I congratulate the Acting Chairman on her first sitting in the Chair. This issue is the subject of a rolling or ongoing conversation in the museum sector and in the cultural space. It has often been discussed in wider society, particularly of late. I have followed these conversations as long as I have had an interest in the issue. I have raised it on a number of occasions in these Houses over the years. The Black Lives Matter movement and anti-racist protests have rightly shone a light on objects and artefacts that…

I do not contest anything the Minister of State said. I would be delighted to know that the Government would offer any support needed by the National Museum of Ireland or any other museum to complete the work in this area in a timely manner. I do not suggest for one minute that this is a simple issue; it is a complex area. Our own Irish ethnographic material is situated in a dedicated space in the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life at Turlough Park, County Mayo. The non-European elements were quietly stored …

Today's Order Paper contains a Sinn Féin motion, No. 11 in non-Government motions, that seeks to end the nightmare that is facing renters across the State. Many thought the pandemic would ease the dysfunctional private rental sector but it has not done so. We should all focus on ending that crisis and making life that bit easier for hard-working renters who are finding it difficult at this time. The number of inspections of rental properties carried out by local authorities needs to be increased and we have legisla…

I am very pleased that children are returning to special education. As others have said it is a very positive step for the more than 8,000 pupils enrolled in special schools. The later return of the 7,500 pupils enrolled in special classes in mainstream primary schools is also very welcome. Some of these children suffered the most during the first lockdown and we all know that it is vital that that routine, that friendship and that learning are continued in this incredibly difficult time. There were two attempts to…

I welcome the Minister to the House. Renting continues to be an unpredictable nightmare for many people. The irony is that we are working harder and saving more money, yet renting in Dublin is still prohibitively expensive. Dublin city rents now average over €2,000 per month. Last year, State-wide, rents increased by 1.2%. If ever there was a time to give renters a break, it is now. We would like to see one month's rent put back into the pockets of people who are renting through a refundable tax credit given to all…

It will come as no surprise to the Minister of State to hear me say that I believe in a publicly-funded model of third level education and moving towards the complete removal of fees. Universities and colleges have been underfunded for over a decade, forcing them to find money in the private sector or to charge international students huge fees. I have been contacted by students, as I am sure the Minister of State has been, who feel they have been scammed, quite frankly. They say their fees are completely unjustifia…

This is the first day of the second semester for many students. The key question I am asking the Minister of State is whether he will engage with the universities. Not everybody signed up for online courses. People could have signed up for online courses. These fees are just completely unjustifiable. People are telling us they feel scammed. We need to do more than the €250 grant. I ask the Minister of State to intervene on this issue with the universities so they can act and help students who are struggling. Will h…

Am I right in saying that we have two hours to debate the Bill?

We might.

Amendment No. 1 is necessary because the State has failed over many years to properly legislate for the substitute consent process and ensure what are, effectively, retrospective environmental impact assessments have enough community input and scrutiny as a fresh one carried out today. The cost of not bothering to do this has brought misery to the community of Derrybrien and many others. Ultimately, the taxpayer will end up paying €15 million in fines that the European Union levied against Ireland by the end of the…

I will speak on amendments Nos. 2, 4 and 6 to 8, inclusive. I have a few comments in response to the Minister's contribution. He says that fewer than 2% of tenancies end in dispute. I wonder if that is because there are options open to the landlord if he or she wants the tenancy to come to an end, be it to end the tenancy on the basis of a family member moving in or on the basis of selling the property, which is not always the case. The Minister also said that there are two parties to every tenancy. That is true, b…

What about the-----

These amendments, particularly amendment No. 21, relate to the treatment of tenants who are repaying arrears as per an agreement with their landlord. Where a person has experienced difficulties making repayments during the emergency period, there should not be increases in rent for six months after the end of that period. Many people will scrape to get through that period. To impose any additional increases after the emergency period is just not fair. That is my only contribution on the group. If this is my final c…

The Minister has noted we have submitted our amendments in good faith. I regret that none of them has been accepted but I would like to push amendment No. 1 to a vote when we come to it.

I move amendment No. 1: In page 12, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: "(ba) make available online all information— (i) considered by the Board at any leave stage under section 177D for the application now being considered for substitute consent where the application was subject to such a stage, or (ii) in the case where the application was made pursuant to a notice from a planning authority under section 177B or section 261A(3) all the information considered by the planning authority at the notice s…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 14, line 3, to delete “12 April 2021” and substitute “12 June 2021”.

I move amendment No. 4: In page 14, to delete line 19 and substitute the following: “(i) he or she anticipates falling into rent arrears in the near future, and”.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.