Many colleagues will have seen the harrowing "Prime Time" report on the tragic death of Eden Heaslip, who was a victim of extreme bullying. I acknowledge that Senator Keoghan and, subsequently, Senator McGahon have raised this matter with the Leader and she responded, but I wish to bring it up again. A real hero of the "Prime Time" report was Fr. Jason Murphy, a confidant and counsellor of Eden. He similarly featured in "Operation Transformation" a few nights later. It more than merits mention here that in recent y…

They should not be victims of bad publicity because of the actions of a few.

I move: That the Tenth Report of the Committee of Selection be laid before the Seanad.

I call Senator Pauline O'Reilly. I have not had the opportunity of congratulating her on the singular honour of becoming chairperson of her political party nationally. That is a huge achievement. It is with great pleasure that I call her to speak.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

As that concludes Members' contributions, it is my pleasure to call on the Minster to respond to the debate. I want to acknowledge, and I know I speak for all the Members of this House, the Minister's willingness and the degree to which he goes out of his way to engage with people, both farmers and representatives, across the country. It is quite incredible the levels to which he goes to meet people on the ground, and it should be acknowledged.

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive response to the debate.

I want to welcome the one-off €1,000 bonus payment to healthcare workers. It is a good initiative. It is better, more efficient and more impactful than giving days off. I want to raise three distinct issues. First, as hospital admissions and ICU cases plateau, thank God, we have a new crisis looming. We now have a long waiting list for elective surgery, for various procedures and indeed for diagnoses. We need a special emergency plan that harnesses the public and private sectors to deal with these waiting lists and…

I welcome the Minister of State and colleagues to the House.

I have a lengthy list, which I will try to balance by calling people as they presented and also in rotation. The next speaker is Senator Ardagh, followed by Senator Doherty.

I welcome the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, to the House.

Scaipeadh an liosta de na leasuithe a rinne an Seanad agus a bhreithnigh an Dáil ar na Comhaltaí mar eolas dóibh. Bhreithnigh an Dáil na leasuithe sin agus ghlac sí leo agus, chomh maith leis sin, rinne sí leasuithe breise de dhroim an Dáil d’aontú le leasuithe Uimh. 6 agus 7 ón Seanad.

Cuirfidh an Cléireach teachtaireacht go dtí Cléireach na Dála ag deimhniú chinneadh an tSeanaid. Bhí gach duine an-chabhrach ina gcomhoibriú. Níl baint aige sin leis na saoirí.

We will now consider Committee and Remaining Stages of the Social Welfare Bill 2021. At the outset, it is my pleasure to welcome my colleague and friend, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, to the Chamber for this debate. I also welcome colleagues back for the debate.

I believe Senator Buttimer wishes to comment on section 3.

A number of Members are offering to speak on section 3. I call Senator Boyhan.

The point is well made. We allowed a certain amount of latitude not just on seasonal considerations but because I understand the gravity of this and it does relate to the Minister's Department in that the Senator is asking her for a response. We must end it at that.

It is very reasonable that the Minister could not go beyond that. Every colleague has a right to speak on this Bill.

I call the Minister to respond to the point raised by Senator Higgins. She has responded in advance to Senator Carrigy's issue.