The impact of wind energy on energy prices is clear. We see that this month with the wholesale energy cost rising to €181 per MWh but going down to as low as €90 per MWh when the wind is at its strongest and up to €232 per MWh when there was no wind. Some 30% of Ireland's electricity up to June of this year has been created by wind - up 6% on last year. However, it is not enough, either from a climate perspective or an energy security perspective. I have heard the Minister talk about the benefit of energy security …

That is why I am raising it.

I have tried to.

This legislation was originally introduced by Senator Regina Doherty when she was Minister for Social Protection. I thank the Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy English, for driving this important legislation forward. It is important for a couple of different reasons, as many other Deputies have highlighted, and it is great to see such unanimity on any legislation. It is important for transparency and for every customer who uses hospitality services to know that the money he or she adds to a bill as a tip g…

I am sharing time with Deputy McHugh. I am very glad to have the opportunity to speak on this really important Bill. I congratulate my colleague, Deputy Higgins, on the extraordinary work she has put into developing this comprehensive legislation. It is technically astute and deeply researched. That effort has not just been in the legislative sense; there has been a great deal of associated work, including the comparative international analysis she undertook and the deep discussion she has had with women's represen…

I support the motion. I agree with everything Deputy Berry said and acknowledge his deep expertise in this area. The participation by Ireland in these European initiatives is a natural extension of Ireland's integration into Europe and its deeper collaboration with European partners on a whole range of different fronts. I do not see why defence needs to be different. Defence is about our own strategic self-interest. Our strategic self-interest is at the heart of Europe. It is about seriously equipping ourselves for…

Yesterday was a very significant and important day with the publication of the third national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. I thank the Minister and congratulate her on her work in steering the Department towards the strategy's publication yesterday. It is an extremely far-reaching strategy but its real strength is that it has been built on exceptional collaboration between the Government and the sector, including the service providers in the area of domestic violence and NGOs representing…

The implementation plan is crucial. Members of Government parties, the Opposition and the sector will rightly hold the Department and the agency to account on that. The plan shows a clear commitment to set out quarter by quarter exactly what is intended to be delivered by each Department. That is the only way to ensure implementation on a cross-government basis. What the Minister said about education and the relationships and sexuality education programme is very important. It is core to this. Family law reform is …

I wanted to raise again the zero-tolerance strategy published by the Government yesterday, which is the third strategy against domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. In particular, I wish to ask the Minister about the family law reform Bill and the family courts work which I hope is about to be published either before the Dáil recess or in the very early weeks of the next term. It is crucial that we stop the family court system being used by perpetrators to continue to exert coercive control over their former …

I am glad to have the good fortune to be able to speak in the Dáil about LGBTQI+ and equality today. We discuss this today from a really positive baseline, in an Ireland that has evolved and developed, moving from intolerance and exclusion to something quite different. We are moving towards real inclusion. A gentleman I particularly want to remember today is my husband’s uncle, a man called Patrick Duggan. Patrick died earlier this year. He was an actor. He played Fr. Joe Briefly in "Father Ted", he was in the Abbe…

We all wish the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, well with her very good news. Of course, she is not the only female Member to have had a baby in the lifetime of this Dáil. Indeed, a number of men have had babies in their families during the period of this Dáil. It is a useful opportunity to remind us we have made no practical advance in maternity provision for Members of the Oireachtas who may have babies. A Bill was passed on Second Stage and I thank the Government for its engagement with that. It is a recom…

I seek an update on the local live performance support scheme, administered through the local authorities. How many artists, performers and events in Dublin have benefited from the scheme?

I might just clarify the figures. The Minister referred to 7,800 employment days in 2021 and 1,692 in 2022, but she also mentioned a figure of 5,600. What was that?

I have a copy of a press release from the Minister, dated 7 March, that referred to 10,000 employment days. It stated the 2021 scheme supported 350 events and the funding supported 10,000 days of employment, but it is not clear whether that relates to 2021 or whether it is a cumulative total up to 2022. Either way, it does not seem to add up. Will the Minister check that information and revert to me? Perhaps the press release was inaccurate. I also have a couple of questions about the distribution of the funds. Fol…

I can confirm I have not.

I suspect it is more for the parents to get out, although that might just be me. Obviously, we are transitioning away from a Covid period whereby the requirement to support artists in this way may be changing. The Minister indicated a transition to a basic income model for artists. What questions are now being asked of her and her Department by this sector in advance of the budget? Is this still the sort of funding being sought through the local authorities or is there a recognition we are moving back, I hope, to r…

On a point of information, the baby rave is on this Saturday in Dún Laoghaire in the DLR LexIcon at 10.30 a.m., 12 noon, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. I cannot believe I did not know about it before now. I thank the Minister for letting me know and I will promote it on my social media. Babies and toddlers are invited to wear sunglasses, bring glow sticks and rock away for whatever length of time. It was a useful night's work even just for that. Separately, I have perhaps a more serious question about the rebuilding and support…

I appreciate the points the Minister made, in particular regarding pent-up demand and the supply chain issues relating to vehicle rental. Nevertheless, the holistic experience for a tourist coming to Ireland is one of extremely high costs. Other Deputies gave the costs of hotels in different ways. I did my own analysis and the pressure is considerable in Dublin, in particular. However, there are also other examples of value questions. One can get a room in the Camden Court Hotel tonight or tomorrow night for €185. …

I appreciate the points the Minister makes. I wish to return to the matter of Dublin Airport in particular. I appreciate that, strictly speaking, it is under the remit of the Department of Transport. Nevertheless, as Minister for Tourism, it is associated with her because of the visitor experience attached to Dublin Airport as our main port of entry. I want to highlight again the impact of the issue there. It is as if we have outgrown the infrastructure, but we cannot have done so yet. It cannot be the case that on…

Yesterday, members of the Traveller community held a protest outside Leinster House to highlight mental health issues facing the community. As Fine Gael spokesperson for equality, I apologise to them for not being present. I was at a special school with members of the new Joint Committee on Autism at the same time as the protest. In response to a parliamentary question on 25 May, the Minister for Health stated the exact publication and implementation of the Traveller health action plan is a priority for his Departm…