I thank all the front-line workers who have worked throughout this pandemic. I am very mindful today of all those who have lost loved ones in the pandemic. My family had a bereavement in that I lost my godmother. I realise how difficult it has been for families to grieve during the pandemic. I am particularly mindful today of all the affected families. The Government's response has been extraordinary. It has provided an extraordinary amount of support to individuals, businesses, schools, sports organisations and co…

Over the past years we have seen huge investment and resourcing in An Garda Síochána to increase the strength of the force. It is now nearly at 15,000 with the highest budget ever of €3 billion in 2021. New and upgraded equipment, fleets of vehicles and new stations have been delivered in places such as Wexford and Kevin Street, not too far away from where we are now. In Waterford there has been an increase of 29% in Garda numbers between 2011 and September of this year. This is hugely welcome. Their presence has c…

I thank the Minister for bringing this important legislation before the House. He has been criticised in some quarters for expediting the Bill through the Seanad without pre-legislative scrutiny by the committee. As a member of that committee and as someone who was at the meeting referred to by Senator Warfield, it is disingenuous to try to twist the reality of how this Bill came before us. I accept fully the Minister's bona fides and the comprehensive letter he supplied to the committee explaining the urgency of b…

I accept that the measures in this Bill are immediately required to enable the planning authorities to proceed with their development plans. In many cases, especially in local authorities like my own in Waterford, as well as those in Limerick and Tipperary, which are amalgamated, their development plans should have lapsed in 2016, 2017, 2018 or 2019. They have been extended beyond their life as a result of the amalgamation and because the authorities are awaiting the national planning framework and the regional pla…

Hear, hear.

My good colleague and friend, Senator Currie, said much of what I was going to say about Dublin Zoo. I will, however, reiterate what she said about Government support at a time we have given unprecedented support to organisations such as sporting bodies, and justifiably so, because of the financial stress they are under. An institution such as Dublin Zoo certainly warrants support from Government. It launched a fundraising campaign this morning and I encourage people to get behind the zoo. I have fond memories, as …

I join my colleague in complimenting the Minister of State on his work in this area. I would like to acknowledge the work that has been done by the OPW in my county of Waterford in recent years. Thankfully, there has been tremendous investment in flood defences. More than €25 million has been spent to protect Waterford city and €1 million has been spent in Passage East. There have been minor schemes in Clonea and works at an outlet in Duckspool, Dungarvan. I would like to put on the record my thanks to the Minister…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, to the House and I wish him the very best in his role. On 9 July, I spoke on the Order of Business on the eve of a decision being made by Waterford City and County Council regarding planning permission for a transformative 125,000 sq. m mixed-use development on the north quays in Waterford city. The Minister of State is well aware of this project because I have spoken to him about it and explained it on several occasions. It is, however, worthwhile outlining the signif…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response, for recognising the importance of this project to Waterford and the south east and for acknowledging the work of our former colleague, Paudie Coffey, designating the site as a strategic development zone. The work of many people over the past number of years has brought this project to where it is now. I wish to record my thanks to each and every one of them for not giving in or saying that the project was going to fail, as many people have suggested. I a…

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him and his officials for the speed with which they have worked on this legislation, which is exceptionally important to protect people from evictions during this emergency period and any subsequent emergency periods that may arise. I am sure that, in his response to some Opposition Members, he will defend the Bill against some of the charges levelled and explain the reasons for linking this provision to the 5 km restriction via the section 31A of the Health Act 1947. T…

In the brief time I have I wish to focus on the capital investment programme that the Minister rightly pointed out as being the largest in the history of the State at €10.1 billion. It is right and proper that we are investing in capital infrastructure now. It would be remiss of me not to mention a significant capital project in my county of Waterford - I know the Minister has been briefed on this. I am referring the North Quays project. This will deliver significant accelerated growth in line with Project Ireland …

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. The Covid-19 crisis has had a devastating effect on many thousands of companies and employees throughout the State. To assist with the dramatic fall-off in revenue, the previous Government approved the introduction of the temporary wage subsidy scheme, TWSS, which has had a hugely positive impact in keeping employees linked with their companies and providing much needed cash flow support for companies to enable them to continue to trade through what has been, and cont…

I appreciate the Minister of State's response, but I would like him to consider those sectors with particular cash flow issues, namely, tourism and hospitality. People in those sectors are mainly paid on a weekly basis. While I appreciate that people who are paid on a monthly basis are not facing this scenario, the very businesses that we are trying to assist have a cash flow issue and are citing this as a major concern. I ask that the matter be addressed. Businesses are willing to put the extra work in on the payr…

Exactly.

I thank the Minister of State.

I will try to be as brief as possible. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him the very best in his new role. The establishment of the new Department is very welcome. It is a great step forward for the sector. In the face of Covid, it will probably be one of the most important Departments. Many people will require upskilling and retraining to fill the gaps that will exist in light of Covid-19. It is often when people are faced with adversity that they really see the opportunities that exist. Lifel…

I pay tribute to the Minister, the Department, principals, teachers, caretakers, office staff, cleaning staff and boards of management across the school system who have done Trojan work to get the system back up and running, and continue to do so. I wish to raise two issues. I am not sure if the Minister referred to the first one in her opening remarks, but it relates to schoolbags. In fact, one of my colleagues mentioned the issue. The guidance issued from the Department encouraged schools to declutter classrooms …

I welcome the Minister of State to the House again. It is fantastic to have a Minister of State who is also a Seanad colleague in the House presenting the Bill. While some on the opposite side of the House have been criticising the Minister of State for the haste with which she has brought forward the Bill, I commend her and her officials on the speed and haste in bringing forward the Bill. The Bill is about protecting jobs and securing an industry that gives a contribution of €2.3 billion to the Irish Exchequer wi…

I raise the issue of school transport, though I know it is proposed to have a debate on it next Thursday. I have been dealing with a particular family in west Waterford who, due to connectivity issues and through no fault of their own, submitted a late application for school transport for their three children, two of whom received a seat on the school bus last year. Bus Éireann has since accepted their application and payment for school transport for the three children this year. While I understand that priority ha…

Yes, with Senators Seery Kearney and Ahearn.