I thank the Cathaoirleach. I rise today to raise my concerns over what is happening at University Hospital Limerick where we have the highest number of people waiting to be seen in the hospital. This did not just start today but has been going on for quite a while. We put in 60 replacement beds and many things have happened but the numbers are not going down. It is at crisis level at this stage and something needs to happen. It is timely, therefore, to have a debate on the hospital because I have heard stories of p…

-----where the second and third largest cities are not connected. These are the only two such cities. I appreciate that we are not connected with Waterford either but that is another day’s wait, which I understand is being raised by Senator Cummins. The M20 is very necessary. It is mentioned in the NDP document, as it has been for the past ten years, and the road has now gone to M-N20, which raises questions. I was listening to a Minister from the Green Party on the radio this morning talking about town bypasses wh…

I welcome the Minister of State and join in wishing her a happy birthday. I wish to raise the issue of Shannon Airport, which has been through a very turbulent time in regard to Aer Lingus and a number of routes being closed down. That said, there have been many announcements by Ryanair regarding many holiday destinations. Many businesses in the Shannon area, however, that is, in Limerick and in the mid-west region are dependent on routes out of Shannon Airport. While I welcome that there is now connectivity with H…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. Yesterday, I welcomed in the House the appointment of Pádraig Ó Céidigh as the new chair of the board. I certainly believe that his experience of aviation and business will be a big asset. Shannon Airport has suffered a lot more than the other airports. With regard to Aer Lingus, it was the staff who suffered. Jobs were cut, including the jobs of many people with mortgages. Shannon Airport needs extra attention because it has been hit worst. The jobs lost there are no…

I wish to raise two issues. I have had many calls from people I know. My colleague, Senator Carrigy, will be happy that post offices will be able to provide facilities that banks cannot. Many banks have closed down or will close down in rural and urban areas, a lot of them are going cashless and ATMs are being closed down in many areas. It is a huge issue in my area. A colleague of mine in Callan, County Kilkenny, phoned me to tell me that there will no bank in the town as of the end of this week. The loss of such …

I welcome the good news that, at long last, a chair has been appointed to Shannon Airport, a former Member of this House, Pádraig Ó Céidigh. I wish him all the best. He was an appropriate choice for the position given the economic situation and it being a driver for the region. I look forward to working with Pádraig. He is the right man for the job, so a good job was done. Drinks Industry Ireland published a report today, stating that in 2022 there will be 40,000 fewer people working in the drinks and hospitality i…

I thank the Minister for being here. This is an important topic that we are all committed to in the context of delivery. Following on from what Senator Ahearn said, and paying tribute to the two previous Ministers with responsibility in this area, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, and former Deputy Eoghan Murphy, 85,000 private homes and 24,000 social homes were delivered. The Opposition spokespeople referred to there having been no delivery and targets not being met. That is not the case and it is …

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I also wish to thank my colleagues, Senators Ward, Carrigy and Currie, for bringing forward this Private Members' Bill. From the outset, I wish to state that I was an agent of the national lottery in the past and also a member of the Retail Grocery Dairy & Allied Trades Association, RGDATA, which is very firmly behind this Bill. While I am no longer involved in the industry, I am speaking as a Senator and on behalf of people who have contacted me in respect of concerns …

Yesterday, the Limerick Leader reported that almost 50% of family carers have some form of mental health issue. During the pandemic we have depended so much on family carers to care for loved ones. They have helped to keep people at home and maintain stability. Care Alliance Ireland has shown that in the ten years between 2009 and 2019 there was a 70% increase in the number of carers diagnosed with depression. These are stark figures. I call for a debate on how we can support family carers. They play a key role and…

Apologies, I was at another meeting. I support the Bill and I compliment my Fianna Fáil colleagues on bringing it forward. We have all come across people who have been harassed or stalked by people. It is not a very pleasant experience, which is the whole sentiment of what is before us tonight. I welcome that the Minister of State and the Government are not opposing the Bill. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the future in that regard.

I congratulate Senators Moynihan and Ward and wish them all the best for their future. Today is a unique day as this week many first-year university students came to campuses. I pay tribute to the people in different universities and institutes of technology who made campuses safe for students to come back on site. For many students even in second year it is their first time setting foot on campus. I raise the serious matter of the shortage of student accommodation. There have been many reports about this, particul…

I echo the words of Senator Ward. People say I have a vested interest here as I grew up in the hospitality industry and we have a gastropub at home. It is run by my brother and sister-in-law so I have nothing to do with it but I understand the challenges they are facing. I hear from my family members on a daily basis about staff and the different issues surrounding them but we must try to get the hospitality sector open in as safe a way as possible. While many of us are not happy about the fact people are being dis…

My thanks to the Minister for attending for this important debate. I begin by welcoming Vicky Phelan home after six long months in the United States where she received treatment arising from her misdiagnosis under the CervicalCheck programme. No individual should be required to leave her family, as Vicky did so bravely and amid a pandemic. She had to go through this experience alone and that was genuinely awful. The late Ruth Morrissey was another Limerick woman who was affected by CervicalCheck. I recognise the co…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive explanation. It is very clear from his response that micro companies and small businesses are at the heart of this recommendation. That is good to hear because I am aware that small businesses have found it very hard, especially in the past 12 months or so. The fact that the Department is willing to work with them and that there has been consultation is very clear from the Minister of State's response. We look forward to supporting the Bill.

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The Minister of State is welcome. Before I start, I wish him and Aideen all the best for their wedding day on Thursday and a long life together. I welcome the Bill. I come from a small business background and I am aware of the plight of small businesses, especially in times of Covid. We are starting to come out the other side. I have been working with many small businesses that are either feeling the pinch or have found recovery hard. The Bill comes at an opportune time, and the fact that we are updating the 2014 l…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Much of what I had intended to say has been said, but I welcome the Bill and the fact that it will strengthen the Workplace Relations Commission and deliver more transparency to the eligibility of adjudication officers, particularly through the amendment of section 40 of the 2015 Act. I welcome the amendment to section 40(c) of that Act, which will now state: “(d) if the adjudication officer concerned— (i) is convicted on indictment of an offence, (ii) is convicted of a…

I also want to welcome good news. I am chairperson of the board of management of Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh. The Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, announced the building project for the school can now go to tender. We have been waiting for this news for two years and it is fantastic. We will have a 26-classroom school for 650 students. While I am on the subject of Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, one of its teachers, Naomi Carroll, is a member of the Irish women’s hockey team that will travel to the Tokyo Olympic Games at t…

I am delighted to see Senator Flynn in the Chair and wish her all the best in her role. I thank the Minister of State for coming this morning. I call for an examination of the earnings of carers, whether family carers, informal carers or carers in general, and social protection for them. Carers have prevailed in the most difficult circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic. We all have to compliment and acknowledge the work they have done during the pandemic. The Government has referred to carers as the backbone of…