I will begin by wishing everyone a happy St. Brigid's Day and first day of spring. I know the Cathaoirleach has already mentioned that it is an auspicious day and I hope there are better times ahead for everyone as we enter the month of February. I wish to express my serious concern regarding the events in Myanmar, or Burma, that have unfolded over the past 24 hours with a military coup. I ask the Leader to make representations to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, to express Ireland's concern and to…

Things have changed very rapidly and all of us are now very conscious that the vaccination-----

I did not interrupt any Government Members nor do I. I am courteous in this House and ask for similar respect from others.

As I was saying, we are all conscious that there will be a more delayed vaccine roll-out this year than we had anticipated. We see new and dangerous variants coming in and as we have seen extraordinary and deeply devastating levels of Covid transmission over the past month, the case has become stronger for an aggressive suppression strategy. The concern most people have is about the absence of any clarity from the Government as to what is the alternative if it is not to embrace zero Covid or an aggressive suppressi…

The Leader did not respond to my comments on Myanmar and zero Covid.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I welcome this Bill on behalf of the Labour Party as my colleague, Deputy Howlin, did in the Dáil. It is an extremely important area of focus. It is a complex area and the Bill is largely technical in nature. I join other colleagues in expressing concern at the delay in bringing this Bill forward. It was introduced on Second Stage in the Dáil on 22 September last and took three months to proceed through the Dáil. It is a concern that there have been such delays, even…

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for coming in himself to take this important matter. I have raised this matter to seek clarity as to the status of early years services. As the Minister knows, early years services and childcare providers are concerned about the lack of clarity and certainty around their position. In recent days and weeks, I have been engaging extensively with providers, those involved in the SIPTU Big Start campaign and with Seas Suas, representatives of which communicated yesterda…

While the Minister did not address the broader issue, I thank him for the comprehensive response on the specific issues I raised with regard to childcare. I am advised that some services are still having difficulty in meeting operational costs and there was concern that they would be unable to recoup funding where they were unable to open due to staffing issues. I am glad the Minister has provided some clarity on that point. I would like to engage with him further on the future Covid-19 sustainability fund which he…

I join with others in wishing a happy new year to all our colleagues. I also second the amendment on the period products (free provision) Bill proposed by my colleague, Senator Rebecca Moynihan. I commend Senator Moynihan on leading the way in advocating for period justice. I will be bringing forward my own Bill, the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2021, which we launched earlier today, providing rights of access to birth certificate information for adopted persons. The Labour Party published the Bill as pa…

I second the proposal.

I welcome the Minister. I also welcome this debate and the publication last week of the report into mother and baby homes. Its publication and the subsequent apology by the Taoiseach have marked a painful but cathartic week for the survivors of the homes, their families and, indeed, all of us. It has exposed again the dark history of confinement and incarceration of women and children that has been such a feature of Irish society for so long. All of us will reflect on the many reports we have seen over the years an…

I join others on behalf of the Labour Party group in wishing all colleagues across the House well for the Christmas break and the new year. In particular, I wish you well, a Chathaoirligh, and Martin, Bridget, Grace and all in the Cathaoirleach’s office, the Leader and all in her office, Orla Murray and others, who make the Seanad run so smoothly. I thank them all for their hard work this year. Undoubtedly, it has been a very tough year. At this time, we also remember the many who have been bereaved or whose health…

Senator Buttimer is a divil.

I thank my Independent Group colleagues, particularly Senator Craughwell, for swapping their time with the Labour Party Senators. In light of the unusual origins of the Bill, it is appropriate that the Labour Party would have the opportunity to lead for the Opposition on the Bill and I am delighted to do so. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I ask him to pass on our words of thanks to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, who has done so much to pilot the Bill through the Houses following its initiation in t…

It is now.

It was probably carrier pigeons.

I do not propose to speak at length on any amendments but just want to make a point on this group. To follow on from what the Minister of State said at the end of Second Stage, he was right to emphasise that the Bill is not flawed and does not require amendment. That is the view of the Labour Party which initiated this Bill and in the view of my colleague, Deputy Brendan Howlin, who steered through First and Second Stages through the Dáil. Second Stage was taken in the Dáil three years ago. I have his original draf…

As we hear concerning news about rising Covid-19 transmission rates in the North and here and as we digest the news that Mr. Emmanuel Macron has tested positive, I thought it would be nice to share the positive news that the Taoiseach has confirmed to my colleague, Deputy Alan Kelly, in the Dáil that vaccinations will start over the period 27 to 29 December. Colleagues will have heard the President of the European Commission, Ms Ursula von der Leyen making an EU-wide commitment on that, which is very positive. It i…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is always a pleasure to have her with us in the Seanad. My colleagues, Senators Hoey and Wall, have spoken very eloquently for the Labour Party to say how much we welcome the commencement of this important Act and how pleased we are to see the Minister of State announce 23 December as the date for it. It is very positive news to receive this week, before we go off on our Christmas break. I could not let the opportunity pass without paying tribute to the Cathaoirleach…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House, where she is always welcome. As Senator Conway said, she is now a very regular visitor. On behalf of the Labour Party group of Senators, I welcome the Bill. We will certainly support it. It is long overdue. As the Minister of State has said, the Central Mental Hospital is no longer fit for purpose and we support this move. We appreciate the urgency involved in the move although it raises the question of the exact timeframe involved. There have been quite a number of sli…