At the outset, I wish to put on record my gratitude to members of the Royal British Legion in Ballymoney and Coolrain for their support of the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen on this island when they raised more than £1,000 in a walk across the Giant's Causeway. Speaking of Defence Forces matters, I am aware that post-1994 contractees are still not aware of their future fate, whether they will be allowed to serve past the age of 50 years. They were promised this would come through at the end of May - it has …

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this important topic. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Ireland has always played a part in international peace and stability missions. The Department of Foreign Affairs currently has 11 Irish mission members seconded to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe as part of the special monitoring mission to Ukraine. They have been on this mission for the last seven years. The 11 secondees receive no remuneration from the State. Instead, they are paid …

The Minister of State will be aware of the lack of payment of PRSI contributions and how that will impact people. He and I have often discussed PRSI and I know that he is committed on this issue. I ask that he has the decision expedited as quickly as possible. I understand that people know what they are getting into when they sign up for these jobs, but they sometimes do not realise the full impact it will have on their future lives, particularly in regard to PRSI. The Minister of State has given a commitment to se…

I have spoken on search and rescue many times in this Chamber. It is coming to the end of a time when I will be able to speak on it. In 2010, the future helicopter study group, FHSG, started to look at what Ireland needed for search and rescue. There was a number of recommendations. One was the implementation of night vision on helicopters. Another was the ability to carry underslung loads in buckets for fighting fires. The third was that they would be able to carry incubators. Ten years on, despite having spent €7…

I have always tried to be non-partisan when it comes to politics so I take the opportunity to congratulate the Leader of the Seanad on her sterling performance, particularly last weekend on Newstalk. Her calm confident way of dealing with the emergence from Covid-19, and particularly antigen testing, is a credit to her and all of us in the Seanad, and I thank her for presenting such a positive note. Speaking of Covid-19 and hospitals, I will speak about something that may annoy some people, namely, the wearing of h…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for being here. I know she is aware that 143,000 jobs in Ireland are associated with aviation. The industry is now on its knees and the main priority is its survival. That concerns not just those who are flying; Senator Garvey just mentioned Lufthansa Tecknik in Shannon, which is vital as well, but I am sure there are colleagues who will have more to say on that. As we speak, over 1,200 airline pilots who are members of IALPA are living on social welfare, a…

I appreciate that.

I thank the Senator for that. I am sure he would have corrected the record when he had a moment. A key action we must take is to put money into the airlines. We have lost Stobart Air and a few other small airlines. We have to put money into Aer Lingus and Ryanair. We can do it one of two ways. We can either grant them money or get them back in business carrying passengers. I am sorry I offended Senator Buttimer on the matter of international travel.

Keep calm.

I support the amendment. It is a novel idea that would work well in addressing the housing needs of the Defence Forces. I do not know whether the Minister has visited the Curragh recently, but I went there to look at what used to be married quarters. I found in a dilapidated state what had been pristine properties when they were handed over to the State when we became a republic. There is a significant opportunity for organisations such as the Defence Forces, the Prison Service and, in some cases where young doctor…

I second the amendment.

I have spoken many times in recent months on the issue of search and rescue operations in Ireland, particularly in the context of the forthcoming contract. The contract that is about to expire has cost this State over €640 million. That contract has many flaws. I sought to have the forthcoming tender scrutinised by the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications but that has not really been taken up. I have used my Private Members' time here to have the issue debated. Again, the response from the Department was…

I welcome the Minister to the House. It is rather ironic that we are sitting in this House with female Members discussing the gender pay gap in the most unfriendly female workspace in the country. The furore we had when the Minister for Justice was pregnant and seeking maternity leave was outrageous as was that this should happen in a modern society. November 9 has been mentioned today as the day when women will stop being paid while men will continue on receiving payment. The 14% figure has been mentioned. The Sta…

The Minister of State is welcome to the House. I welcome in particular the unwinding of the financial emergency measures in the public interest. I was heavily involved in trade unionism at the time the FEMPI legislation was running through. I remember in particular the pain we inflicted on our public servants in the draconian way in which we cut their salaries. There were public servants who had bought houses and set their lives in train when, suddenly, along came the financial emergency measures in the public inte…

I congratulate Senator Fitzpatrick for bringing this motion forward. Her constant speeches on housing and homelessness are to be commended. However, unlike most of my colleagues here, I do not support a constitutional referendum on housing. It is a nonsense and a complete waste of time. Senator McGahon in his address a few moments ago brought us down to the street to the ordinary 30-something-year-old trying to buy a house. I had a phone call from a relation the other day about this debate. She asked me what exactl…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, to the House. I have been asked to bring this matter to his attention by Councillor Paddy McQuillan of Louth County Council. As the Minister of State knows, in 2020 Mr. Vivian Geiran carried out a scoping exercise in Drogheda as a direct result of the gang feud that had terrorised the town. He spoke to all relevant agencies and bodies directly and indirectly involved with the feud. The comprehensive report was finalised and submitted to the Department in January…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. In a town like Drogheda, or indeed in any town or city in Ireland where such problems are identified, immediate action is what the citizens must see. They must see action on the ground. I appreciate the Minister of State has outlined a number of engagements that are taking place but real action must be seen publicly to be taking place. Citizens in a place like Drogheda do not necessarily understand that all of this administrative work, engagement and meeting must take…

I compliment the Cathaoirleach on his forensic knowledge of important dates relating to countries throughout Europe. His mastery of European languages is awe-inspiring to be honest. The Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2021, which came before the House yesterday, brought into sharp focus something that has bothered me for a considerable period, which is the nonsense of Irish neutrality. I constantly receive messages about military aircraft flying into Shannon Airport threatening our neutrality or about this, that and the…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I think this is the first time that I have addressed him since his elevation, so I congratulate him on his new role. Section 9 of this Bill concerns "State sovereignty and ownership of territorial" areas. Politicians in this House love to talk frequently about Ireland's neutrality and how it boxes above its weight on the international stage. Today, we must put an end to that myth. I state that because writing things on a piece of paper to satisfy the UN Convention on th…

The Minister mentioned my former colleagues in the Defence Forces a number of times in his speech. I record my deep appreciation for the Army and the Naval Service for the work they did on the ground in building test centres and being prepared to meet people or to have centres ready for them, and for our Air Corps, which flew tests to Germany and vaccines to the islands. My one regret in all of that - and it has nothing to with the Minister or his Department - is that we did not find a way of making ex gratia payme…