I move amendment No. 59: In page 31, to delete line 16 and substitute the following: “(a) as soon as possible after the second anniversary of the establishment, but not exceeding six months, and”.

I move amendment No. 60: In page 31, to delete line 17 and substitute the following: “(b) as soon as possible after the cessation date, not exceeding six months.”.

I move amendment No. 62: In page 31, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following: “(3) The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Eireann a report on the operation of the Mother and Baby Institution Payments Scheme. A report under this section shall consider the following matters: (a) the scope for inclusion of additional institutions in Schedule 1 ; (b) whether there is scope in the scheme for the inclusion of children and women who were subjected to non-cons…

I move amendment No. 63: In page 31, to delete lines 36 and 37, and in page 32, to delete lines 1 to 3 and substitute the following: “ 43. (1) The Chief Deciding Officer, in consultation with the Minister may, by regulation provide for the insertion in Schedule 1 of any institution which was established for the purpose of providing maternity and infant care services and the placement of children for the purposes of adoption or care arrangements, and in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection f…

Last night, RTÉ showed "Mariupol - Unlost Hope". What struck me about this programme was the beauty of the magnificent modern city, with stunning parks, impressive architecture and town squares. It was every bit a modern European city and a thoroughly beautiful place to raise a family, live and work in a harmonious melting pot of cultures and beliefs. Heartbreaking stories were told in detail by ordinary people. I do not think anyone could remain unmoved by the plight of the Ukrainian people, particularly after vie…

Before I call the Tánaiste to reply, I point out the debate will have to conclude in two minutes, so I will have to interrupt him.

Amendments Nos. 1; 3 to 12, inclusive; 14; 19; 21; 46 to 48, inclusive; 51; 71 to 73, inclusive; the amendment to amendment No. 14; and amendments Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, and amendment No. 7 to amendment No. 19 are related and may be discussed together.

I am sorry; I am trying to be fair but the Minister is one full minute over time. He will have an additional two minutes to come back.

Is everybody agreed?

I am okay with it as long as everybody else is. I want to be fair to everybody.

When I was putting notes together for this debate, I realised that we had a debate on a cost-of-living motion on 15 February 2022. Twelve months later, unfortunately things have got much worse for people. I commend Deputy Doherty on bringing forward this motion. We have to ask ourselves how we are still in this position. Why are energy companies being allowed to profiteer off the backs of severely struggling families? Barnardos was mentioned by Deputy Doherty. Tomorrow at 11 a.m., its representatives will visit Lei…

My question relates to the childminder situation. What are the Minister's plans to change the legal status of childminders, which would make possible the future regulation of childminders and allow access to the national childcare scheme to be opened in future to parents who use registered childminders? I ask for more information on that.

That is welcome. I have often spoken on this matter. Childminders are invaluable. Theirs is the service I used due to the nature of my current work and when I previously worked for a trade union, where the hours are so uncertain. Many people are in that situation, including those doing shift work or not doing the traditional 9 to 5 hours. There are so many roles like that where childminders are invaluable. It would be great to bring them into the system. Will that have to go through the whole legislative process or…

This is good. It would be great to complete the legislation this year in order that it could come into force next year. Those of us familiar with this sector have often wondered how to encourage more people to register. I have always thought there is sometimes a fear that, all of a sudden, somebody who has been childminding for years but was not registered believes there will be some sort of backlash. These proposals, therefore, are good. It is timely that people would get the subsidy. It is great for parents not t…

I also pay tribute to the chair of the committee, Senator Carrigy. I can only imagine the number of issues the committee must be dealing with, given the delays in assessment, accessing therapies and everything, so it is great to see such a comprehensive report. It is always great when there is cross-party co-operation and engagement on a committee. I will focus on three key areas. One is the expansion of the programme to as many students as possible. Some access summer provision in a home setting but my experience …

I welcome members of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home Alliance in the Public Gallery who have been active not only on this aspect of the scheme but on everything connected with the mother and baby institutions over the years. I speak in support of amendment No. 2 and my amendment No. 62, which is similar. I agree with Deputy Cairns that it was Deputy Sherlock who first gave us the idea that we could seek the publication of a report as it would mean our amendments would not be ruled out of order. There are very importa…

I mentioned the Tuam group earlier, but we also have with us James Sugrue and Peter Mulryan, two of the boarded-out children. They want the point to be made that they were given a commitment by the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, about their own cases and that they should not be forgotten. The difficulty we have had with the Government is that members say one thing when they meet survivors but when it comes down to brass tacks, we see a totally different approach. I am struggling for words because we have had so many d…

I do not support this group of amendments and I have a number of questions about it. The Minister stated that he outlined his intention on Committee Stage. I am open to correction but I do not remember that there was talk of a dissolution day and the scheme being dissolved. It is not a scheme that will last forever. As flawed as the scheme is, I am not comfortable that we are talking about dissolution of an office and the transfer of powers to the Minister of the day, especially if there are any outstanding claims …

We are saying the scheme will wrap up within five years or, potentially, earlier. Is that correct? Can I get clarity on that?

It does not make sense that we would set a date in the legislation as to when it will wrap up, yet we are supposed to do a review. If we do a review two years in, it will nearly be at the five-year stage by the time the review is done, the way things operate in this place. I find it difficult to support any of these amendments going forward given the nature of the debate on the previous amendment. When we had an opportunity to do the right thing, unfortunately, that amendment was not accepted. I will call a vote on…