Be fair.

What is Senator McDowell doing?

He is.

Let us be fair.

I welcome the Minister of State. This is an important debate because I do not have any confidence that we will be ready to have the EU travel certificate. I have no confidence whatever about it. I listened to Professor Ferguson at the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications Networks this week. There has been no interaction between him and the Government and yet he chaired the expert group for the Government. I commend the Minister of State on his work. The Covid-19 travel certificate is important to us as a…

I echo and support Senator Warfield's remarks on the need for a balanced debate on sex education, and I applaud him for his remarks in the House today. I join with Senator Carrigy and others on the remarks about Andrew Geary. I know Andrew Geary. He is a tremendous father, a tremendous public servant and a huge and profoundly important advocate for his son, Callum. I commend him for his work. The digital green certificate has been raised on the Order of Business today. I call on the Leader to facilitate a debate in…

I will begin by praising the former Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, for his work prior to the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, taking office. Deputy Stanton did Trojan work. This is an issue we must grasp. It is the generational issue of our time. We have an obligation and a duty. If we are waiting on the jungle that is the gambling industry to act, we might as well forget about it. The O.K. Corral must be shut down and it is up to us to do it. Social responsibility must be imposed on the gambling industry and …

I am not taking a point of order. I am entitled to make my point.

I am referring to her contribution.

The horse-racing industry and the thoroughbred breeding industry are worth jobs and money. Sinn Féin has changed its position on the horse and greyhound fund.

The point I am concluding-----

Senator Boylan cannot have it both ways. I will conclude on this. It is important. We have unanimity on the fundamental point, which is that gambling reform is necessary. I support the endeavours of the Minister of State in that regard.

The Minister is very welcome. I raise the issue of travel vouchers for customers of airlines. At the outset, I commend the Irish Travel Agents Association on its advocacy, work and representation on behalf of people. In the context of the next phase of the Covid-19 recovery plan, it is important that we have a national aviation restart plan and a comprehensive plan for the hospitality, retail, tourism and travel sectors. A number of people have raised with me the issuing and honouring of vouchers by airlines. When …

I welcome the Minister's response, as well as the commitment from both Ryanair and Aer Lingus to honour the arrangements put in place for the travelling public. As the Minister said, the situation is a very difficult one and must be kept under constant review. The Government has given huge support to the aviation sector. The impact of this matter has been profound. I hope that as a follow-up to today and into the future an aviation restart plan can be put in place. It is important that we instil confidence in the t…

I ask the Leader to organise a debate on the travel industry, travel agents and the issuing of travel vouchers. As the Leas-Chathaoirleach and Leader will be aware, EU Regulation 261/2004 protects the rights of consumers and travel agents. Travel agents have been without income, or have had negative income, for a year as a result of Covid-19. Our travel agents now operate under what is probably the strictest international travel regime in the world. Despite what some might say, travel has been absolutely stopped wi…

I thought the Senator was not going to be adversarial.

I thank Senator Burke for sharing time. I welcome the Minister and wish him well. The vaccination programme is the single most important public health campaign in a century and we must have confidence in it. I commend the Minister for the work he is doing. I ask him to expedite work with regard to the role of our pharmacists in the vaccination programme. Our pharmacists play a key role. Under SI 60/2021, the remuneration of pharmacists involved in the vaccination programme has been set. I ask that this be adhered t…

I welcome the Minister of State. It is important that, in a debate on housing, there is a degree of listening and understanding. There is no silver bullet. I hear members of particular parties claiming in the House to have the answer to everything and that they are the only ones to understand people but that is not true. We can all relate to, understand and know the situations of a great many people who are in rented accommodation or trying to buy a house. To be fair to Senator Cummins, my interpretation of his rem…

I welcome the Minister and I wish him well in his brief. His stewardship of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will be judged not on his current actions, but his future actions. The majority of us in this Chamber today are not from Dublin. There is an over-reliance on Dublin in this country that needs to be addressed. That would be the Minister's legacy, in part. The national development plan is, as stated by IBEC, a growth enabler for the regions, be that Cork, Roscommon, Limerick, Galway or Waterford…

Guím Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan sona do mo dheirfiúracha. Táim ag lorg díospóireachta leis an Aire Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta, an Teachta Darragh O'Brien, maidir leis an gciste athghiniúna agus forbartha uirbeach. I congratulate all our sisters today on International Women's Day. It is important that we do not just celebrate it today but that we do so every day. I call on the Leader to have the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, come to the House to have a …