It is.

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this timely and worthy motion. The past two years have forced us to have a greater appreciation of our front-line workers and their dedication and workload, but also the environment in which they work and the resources they are provided. I have said this many times in the Chamber regarding our nurses, our teachers, our other front-line services and now our Dublin Fire Brigade. It is not enough to clap our hands in admiration or for those in power to cross their fingers and hope that in…

I welcome the reintroduction of the pandemic unemployment payment, which has been essential in keeping the wolf from many people's doors. It has been a lifeline throughout the pandemic. When it was first introduced it was set at a rate of €350 and fostered a degree of social solidarity. All those who lost their jobs or who were unable to continue in their employment as a result of the pandemic were able to avail of the payment. This was an incredible thing for us to do. As the months went by, the Government began t…

I thank the Minister for his contribution. I strongly condemn the scenes of violence being inflicted on Palestinian people in their own territories. Settler violence is the inevitable outcome of occupation. There has never been a time in human history when the illegal occupation or annexation of one territory by another has been accepted. A state should not use violence as a means of enforcing its will. This week, once again, we watched that violence being inflicted on Palestinian people in their own territory. Thi…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The Social Democrats is bringing this Bill forward to ensure that every single student and school that receives State funding will receive the same fact-based health, relationship and sex education regardless of their school's ethos. The Bill amends the Education Act so that health, relationships and sex education should not in the first instance be linked to ethos or characteristic spirit but be taught as part of the set curriculum, standardising the type of sex e…

I thank all the contributors. It has been worthwhile and interesting to hear the various perspectives across the Chamber. I am going to use my time to respond to some of the issues raised in the debate. The first concerns the Government amendment that requires nine months of additional time. On the surface, I accept that it seems perfectly reasonable to give the NCCA nine months to conclude its work but it began its work in 2018. In 2019, it produced a report that stated: [B]y and large, young people view the RSE t…

I ask the Minister to reaffirm our commitment to reaching 0.7% of GNI on our official development assistance by 2030. Is there a roadmap to achieve this? I ask that he make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister for his answer. There is a great deal of merit in what we are already doing with ODA. Next year's figure of 0.32% of our GNI is very welcome. We know how well that money is going to be spent and how far it will go. However, I return to the end of his reply where he referred to the appropriateness of providing a roadmap. It is 51 years since wealthy countries committed 0.7% of GNI to ODA and in the years since that commitment we have, I think, fallen €24 trillion behind that in global terms. Thu…

I fully accept that but while our contributions are increasing so too is the need, and drastically. The three "Cs" of Covid-19, climate change and conflict all make the need for and urgency of significant increases in ODA by us and other wealthy nations all the more vitally important. It is welcome we have reaffirmed our commitment and have done so consistently. However, we need to demonstrate how we will get there. The not unreasonable call from organisations such as Dóchas, which they have been making for decades…

The only Member in this Chamber who has created a false binary choice about antigen testing is the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. On the radio yesterday, he said that the reason we cannot have free antigen tests in this country is that would be the cost of a nurse. That was a binary choice that the Government created. Some 637,000 people in this country are living in poverty. Every Christmas, they are fearful of their spending because it is cut close to the bone. Now the Minister is telling them that…

It is not untrue.

Do you have the scheme?

Who are you accusing of rushing out to the media?

Retract that statement.

Tell me about the scheme by which Members can pay for their antigen tests or retract that statement.

Tell me about how I pay for an antigen test. What is the scheme?

This is what was conveyed from the Business Committee.

Yes. Am I rushing out to talk to the media?

Are you going to retract that statement?

When am I rushing out to talk to the media?