I move: That the proposal that Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2020, copies of which were laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 13th November, 2020, be referred to the Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine in accordance with Standing Order 71(2)( b ), which, not later than 24th November, 2020, shall send a message to the Seanad in the manner prescribed in Standing Order 75, and Standing Order 77(2) shall accordingly apply.”

I commend my colleague, Senator O'Loughlin, who has been working on the Bill for a number of years and who brought it before the previous Dáil. I know how much she cares about the Bill, how passionate she is about this issue and how much she wants to see real and meaningful change. It is a fact that Ireland, thankfully, has become a far more progressive, inclusive and diverse society over recent years and we have witnessed significant positive changes. However, not everybody has welcomed this change with open arms.…

At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Tuesday, 17 November 2020, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No. 2, statements on the recognition of Irish military service at Jadotville in 1961, to be taken at 1.15 p.m. and to conclude at 2.45 p.m., with the contribution of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be given no less than six minutes to reply on the deba…

Senator Lombard raised the issue of Brexit, in particular fisheries. I concur with him. In my county of Mayo, fishing is an industry that still employs people. Senator Flynn also raised the issue. It is one of the few remaining issues to be resolved in the Brexit negotiations. The UK knows it is of considerable importance to Ireland and that is why it has not been resolved to date. I am not sure if we will get a resolution to the level of satisfaction that we want. The matter is still under discussion. Senator Keog…

I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Standing Orders relative to Public Business: The Seanad on its rising on Wednesday, 11th November, 2020, shall adjourn until 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday, 17th November, 2020 and the following arrangements shall apply: ( a ) The Order of Business shall be proposed at 10.30 a.m. in the Dáil Chamber; ( b ) Commencement matters shall be taken at 1.30 p.m. in the Seanad Chamber; ( c ) Business ordered to be taken subsequent to Commencement matters, shall be taken in the Seanad Cha…

I propose that we extend time to facilitate the remaining five Senators who wish to speak, with one minute each.

I welcome the Minister's saying that a review board is to be set up. I commend Vice Admiral Mark Mellett on his flexibility in this regard. I agree with the Minister's position that it is not for politicians to award medals; it is for the military to do so. I think there is something special about the siege of Jadotville. That is why it has exercised us for so many years and why there is such emotion in this House and beyond. Former military personnel have spoken in this House from personal experience. Something ma…

I have four minutes and I am happy to share time with Senator Mullen, with two minutes each.

I commend Senators Byrne, Cassells and Casey on bringing the Bill forward. If nothing else it has facilitated debate and conversation around this topic. I am happy that we are discussing reform rather than abolition of the Seanad. That was the last big debate. I was utterly opposed to abolition because we offer an important check and balance on the work of Dáil Éireann. We also do our own work in terms of policy development, legislation and the scrutiny of legislation coming from Dáil Éireann. I have served in Dáil…

At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow in the Dáil Chamber.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for outlining just how special is Ireland West Airport Knock, known to us locally in Mayo as Knock Airport. It first opened its doors in 1985 with just three chartered flights to Rome. Since then it has grown to become Ireland's fourth busiest airport after Cork, Shannon and Dublin airports. In 2019 more than 800,000 passengers passed through its doors. The airport directly employs 100 people and indirectly employs 3,000 people across the region due to its impact in the tourism and hospita…

The funding that has been available to date is welcome but not sufficient. My concern is that while budgets are being made available to regional airports, we are all looking to get money from the same pot and that the pot is not infinite. There needs to be a direct commitment for Ireland West Airport Knock to meet the losses it has suffered this year. Let us be very clear, the airport is closing its doors for the second time on foot of a Government decision basically to close down the aviation sector and to stop fl…

The Order of Business is No. 26, motion 6, postponed division on the amendment to the motion on biodiversity, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business; No. 1, motion re arrangements for the sitting of the House on Tuesday, 10 November 2020, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 26, motion 6, without debate; No. 2, third report of the Committee of Selection, to be taken on conclusion of No. 1 without debate; No. 3, motion regarding section 6(5)(a) of the Data Protection Act 2018 (section 60(6)) (Central…

I accept the amendments proposed by Senator McDowell and Senator O'Loughlin to the Order of Business. Senator Doherty raised the issue of Aer Lingus workers. It is a failing of our system that over 2,000 applicants have yet to be responded to by the Department. The Department is there to serve the citizens and the people. I will certainly raise it with the Department that it expedite its work in that regard and give a response to those people. Senator McDowell raised issues around the suspension of parliamentary sc…

Yes, he is known for that. He is an incredibly affable, friendly individual with great charisma and energy. I hope to see him in the White House in the near future. He has shown the grace and leadership qualities that we would like to see in the White House in terms of how he has handled recent comments by the current President. Senator Burke raised the issue of Taiwan and its exclusion from the World Health Assembly. Those points were echoed by Senators Buttimer, Conway, Davitt and Mullen. Senator Mullen raised an…

I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Standing Orders relative to Public Business: The Seanad on its rising on Friday, 6th November, 2020, shall adjourn until 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday, 10th November, 2020 and the following arrangements shall apply: (a) The Order of Business shall be proposed at 10.30 a.m. in the Dáil Chamber; (b) Commencement matters shall be taken at 1.30 p.m. in the Seanad Chamber; (c) Business ordered to be taken subsequent to commencement matters, shall be taken in the Seanad Chamber.

Other Senators have outlined the key issues. The information that has come to light is important to the debate. It is regrettable that so many victims and their next of kin and other family members have taken from this that there is some attempt to try to restrict their rights to the benefit of institutions or those who have done wrong, including abusers. That is due to a breakdown in communication from all sides. However, this advice from the DPC is significant. It changes things. I have spoken to the Minister num…

I propose a three-minute adjournment.

I am happy to support the Order of Business today. There are a number of items which I wish to put before the House. Something I believe would be interesting and topical for us to discuss is the whole area of employment and the different changes that have occurred due to this pandemic. The first factor is the level of youth unemployment. This is a significant problem for the country. The level of youth unemployment among the under-25s currently stands at almost 37%. Many of those have been employed in the lower inc…