I call Senator Dolan.

As it is now 12.45 p.m., I am required to put the following question in accordance with the order of the Seanad of this day: “That amendment No. 10 is hereby negatived in committee, that section 10 is hereby agreed to in committee, that the Government amendments undisposed of are hereby made to the Bill, in respect of each of the sections undisposed of that the section or, as appropriate, the section, as amended, is hereby agreed to in committee, the Schedule is hereby agreed to and the Title is agreed to in commit…

I thank colleagues for their participation and the Minister for her very full answers to questions. When is it proposed to sit again?

It is my great personal pleasure to welcome to the House one of its distinguished former Members, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe.

I thank the Senator and offer him my sincere apologies; I was distracted at the beginning.

Thank you, Senator Gavan. Your contribution was a model of timing. It came in at eight minutes. Our next speaker is the Seanad Deputy Leader, Senator Chambers.

I join with Senator Kyne in acknowledging the special input of our good friend and colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, in terms of this motion. It is very well crafted. I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, to the House. I have known him for many years and I know he is a man of great personal compassion and that, hopefully, will transfer into his response to this motion in terms of follow-up actions. In whatever fora or public assembly I have had the privilege of being a member of, I have always argue…

Is cúis áthais dom páirt a ghlacadh sa díospóireacht thábhachtach dhearfach seo. I welcome my friend, the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, who brings hard work and intellectual rigour to the Department and to anything he does. I salute Senators McGreehan and Blaney and their Fianna Fáil colleagues for bringing forward the motion. As a neighbour of Senator Blaney, I know he is steeped in a history of interest in the Northern Ireland issue and connection to the people of Northern Ireland. He speaks with great sincer…

We have all reasonably and correctly bemoaned the full closure of Ulster Bank and the closure of branches of Bank of Ireland. I want to propose some responses, and request that the Leader bring them to the Government and provide an opportunity to debate them in the House. I start by proposing the empowerment of our credit unions. Credit unions can only lend 15% of their reserves on home mortgages. It should be low-risk, as whoever lends holds the deeds. It is not high-risk lending and it is becoming less so. The cr…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, my neighbour. In a pre-Covid world, we used to meet occasionally in north Meath. Presumably, and hopefully, we will be doing that again soon. I also echo Senator Keogan's remarks in congratulating the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and Paul Hickey on the birth of Michael Shane. The digital green certificate will facilitate people's right to move freely within the EU and will help support the lifting of restrictions across the member states in a co-ordinated way. On St. Patr…

It is my great pleasure to welcome the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, to the House and to invite her to speak.

Is cúis áthais dom fáilte a chur roimh an Tánaiste go dtí an Seanad. Táimid buíoch go bhfuil sé ag dul i dteagmháil linn faoin ábhar práinneach seo. I thank Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Varadkar, for being here to lead and respond to this important debate. We are hopeful that our contributions will inform final outcomes and decisions. I invite the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to open the debate.

I thank the Tánaiste for setting out the parameters of the debate and hopefully provoking a good discussion. A large number of Members are offering. Unless they are really decent with their colleagues and stick to the time, some will be left out. By going over, they will be preventing a colleague from speaking. I call Senator Ahearn for Fine Gael.

I appreciate the Senator's co-operation. We have a difficulty arising with time slots. We have Senators Seery Kearney and Conway next but Senator Carrigy will find it difficult to get in unless they give him a minute each or something. He is next in line. I make Senators aware of that fact. The order allotted here is Senator Conway to start, then Senator Seery Kearney. Will they give a minute each?

I appreciate that. I again apologise to Senator Conway, whose time may have been a little too short.

It was purely an error.

The efforts everyone has made to co-operate have succeeded in ensuring all Senators who wished to speak could do so. I thank Members for that. It is my pleasure to call on the Tánaiste to respond to the debate.

The Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment has completed its consideration of the following regulations in draft: Protection of Young Persons (Employment) (Exclusion of Workers in the Fishing and Shipping Sectors) Regulations 2021. The Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage has completed its consideration of the following regulations: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 3) Regulations 2021; and Planning and Development (Street Furniture Fees) Regulations 202…

I have received notice from Senator Fiona O'Loughlin that, on the motion for the Commencement of the House today, she proposes to raise the following matter: The need for the Minister for Health to consider lifting the restrictions on partners attending at maternity hospitals for appointments and childbirth. I have also received notice from Senator Marie Sherlock of the following matter: The need for the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to conduct a review of the national childcare…

I join Senator McDowell in offering words of sympathy to Senator Mullen. The Cathaoirleach asked me to do so on his behalf also. I could not agree more with Senator McDowell's words on the devoted care and love Senator Mullen displayed for his father over many years while he was in ill-health. As they say, and to be biblical, by their fruit you shall know them, and he lives according to his word.