Yes. It is five minutes each.

I welcome the Minister to the House. I watched his speech from my office. To state the obvious, in all our work we should aim for equality and inclusion. I certainly do not need to tell this Minister that. However, the Government is proposing to ignore some survivors. When we finally have the opportunity to acknowledge the hurt and trauma caused by forced family separation and loss of identity, the Government has instead made the decision to continue the kind of treatment we have seen of some survivors by successiv…

The Irish Government and the Finnish Government have something in common. In recent years, both have made a commitment to publish a plan for the creative industries in their countries. The only difference is that the Finnish Government has completed its plan. Why has the Government not produced a plan for the creative and cultural industries in Ireland? Such a plan for the creative industries was promised in the programme for Government. According to the Creative Ireland website, more than 100 meetings were held wi…

I thank the Minister of State for his response, and I welcome the fact that it will be published this summer. I encourage the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to take ownership and to show an interest from the side of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It is part of the implementation group, alongside the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin’s, Department. I therefore encourage the Minister and Minister of State to show an interest and to be ambitious. I also want to acknowledge tha…

It is disappearing every day. We have legal responsibilities to archive every piece of printed material, but we lose digital online archive information every day as we are not archiving it.

In two and half years, rents in the private sector have increased by an incredible 23%. Renting is more expensive than ever before, without any security in exchange. In a house in Portobello, three single people received notification from their landlord that they would be getting a notice to quit because a family member would be moving into the house. This is a result of the reckless decision to lift the eviction ban. Under this Government, the private rental sector has shrunk every single year for six years. There…

I welcome the Bill. I made my comments yesterday so I am happy to park some of them.

I welcome the Minister to the House. Like others, I welcome the long overdue publication of the report and commend those who participated in the review and detailed their experiences of abuse, particularly childhood sexual abuse. It is a large burden to place on any individual. It is an experience that must have been difficult and retraumatising. People have bravely and selflessly spoken up and they should be thanked for doing so because without their brave and selfless decision to speak up, this report would not h…

The Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, has been talking about cutbacks and telling European finance ministers what they need to do. I wonder if he was kept on as Chair of the Eurogroup to be a warrior for austerity. We all know European fiscal rules were suspended during the pandemic. The pandemic underlined the fundamental weakness of the fiscal rules, particularly the Stability and Growth Pact. What good are rules that will be suspended if and when they…

Sinn Féin welcomes the Bill. The €80 charge was a barrier to people presenting at hospitals. There are many individuals and families who simply do not have the means to pay that charge, particularly during the current cost-of-living crisis. Sinn Féin believes there should be no restrictions or deterrents for people accessing healthcare. As Sinn Féin has long campaigned for the abolition of inpatient charges, to see this happen is very welcome. Sinn Féin fundamentally supports public health that is free at the point…

Senator Kearney has seven minutes.

Gabh mo leithscéal.

I welcome the Minister and invite him to respond.

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Before we suspend, I welcome former US ambassador to India, Mr. Richard Verma, who is here with his family and Deputy Creed. They are very welcome to Seanad Éireann. Céad míle fáilte.

I welcome the Minister. The shortfall in teacher supply has reached a crunch point at both primary and post-primary level. Too many teachers are on insecure or temporary contracts and are underemployed. These temporary contracts mean they are not paid over the summer and must take their chances on getting a permanent position or another temporary contract in September. The issue of contracts is only part of the problem. The cost of living crisis means many teachers, in particular lower paid younger teachers, cannot…

I rise on behalf of the Sinn Féin group to remember Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old who tragically died in Warrington, which is in Cheshire in England. The young girl and her family have been savagely visited by the unexpected. Brianna is described by her mother and father as having been fearless. We live in a world where people are often afraid to be themselves and go to great lengths to fashion personas that people will accept and admire. Brianna, a trans girl from England, did not allow her life to be limited by fea…

I would like to discuss the recently launched Youth Arts Now report. Research into youth arts is, unfortunately, lacking in comparison with other fields. I would, therefore, like to begin by acknowledging the hard work and dedication of John O'Brien and those who contributed to this report, including the Arts Council and the folks in Waterford. We have a long, noble and vibrant artistic history in Ireland. Indeed, I have often spoken of how, in my teenage years, I was politicised by our folk music and songs, some o…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 8, line 8, to delete "26 weeks" and substitute "one week". I welcome the Minister to the House. Many groups that made a recommendation to the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on the Bill recommended the removal of the six-month employment eligibility criterion. It is our view that this will negatively affect lone parents who may be in need of flexibility in order to take up a job in the first place. Those returning to work following a period ou…