They can have the land rezoned.

Will it be resolved?

We want a happy Minister of State.

The Labour Party welcomes the Bill. Much of what it contains aligns with the comprehensive submission we made in reference to access to cash in the context of the banking review a couple of years ago. We are happy to support the Bill and its principles. There are elements that we are concerned about and that we will tease these out on Committee Stage, but the premise of the Bill is sound. It is important that we get some legislative protections in place in order that people can continue to have access to cash and b…

The Labour Party is happy to support the Bill. I will not use my full 20 minutes. It took three Sinn Féin members to use 20 minutes. In any case, it is, as Deputy O'Reilly says, largely a technical Bill. That being said, there are elements of this legislation that are critically important in terms of the practical implications of running a business and the streamlining of how businesses operate in this country and how they are regulated. By and large, the measures should, when enacted, make the operation of busines…

As soon as the Apple judgment was announced, we in Labour called for statements and a debate in this House on this very important matter. The position is now final but it is disappointing we do not have enough time to debate this very important issue and the ramifications of it. In summary, the ECJ has found that a tax advantage provided to Apple by way of the 1991 and separate 2007 rulings by Revenue was an illegal State aid. Up to €14 billion is to be recovered from the beneficiary. Labour is proud of the role it…

The Minister will be well aware of Becton Dickinson's plans to close its Drogheda operation, which has been there for 60 years. I place on record my gratitude to the Minister for having met some of the local TDs, including me, last week, for his continued engagement with IDA Ireland on this matter and for meeting the trade unions and shop stewards yesterday. He might outline what he plans to do about this matter in the coming weeks.

SIPTU will respond to the Minister’s request to provide it with a submission. I am grateful he agreed to meet the trade unions, especially the shop stewards, including Trevor McGinn, who is a very impressive shop steward representing the workers at that plant. He knows the operation inside out. The concerns workers have are that they have not been given the opportunity themselves to make the case for their jobs to be retained and for BD to be retained in Drogheda. Later today, I will meet the UK and Ireland general…

It was just over two years ago that BD announced a €62 million investment in the Drogheda plant. At least in terms of its corporate communications, its proposition is that it contemplates 110 redundancies up to March next year and the additional 67 out to the fourth quarter of 2026. That is a long way away, so the case can be cogently made that market conditions can change, which we need to prevail upon BD, along with the need for it to work with the trade unions, the IDA, the Government and, indeed, Opposition TDs…

I would like to speak to the section.

I want to speak to the section as well. Before I do, however, I will raise some concerns I have about the way in which the Minister is approaching the question of the increase in optional retirement ages for members of uniformed services. I too place on the record my concerns about the manner in which the Minister is approaching this matter, which is extremely acute and extremely sensitive. If the Minister does not want to listen to us as Opposition Members, I suggest she take the advice of not only the Irish Counc…

That is not the point; we agree with that. It is the way it is done in the future and the requirement for consultation, and the concerns there were in the consultation.

I will put on record that it is optional. To be clear on that: it is not mandatory, it is optional.

I move amendment No. 20: In page 8, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following: “(e) in section 7— (i) in subsection (2), by the deletion in paragraph (h) of “adopt and publish in such manner as it considers appropriate” and the substitution of “subject to subsection (2C), adopt and publish in such manner as it considers appropriate”, and (ii) by the insertion of the following subsections after subsection (2B): “(2C) Sentencing guidelines may be adopted by the Council under subsection (2)(h) only where— (a) a d…

I move amendment No. 30: In page 9, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “Terms and conditions not to be worsened 8. Except following consultation and in accordance with an agreement negotiated with any recognised trade union or recognised representative or other staff association concerned, no amendment to an enactment effected by the subsequent sections of this Part shall operate or be applied so as to result in a person, while remaining in the same employment, receiving a lesser scale of pay or being …

The Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, is coming in as well.

I assume we have two minutes each. I thank the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, for meeting with Deputy O'Dowd, Senator McGreehan and me earlier. We communicated to him in stark terms how angry we are at Becton Dickinson and Company's decision to close its plant, which has been in Drogheda for 60 years. There are 176 jobs in the firing line and many families are affected. The relationship between Drogheda and Becton Dickinson and Company goes back to the sixties. It is an extraordinary relationship. Hardly anybody in …

I agree that it is a very important development. We have all been working for years to ensure that IDA Ireland develops the advanced units we need to bring employment to Drogheda. It is now incumbent on IDA Ireland to fast-track that process. Planning permission has been provided and we hope that will move forward very quickly. They confirmed to me yesterday that they are aggressively marketing that to potential international investors. There is an issue with the Donore Road site. If we concede that the company wil…

I also welcome Natasha O'Brien to the Dáil and thank her for the remarkable contribution she has made since speaking about her own experience - speaking up and speaking out. It was a great privilege to meet Natasha this morning. I would not have met her if it was not for what happened to her and her bravery in speaking about what happened to her. This goes to the heart of the debate we are having here this morning. Similarly I pay tribute to Bláthnaid Raleigh. Anybody who heard her testimony to Oliver Callan on the…

Becton Dickinson announced that it is to close its plant in Drogheda, County Louth. It made that announcement approximately an hour and a half ago, and 170 jobs will be lost. Here is the killer. It is Drogheda's only IDA-backed manufacturing plant of scale. The Taoiseach knows that Drogheda is Ireland's largest town. It is Ireland's next city. It needs investment. It is on the floor at the moment. It has taken too many blows, and it seems this Government's enterprise plan for Drogheda involves extending the DART to…