Senator Keogan is learning fast.

I second the amendment and I commend the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Naughton, on being here today. I welcome this debate. It is important at the beginning of our debate that we pay tribute to and thank all those involved in search and rescue, in particular the men and women who put their lives at risk to save people on a daily basis. Many of us know people who have been rescued. Many of us know people who are working diligently every day. It is to that end that the language and words w…

I am speaking through the Chair. I am here 14 years. I understand the process as well as Senator Warfield.

You know what I mean. Come on. You are trying to wind down the clock. The other point is the expertise. I recognise the input of the Air Corps, the Coast Guard and Defence Forces. I do not have the expertise and I am the first to admit it, but I have done extensive consultation and reading and I have been on the transport committee with Senator Craughwell. We got legal advice regarding the matter that is being discussed here today. I am all for stakeholder engagement but the fundamental point is that we must ensure…

It is agreed reluctantly.

I welcome the Minister to the House. I respect the need for the Bill and the extension of the dates. The remarks of Senators McDowell and Burke are to be noted by all of us. The vaccination programme is working. Today, we heard that 300,000 Covid-19 vaccines were administered last week, and that is to be the case again this week. It is proof that the vaccination programme is working. The Minister, in his speech, praised members of An Garda Síochána. I still contend that, even at this late stage, they should be prio…

The Minister might get NIAC and NPHET to agree with them.

Last week, the Leader facilitated a debate on the European digital green certificate in this House, which is to be welcomed. This morning the Cabinet has not received a memorandum to progress the European digital green certificate and its agenda. This is most disappointing and worrying. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister to come to the House to discuss the ongoing delay in this regard. It is imperative that we get our country open for travel. I implore the Government to work with the travel sector to ensure th…

I seek a debate on anti-social behaviour, particularly in a post-Covid world. I do so in the context of Cork city, which is becoming a no-go area for many people. People are feeling threatened and worried in the city centre by gangs of youths. I appeal to An Garda Síochána and Cork City Council not to allow a city to become the site of a summer of discontent.

Ar dtús báire, cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I welcome the Minister. This Bill is, as we all know, very important. It is one that we should all support and collaboratively and collectively work together on, irrespective of ideology. Like Senator Malcolm Byrne, I have no hang up in encouraging development, be it private or public. We need the Construction Federation of Ireland. We need developers. In the old world, we called them builders who built houses and who knew what to do. Let us get back to doing that. This i…

There you go.

Many of us have been concerned that a generation is being left out of reach of home ownership. That is our legacy, unfortunately, of a lost decade, but now in this decade we can rebuild and start building. When I heard people criticise Eoghan Murphy when he was Minister, some of them were in the ivory tower of being in opposition and never making a decision except to cross the road or come in here and give out, while others just wrote a column, went up on Twitter or went out on the media and made smart comments wit…

I speak as an educator of 20-odd years in a classroom. The Minister is right that no one is questioning the professionalism of the teacher. This is about ensuring the student receives due regard for his or her work, but we must be careful to ensure that, in a new model of education delivery, the appeal system is wide ranging, open and transparent and is not confined within the prisons of certain operations. I understand where the Minister is coming from, but look at how operations have changed in terms of how peopl…

I loved reading Peig . I am probably in a minority of one in saying that. I did not like other aspects of the leaving certificate, though, such as rote learning. We are on a section that deals with reviews. We should not adopt a straitjacket approach to reviews. We have changed the model of education. We have empowered more people, there is more engagement and there are more consultative processes. We have a wider variety of activities for parents, pupils and boards of management. My concern has to do with the qual…

I have listened to Senator Dolan and the Minister and concur with what has been said. I am a small bit concerned about the language we are using. The Minister used the phrase "robust review", which is fantastic. We have migrated in two areas. For example, An Bord Pleanála holds oral in-person hearings and the Department of Social Protection has an in-person physical appeals system. The Minister used the phrases "make representations", "the candidate is afforded the opportunity to be heard", and "there is a second o…

I support the principle behind what Senator Ruane is trying to achieve. The Senator used the phrase "generational change" and I will add "cultural change" in the context of education. I am not sure that we need to provide the legislative footing for it. In recognition of the world we now inhabit, we have embarked upon gargantuan change in education from this time last year up to now, whereby accredited grades have been accepted and we have delivered an opportunity which is different for students from what had been …

I ask that the Minister for Health come back to the House for a debate on the vaccination programme. This week, we are heading towards another significant milestone with the 2 millionth dose of vaccine to be administered. It is hoped 250,000 people will be vaccinated this week. It is extraordinary that one of the most valuable assets we have is the community pharmacists but they are not being utilised at all in the ongoing vaccination programme. In the first iteration of the national Covid-19 vaccination strategy i…

There was.

Does the Senator include Mary Harney? Does he include the Progressive Democrats?

That is a fact. The Senator was in government.