiseach for all his work. He has been dedicated and he is a huge driver of an all-Ireland conversation. I very much welcome the North-South school exchange programme. It is very positive and good news. I hope it will be expanded into something similar to the BT Young Scientist. It is an example of how we can create the dialogue, friendships and future we want on thi…

We all know we are going through our centenary celebrations or commiserations, whatever way you want to look at it. We are entering a new century of the two jurisdictions of this island. I have great ambition for this entire island. I ask for the Seanad to take up a leading role in our North-South dialogue. We often complain in this House that we do not have enough Northern voices. Maybe it is about time we ask leaders of the North to come to address us and talk about what this island wants. We can have an active e…

I count myself as a Christian and a republican and I really think Senator Mullen's comments are regrettable when you consider the past and the history of this country or when you think of what Dr. Noël Browne was forced to do. He was forced to resign because of the hierarchy of this State back 70 years ago. It is 70 years later and we are still dealing with the Catholic Church taking control and putting its words, thoughts and so-called moral teaching into our medical care. I am so sick of that kind of rhetoric and…

We will agree on that Senator Keogan. However, this State is a republic. As we enter into the next 100 years of this republic, when we start investing in our State care and hospitals, we should own everything to do with our hospitals. I feel really deeply worried and concerned about how this conversation has gone in the last five minutes but I am not going to rehash the arguments that have been made because we see that a new hospital is needed and that co-location is needed. We need to move on. I trust those doctor…

I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on one year in his position. Today is a great day for me and an incredible way to mark my first year in this House with the announcement of the funding to bring the Narrow Water bridge project to tender. As someone from the area, I have seen that things have not always been so simple in the Cooley Peninsula and on Carlingford Lough. Long gone are the days of gunboats on Carlingford Lough and British army patrols stopping us at Narrow Water going about our business. Today's announcem…

I wish to share time with Senator Martin.

The Minister of State is very welcome. I suppose one could say that Senator Martin and I have serious bees in our bonnets about this issue. We want a ban on the importation of non-native bees into this country. As the Minister of State well knows, it is not only us but many Irish beekeepers, bee enthusiasts and those of us who care deeply about our native biodiversity. I have spoken to the wonderful Martin O'Rourke from the County Louth Beekeepers Association which was established in 1910 and has more than a centur…

I was told there was a great buzz about this today. The best bee for this country is the native Irish bee. The European Commission has stated, in a question about the protection of our native bee species, "Ireland can, however, decide at national level whether or not to give legal protection to this sub-species and to take the necessary conservation measures to protect it, for example in order to contribute to the attainment of the objectives of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan." This has therefore been addressed in…

I welcome the launch of the Love This Place, Leave No Trace campaign this morning. I urge members of the public, when they are using public amenities, beaches or parks, to leave no trace and to respect the beauty that we have here. When we visit places, we expect to find them in good condition and we want to leave them that way for the next person. I also ask that people bringing their dogs onto common lands, such as mountains, farmland and beaches, put their dogs on leads. When dogs are brought to a place where th…

The Minister is very welcome to the House. It is a privilege for me to speak on this Bill. This is the beginning of something exciting and is working towards a cleaner and more sustainable future. It will strengthen the statutory framework for governance of climate action by the State in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. It will drive the implementation of that suite of policies that will help us as a nation to achieve those goals. It is an exciting time. I was thinking yesterday about how far we have com…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, to the House. In this Commencement matter, I am seeking an extension of the reasonable accommodation fund to the public sector and, in light of our extensive obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, that it be changed to a person-centred fund rather than an employer-centred fund. Currently, there are schemes in place for private sector employees and employers. The reasonable accommodation fund enables employers o…

I certainly will raise my concerns with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Minister of State's response outlines the valid reasons why his Department looks after the labour force. However, this highlights the lack of acceptance of disability in the workforce. There is unconscious bias and people with disabilities are constantly fighting for access and to be seen as equal in our society. Yes, the Minister of State correctly stated in his response that the public sector should show leadership, but, u…

Last Saturday was World Sickle Cell Day and I commend the Sickle Cell Society Ireland on its fantastic event on the day. Its informative conference featured international experts and created awareness of this inherited blood disease. Sickle cell disease is a red blood cell disorder. People with the condition do not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. The symptoms include anaemia, episodes of pain, swelling of hands and feet, infections, delayed growth or delayed puberty and vision p…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing this matter. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys. My ask today seems very reasonable to me. Those with epilepsy should have an entitlement to the free travel scheme. Up to 40,000 people in Ireland live with epilepsy with approximately 1,200 of them in Louth. I fully support Epilepsy Ireland's call to have the free travel scheme automatically extended to those who lose t…

I thank the Minister of State. In part, I pre-empted his response. We have an obligation to open up the world for every single citizen. Under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we have an obligation to reduce and eliminate obstacles and barriers to accessibility. I hope the Minister of State will go back to the Department and say that we must look again at the scheme. We can see how much has changed on a range of issues since the arrival of Covid. We should not do something just because i…

As someone who comes from one of those farms, I am very glad to hear that Commencement matter.

I thank the Senator for his thoughtful contribution.

The Senator spoke about choice, about people being forced into labour market and that the Bill and the State are disingenuous. We, here in this House, are responsible for creating equality. Sometimes equality is not always provided for by a Bill. This Bill is about creating equity for men and women in terms of payscales. That is so much more than his description of this being the choice of women. I feel that it is a bit rich of him to say it is a woman's choice.

This Bill is very welcome and long overdue. I very much agree with the Minister that this legislation should have been here before now. Fianna Fáil, in opposition, supported this Bill and now we are in government we are delighted to work as part of a fair economy and a fairer society. A key part of that will be continuing to eradicate the gender pay gap, to hold companies accountable and to highlight the companies that do a good job. Gender pay equality is a concept that is often misunderstood and it has been for a…

I thank the Minister. It is nice to see him again. I congratulate Senator Ruane on her work on the Bill. To my embarrassment, it concerns an issue I was not well briefed on before the debate. I am grateful to her for highlighting this work and advocating for this change to create a safer and more just place for everyone. I very much welcome the debate and the Bill and I am glad to say we will support it. It is my pleasure to support Senator Ruane in getting this legislative change. I am proud to be a tiny cog in he…