That is perfect.

What role did the Minister's Department play in setting the salary level for the Secretary General of the Department of Health? Is the Minister satisfied that the new salary is justified? Does he have concerns that the increase in salary for this position will lead to further pay claims in other Departments?

An increase of €81,000 is a huge amount of money. We have heard all of these things, such as that this increase is commensurate with the scale of responsibility. How many people never see a salary of €81,000, let alone an increase of €81,000 to €292,000? The issue here and what really angered people is that it was so brazen. An increase of €81,000 is massive and in response to the Minister saying that it is commensurate with the responsibilities, I say there are plenty of people doing very serious jobs for half the…

I do not think that anyone is suggesting that anyone else is not doing a good job but on the best day of any job, one would not even dream of an €81,000 pay increase. It is absolutely laughable while, at the same time, one wonders what is going on. There are plenty of people doing excellent jobs on a salary of €20,000-plus or, if they are lucky, €30,000-plus. Let us not suggest that anyone is saying that another person is not doing a good job but it is outrageous when we are talking about wages of €292,000 or €300,…

I am sharing time with Deputies Carthy, Munster and Ó Laoghaire. I feel under a bit of pressure because I do not think I will be able to top the previous contribution. I ask Deputies not to judge me. I commend the Rural Independent Group on bringing forward the motion and allowing us to have this debate. It is really important, as is the issue of development on a regionally balanced basis for all of us who live west of the River Shannon in particular, although I would say that because I am a Galway woman. Since the…

It has been reported in recent weeks that Ireland's share of the EU's pandemic recovery and resilience fund may be reduced by somewhere in the region of €321 million as a result of GDP figures over-inflating the health of the Irish economy. Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise to me and many others. I have been highlighting the inappropriateness of GDP as a measure of the condition of the Irish economy for some time. Despite the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, forecasting that real GDP would decli…

That is correct. Táim fíor-shásta an deis seo a bheith agam faoi dheireadh. Bhí muid ceaptha an t-ábhar seo a phlé le roinnt seachtainí anuas agus táim an-sásta go bhfuil an deis agam inniu é a phlé, éisteacht leis na daoine eile a bheidh ag labhairt faoin gceist seo agus plé a dhéanamh ar an gcomhaontú agus ar an mBille. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Second Stage debate on the Public Service Pay Bill 2020. We have waited a number of weeks to speak on the Bill so it was welcome to see today that we…

Deputy Doherty will be here in a minute. He thought question time was recommencing at 7 p.m.

My colleague has just arrived.

Ar an gcéad dul síos, molaim mo chomhghleacaí an Teachta Funchion as an mBille seo a thabhairt os comhair na Dála. Is leasú simplí é seo ar an Acht um Chlárú Sibhialta, 2004, a thabharfadh cead d’uchtaithe a dteastais bhreithe a fháil nuair atá siad os cionn 18. Leasú simplí atá i gceist ach is leasú fíorthábhachtach é dóibh siúd a bhí uchtaithe. Céard atá i dteastas breithe? Tugann an teastas seo eolas do dhaoine faoin am a rugadh iad, an lá den tseachtain a rugadh iad agus fiú an meáchan a bhí siad nuair a rugadh…

"If wars can be started by lies, peace can be started by truth," according to Mr. Julian Assange. The case of Mr. Assange is very simple. Acting as a journalist and publisher in co-ordination with The Guardian , Der Spiegel and The New York Times , he exposed major war crimes by US forces and their allies. The National Union of Journalists has said the charges seek to criminalise activity that for many of its members is their daily work. As Mr. Assange is not an American citizen, his extradition by the British Gove…

Cuirim fáilte roimh na ráitis seo faoin nGaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht, ach céard is fiú na ráitis seo nuair nach gcloistear an Ghaeilge ach go fíor-annamh sa Seomra seo? Ní leor díreach cuimhne ar an nGaeltacht agus ar an nGaeilge ach ar feadh coicíse i rith na bliana. Caithfidh muid a bheith cúramach freisin nach gcuireann muid an iomarca béime ar shiombalachas na Gaeilge seachas ar na constaicí a bhíonn roimh lucht na Gaeilge, ach go háirithe rompu siúd atá ina gcónaí sa Ghaeltacht. Céard atá i ndán don Ghaeltacht?…

We heard the very difficult news this week that Bank of Ireland is shutting 103 of its branches, North and South. Bank of Ireland has used the pandemic as a pretext to close branches and to cut costs. Its concern seems to be for its bottom line, with loyal customers and citizens of the State being forgotten. The State has been a significant shareholder in Bank of Ireland ever since we bailed it out. Let us recall that Bank of Ireland received €4.7 billion from the Irish State, including over €1 billion in preferenc…

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, gives increased rights to corporations, for instance, the right to sue sovereign states through corporate courts, but it does little for workers' rights. The ability of corporations to sue states will act as a major deterrent for using the state apparatus to counteract these negative effects. Taking the example of the minimum wage, Veolia, the giant French company, sued the Egyptian Government for increasing its minimum wage. Thankfully, the Egyptian Government …

I am deeply concerned about certain aspects of the Minister's proposed LDA. We are told that it will help tackle the housing crisis but at what cost and who stands to benefit? Similar arguments were once made about the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA. The LDA has disconcerting shades of NAMA, which is a State-sponsored body with a commercial remit offering great benefits to industry participants but large costs for those with housing needs. That sounds like NAMA. There is low transparency as key aspects are …

I also commend my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, on bringing this Bill before the House and on having it in him to take on the insurance industry and calling stop on the insurance rip-off. I will pick up on something the Minister of State said. He has chosen to engage in semantics, instead of dealing with the extensive research on this price-gouging practice. Dual pricing, differential pricing and price optimisation refer to the same practice. I am very disappointed by the Government’s amendment, which is kickin…

Mar a dúirt an tAire Stáit, is Bille sách teicniúil é seo ach is Bille fíorthábhachtach é agus mar gheall air sin, beidh muid ag tacú leis. Beidh sé ag dul chuig na coistí agus ba bhreá liom dá mbreathnódh muid níos gaire ar pháirt 3 agus páirt 9. Tá na páirteanna sin fíorthábhachtach agus ba chóir dúinn breathnú níos géire orthu agus muid ag plé an Bhille sna coistí. There is a perception domestically and internationally that Ireland can be soft on white-collar crime. On the issue of the transposition of EU direct…

I commend my colleague, Deputy Kerrane, on bringing this motion to the floor of the Dáil. It is a reasonable motion with practical solutions that would dramatically improve the lives of many. Fuel poverty means that people literally do not have the ability to afford to heat their homes for them and their families. Families choose between putting food on the table, heating their homes and paying bills. We have the fuel allowance but there is clear evidence that in its current form, it simply does not go far enough b…

Two weeks ago, along with 3,500 bereaved relatives of the conflict, I wrote a joint letter to the Taoiseach and to Boris Johnson. The British Government has repeatedly failed to deliver on our rights to truth, justice and accountability. We need a truth recovery process, a proper archiving of lived experiences and an examination of themes and patterns. I ask the Taoiseach to meet with Relatives for Justice and bereaved families and to commit to me here today and to the other 3,500 bereaved relatives that he will do…

I am asking the Taoiseach as a bereaved relative.