I am glad to have an opportunity to speak on the first Private Members' motion of the sitting of the Seanad. Senators will all agree that it is timely. Brexit has unfortunately been a word that has haunted us Border and northern people for years now. We have been tortured by the what-ifs. What if there is a hard border? What will be the consequences and what will happen? After years of talk and discussion, of books written, lawyers paid, Prime Ministers sacked and new Governments put in place, we still have those q…

I take the opportunity to call for a debate on women's health, including the need for a women's health strategy and a proper action plan. For too long we have had a situation where women's health is ignored. Unfortunately, we have recently seen the consequences of that failure, which can be a matter of life and death. A specific issue I would like to see examined is fertility. There are couples throughout the country struggling financially, physically and emotionally with infertility. I can tell colleagues that hav…

I echo the sentiments of Senator McCallion on the North-South Ministerial Council and the special committee on Brexit. I want to raise the issue of the stockpiling of medicines. The global pandemic has placed great strain on the lives of many people over recent months. We have seen heroic work by those on the front line in the health sector. The Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 Response has heard evidence from nursing, medical and healthcare professionals about how unprepared we were, including the lack of …

I am sharing time with Senator Blaney. I thank the Minister and welcome her to the House. I will leave all the statistics and formalities. The Minister's is the single most important Department for us as a country to express who we are and who we wish to become. I look forward to the Minister's term of office and the progress she will make in ensuring a diverse, sustainable and inclusive tourism sector. I want to raise a few passion projects of mine. Senator Boyhan might not like this but I will speak of what I kno…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House today. She is very welcome. I congratulate her on the Trojan work she has done in the few short weeks since her appointment. There was certainly no honeymoon period for the Minister and it is a phenomenal achievement on her part that, four weeks in the position, she has announced one of the biggest packages we have ever seen in the education sector. As a mother, I am delighted and relieved that this announcement has been made. I can now speak to my children with certaint…

I echo the concerns expressed by Senator O'Reilly on the serious issue of domestic violence. Women's Aid and Safe Ireland need resources and we need to work on preventing domestic violence and protecting women. I also echo Senator McCallion's contribution on cross-Border tourism. Last week, I stated that the North-South Ministerial Council should look at connecting and joining forces in tourism marketing. I want to add to the list of tourism hotspots by name-dropping Slieve Gullion and the Mourne and Cooley mountai…

I welcome the July stimulus which provides €4 billion in direct expenditure, €1 billion for taxation measures to directly support businesses and €2 billion in credit guarantees, as well as the new employment wage support schemes, the restart grant and €2 million investment in training and education. The list goes on. On the day of the announcement, the leader of the Opposition described the stimulus as miserly and lacking in ambition. Yesterday afternoon, the same party opposed the setting up of a new Department of…

I welcome the Minister to the House. I congratulate him on his appointment and wish him the very best in his difficult position. I very much welcome this Bill to the House. It marks another step in trying to achieve the Sláintecare principle of universal access to care at low cost or no cost. It is a great sign of the way this Government is going when one of its first Bills through the House is to extend access to healthcare. Families all over the country struggle day in and day out. I know that. I was glad on a nu…

I echo the concerns of my colleague, Senator McGahon, on the Scallywags crèche in Togher. It is a viable business and it must be reopened. I hope to work with the Minister and Senator McGahon on that case. I wish to highlight some good news. I congratulate the Taoiseach on the hard-won funding agreed in Europe this week, particularly that under the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP. We have been informed that current levels of funding have been maintained and a special allocation of €300 million has been promised for…

I want to raise several issues. Yesterday, we saw the second meeting of the Ireland-Northern Ireland Specialised Committee between the UK Government and the European Commission. At this stage in the transition period, the Commission wanted a lot more done. For example, it wanted an office in Belfast, which was originally agreed by the UK but then denied. I requested that Dundalk be an option. I made my request to Josep Borrell in my capacity as a member of the Committee of the Regions. This is still an open option,…

I ask the Leader to request that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy O'Gorman, come to the House. As all Members are aware, there is a serious crisis in the childcare industry. Many mothers of young babies or older children are trying to go back to work, but are prevented from doing so by a lack of childcare facilities. This goes back to the issue of the under-resourcing and underfunding of the childcare industry for many years. It goes back to the Constitution, which states that a woman's place is …

I have a few issues to raise. It is almost a matter of what not to raise after listening to the contributions of all the other Senators. I lend my support to the calls for the extension of maternity leave. I have had four babies. It is a very strange and vulnerable time. I have not had one during the pandemic but one cannot underestimate the worries and fears of a young family going through that situation now. They do not know whether they are going to be able to put their children into childcare. It is important t…

I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his election. He is a very strong and true republican, just like myself. I come from a long tradition of true Irish republicanism. As that republican, I am incredibly proud to stand here today as a worthy Taoiseach's nominee, not just a party member, given some Senators want to put down these nominees. We are hard-working people. We are here with a voice and it is a voice worth listening to. I am here to serve my country, my county and my people. The honour of being elected to th…