I thank the Minister for coming to the House and outlining quite comprehensively the measures contained in the Bill and their necessity. Some colleagues will recall passing the Bill in March 2020. Some of us were also Members of the previous Seanad and I remember passing that Bill with a very heavy heart. It was outlined that the powers contained in it were vital to protect the population of this country. They were vital and we have seen their necessity. They are serious powers and that is why we are back here. It …

I wish to raise the issue of hyperemesis. It is an issue I have been raising since 2018. I am sure Members will remember me raising it on several occasions. It is a condition suffered by pregnant women. It is sometimes referred to as morning sickness. As someone who suffered it during my second pregnancy, I can say that it is far from morning sickness. It is an extremely debilitating condition. Women suffer from prolonged and severe nausea when they have this condition. They suffer from severe dehydration and low b…

I add my voice to the calls by Senator Lisa Chambers in regard to the maternity restrictions. We need urgent clarification from the HSE and the Minister for Health in this regard. I have also been inundated with calls from women and their partners in recent weeks. They are highly distressed at the lack of uniformity throughout the country. It is a postcode lottery, as Senator Chambers said. It is completely unacceptable. Today is a positive day with many services opening up in the country. Maternity services need t…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Ba mhaith liom an easpa seirbhísí baincéireachta do lucht labhartha na Gaeilge a phlé inniu leis an Aire Airgeadais. Faoi láthair ní féidir le daoine a gcuid baincéireachta a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge más mian leo. Tá sé scanrúil i ndáiríre nuair a smaoinímid ar an ról lárnach atá ag an Stát sna bainc seo atá timpeall na tíre. Níl na suíomhanna Idirlín nó na haipeanna ar fáil trí Ghaeilge. Tá súil agam go dtabharfaidh an tAire aitheantas don easnamh seo. An bhfuil aon phlean ag an Rialtas c…

Many colleagues want to contribute and we are under time pressure. Members will be glad to hear I will keep my contribution very brief and will definitely not run over time. I very much welcome today's discussion and I commend Senator Seery Kearney on laying this motion before the House. I am glad we have the opportunity to discuss carers and the vital role they play. The pandemic has brought the issue of care and the value we place, as a society, on caring for members of it who are old, sick, young or who have spe…

Like everybody else, I am eagerly awaiting tomorrow's announcement. It will be a difficult day because many people are expecting changes and feel we deserve such changes in light of the enormous efforts they have made. Many people understand that we are at a very crucial stage in the life cycle of the virus. The Minister has reaffirmed the need to hold firm for another few weeks. I am very pleased to hear the nursing home statistics the Minister read out. Tomorrow, we need to hear hopeful statistics like that. We a…

Excuse me. I am sorry but I have never seen-----

I will be super quick because I want to give my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, a very good period to discuss this very important topic. I am also delighted that the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, is also here. I want to touch on two very important issues that I am very passionate about. One is the free contraception scheme for women aged 17 to 25 years that was promised in the programme for Government. Personally, I would prefer universal acc…

Jobs for the boys.

Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinn le na Seanadóir O’Loughlin, más féidir linn, cúig agus trí nóiméad an duine. Gabhaim buíochas. Tá súil agam go bhfuil an Teach go léir ag baint taitneamh as Seachtain na Gaeilge nó Coicís na Gaeilge, faoi mar a dúirt an Seanadóir Mullen. Dar ndóigh, is é inniu Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan agus bhí seans againn díriú isteach ar chúrsaí feimineacha inniu agus iad a phlé. Tá cúrsaí Gaeilge á plé againn faoi láthair agus tá ionannas i gceist freisin. Tá fáilte roimh an Aire, an Teachta M…

I congratulate the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, the boards of management, principals, teachers and all the parents who successfully returned the first cohort of children to school this morning. There was a very happy little girl in our house today who literally skipped in the door to school. I appeal to everybody to be mindful of what we have achieved in getting our children back to school and to make sure we all adhere to the rules, so those children who have returned today can stay in school and children who hav…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House and for his comprehensive explanation. I am glad I have the opportunity to speak on this very important legislation. It is a proportionate response to the threat we face. I am very happy with its sunset clause, which provides that the House will return in three months' time to debate whether to continue its provisions. It will depend on what our situation is at that time. I appeal to everybody here to be careful in their language to quell the narrative around this legisl…

I will make a brief contribution. I do not wish to delay the debate on the legislation as we have a lot of work to get through. I believe it is disingenuous of some Members to point the finger at the Government for changing its position. This virus has been changing and evolving over the past 12 months. Positions change when the facts change. We have been moving rapidly and have done a good job in Ireland, despite what some people want to say. We have maintained social solidarity. Perhaps Members of the Opposition …

I do not mean to offend but I do feel that-----

I am not personalising the debate. I believe that Members of the Opposition are being completely negligent in trying to say that we are personalising the debate and that we are trying to throw angry language and anxiety-inducing statements into the debate. We need to be responsible. People are anxious enough at the moment. We are putting in place very important legislation. Taking potshots at the Government to get likes on social media is not the position we need to be in at the moment. People are really suffering …

I will briefly talk about aspects of this issue, which have not been covered by my colleagues. We all know the pressure councillors are under. It is an increasingly difficult job to do. I was glad to see a commitment to deliver on the Moorhead report included in the programme for Government. We all agree approximately €17,000 is not sufficient pay for someone doing the kind of full-time job councillors do. Being a public face to a very important role within a local authority is very full on. The Moorhead report was…

I thank the Leader for facilitating further debate because this is an important issue. Many Senators wanted to come in and talk about the issue. I thank the Minister for coming to hear us today. It is one month since this report was published and it has been very difficult reading. I could only read it in parts at a time and cannot even begin to comprehend how difficult it must have been for the survivors of these institutions - I will not call them "homes" - to read that report. I have spoken to many survivors, so…

I welcome the Minister. This is a very important debate. It is worth pointing out that the approximately 4,000 student nurses and midwives are female in the main. The value of work done by women has been historically undervalued and there is a gender pay gap, as we all know. This may be why there has been a reluctance for so long to deal with the issue of pay for student nurses. Ógra Fianna Fáil ran a campaign on the payment of student nurses. I have spoken to them about the campaign and it is one I am in agreement…

I thank the Minister of State for attending. She has been here on a number of occasions. We all know that because of the pandemic, the issue of mental health is of vital importance to people. We are all experiencing shocking levels of mental health issues in our communities. With the stress of prolonged lockdowns, as well as the isolation and the hopelessness that many are feeling, people feel there is no light at the end of the tunnel or they cannot see it at least. Many supports have been put in place such as the…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I will be sharing my time with Senator O'Loughlin, who will second the Bill. I warmly welcome colleagues, the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, and all those who are watching this debate online. Because of our reduced number many Members could not come to the Chamber but I know many of them are tuning in tonight. Today is an historic day. The Second Stage debate of a Bill is always significant as it allows Members to discuss the general principle of a Bill and to …