I welcome the Minister of State. The tourism and hospitality sector is one of those that was most affected by the public health restrictions put in place throughout the Covid pandemic. Through no fault of their own hotels, bars and restaurants had to shut many times in order to help the country get through the worst of that public health crisis. On the other side of that, Government served up everything that was needed to keep the industry going, which was very important. The Government put in place unparalleled an…

Not at all, you are quite all right, a Chathaoirligh. We will not worry about that. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and pay tribute to all the work she has been doing in this area throughout her time in office. She and her officials are to be complimented. Like many others, I welcome the €40 million for the 2023 summer programme. As has been said, it is a priority for 2023 that more children in special schools have access to school-based programmes. As others also have mentioned, in excess of 50,000 pu…

How stands the amendment?

I thank the Cathaoirleach sincerely for allowing me to raise this matter. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth. It is always a pleasure to have him in the House as he gives open and frank answers to Senators when we raise issues. I would like to have a discussion rather than make a request. Like many others, I welcome the huge amount of money being invested in active travel such as walking and cycling routes. It is fantastic. It is wonderful to see access routes to some schools, particularly those n…

I welcome the Minister of State's statement and acknowledge the significant amount of money that has come into counties Roscommon and Longford. The positive thing about this is that of the 170 schools that were notified they had been included, only three opted out for genuine reasons. I presume some of them will come back on stream again. It shows that schoolchildren, teachers and parents are very much pro this type of activity. In the area I am talking about, particularly regarding national schools and the local k…

I welcome the Smith family. I am sure it is a poignant day for them. I also compliment the Leader and Senator Seery Kearney on co-sponsoring this Bill. I agree with the comments of Senator Keogan on meningitis. There have some very sad and tragic deaths of young people because of meningitis throughout the country in recent weeks. I also agree with Senator Daly on food wastage. It is noteworthy to see coverage in the newspapers about the growing number of people in the world who are facing starvation because of an a…

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. I support this Bill, as do all Members, despite the criticism, as far as I can understand. That is good because we need to move forward on this. I welcome the energy credits and accept everything is not perfect, but if one were to go down the road of separating customers with holiday homes from others, the credit would, according to the experts and others, be a long time coming to those who desperately need it. Although everybody said the credit was not enough, nob…

The taxpayer pays for it.

I join the Cathaoirleach and the Leader in extending a céad míle fáilte to the ambassador. He has now left the Chamber but we were delighted to have him in the Seanad. When we returned to the Chamber yesterday after the weekend, we spoke about the sadness of all that happened in Creeslough. All of a sudden last night, a lady named Amber Barrett lit a light. Anyone who knows Donegal and the region from Kerrykeel, Portsalon and Milford to Creeslough will know that what happened on Friday affected not only all Donegal…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit.

That concludes the statements from Senators. I thank Senators Casey, McDowell, Maria Byrne and Ó Donnghaile. The Minister of State has now more than ten minutes to reply if he wishes. It is up to him.

I join with the Cathaoirleach, the Leader and the leader of the Fianna Fáil group, Senator Lisa Chambers, in expressing our deep sorrow and heartfelt sympathy for the people of Creeslough. Many people, including me, have stood in that filling station. We have holidayed in that part of County Donegal in recent years. We love Donegal people. Those local shops and filling stations are lovely places to go into. People will always have a chat. Like everyone else, I feel hopeless. All we can do is to pray. One thing we s…

Curaim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, Deputy Calleary. It is my first time to congratulate you on your appointment. We are delighted for you. Before we deal with the Consumer Rights Bill 2022, I extend a céad míle fáilte to Ms Vra Jourová, Vice President of the European Commission. I have been listening to you and following you quite a lot in recent times. You are most welcome, as are the members of your entourage, to Seanad Éireann today. Thank you for being here.

I omitted to welcome the Minister of State's officials to the House. They are welcome.

We always welcome visitors to the Gallery. I understand there is a group from Ógra Sinn Féin here. I welcome them, as we welcome all young people from all political parties, and hope they enjoy their visit.

Tá súil agam gurb í an Seanadóir Sherlock a bheidh ag caint ar an ábhar seo ar son an Seanadóír Mark Wall. Will Senator Sherlock be taking this speaking slot? Senator Mark Wall's name is on the list.

It is not a problem.

Níl aon duine eile le labhairt ach an tAire Stáit. He has ten minutes to reply, or even more if he wants it.

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.