To respond to the specific point made by the Senator, I give an undetaking to liaise directly with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to ensure provision in this respect is ring-fenced in the regulations. This is a very important point. I know the Minister will be very open to that. This has been a very difficult period, particularly for women, who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. That is especially the case for women seeking a termination, whether in Ireland or abroad. We need to do everything to…

I thank the Minister of State for outlining those facts and figures. As he said on several occasions, this is time-sensitive surgery. Any delay is crucial to the well-being of these children and the outcomes of the surgery. Everybody here has heard from families in our communities and around the country who are, unfortunately, waiting unacceptable lengths of time for the proper surgery. On top of dealing with the condition and the challenges the condition presents for very young members of our society and their fam…

The Taoiseach is very welcome. As a member of the Fianna Fáil Party, I am proud to have him in the Chamber. The fact that he is taking time out of his challenging and busy schedule at this difficult time in our nation's history is much appreciated. It is a mark of the man he is that he would take the time to listen to everybody's views. I thank him for that. I am particularly proud of the Government and his leadership of the Government, which has prioritised women's healthcare. We have seen revolutionary commitment…

Is mór an onóir dom a bheith anseo chun an reachtaíocht fhíorthábhachtach seo a phlé. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as an mbéim a chuir sé ar an reachtaíocht seo. Tosaíocht ón tús a bhí sa Bhille seo ag an Aire Stáit. Tá lucht labhartha na Gaeilge ag fanacht ar an reachtaíocht seo le fada an lá agus is céim chun tosaigh ollmhór í an Bille seo. Ó bunaíodh oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga in 2004, tá gearáin déanta ag an gCoimisinéir Teanga nach bhfuil a dhóthain cumhachta aige chun cearta phobal na Gaeilge a chos…

Dé Máirt seo chugainn.

I welcome the Minister. I am very happy to have the opportunity to express my commitment to safe access zones. I know that the Minister has a firm commitment to safe access zones. As we all know, the commitment to safe access zones is contained in the programme for Government. My Government colleagues and I are very supportive of them. I am glad that Deputy Stephen Donnelly is our Minister for Health, particularly on foot of his ongoing and very real commitment to women's healthcare through the free contraception s…

Shameful.

Kevin Barry would have been pro-choice.

I move: That Seanad Éireann resolves that the amendments effected by Part 3 of the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 (No. 1 of 2020) shall continue in operation for the period beginning on the 10th day of November, 2021 and ending on the 9th day of February, 2022.

The Minister is very welcome to the House. It is unfortunate that we are in this position. I do not think anyone present wants to be in it. The Minister stated that it is not an easy decision for this House or the Lower House to extend these extraordinary powers. We hoped we would be in a much better position. The uptake of the vaccine was extraordinary and very well received in this country but the viciousness of Covid is apparent to us all, as is the impact it is having on healthcare and the impact it will have i…

Hear, hear.

I thank my colleague, Senator McGreehan, for sharing her time with me. As many in this House will be aware, I am passionate about public transport and the need for better, more accessible, more inclusive public transport and a total overhaul of the public transport network. People in this country are very much aware of the need to get out of the private vehicle, but they need to be given the opportunity to do so and to have public transport that suits where they live and how they live. I am coming from the point of…

I move: That Seanad Éireann resolves that Part 2 of the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021 (No. 24 of 2021) shall continue in operation for the period beginning on the 10th day of October, 2021, and ending on the 9th day of January, 2022.

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive and fully thought-through position on what he is asking us to do. It is a reasonable position. We know how dangerous this virus is. We have performed well but the threat has not gone and we need to be in a position to act rapidly. It is a limited power he is asking for regarding the hospitality industry. This concerns people's businesses, lives and livelihoods. They have been through a lot and enough. I hope we do not have to extend any more restrictions. I am glad to hear…

I formally give notice to this House that Senator Flynn and I have entered a pairing arrangement for the next six months. The Senator and her husband, Liam, welcomed a baby girl a couple of weeks ago. I extend my congratulations to Eileen, Liam, big sister Billy and the wider Flynn and White families on the safe and happy arrival of baby Lacey. It is an important point that we look at our maternity arrangements for our female politicians and demonstrate in a visible way that women here in the Seanad and in the Dáil…

I rise today to express my deep dismay regarding the new completion date of 2034 for MetroLink. The new completion date has been given to us today, after many weeks of speculation, following media reports a couple of weeks ago. This is only a hopeful date. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, said that “hopefully” we will be able to deliver MetroLink by 2034. I would like to remind the House the exact schedule that we have been given for what was metro north and is now MetroLink. In 2001, the project was …

If the Cathaoirleach could just give me another minute-----

We seem to have political will, but we do not know why there are delays. If we need to put a strategic unit to deliver major infrastructural issues within the Department of the Taoiseach-----

-----and overcome any delays through a constitutional referendum, then let us do it, because we are sick of waiting for it.

The Minister is very welcome and I thank him for bringing this very important legislation to the House. I commend him and his team in the Department of Health, as well as the HSE staff who have been working so hard during this pandemic. The Minister hit the nail on the head when he said that this Bill is about getting people back to work and doing so safely. People have been unemployed for months on end and it is heartbreaking to see people who have built their businesses up not being able to get back to what they …