We will be speaking about the Northern Ireland protocol later. There is a broader issue on the building of trust between the EU and the UK and all parties on these islands. The Brexit committee, of which the Deputy Leader is Chair, has been doing a lot of work on these issues. It is very clear that we need to have greater co-operation, North-South and east-west, among parliamentarians and diverse elements of civic society. I hope we can have this debate or discussion, particularly in the context of discussions in t…

I thank the Minister for attending and I thank him and his officials for all their work. I thank Senator Chambers for her work as chair of the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the UK from the EU. I agreed with most of Senator Gavan's points, although I observe that the Conservative Party is not the only party that has tried to paint the EU as some kind of bogeyman in recent years on this island. At times we might have taken some of the benefits of the EU for granted and Brexit has shown that. It…

Like my colleagues, I would like to join in the expressions of sympathy for the late Austin Currie, to his family and particularly to our colleague, Senator Currie. He was a giant in Irish politics and showed the power of peaceful protest. His legacy will live on. I wish to join Senator Daly in raising again the issue of the Passport Office and the delays in processing applications, but I want to add the question of the registration of foreign births, which is an issue that I have raised in the House on a number of…

I move: "That Second Stage be taken today."

Go raibh maith agat, a iar-Chathaoirligh. I am grateful to the Minister for coming into the House yet again with another piece of legislation to address the housing crisis. The Minister has said right from the start that his priority, and that of the Government, is to provide homes for people. That means using all the resources of the State in whatever way we can to ensure those homes are built, and if legislative change is required, then that will happen. The Minister is in the Chamber almost every week - he is th…

Next Tuesday.

I will try to do this within two minutes.

I raise the issue of the culinary arts students at the Technological University Dublin, who do not have changing facilities. This is a significant concern given that we are talking about people operating in a kitchen environment and such a situation is not suitable for hygienic reasons. Equally, however, there are also questions here concerning student dignity. It is not acceptable to expect students to have to change in toilets and corridors. I submitted a query about this issue to the management of the university…

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 14 be taken ahead of No. 1. I propose to introduce the Protection of Private Residences (Against Targeted Picketing) Bill 2021. Following on from Senator Ó Donnghaile, while we are talking about the right to protest, and it is a very important right in this country that we should protect and stand up for, with every right comes responsibilities. Sadly, while the majority of protests in this country are done in a responsible way, we have seen small fringe ele…

I move: That leave be given to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to make provision for the prevention of the targeted picketing of a private residence and to provide for related matters.

Next Tuesday.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to take this important issue regarding the future of science and research in Ireland. I will start by putting on record our thanks for his support in creating the technological university of the south east that was announced yesterday. The initiative is a game changer for the region. The appointment of Professor Philip Nolan, the former president of Maynooth University, as the director general of Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, is welcome. We should reflect on the wonde…

I thank the Minister for his response, which has filled me with optimism. It is essential that Government decisions be based on science and research. The Minister is right, in that, when we follow the science and the evidence, we tend to get better outcomes. Evidence-based policymaking should be at the heart of government. I look forward to next week's debate on science. I appreciate that the Minister is not giving the House a direct answer, but on the basis of what he is saying, I am optimistic that he will be ann…

Recently Members will have heard the legendary broadcaster, Mr. Charlie Bird, talk about the impact that motor neurone disease, MND, is having on his life. It is a debilitating disease. Any of us who knows anyone who suffered from MND will know how horrible the impact is on the person. It also has an impact on their families and those who are close to them. One of the difficulties is that only four nurses are dedicated to dealing with the disease in the entire country. They are primarily funded by the Irish Motor N…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to discuss this very important motion. As I have limited time I will be blunt and make six points. A lot of my points relate to the Connecting Ireland proposals that were launched this week, which are quite welcome. One of my concerns is evening public transport. There is a lot of focus on commuters but there is a difficulty. For instance, if I wanted to travel back home to Gorey by train now I would be unable to do so. There is a very good bus service but for evening tr…

Aontaím leis an Seanadóir Ó Donnghaile agus leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach faoi TG4 agus an ról tábhachtach atá aige. Guím breithlá sona dó. I welcome this afternoon's positive announcement by the Minister, Deputy Harris, on the designation of a technological university for the south east. This is something that our region has been seeking for a long time and it will be transformative for the region. When it opens on 1 May, it will become the fourth or fifth largest university by student number in the country. It will…

Ba mhaith liom cúpla rud a ardú. I share colleagues' frustrations around the delays in the Passport Office, but it is at least processing applications. I want to again raise the fact that the registration of foreign births is listed as paused due to Covid-19. While we are seeing a reopening of every other sector, the Department of Foreign Affairs continues this paused registration of foreign births.

When things were normal, this process took 12 to 18 months. Now, people have been waiting for well over two years. There has been no progress. Quite frankly, given that every other aspect of public life has opened, it makes no sense that the Department of Foreign Affairs continues to pause this service. I am raising the matter again in the hope the Leader will raise it with the Minister and the Department. I welcome the appointment this week of Professor Philip Nolan, the former President of Maynooth University, as…

I will make one response to Senator Keogan. Large sections of Europe have opened up but anyone who travels anywhere in Europe is required to show a vaccination certificate on entry to bars, restaurants and venues. I know that from experience. The Government is, therefore, in line with the rest of Europe in requiring the Covid certificate to be shown and that is the correct approach. I wish to raise two linked events that have happened in recent days. The first was the rather amusing takedown of Nigel Farage by RTÉ'…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. The reality is that the economy is starting to recover, probably at a more rapid rate than was expected. That is very welcome but one of the biggest challenges we face, if not the biggest, is the shortage of skilled labour. We are hearing that from employers right across the sector. We are very familiar with the shortage of skilled labour in the tourism and hospitality sector, which we debated in this House. We are hearing about it in haulage, from companies in …