The programme for Government committed to supporting the European Central Bank and the Central Bank of Ireland in encouraging competition in our banking sector and to develop the fintech sector as a source of employment and competition. As a former member of the banking inquiry, I am acutely aware of our macro-prudential regulatory failings in the past and the flaw in the dual role of the Central Bank to regulate and promote financial services. We have moved on very substantially since then, but despite the fact th…

-----which applied for a banking licence. I will mention the point for the Taoiseach because it is important. Revolut announced yesterday that it will do some services in Ireland that will be headquartered in Lithuania.

It applied for an Irish banking licence then withdrew it. That is 500 jobs for Lithuania, which is its gain and our loss-----

-----because Ireland is seen as a place you cannot do business in from a banking perspective.

I hope that the Taoiseach might take that on board and engage with the Central Bank.

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I appreciate her taking the time. The history here is that before our more modern bus services in our urban centres, including in Waterford city, in towns like Sligo, we had an imp bus service, which comprised small buses that covered all the areas. We were lucky to have had this in Sligo and it gave quite a full service to the people in urban areas. Unfortunately, with its abolition and replacement with a more modern…

I thank the Minister of State for that response, the last paragraph of which was the most important. The rest was a good promotion for Government policy, as normal, which I understand but really a timeframe on this is what is required. While I appreciate that this is not the Minister of State's direct departmental responsibility, I ask her to engage with the Minister of Transport on it. I ask her to urge the Minister to tell the NTA to refocus its efforts in terms of timing and facilitation. The Minister of State s…

The programme for Government speaks a lot about transparency and accountability, as well as public service reform as mentioned on page 119 of the document specifically. I do not want to address the matter the Tánaiste was discussing in his radio interview last Sunday but, unfortunately, he said about his authority in terms of the public service: We do not have authority over civil servants. We have no power to reprimand them or discipline them. Is the Tánaiste aware of his responsibility and authority, given under …

They are responsible to nobody then.

We just give them a €90,000 bonus or put them into ambassadorial roles around the world.

He has not given an answer.

Under what Act? I am specifically referring to Secretaries General.

I get very little time. Other colleagues are up and down like a jack-in-the-box.

Would you ask the Tánaiste to answer the question? What is the Act?

I encourage anybody listening who is not vaccinated to get the vaccine and to get their booster as soon as it is available to them. That said, and everybody knows me here so it is not personal, there are a couple of things to say. Either Israel is reckless or NIAC is too slow. We are going the scenic route to things. I was vaccinated in May as I had an underlying condition. We knew when I was getting the vaccine that it waned after five or six months. On the basis that we vaccinated the first healthcare professiona…

Am I there?

How much time did you give me?

Two whole minutes.

Okay. Thank you for the two minutes.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to establish a statutory procedure whereby when a Seller of a property places the property on the market, a set of legal documents (the “Seller’s Legal Pack”) shall be compiled and advertised with the property and made available to potential buyers, such documents ensuring that buyers have key information relating to the property and ensuring the conveyancing process is more efficient. First, I must declare an interest in that I am a licensed auction…