It is important after five months of this pandemic that we as policymakers pause and assess where we are in our response to the pandemic. We have seen the pandemic have a significant impact upon society, but as legislators we need to recognise that our response to it must be based upon accurate, factual information. If people are looking for accurate, factual information on the pandemic, I recommend they go to the State's Covid-19 data hub, which is available on the Ordnance Survey website, as it provides very deta…

Déanaim comhghairdeas le mo chara, an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Chambers. Níl aon dabht agam ach go mbeidh sé ag obair go crua agus go dícheallach ina oifig nua ar son leas an phobail sna blianta romhainn. I congratulate my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, on his appointment. I have no doubt that he will be a very effective and competent Minister of State in the years ahead and I wish him well. We can safely say that when the history of the 21st century is written 100 years from now, the events of 2…

Ar mo shon féin agus ar son Fhianna Fáil déanaim comhbhrón le clann an Gharda Colm Horkan, a fuair bás an tseachtain seo caite nuair a bhí sé ag freastal ar an bpobal. Aithnímid sa Teach seo an tseirbhís a chuireann comhaltaí den Gharda Síochána ar fáil gach lá agus na priacail mhóra a bhíonn ann agus iad ag obair ar son an phobail agus ar son na tíre. Ní dhéanfar dearmad ar íobairt mhór an Gharda Colm Horkan agus táim ag smaoineamh ag an am seo ar a mhuintir, a chairde agus a chomhghleacaithe sa Gharda Síochána. O…

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this important debate. Fianna Fáil will be supporting these motions. I welcome the Minister's statement emphasising that there will be a review of security legislation. He said it is ongoing in his Department. We need to examine the two items of legislation separately because they relate to more than simply the Special Criminal Court. Let us examine the 1998 legislation, introduced in the aftermath of the Omagh bombing. This House and the Seanad decided the provisions introduce…

I am sharing time with my four colleagues. The consequences of the global lockdown of 2020 are, at present, not fully known. We can see how damaging some aspects of it have been, such as the damage to our economy, our medical systems and people's health. There are other repercussions, however, of which we are still unaware. I spoke previously in the House about my concern as to the impact the lockdown was having on children and young people, but another area where it is having significant impact is that of domestic…

I am sharing time with Deputies Niall Collins and Christopher O'Sullivan. The vast majority of Irish people detest racism because they recognise that at its core, it has the persecution of and discrimination against certain groups of people because of the colour of their skin, their ethnicity or their nationality. It is important to point out that the Irish people are in a good position to speak about racism because for centuries we were the object of persecution and discrimination. It is important that we recall t…

As justice spokesperson for Fianna Fáil, I wish to put on record and to express to the Minister and the Minister of State my disgust at the development in recent days that has seen major, reputable individuals in the world of boxing decide to affiliate themselves and get involved with a leading Irish figure in an international criminal organisation. I ask that Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Sky Sports and others involved in the fight inform themselves about the Kinahan criminal organisation. They do not have to listen…

Those of us who are interested in community policing should watch carefully what is happening in the US. Recent events there reveal what occurs when there is a toxic relationship between a certain section of a community and its police officers. Not only have the brutal killing of Mr. George Floyd and the consequent protests underlined the toxicity of the relationship that exists between certain groups in the US and its police officers, they have also underlined the importance of having a police force that serves wi…

I am now even more concerned about this lockdown than when I spoke here three weeks ago. I am extremely concerned about its impact on young people, children, the elderly, people who are suffering from non-Covid illnesses, our economy and indeed those people in society who are the most financially insecure. I am also concerned that too much responsibility has casually been delegated by Government to our public health advisers. As I said previously, it made absolute sense back in March that we introduced measures for…

I will share time equally with Deputies Murnane O'Connor and Brendan Smith. I do not intend to ask the Minister questions and expect an answer, I would prefer if he would listen to the points I make. Much of the time, when questions are asked it is hard to get the answer. If answers are required they can be provided subsequently in writing. I also express my condolences to all the families of those who have died through this horrific pandemic. I also commend members of An Garda Síochána, the Prison Service and othe…

I wish to speak on the impact the ongoing lockdown is having on young people and children. All of us recognise that back in March it was absolutely necessary, in order to protect elderly people and the vulnerable, to introduce emergency measures. When we saw what was happening in Spain and Italy, it was imperative that we introduced measures for the purposes of ensuring that our intensive care units were not overrun like those in the countries to which I refer. It would have been reckless for us not to do so. Those…

The scheme as set out in the statute will operate as a refund scheme. Section 26(5) provides that following the notification by the employer of the payment of the salary to the employee the employer can contact the Revenue Commissioners and seek the subsidy. The only concern I have is that the Revenue, when it was assessing whether to pay the subsidy, will have to ensure that the employer qualifies and comes within the criteria set out in the legislation. Section 26(2) provides that the fundamental qualifying requi…

It makes sense to suspend the operation of section 12 of the Redundancy Payments Act 1967. However, the purpose of our amendment is that when one looks at subsection (2), it allows the Minister to extend that suspension period from 31 May onwards. What we are seeking to do with the amendment is to say it can be extended beyond that but it can only be extended for a period of up to three months. Without this extension, it means employees' rights can be negated for a longer period of time and that should not be the e…

Yes, it is Deputy Willie O'Dea's amendment.

I am talking about amendment No. 73. I think the Minister is referring to amendment No. 74.

I want to make a drafting proposal to the Minister. The new subsection (7) of section 40 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 refers to a medical officer of health. This term is not included within the definition section of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 but it is referred to in the definition section of the Health Act 1947. For clarity, the Minister should include it in the definition section of the 2005 Act when it gets to the Seanad.

It is important to remind Members that since 1947 a Minister for Health has had the power to issue regulations to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. It is a power that exists under section 31 of the 1947 Act and it has not been abused since that time in any way. It is important to point out that Covid-19 was included in a regulation made by the Minister in February 2020. It is also important to note that since 1947 a Chief Medical Officer or registered medical practitioner has had the legal power to isolate…

Ós rud é gurb í seo mo chéad óráid sa Dáil nua, ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an bpobal i gCuan Bhaile Átha Cliath Theas. Is mór an onóir agus an phribhléid í bheith tofa mar Theachta Dála sa Teach seo arís. Tá súil agam go mbeidh mé ag obair go héifeachtach ar son na ndaoine sna blianta amach romhainn. I thank the people of Dublin Bay South who re-elected me as a Deputy. I am disappointed that I am speaking for the first time in this, the Thirty-third Dáil, on such a depressing and dangerous issue as…