Sinn Féin cannot take ownership of this. You are trying to do what you do in every sector of society, which is create division.

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I acknowledge the number of times the Minister has come to the Seanad, which is very much appreciated. Any time he has been asked to come, he has, and I thank him for that. I welcome this Bill. As Senator Byrne said, it is funny how Opposition Members seem consistently to change their tack on a few things. They are now all in favour of total lockdown. As Senator Byrne pointed out on Senator Keogan’s contradictions, I remember that back in December she wanted spectators at the …

Yes, Senator Keogan said that.

The real message we need to get out is that while this is an important measure which will hopefully reduce numbers, it is not the only measure. Anyone who thinks locking down the country to prevent people coming in will stop this virus on its own is completely mistaken. There are measures we can all individually take and it is important we do so. Looking at the protests in Dublin at the weekend, it is clear there is a certain group of people who have no interest in adhering to rules. Statements we make as public re…

I add my words to those of Senator Pauline O'Reilly and others in welcoming the publication of the White Paper on direct provision this morning. It is important to highlight that this was a Government commitment but it is also important to recognise and acknowledge the role the Green Party played in this when joining government. I hope the provisions will be implemented by 2024. I wish to refer to a different White Paper. We had extremely bad weather in Tipperary earlier this week and we had road closures and water…

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber and thank him for the work he is doing and the contribution he is making, particularly on cycleways and walkways. Tipperary has benefited on the back of his work. The work he is doing is extremely genuine. He, in particular, is very genuine. The N24 is probably the worst road between two cities in the country. The average speed on it is well below the average speed between two urban cities, which is 90 km/h. The proposed new N24, connecting Limerick and Waterford, is vital to t…

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber and thank him for the work he has been doing in recent months in the agricultural industry. It has been a very difficult time for farmers and different sectors of agriculture. He is working hard in the Department to resolve many of the problems. I welcome the discussion, the climate and air roadmap and what the Minister is trying to do in that regard. Many Senators have spoken well about the positive impact this will make over the coming years not only in the agriculture indust…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. The greatest honour I have ever had was to be elected to Tipperary County Council and subsequently to become mayor of my home town of Clonmel. My father was a county councillor for ten years and my mother served as a councillor for 18 or 19 years before being elected to Dáil Éireann. I have lived in a household of local representatives all my life and have known nothing else. I appreciate the role of local representatives and the job they do. In the past ten years, th…

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber and acknowledge the incredible work he has been doing over the past months tackling the virus. Although the numbers today are high, with 771 in hospital and 151 in ICU, they are dropping and that is positive. Today, the positivity rate is below 5%, I think for the first time since Christmas. That is very significant and welcome. On the vaccine roll-out, almost 300,000 people have been vaccinated. We are always compared to the UK and this is understandable as we are so close. Ho…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy English, to the Chamber. I welcome the motion and congratulate my colleague, Senator Currie, on the work she has done on this. Long before most people were speaking about remote working or Covid-19, the Senator was advocating a change in view in how we will work and live in future. From all of the contributions, most people recognise the importance of remote working and everything that goes with it. I agree with what Senator Byrne said about the right to disconnect. This is p…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, for being here. I thank him, his Department and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, for their engagement on this important issue. I know that the Minister met with groups involved in this programme in January to find a solution to this matter and that one is close to being arrived at. I thank them for the work they have put into this. The Ability programme provides funding to 27 local regional and national projects that focus on bringing young people with disabilities …

I had a list of points to make to keep pushing for a solution. The Minister of State announcing one this morning is really momentous. On behalf of the many people whom I know are watching online, I thank him and the Minister. As the Minister of State said, there are three organisations in Tipperary, including St. Cronans Association, Nenagh, where Mr. Paul Farrell is running the show, and Youth Work Ireland Tipperary, where Mr. Donal Kelly is working very hard. I know at first hand Knockanrawley Resource Centre, un…

The national development plan review process is due to finish on 19 February. The national development plan currently includes the N24 road from Limerick to Waterford. It is being done in two phases. The first phase is from Cahir to Limerick Junction, which is approximately 35 km in length, and a consultation process with the public representatives has already taken place. The second phase is from Cahir to Waterford city and is 60 km long. There will be a meeting about this on 26 February with all public representa…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Seanad. I congratulate her on the work she has done since she became Minister of State with responsibility for mental health issues. She has taken a lead on an awful lot of projects. It is an extremely difficult time for people but she has an extremely important role at the moment. On a personal level, I thank her for the commitment she has shown to County Tipperary. I do not think we have ever had a Minister who has come to Tipperary and Clonmel and has taken such an interest…

I will be brief. I had a number of things to say, so I will shorten the first part. I wish to congratulate the Minister on the work he is doing. He is doing immense work. It seems to me that those who criticise him do not have any interest in actually solving the problems that the Minister is trying to address. I wish to compliment him on that. We need to get residential construction up and running as quickly as possible. I am hearing from people who are experiencing problems in respect of mortgages running out and…

I will continue the trend here today and congratulate the Minister on becoming a grandmother. I wish Deputy Humphreys well and congratulate her and baby Arthur. Like others, I hope Arthur's mother is recovering well and doing well. The Minister must be quite a popular grandmother with the introduction of the increase in parental leave from two weeks to five weeks. I know this from my own experience. I had a conversation with my wife only this morning and she was discussing the year ahead and when she could possibly…

Like Senator Byrne, there are two topics I wish to discuss. The Covid restrictions support scheme was introduced in budget 2021 to help support businesses during lockdown, essentially during lockdowns at level 3 or higher. Under the scheme, qualifying businesses can apply to Revenue for a cash payment of up to €5,000, or 10% of the business's revenue. A business must self-declare to Revenue that it has been disrupted by 75% compared with levels in 2019 as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions. There are approximate…

I first acknowledge the Acting Chairperson, Senator Boyhan's contribution to the debate. It is very appropriate that he is sitting in the Chair today. I hope it is symbolic of where we have come to as a country, where we have someone with his life and experience holding that seat during this debate. I thank the Minister for being here and for the work he has done over recent months. It is incredibly difficult and I know the work he is doing is very genuine. The outcomes he wants are the ones the survivors want. It …

Vótáil.

Last night's news that the hospitality industry might need to close early again is devastating for many businesses around the country which have put in considerable effort to reopen and provide a service for their community, town or city during the Christmas period. These businesses have bought stock on the assumption they would be open until early in the new year. Even though people tried not to talk about it, there was always a feeling that they might need to close in January, but no one foresaw that it could hap…