I move amendment No. 22: In page 7, line 4, after “day” to insert “equivalent to their full daily rate of pay”.

This is very mean-spirited. The penalty was 20 weeks' remuneration, which was reasonable. This has to act as a deterrent. Remember, we are not here to deal with employers who do the right thing and good employers who already provide sick leave. We are here to deal with employers who do not and for whom the law will be required to ensure they do the right thing by their workers. The 20 weeks would have acted as a deterrent, while four weeks will not.

I would be similarly interested to hear about that but, equally, the Tánaiste said this is directly linked to the number of sick leave days a person will get. It is three days in the first instance, which will rise to ten days all being well. Is it his intention this will increase incrementally or is it four weeks and that is it?

I welcome the opportunity to speak to this important legislation. The Bill contains many provisions that are very important from a workers' rights perspective. We should never forget that members of the Garda are workers. They do a very tough job, made more difficult by the fact they work in an environment that has been under-resourced for a long time. When we are thinking about Garda members as workers, I do not want to let this opportunity go without saying the representative organisations for An Garda Síochána a…

The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is here. I invite her to correct the record on what is and what is not a Nightingale ward. I hope she has brought herself up to speed on that basic piece of information since our last debate. The Minister knows what the concerns are. He has heard them. I will quote from a tweet. Maybe given the circumstances and the trouble on Twitter I should not mention it, but I will go there anyway. Gavan Reilly, referencing the Minister, said: it ‘simply wouldn't be possible’ for circumsta…

I remarked to a pal of mine as I was coming over here that, as a middle-aged Irish woman, I rather think I would have learned to enjoy being gaslit by men in suits, but somehow I just cannot manage it. I must inform the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, that a Nightingale ward has 24 to 34 beds in it, not 14. There is one 14-bed ward in the National Maternity Hospital.

I know there is, because I was in it after I gave birth to my child. It is not a Nightingale ward. The Minister of State is in the Department of Health. At the very least, she should please get the absolute basics right. When issues and questions arise, it is thrown out that, for example, the religious have left the scene, or there are loads of Nightingale wards, but there are none. The Minister of State should withdraw that statement and correct the record, because there are not any Nightingale wards in the Nation…

There are a lot of men and a lot of suits talking about this, and the Minister well knows it. They are saying to people who have concerns that their concerns have been comprehensively addressed, but they have not been. I am asking if the Minister accepts that those concerns are legitimate and genuinely held by me and others.

I apologise to the Deputies who have brought this Bill forward as I cannot stay for the debate. We are debating the TRIPS waiver at the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment and I do not want to miss that. My inability to bilocate is hampering me once again. I thank the Deputies for bringing this legislation forward. It is very clear we will not tackle poverty unless we tackle low wages. I welcome my colleague David Joyce to the Gallery. I am reminded of the words of my former colleague, who is now th…

There is an imbalance in consumer rights legislation between goods and services, and I genuinely hope the Consumer Rights Bill 2022 will see that rebalanced. The Bill increases the statutory rights of consumers in relation to contracts for the sale of goods and the supply of digital content, and it gives more power to the regulator, the CCPC. I hope that with these increased powers for the CCPC, we will see increased resources. The Minister of State will not be surprised to hear me say this as I have said repeatedl…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 106, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 21 of Act of 2014 28. Section 21 of the Act of 2014 is amended by the insertion of the following subsection: “(2) When considering the provision of moneys to be provided to the Commission, the Minister may give consideration to the additional powers the Commission may have undertaken, or been provided with, in a given year, and the increased expenses the Commission may have incurred as a result.”.”. The purp…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. What he pointed out about the Directorate-General for Competition is important. The legislation provides that "the Minister may give consideration". It does not compel the Minister and nor does it compel the Minister to only look at the previous year and use that as the basis; it is just something to be considered. I have a particular concern about this because of the recruitment embargo. When it was implemented, the way it was implemented essentially was to abolish exis…

We are discussing this motion that has been put forward by my colleague, an Teachta Ó Broin, whom I wish to thank, not only for this motion but for all the work he does on behalf of people who are really living at the business end of the Minister's policies and what he, his party and his pals in government have done to the housing market. The housing market is almost broken beyond repair. I agree with an Teachta Ó Broin about the need to remove this Government from office, if that is what it is going to take, becau…

What is happening in September?

You do not know which way you are going.

If the Minister does not know, he should just say so.

He does not know what he is talking about.

If you do not know the answer, just sit down.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and I thank the Minister of State for being here to discuss this issue. I do not believe there is any dispute. It has been recognised and acknowledged, and the Government is taking action on the geographical lottery in the context of refuge spaces. I am fortunate enough to represent one of the constituencies with the fastest growing population and our need is very great. I recently visited the Aoibhneas Day Service in Swords, which does absolutely fantastic work. It is working away but i…

I thank the Minister of State for the response and update. I would be very grateful if he could take on board and convey to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, that we really need to start planning for this now. The need has been established. As the Minister of State said, my area specifically, that is, Balbriggan, represents an area in which there is a significant underprovision and this is the starting point for an increase in refuges. We have not been prioritised for nothing. We have been prioritised because there is …