I will be very brief. I have asked the Minister, probably six times at this stage, if he can please explain how this is going to operate in practice in the civil and public service. As he is well aware, workers in the higher education sector will be entitled to ten days of leave. Ten days is the international norm. It is what has been negotiated by trade unions. Ten days is what Women's Aid says is necessary but it is also what is now available in the higher education sector. It is not that long since the unions we…

That is okay.

I note that four weeks are allowed for a worker to appeal in instances where this is being denied them. Flexibility is being given to an employer to make arrangements for a worker coming back so there is more time allowed there. There is mention in this of the WRC and the Labour Court. Is it the intention that the move to which the worker is objecting will take place, obviously under protest, and then the matter will be referred to the Labour Court? I am conscious that the time it takes to get from the decision to …

I just want to formally record that I think it is a bit unfair that flexibility is being given on the employer's end and that they will have time that a worker might not get back. They are getting an extension to that four weeks but the same is not being offered to workers. We all know it is going to take months and not weeks to get to the WRC.

That last sentence on whether a worker is not doing their full duties worried me a bit. If a worker is not carrying out their full duties, believe me, there are plenty of polices, procedures and everything else that can ensure they do. I do not see the need to put that into this legislation, to be frank. The reason we are here discussing this is that despite having nearly two and a half years to deliver what he said he was going to deliver, the Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, failed to do so. Now we have a situation whe…

It is important to point out, lest anyone think pre-legislative scrutiny, PLS, was done on this, it was not. The PLS was conducted on an entirely different piece of legislation, one which, as we have already discussed, was inherently flawed, exactly as we might expect from this Government. I asked the Minister a specific question in regard to the protections that apply. I take it from his answer that if someone agrees a remote working arrangement with their employer, those protections cannot kick in for six months …

I think that is very wrong. Protection should be there for people who are remote working. Again, it is that paternalistic, grace and favour arrangement and attitude. The Minister referenced the importance of an employer knowing the worker can access the office. As it stands, an employer does not need to know where a person lives. All they need to know is that the worker turns up. If the requirement is to be in the office on a Wednesday, they need to be in the office on a Wednesday. If they have to get up a couple o…

There was no PLS conducted on this section of that Bill. The PLS was on an entirely different piece of legislation. That is the point I was making. If it was any way unclear, I apologise, but I thought it was a fairly simple and straightforward point. The PLS and the report that arose from it was on a completely different piece of legislation. I am not disputing that PLS took place in regard to the work life balance Bill but there was no PLS on this section. I understand the Minister took on board some of what was …

I recently met with residents who are living near Dublin Airport. They tell me that Dublin Airport is in breach of its planning permission and that residents who have never before been under the flight path are now experiencing noisy, low-flying planes daily. In the run-up to the building of the new runway, clear sites were identified that would be in the flight path and there was engagement with those residents. There is now a new cohort of families who are experiencing this noisy nightmare every day. We warned Fi…

I acknowledge the work of the Minister of State on the Bill. I congratulate him on bringing it to this Stage and fulfilling a commitment he made. I also thank my colleague, an Teachta Gould, and his team for all their work on this issue. Sinn Féin is happy to support the progress of the Bill to Committee Stage. We support the efforts in respect of the regulation of gambling. If anything, it is long overdue, as the Minister of State will acknowledge. I have maintained for some time that problem gambling is a serious…

I welcome the people in the Gallery. I understand it is not easy for them to sit here this evening and hear their homes, lives and futures debated in this way. It is important we are having this debate but it cannot be easy for them to have to listen to this. They are all very welcome, as is everyone who is watching. I commend the work of the representative groups from the Construction Defects Alliance and others. I also commend the work of my colleague, an Teachta Ó Broin. For many years Sinn Féin has been campaig…

I thank the Acting Chair for the opportunity to speak on this very important legislation. It drives me mad sometimes, and it is very often the case, that we sit in the Chamber late on a Thursday afternoon to discuss what is very much a woman's issue. I understand that the Minister of State is not responsible for scheduling this debate. I intend no criticism of him, but it always seems like we end up here on a Thursday during what is, effectively, the graveyard shift. I hope we might be able to find a more appropria…

Hear, hear.

No she did not.

The message is loud and clear: pressure works. The Government responds to pressure. As usual, lastminute.com is the order of the day with the Government. It has responded and, as expected and predicted, its response is wholly inadequate. Nonetheless, the travelling public know it felt their anger. I commend my colleague, an Teachta O'Rourke, on all of his work on this. I also commend the travelling public on making sure their voice has been heard on this matter. We need to be very clear. Those people who have no al…

For a social protection system to work, it must meet the needs of people, which means it must deliver social welfare rates that are adequate and protect those who rely on social welfare from poverty. There are close to 40 different social welfare payments. Our social protection system is wide and varied and, in all likelihood, everyone in the State will receive some form of social welfare payment at some point in their lives such as child, illness or maternity benefit, disability allowance, jobseeker’s allowance, e…

I was just thinking, before getting to speak, that I have lived in Dublin for most of my life: I was born in Dublin 10, I have lived in Dublin 8, Dublin 6, Dublin 7, Dublin 1, Dublin 18 and Dublin 12, and now I live in County Dublin. I know my city and my county very well. I am very lucky to be from Dublin and to live in Dublin. It is and should be a great place to live, to work, to do business, to rear kids - all the stuff we expect and we should demand of our Government to provide for our capital city and county.…

We should have a capital that is thriving. The people in the capital are doing their very best but they feel as though they are engaged in a battle with this Government. That is a fact. We need to see the conditions created to enable people to raise their kids in safety, build a life for themselves and ensure that Dublin city is a place where people want to be because it is a fantastic place to live. It is a brilliant place to bring up kids. It is a wonderful place in which to do business. However, all of that is a…

Security workers have not had a pay rise since 2019. An employment regulation order, ERO, to increase their pay and conditions has been challenged for a second time by three security companies. Some of these companies have extremely lucrative contracts with the State. On the one hand, the companies are negotiating multimillion euro contracts with the State, while on the other, they are doing their utmost to deny decent pay and conditions to their workers, who are delivering on these contracts with the State. I ask …

I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, line 13, to delete “6 years” and substitute “7 years”. This is a technical amendment that resembles one I submitted as part of the Covid-19-related Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Act. It is designed to lengthen the timeframe in which a guarantee given pursuant to this agreement will increase from six years from the date of the agreement to seven. In 2013, the Department commissioned a review of the temporary partial credit guarantee scheme, which was carried out by First Choice Fina…