In recent weeks, we have seen from Amnesty International and a number of other global human rights agencies, further details of the continued genocide against the Uyghur people by the Chinese Communist Party. The oppression of a minority, of course, is nothing new. We know how the Tibetan people have been subjected to brutal persecution and repression for decades. We have seen throughout the past year the introduction of the national security law and how China has crushed press and legal freedoms in Hong Kong and d…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, for coming in to respond to this issue. We saw that the leaving certificate classes of 2020 and 2021 both experienced enormous difficulties. It was through the leadership of the Department and the Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, that we were able to reach an accommodation. I pay tribute in particular to the work of the Irish Second-Level Students Union which engaged very closely with the Minister and her officials in a spirit of colla…

I thank the Minister very much for her reply. I obviously wish her son and the 60,000 other students who are going into leaving certificate year the very best in the year ahead. I know that the advisory group is meeting and that there is student input but the earlier that certainty can be provided to that student group, the better. There has been, as the Minister of State has rightly pointed out, a great deal of anxiety. Students have felt that they have lost out on aspects of the curriculum. It is going to be diff…

I join others in congratulating the Cathaoirleach. I agree with Senator Burke that there is a big problem with driver theory tests. It is not just the sons of farmers and agricultural contractors but also the daughters who have concerns about the delays. I have been fortunate in recent weeks to take part in a big fundraiser and awareness-raising campaign in County Wexford around motor neurone disease organised by Vanessa Davey, Rory Cassidy and others. There are other such initiatives, including by Malcolm McGrath,…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and my colleagues for bringing forward this important proposal. We need to look at ways that we can design our homes, public buildings and buildings in a more energy-friendly way. There are a number of other important elements that are part of it. I wish to focus on our education and research system. We need to look at putting much greater emphasis on concepts around design in our education system. We must look at how we design our homes, communities and public …

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. I thank the Minister for yet again coming into the House to debate housing legislation. Senator Keogan was right in one respect, namely, that the crucial issue is supply. The major issue in the context of the whole debate on housing relates to supply and accelerating supply. Senator Keogan was certainly wrong to state that the Government is not addressing the issue because on a weekly basis the Minister has been coming in here with legislation to try to drive this forward …

I welcome the decision of the Press Ombudsman and Press Council of Ireland concerning false statements made about Presentation College, Carlow and its teaching staff last November. It is time some of those who led the attacks on the teaching staff, including the Labour Party, would publicly apologise to those teachers who suffered a very unfair social media pile-on. I also echo the comments of Senator Buttimer in wishing everybody a happy Pride. It is unfortunate to see what has been happening in Hungary and Poland…

I am delighted and I hope the Cathaoirleach and all the Members will come to Wexford on their staycation in the months ahead.

I have some strawberries outside-----

I thank the Minister for coming to the House and praise him personally. He is quite modest but he has fought for this legislation for a long time and deserves our congratulations for that. Like others have said, the Joint Committee on Climate Action has done enormous work. I also wish to praise the climate strikers over the years. Those young people drew all of our attention to the importance of being able to address climate action and shows that young people can make a meaningful impact on political life. I welcom…

I thank the Minister for coming in. I disagree with Senator Warfield's assertion that this has not been sought by local authorities. Senator Keogan and others in this Chamber, including Senator Cummins, raised some of the concerns relating to county development plans and what has been happening over the past year. The representative bodies for local authorities have sought this. I am very happy that the Minister is giving the power to local authorities to make the decisions because councils and councillors are the …

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. I am raising the question of the Courtown Hotel emergency direct provision centre, which was opened just over two years ago, to try to get clarity on its future, particularly for the residents there, of whom there are about 36. The International Protection Service, IPAS, indicated in March that it would be informing residents they would be moved on in the coming months. That was the extent of the clarity we…

I thank the Minister of State for the response. I appreciate there is a broader issue around case processing times as it will provide greater clarity on the broader question of direct provision. It is completely unjust that families must wait so long to get an answer to their case, although I know it is a Government priority to address that. I am sorry but I strongly dispute the argument where IPAS claims it has fully engaged with the local community and residents. If it had fully engaged, I would not be standing h…

I have regularly raised the issue of how technology is changing the nature of everything we do. In that context, I hope we can have a debate on the future of work and the need to constantly upskill and reskill our citizens. I say this in the context of the recent Facebook announcement that it is going to allow staff who are based here to work remotely. We have seen consumer trends shift dramatically towards e-commerce during the pandemic and last week's G7 communique from Cornwall on securing future prosperity refe…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to speak on this Bill which deals with an important issue. I want to begin by addressing some of the comments made by Senator Mullen about comparing apples and oranges. His remarks were facetious. If he actually went out, he would find this is based on evidence. I would certainly encourage him to look at Central Statistics Office, CSO, data or the data compiled over a long period by the Higher Education Authority on graduate salaries. If one looks at the CSO data, based …

Like colleagues, I welcome the Bill Senator Ruane has introduced. I support the principle behind it and am glad the Government is not opposing it. As has been outlined, there is a place for non-disclosure agreements. They were originally intended to cover areas involving commercial sensitivities, trade secrets and intellectual property. These must be protected. That makes sense. These agreements, however, should never be used in a way that is designed to protect the perpetrators of harassment or discrimination. I w…

I am just in time.

Thank you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. Like my colleagues, I pay tribute to Senator Fitzpatrick for all the work she has put in on this issue. She has tried to do it in a way that is collaborative with others, which is important. A bit like Senator Cassells, who spoke earlier, the motion is very personal to me. It is part of the reason I got involved in politics and it is about the important things for us in politics. What are the important things we can do as politi…

Hear, hear.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to respond to this matter today. I fully appreciate that the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, is busy with the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, negotiations. I hope he will continue to resist calls for higher levels of convergence and that he will continue with the fight to ensure that productive farms remain viable in Ireland, particularly for young people. I have raised this matter because, in respect of the age profile of those involved in farming, over 55% are …