Today, news has broken that Terence O'Rourke is set to be named as the new chair of the RTÉ board. I rise to express my frustration that there is still no chairperson of the Arts Council. On Friday, 1 December 2023, it was reported that the former chairperson, Kevin Rafter, would step down as chair of the Arts Council. He was a very good chair of the council over the past four years. His final meeting was on 14 December. I am sure the Department was aware of his departure well in advance of the public announcement.…

I wish to bring the attention of the House to a report on inclusion in sport that was launched yesterday morning by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media. I hope Members will get a chance to read the report and the House will be able to have statements on it as soon as possible. The report is ultimately bound up in creating a better supporting environment for everyone. As was pointed out by an audience member yesterday, inclusion in sport needs money. It needs EDI money, and not …

Is he good or am I good? I am brilliant, although I did not keep a clean sheet at the weekend. Visibility is very important and there are good recommendations in the report. I look forward to a discussion on the report in the House and inviting the views of other Members.

A cháirde, for statements to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, to the House. I understand that the ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland is here. She is very welcome to Seanad Éireann, céad míle fáilte. The Minister of State has ten minutes.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit.

No problem at all. I failed to welcome the Lithuanian ambassador to Ireland. He is very welcome.

I thank the Minister of State for his opening remarks. I extend a welcome to the ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland and the ambassador of Lithuania to Ireland. I commend them both on their advocacy for Ukrainian and Lithuanian citizens here in Ireland and on their support for the Houses of the Oireachtas and Members in recent years. The representation they provide has been invaluable. The world is a very dangerous and frightening place at the moment because of very powerful military forces that are engaging in warfar…

I welcome our guests the Public Gallery.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte.

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I received apologies from the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, which I appreciate. I want to get a sense of what the Government is doing on workspaces for artists. The availability of workspaces for artists throughout the country in both urban and rural areas has been an issue for as long as I can remember. A recent Dublin City Council audit found that there are only 529 workspaces in Dublin. That needs to be considered in the context of a city that has a 17% office v…

I certainly welcome the €9 million. What is probably needed is a longer term strategy that indicates over a government's term how much would be invested in this space, and also to get a sense of how much space is needed. The only audit that has taken place is by Dublin City Council. I wonder if the Arts Council or the Department has done that work. There is empty space everywhere - in private office blocks, public buildings, departmental buildings, and I am sure there is a huge amount of spare space in RTÉ and abov…

I think everyone in the Chamber will welcome the ongoing good news from the North since the power-sharing Executive was set up under the leadership of Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly. In their acceptance speeches, both stressed the importance of the Executive being for all the people of the North. In exercising that fundamental principle, the Executive will also be acting in the interests of all the people of Ireland through the North-South bodies of the Good Friday Agreement, including the North-South Mi…

The Palestinian ambassador to Ireland told a huge crowd in the Europa Hotel in Belfast a few weeks ago that the Palestinian people will rebuild Gaza out of the rubble, they will never give up and they will have a Palestinian homeland. She asked that people never stop talking about the Palestinians and Palestine. Not only have the Irish people never stopped talking about Palestine, they have never stopped marching for the besieged people of Gaza and the Palestinian people of the West Bank. They have never stopped ma…

I move amendment No. 1: To insert the following after “25th January, 2024.”: “This order shall take effect only after the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 has been amended to provide for the Accommodation Recognition Payment Scheme termination date to be extended for the following: - existing recipients with respect to the beneficiaries of temporary protection currently benefiting from the scheme, and - new applicants who propose to host a beneficiary of temporary protection in their property which is …

I welcome the Minister to the House. First, let me take the opportunity to once again condemn Russia and its illegal war in Ukraine. I want to reiterate my support, as well as the support of my Sinn Féin colleagues, for the Ukrainian people, for the integrity of the territory of their country and for the sovereignty of their country. Over the past two years, we have witnessed images and reports emanating from Ukraine that reveal a scale of horror and aerial and artillery bombardment of civilians, alongside civilian…

Yes.

On Friday night I was in Tallaght Stadium, where there was a record attendance. I commend South Dublin County Council on the new stand. It is by a huge margin the most developed stadium in the League of Ireland. Yesterday was also an important day for Bohemians and I welcome the news that Dublin City Council has approved planning for Dalymount Park. We need to see funding secured for that build. Will the Minister for sport release the funding for Dalymount Park? We also need to see, in line with the Dublin city dev…

I support this amendment around various things the mayor should be doing, such as chairing the joint policing committee, and having powers in terms of waste management, regeneration and the public realm and, importantly, the introduction of a living wage, and promoting that initiative. The mayor having an ambassadorial role in the delivery of a living wage, which by the way is a programme for Government commitment, is something Sinn Féin and I are committed to delivering. That is amendment No. 11 in a nutshell.

I move amendment No. 11: In page 14, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following: “(6) The Mayor shall have, as a function, an ambassadorial role in the promotion and delivery of a living wage in businesses contained within the administrative area covered by Limerick City and County Council. (7) The Mayoral role shall have promotional and delivery responsibilities in the advertising and promotion of Limerick as a national and international tourist destination. (8) The Mayoral role shall have responsibility for…

I move amendment No. 18: In page 17, line 27 to delete “The director general, after consultation with the Mayor,” and substitute “The Mayor, after consultation with the director general,”.