At 10.30 tomorrow.

I thank the Minister of State for being here. In late December I received an email from a person called Jennifer Hoey who offered a good observation she made in the course of her own studies, to the effect that in the Equal Status Act 2000, "'sexual orientation' means heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual orientation". In her submission she asks whether it would not be more inclusive to use the terminology "heterosexual and LGBTQ+". That would be more inclusive and in keeping with current thinking and the way matter…

I thank the Minister of State. Her response addresses an issue on which our equality legislation always needs to lead out, namely, framing language for those who are perhaps a little nervous, cautious or afraid of offence. I am one of those. I am conscious that I am not affected by these aspects, so I am very tender in how I approach my language. This can lead to an uncertainty that could be interpreted as a lack of commitment and, with all my being, that is most certainly not the case. The Minister of State used w…

I am delighted to welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Her appointment is well deserved.

I applaud the Minister of State for her sensitivity to Senator Conway's requirements on font. I thank the Senator for calling that out and appreciating it. We are all learning on a daily basis. It is very welcome that the Minister of State is noting the issue of accessibility to the scheme. People like amputees do not have access to it despite their need.

I rise today to raise an issue of some concern. Hyperemesis gravidarum is a very debilitating illness that women contract during pregnancy. It can run for the entirety of the pregnancy with illness and vomiting beyond which any of us would ever have imagined. The treatment is a medication called Cariban, which a GP prescribes as soon as a person presents with this severe debilitating illness. Up until 1 January, there was no financial support for women who were in need of this medication. In budget 2023, however, €…

If I could interrupt the Minister of State for a moment, I would like to welcome a group into the Chamber from the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building, including people from its Northern Ireland fellowship programme. You are very welcome.

Getting notions

I am loath to halt the Senator in a view that I have much sympathy with but I ask him to report progress.

I am delighted to see Senator Buttimer in the Chair. I congratulate him on his role and wish him the very best. I also congratulate the new Leader. I look forward to working with both of them. However, I am beginning their tenure with a complaint that the Commencement matter I tabled this morning stating the need for the Minister for Health to provide a timeline in bringing the amendments to the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022, which relates to international surrogacy, to the Select Committee on Heal…

With all due respect, it is not about the scheduling of the committee. It is about the delivery of the draft amendments. There is a difference.

Perhaps it is a question of semantics.

I thank the Cathaoirleach.

I congratulate the Minister of State. From day one he has done an extraordinary job. I know this has been a personal mission of his to ensure that this provision was included. At one stage I tabled an amendment on the motion on the Moorhead report and the assurances he gave at that point were that we were going to have provisions for maternity leave for councillors. It is very important that we have democracy and inclusion at that local level because our daily quality of life is in the hands of local councils and t…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I welcome everyone. This is an extraordinary moment for me. I begin by expressing my sympathy to Private Seán Rooney’s family and friends and the family of Private Shane Kearney who are no doubt frightened and desperate to see their family member. To all our peacekeepers in Óglaigh na hÉireann, I express my sympathies today. It is a very sombre day for us as a nation. I acknowledge that this is the last Order of Business of the year. I assume I will have an opportunity tomorrow to express…

I bring the good news to the House that the Cabinet has finally approved a framework for legislating for surrogacy in prospective and retrospective cases. I am very grateful for that. Surrogacy is not something you choose - it chooses you. Generally, if you are a woman, surrogacy will be the option because you have had a series of illnesses and losses that have been very dramatic. It will also be the option for a gay couple who want to have a family together. We now have a provision for the State to ensure children…

Well said.

I welcome the legislation. It is based on an EU directive and we need to remember a directive is not regulation. A directive has to be experienced at the same base level in every EU member state. This provides us with an opportunity to provide more rights than the base level intention of the directive. I echo much of what Senator Currie and others said. I concur that we should look at ten days instead of five. When we transpose we need a minimum equivalence but we can go way beyond this. I commend the enormous work…

I have one final point to make. I thank the Acting Chairperson for her indulgence. It should be incumbent on every employer to set out the entitlement to flexible working or remote working, although I would stress that the latter is completely distinct and very different. When employers are creating a role, they should be obliged to set out the entitlement, and the ability, to perform that role in a flexible or remote way. There should be an objective test at the very beginning. Otherwise, employers are going to co…

I welcome the Labour Party motion. Naturally, I do not agree with everything the proposers said. That is the nature of our different positions. However, the motion gives us an opportunity to highlight important areas that need change and intervention. We have been on a trajectory for a number of years in the childcare and early years sector. It was the Cinderella sector for a very long time and there was a perception of childminding rather than the real childcare professionals there who have a passion for children.…