I am happy to speak on and support this Bill, which extends the sunset clause in respect of enforcement powers. It is important that these powers exist and that An Garda Síochána, other law enforcement authorities and the emergency services have the options they may require. The concept of a sunset clause struck me in the early days of the pandemic when the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 came before the Houses. We were in those early days of trepida…

I ask the Minister to provide a report on EU plans for digital taxation.

I was aware that there were efforts afoot at OECD level and, to a certain extent, at EU level in that regard. I understand EU officials have stated they will seek to press ahead with proposals for a digital tax on technology companies at the end of the year if the wider collection of 137 or more countries fails to get a multilateral deal from the OECD. My understanding is that the US withdrew from OECD talks earlier in the year. It may have rejoined, but my understanding is that it is out for the moment. That may c…

I agree with almost everything the Minister has stated. President von der Leyen, to whom the Minister alluded, indicated in the context of the EU Covid budget and recovery package that member states, whether the so-called "frugal four" or otherwise, must repay by 2058 any borrowing they receive under the €750 billion once-off recovery fund which is to be borrowed on the markets by the Commission and then distributed to member states in grants and loans. My understanding is that the Commission has asked member state…

I am proud to see a Government led by a Fianna Fáil Taoiseach initiating a new Department of higher education and research. Actually, I believe the Minister has renamed it to the "Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science". It follows in a tradition. I am proud of my party's history in this area, in particular higher education and research. In 1940, Eamon de Valera, another Fianna Fáil Taoiseach, established the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, DIAS. People like Seán Lemass …

At the outset I offer my congratulations formally to the new Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. We laboured together in the vineyard on the communications committee in the previous term so I have full confidence that the Minister is more than au fait with the issue. I look forward to engaging with him on this and on transport matters, which are also close to my heart. I am aware the Minister's new responsibilities will encompass that also. I wish him the best of luck in the term ahead. My question is on broadband provisi…

I thank the Minister for his answer. The Minister listed several numbers of homes with various target dates. This is welcome but I am particularly interested in the potential for acceleration. I must confess that I was a sceptic in respect of the national broadband plan in the last Dáil but it is in progress, so I wish it Godspeed. We need to roll it out as fast as we possibly can. One of the reasons I was somewhat sceptical is that I believed, and still believe, that there are ways to achieve wider coverage in an …

I thank the Minister. Going back to the heart of the question, I wish to reiterate the proposals which I may discuss with the Minister. They are complementary to the national broadband plan rather than an alternative to it. I am trying to get a greater understanding of the suggestion that there is a potential for accelerated roll-out. Is that driven by technology, geography or commercial factors? That understanding will help us to realise whether this acceleration can be applied uniformly across the country or whet…

I take this opportunity to speak to the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill, the debate on which, I understand, is due to conclude today. I am glad to support this Bill and I commend it to the House. I want to take a moment to recognise the new surroundings and the amphitheatre in which we find ourselves. I pay tribute to the Ceann Comhairle and the Oireachtas staff who are behind this great new venture on which we find ourselves embarking. If I ever imagined myself addressing such an auditorium, I thought I…

I congratulate the Taoiseach on attaining his new office. He will be aware that the commuter belt requires significant investment in rail carriages, rolling stock and commuter services. The new programme for Government has much along those lines. Perhaps the Taoiseach might outline the plans to bring the Kildare route project and other projects into the commuter belt.

I am glad my colleague raised the issue of higher education because in the course of the Minister's 11-page speech, universities and colleges were mentioned only once. Reference was made to the fact that they had closed and nothing further was said. I wish to return to a number of points I made six weeks ago which was the last time education was debated in the Chamber and I had the opportunity to ask questions. On that occasion I put two questions to the Minister which have not yet been answered. The first issue I …

I asked similar questions on universities, and on fixed-term research. I ask the Minister to respond to those questions when replying to Deputy Connolly, or perhaps he might answer them in writing afterwards, if he can accommodate that.

I will commence at the four-minute mark if the Minister wishes to respond between now and then.

I thank the Minister. I will be as brief as I can because time is of the essence. I will ask two short questions on the leaving certificate. I will then concentrate the rest of my contribution on the third level sector. It has been put to me that fees for sitting the leaving certificate are payable at the end of this month. Given the constraints and economic conditions, some parents and families are under pressure with those fees. Perhaps the deadline could be extended in light of the fact that the exams are being …

They are the workhorses of the research sector. These people are caught between two stools because they cannot perform their experiments, work in their laboratories or attend their universities and they also are not eligible for the wage subsidy scheme. The laboratories and higher education institutions are running down their grant money to pay their wages as a humanitarian response in the context of the welfare of their researchers. This grant money will be exhausted and we will potentially lose three years' worth…

I suggest to the Minister that the wage subsidy scheme be made available to these fixed-term researchers, which seems an obvious solution, or that a commitment be given that no research institute will fall short of funding to continue its work when researchers can return to the laboratories.

More generally, with regard to the plight of the universities, their income from international students, accommodation and private sector collaboration has gone through floor. There will need to be massive support for the universities when this is over.