We need to examine what is positive in the budget. It is a budget that will-----

-----create the building blocks of future budgets.

The Minister of State is very welcome. I will start by acknowledging the contribution of my good friend and colleague, Senator Ruane. The points she made are very pertinent and the Government must listen. A knee-jerk response is not what is needed; we need a multi-annual and intensive programme to deal with the communities that Senator Ruane spoke about. The issues she referred to will only be resolved with resources and money and a willingness to do it over a protracted period of time, starting immediately. This a…

I, too, welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, to the House and acknowledge the phenomenal work that he is doing on behalf of this country, not just on this hugely important issue but on Brexit. We have all seen over the last few days and weeks the Brexit situation and the difficult challenges faced by the Minister. Brexit and legacy proposals are interwoven because we are talking about the British Government. On that note, I acknowledge my dear friend and colleague, Senator Currie, for tabling t…

Did the Cathaoirleach win any medals?

I wish to convey my condolences to the family of the late Tom Burke. Many of us will remember him standing outside of Leinster House in the pursuit of photographs over many years. On my very first day in Leinster House, in May 2011, Tom took a photo of me when I approached the gate. He has photographed many of us over the years. He became a good friend to many of us and gave us plenty of advice. I extend my sympathies to his wife, who is originally from County Clare, and family. Ar dheis de go raibh a anam dílis. I…

I too acknowledge last night's debate on Belarus. It was a very strong, positive message from the Seanad. The House has a great record when it comes to sending out clear messages about wrongdoing in the world. We need to continue with those debates. During a meeting of the Joint Committee on Health this morning I raised the issue of University Hospital Limerick with the Minister. In the past few days, 82 people were on trolleys despite the fact that a 60-bed modular unit was commissioned and built in the hospital w…

I welcome the Minister to the House. I seem to be meeting him a great deal today. I welcome this legislation. We have been successful in regard to Covid-19 precisely because we have been cautious, we have followed public health advice and, by and large, the public have bought into and supported politicians, the Department of Health, the Minister for Health and the Government in terms of the leadership that has been shown by abiding by restrictions and accepting the vaccines. It is a fact that Ireland is a world lea…

I thank Senator O'Reilly for sharing time with me. I too welcome the Minister to the House and I acknowledge the work he has done in this area. We all want to see free and fair elections in Belarus. That is what we enjoy here, although we sometimes might not like the result. However, that is democracy. The great citizens of Belarus deserve that too. The 650 people who are political prisoners deserve to be released and to be able to participate in the political democratic process, such as we all enjoy and expect. Wh…

I agree fully with Senator McGahon in respect of YouTube. I was listening to Senator Seery Kearney's contribution regarding the Joint Committee on Disability Matters and the participation of people with disabilities in politics. As one of the very few people with a disability who is in active politics and has been elected, I could write a book about it and maybe I will write a book about some of the challenges and harassment of people in politics that exists to a large extent but that is for another day. The eye cl…

Like my colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, and others, I welcome this important legislation. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and commend him on the work he has done. In Ireland today, you could encounter anybody and not know he or she has been trafficked. One of the most important parts of the Bill is the amnesty for those who are undocumented. People who are undocumented may not realise the amnesty is available. I echo the suggestion of having a campaign to make people aware of it, although any such ca…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach. I welcome her back to our original Chamber. I tabled a similar Commencement matter last April and I will continue to table this one because of its importance. This is particularly so from a County Clare perspective given the late Laura Brennan was from Ennis. She did so much in her campaigning to encourage both parents and young people to take up the human papillomavirus, HPV, vaccine. At one stage take-up was in excess of 80%, which is remarkable, even from a Euro…

It is very encouraging to hear the statistics the Minister of State has put on the record. I very much welcome the mop-up programme and the broad lens approach that is being adopted by the Department and the HSE because that is what we need to do. We must think outside the box and the Department is doing that. I wish to inquire about the cost of vaccination for people who decided latterly to take up the vaccine, having not done so when the opportunity was initially available in schools. Unfortunately, if parents se…

Will the €600 charge be eliminated?

That is great news.

There are a couple of things I wish to bring to the attention of the House. I welcome the fact that our former colleague in the House, Mr. Pádraig Ó Céidigh, is being nominated by the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to take over as chair of the board of Shannon Group. This is an inspired appointment given the decades of experience that Mr. Ó Céidigh has had in business, particularly in the area of aviation. Given his forensic knowledge of aviation, his love of the west of Ireland, what he does in regard to tourism and his p…

I offer my condolences to Senator Hoey and her family on her recent bereavement and the loss of her dad. I am very troubled and disturbed by the ESRI report published this morning with regard to the level of unemployment and lack of employment opportunities for people with disabilities. As a country which has done so well with regard to employment generally and which bounced back so successfully from the economic crash back in 2010, it is shocking that we are the fourth worst in Europe with regard to people with di…

I welcome the Minister to the House. While I acknowledge that elements of this Bill are very much technical in nature, I was struck by what Senator Seery Kearney said about the culture and leadership of the Minister. It is very clear that the Minister has stamped his own ethos, ethics and style on his Department and has shown real leadership. I share the hope that this will continue and that the culture the Minister has embedded over the last 12 to 18 months will persist. I have no doubt that it will. Of course, it…

Senator Keogan should withdraw that remark.

I take it that the Senator is not withdrawing her comments and the inflammatory language she used. I would go so far as to state-----