I do not have a Whip.

No, I will do it.

Do you want me to reply, a Chathaoirligh?

I thank the Cathaoirleach for clarifying the matter I raised earlier and I appreciate that. I assure the Cathaoirleach he will hear no further remarks from me on it. I appreciate the job he has and it is not an easy one. I do not mean anything personal by it at all. Senator Pauline O'Reilly raised an important issue this morning on the report of the Dublin Well Woman Centre research that was published today. It is a startling reminder of the misunderstandings and misconceptions around contraception among women and …

Hear, hear.

Ar dtús báire, cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. This is important legislation and I am pleased to speak on it as a former member of the board of supervisors of a credit union in Bishopstown. The credit union movement has gone through gargantuan change in the past decade, some of which I would question in terms of its progress or lack thereof. I listened to Senator Mullen speaking and I concur completely with some of his remarks. The fundamental aspect for many of us and for those in communities is that the credit…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this very important legislation. It is a pity that the backdrop to this debate on the proposed reform of the credit union movement is Covid-19. The explanatory memorandum to the Bill speaks about the provision for the holding of certain meetings of the credit unions by remote meeting. I pose my question in terms of the audit committee, the board of supervisors who have to go in and oversee the work of the credit union board and to look at the presentation of loan…

We were very inclusive.

On a point of information, must we conclude today? Can we not roll the debate over because more speakers have offered?

The Government benches suit the Senator.

I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate him on his appointment. After 41 years and 14 reports, we still do not have common ground other than it is Groundhog Day and we want Seanad reform. I very much respect Senator McDowell but on his side of the House there is no equality of where to go. There are some people, and not Senator McDowell, who think it is their way or no way in terms of this debate. Therein lies the problem. Senator Byrne has a proposal to amend the seventh amendment. We have been waiting 41…

I welcome this debate and the Minister of State. I congratulate him on his appointment and elevation to the Department of Health. I do believe that we need to have a rolling debate on the reopening of our country. The former Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, made a suggestion at the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting last week on the need to have this debate. It is important that the Houses of the Oireachtas have a debate on the reopening of our country, not just living with Covid-19, because, as Senator Currie ha…

I know people who have never been contacted by the contact tracing team or the HSE. In saying that, I pay tribute to the men and women working on the front line in Covid wards and ICUs for the way in which they look after and care for patients. Equally, I pay tribute to the people who work in nursing homes for the care they give to older citizens. There is a real debate needed, whether regarding retail, sport, hospitality or education but the list goes on. This morning, the Teachers Union of Ireland made a very pos…

I thank Senator Byrne for sharing time. As an aside, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, the amount of time allocated for this debate is inadequate, given that many of us are from areas where communities are experiencing huge difficulties with flooding. It would be appropriate for the House to review how we do our business. We are the Upper House. We are a bicameral system of-----

I am just making the point that every debate this week has been truncated and many of us cannot get in to speak. That is not good enough for the Upper House of the Oireachtas. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, on his handling of his ministerial responsibility for the OPW and his courage and bravery in taking on vested interests and putting forward a vision and a plan for the city of Cork to rescue our city from the ongoing threat of flooding. He has done more than many to raise the need for this lo…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Ar an gcéad dul síos aontaím leis an Seanadóir Ó Donnghaile maidir le cúrsaí Gaeilge. Senator Cassells made a very telling and important contribution to the Order of Business. I do not want to usurp the role of the Cathaoirleach or the very generous remarks made by Senator Cassells but I ask that the Cathaoirleach consider, in light of the request by the president of the GAA that we all light a candle next Saturday, that either tomorrow or next week the Seanad have a minute'…

Notwithstanding the remarks of Members of the House, this is a very important Bill. Senator O'Loughlin deserves to be supported for bringing it forward. There are many people in our society who are less privileged that us, in particular those in the transgender community, and we have a lot of work to do as a society. I want to commend the Senator on bringing this legislation forward and it is something we can work on. It is about reducing hate, enshrining and protecting people and enhancing their quality of life bu…

The Senator is a good man to text and email councillors himself.

Fair enough.

I know the rules of the House.