I welcome the Bill to the House and commend Senator Clifford-Lee on tabling it. As a matter of fact, it was not long after the Senator was elected to the House in 2017 that she spoke on this issue and highlighted it. It is good to see that Bills are finally coming to the House on such an important issue. The motions that came before the Seanad and the Dáil in 2019 set the agenda. In my opinion, it was far too late but at least it set the agenda. I acknowledge my colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, who has also been c…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House on this important issue. I agree with my colleague, Senator Clifford-Lee, about the Irish language. To add to that, the information should also be available in Braille so that the blind community has full access to it. I do not doubt that the Minister of State will send this message to the officials to ensure that happens. There have been many discussions on vaccines down the years. It is correct to say that, in this country, many lives have been saved by vaccines. Outsi…

Like others I acknowledge your presence in the Chair today, which is most appropriate. I acknowledge that you have spoken regularly on many other issues, but this one in particular. You have a particular insight, which has enormously benefited the discourse. I commend you on that. I welcome the Minister to the House. Nobody could question his sincerity in trying to right the wrongs of yesteryear and there were significant wrongs. The State oversaw a cruel and barbaric treatment of women, girls and children in insti…

I, too, wish everybody all the best for 2021. Hopefully, it will be a better year than 2020. I hope also that it will be a better year for young people, particularly students. I have been particularly troubled over the past couple of weeks by the issue of a return to school. None of us really believed the schools would resume on 11 January and it transpired that that was the case. When the battle over the leaving certificate happened and we sat at home watching the debate on the notion of having a three-day week fo…

On a point of order, my good friend and colleague, Senator Boyhan, said there was no male Senator here at the beginning of the debate. For the record, I was here for the Minister's speech but I had to step out for about ten minutes to do a prearranged media interview. I have been here for the entire debate since.

I was listening in my office when Senators Crowe and Casey spoke. My heart sank when I heard what they had to say about the hospitality industry and what it has suffered because they are so right. The news last night was yet another blow to the sector and I agree with what others have said on the need for clarity. Clarity is important and I hope it will come in the next day or two. Senator Lombard spoke about the Covid-19 vaccine and those who are anti-vaccination. This is so serious. It is such a critical issue an…

Just in case I do not get the opportunity to speak tomorrow, I want to wish the Cathaoirleach a very happy Christmas. This is his first Christmas as Cathaoirleach of the Seanad and he has done a great job so far. He has been very co-operative and supportive of Members and a great ambassador for Seanad Éireann. I thank him for that. I also want to acknowledge the work done by the Clerk, Mr. Martin Groves, the Clerk Assistant, Ms Brigid Doody and the team behind them. They are great people and they do a great job. I …

I raise the issue of tourism and the effect that the pandemic has had on the sector, particularly on the coach operators who are one of the main actors in the industry in Ireland. The €55 million strategic fund that is being administered by Fáilte Ireland and was announced in the budget is extremely welcome but, unfortunately, the coach operators do not have access to that fund. Thousands of people are employed to drive coaches and to maintain them. It is worth in the region of €400 million a year to the economy an…

History was made here today because I do not recall a Member, a Cathaoirleach or a Minister ever speaking in sign language in this House. It is yet another first in the Seanad Chamber. The work the Cathaoirleach has done on this issue has been immense. I can stand here in front of him and say that we would not be where we are today but for what he did, his commitment and dogged determination over the last number of years to get this over the line. I will never forget that Christmas Eve in 2017, speaking to the Cath…

I commend and welcome the motion from our Green Party colleagues. I note the fact it is a clear commitment in the programme for Government. Furthermore, it is a recommendation in the report of the committee on the eighth amendment. While many recommendations in the committee's report gained huge traction and coverage at the time, this particular recommendation did not. It is a critical recommendation of the good work done by that committee, in which many colleagues from the House, including Senator Clifford-Lee, we…

Parties are always evolving.

Exactly.

Hopefully, it will not be another 60 or so years.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. She is becoming a frequent and regulator visitor, and it is always great to have her here. I see this Bill as a positive development. The facility in Dundrum is clearly not fit for purpose. What we are facilitating through what is a largely technical Bill, but yet a very important statement, is transferring the Central Mental Hospital into the national forensic mental health campus, which one hopes is a centre of excellence, where people will receive the type of support…

Now.

I listened with great interest to Senator Murphy and his experience with Cloverhill Prison. I want to comment on what Senator McDowell said. I do not necessarily subscribe to the view that Thornton Hall was a mistake and I certainly do not subscribe to the view that it should have been scaled back. There was potential there for a centre of excellence where we would have had as many supports as possible on the one campus. Just because we are speaking about scaling up does not mean scaling in a bad way. It is correct…

Hear, hear.

Now.

Now.

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to the House. I sincerely thank him for opening the National Council for the Blind charity pop-up on Grafton Street recently. I asked him to do it. The Minister, being the gentleman that he is, absolutely agreed to do it. Charity shops in their essence are environmentally friendly. One cannot get better in terms of recycling than charity shops.