I support the amendment. The Minister outlined the significance of the Bill and the positive impact it will have on wage equality. Surely we want to ensure that it comes into effect as soon as possible. The Bill currently allows an employer with fewer than 250 employees two years to adhere to the regulations and an employer with fewer than 150 employees three years. We all expect an adjustment period; that is absolutely fine. However, these are excessive, especially given that the Bill was initiated more than two y…

When I asked the Taoiseach about planning on the site of a mass infant grave at Bessborough, he told me it was inappropriate for a member of Government to intervene on planning matters. How does he reconcile this with his statement yesterday on Glanbia? Is that an appropriate thing for a Taoiseach to do? I presume the Taoiseach is aware that Glanbia is in partnership with a Dutch company and that in the past few years, the Netherlands has reduced its herd by 190,000 while we have increased our herd by 500,000. It s…

He did say that when I asked him about the social housing development-----

The Taoiseach said it was inappropriate.

How does the Taoiseach propose to deal with developments like this?

What do you say to young farmers who will be left facing the legal restrictions we are seeing in other countries?

The Netherlands has reduced its herd.

There needs to be a conversation about this.

I commend my colleague, Deputy Cian O'Callaghan, and his team on all their work on this Bill and their constant determination to ensure greater access to affordable and social housing. Housing is one of the main issues raised by constituents. It is raised by families waiting on social housing lists for years and families trapped in a long-term renting system that was designed only for short-term letting. There is a whole generation of hard-working people who know they will never be able to own a home. This situatio…

I join others in congratulating the Minister, Deputy McEntee. I am seeking an update, albeit not on the funding that is to be allocated for the treatment of eating disorders. That has already been announced and is funding that was not spent previously. Rather, I am seeking an update on the number of beds for inpatient care. There are only three currently. Has there been any work on addressing this situation? The challenge of Covid-19 has reminded us that personal health and well-being are no longer solo pursuits, b…

One of the lessons learned from the past year has to be the utter unpredictability of events. If we had been warned five or ten years ago that Covid-19 was on the way, what would we have done? We would have made the drastic changes necessary to avoid the turmoil and suffering of the past year. It is not an exaggeration to say we are in a similar place today. We know the science. We know climate change is happening. We know that, without proper action, it will have devastating impacts on society and the economy. We …

I echo some of the sentiments expressed in respect of to the marine spatial planning framework. The Taoiseach said it has been in development for four years, but nobody has consulted the inshore fisheries community and, as Deputy Ó Broin said, there has been no proper scrutiny of it. The fisheries community and all of us acknowledge the importance of wind energy. What the community wants is to be consulted. At present, we are only in the site investigation stage and inshore fishermen have been severely impacted in …

While I also welcome the Taoiseach's response to the devastating scenes caused by Covid-19 in India, the real solution is very obviously to allow the global production of vaccines. We had all hoped that the pandemic would lead to a new solidarity. However, the EU, US and others refuse to allow a waiver on vaccine patents. The TRIPS waiver, as it is referred to, would allow countries in the global south to produce the vaccine themselves. It is sickening that this is not happening. Ireland needs to take strong moral …

At the meeting on Friday, what position will Ireland take on pushing for intellectual property rights to be waived?

What stance will the Government take on Friday?

My question was not answered.

I will raise two issues related to the Bill. The spate of gorse fires in recent months is regrettably predictable. Every year, these dangerous fires destroy large parts of our landscape. The devastating fire in Killarney National Park has featured prominently. It should also be noted that there were several fires near Dunmanway, Clonakilty and Bantry in west Cork last week. Several units of the county fire services and Air Corps were involved in getting them under control. As the Taoiseach pointed out, wildfires ar…

The past year has been incredibly hard for everyone. We are in limbo, unsure of when the pandemic will end and we can see loved ones again, and unsure of work. This has been an abnormal year for most of us, but it is normality for the thousands of people we keep in direct provision, where families are forced into limbo for years. Life events pass by, funerals are missed, children and grandchildren grow up and professionals deskill. A State that is unwilling to learn from its past continues to institutionalise vulne…

Every time I talk about agricultural policy to people who have no interest in farming, I can see their eyes start to glaze over. I get it. It can seem like a niche subject that has nothing to do with the vast majority of the public but this could not be further from the truth. We do not often view the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as a public service, as we do the Department of Health or Housing, Local Government and Heritage, but it is. Agriculture is how we feed ourselves as a nation. It is how w…

I thank Deputy Ward for tabling this motion. Put simply, we cannot continue to ignore the reality of mental illness. We do not tolerate waiting lists for passports, driving licences or, indeed, vaccinations. Yet, for mental health treatment, waiting lists are normal and accepted. Mr. John Farrelly, chief executive of the Mental Health Commission, last month identified the issue at the centre of today’s motion. The pandemic has highlighted the results of continued underinvestment in our mental health services: incre…