I move amendment No. 5: In page 7, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “(b) Where a review is carried out, the Commission shall afford the candidate an opportunity to be heard. ”. Amendments Nos. 5 and 7 are the same. The word "candidate" is used in the Bill. Indeed, that is an unusual term for students and perhaps they will all stand for election after the campaign that has occurred. The amendments seek to give students a chance for their case to be heard. I know that issues of capacity will be refer…

I move amendment No. 6: In page 7, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following: “(7) The Commission shall not decide to withhold all or any of the accredited grades as provided for by subsection (5) , where it can be shown that the candidate had no knowledge of the communication that was made for his or her benefit by the first-mentioned person. (8) Where a communication is made without the candidate’s knowledge as prescribed for in subsection (7) , the Minister shall make regulations providing for the first-m…

I do not agree with the criticisms of the amendment. I think it strengthens the Bill and gives peace of mind to students over the coming weeks.

I move amendment No. 7: In page 7, between lines 36 and 37, to insert the following: “(b) Where a review is carried out, the Commission shall afford the candidate an opportunity to be heard.”.

I commend the young people, especially those in the Irish Second-Level Students Union, which has been to the fore in ensuring that students had the choice to sit the leaving certificate examination or opt for accredited grading or both. The level of confident advocacy we have seen is heartening and bodes well for campaigns in the future. The ISSU has been central to the campaign to lower the voting age to 16 years. I believe the Minister could be an important part of that campaign. Students taking the leaving certi…

I welcome the Tánaiste to the House. I will focus on one issue, namely, nightlife reform. People have been campaigning for licensing law reform for many years. Given the importance of enterprise and business, we are closer now than we have ever been to achieving it. I do not need to tell the Tánaiste that we desperately need to improve the quality of nightlife in our cities to be in line with our European neighbours for so many reasons. Culture and creativity are forged at night, in chance encounters and celebratio…

Hear, hear.

I welcome the gradual reopening. We need to include all industries in the plans that are due to be announced. We cannot ignore some industries, such as that relating to night-life, or exclude them from the plan. Thousands of workers and their families are relying on the plans for reopening. They deserve to get a sense from the Government of what is going to happen. There is much to unpack in the news that the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference has developed what it refers to as a voluntary resource for primary scho…

I welcome Senators Maria Byrne and Horkan to the Chamber again. We worked well together in the past and I look forward to working with them in the future. However, I cannot let the occasion pass without reminding Senators that this should be the last election in which so few people vote for seats that are representative of many people. We have a Seanad reform Bill on the Order Paper and should work collectively to ensure its passing. As Senator Hoey mentioned, the Northern Ireland Assembly passed a motion to suppor…

Is this relevant to the Order of Business?

Something significant happened on the Order of Business on Friday last. Fianna Fáil introduced a Bill that seeks to lower the voting age to 16 years in local and European elections, and the Leader of the House, a proud member of Fine Gael, indicated she would support it. As a result, two Bills on the Order Paper seek to lower the voting age in local and European elections. Let me remind those who have joined us what happened in the Seanad in the previous term. In 2017, Sinn Féin and the Civil Engagement Group, thro…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, line 5, to delete “12 July 2021” and substitute “31 December 2021”. My priority today is to protect as many renters as possible. The number of renters who have sought protection under the existing Act is 407, which has been confirmed by the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. I wish to again place that figure of 407 people on the record of the House. In the Dáil, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, seemed to think it was a good thing that only 407 people have self-declared in this…

Just because the Senator keeps saying it does not make it true. It is not only us who are saying this. Threshold and the Simon Communities of Ireland have said that section 2 of the Bill is punitive, unnecessary and will lead to the loss of accommodation and to homelessness. Sin é. I appeal to the Chair. We should discuss and focus on the amendments before us in line with Standing Orders. I will not labour the point because we only have an hour and a half for this Bill, but I will press for a vote on amendment No. …

Yes.

I welcome the Minister of State here today to discuss issues relating to the protection of renters. It so happens that two weeks ago Sinn Féin introduced a Private Members' motion in the House. I and my colleagues argued for increased protections for renters and immediate steps to be taken to reduce rents and prevent an increase of rents for three years. During that debate, I was assured by Government Senators that Sinn Féin had got it wrong and that the Government was busy working away on a raft of legislation tha…

Places such as the Pearse Museum in Rathfarnham and Kilmainham Jail in Dublin were long protected and saved by volunteers. Equally, the integrity of Moore Street has been maintained by street traders, working-class Dubliners and small business owners on that street. It has also been saved by campaigners and the relatives of the 1916 leaders. The men and women of Easter week restored our national self-respect and self-dignity decades after an Gorta Mór. They asserted our right to national self-determination in arms …

I welcome the Minister to the House. I commend her on her work in terms of the night-time economy. The night-time economy task force has invited submissions. The process is well under way and the report of the night-time economy task force is due to be published soon. When will we expect a report from the night-time economy task force? Will it be laid before these Houses? I commend the Minister's work on it and her commitment to it. The night-time economy and industry cannot reopen on the same basis on which it was…

I apologise for the confusion. I was confused about which amendments we were taking in the group. The new personal injuries guidelines that will come into effect under section 99 of the Judicial Council Act, which amendment No. 5 would, were adopted by the Judicial Council on Saturday, 6 March. These guidelines will set the level of damages to be awarded for different types of personal injuries. The new guidelines will replace the Book of Quantum, which has been used by the courts and the Personal Injuries Assessme…

I thank the Minister for her response, particularly the final point she made. Sinn Féin will submit amendments in the Dáil on Committee Stage to allow the Central Bank to draw up regulations to require insurance companies to demonstrate how those reductions have been passed on to individuals, consumers, businesses and community groups.

I wholeheartedly support Senator Ruane and commend her on bringing forward this amendment. We agree with the proposed review of this section after 12 months as this will provide scope for the potential increasing of parental leave. This would mean both parents would be able to avail of any extension to leave in future.