I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, to the House. As long ago as 2018, the probability of the Drimnagh primary care centre was being mooted and referenced in published articles. In December 2019, the then Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, and Minister of State, Catherine Byrne, announced the primary care centre for Drimnagh on the site of the Mother McAuley Centre and they projected a timeline of final design in 2020, with construction to commence in 2021. I accept that in the meantime all …

It rhymes. That makes it easier. The Boyd Barretts and the Healy-Raes never have my problems.

I thank the Minister of State. I am delighted that we are now on the road to the delivery of this primary care centre. I would appreciate it if she has any update on a timeline of when the people of Drimnagh can walk through the doors to go to see their GP and avail of the services which are crucial to the community there. There are extensive changes going on in Drimnagh. A group representing all the residents' associations, which calls itself Dynamic Drimnagh, has fantastic ideas for the area. In the context of th…

Last week, the parish priest of Our Lady of the Assumption in Ballyfermot flew the Pride flag in honour of the week that was in it, and of the celebrations that were due to happen this past weekend. The response he received was nothing short of appalling. He was subjected to aggressive, hostile, nasty messaging, both to his home and online. The online trolling was about the disgrace that it was and how he was going to burn in hell. That was the message he got time and again. I commend the man on his courage, his co…

I feel like a bit of an imposter because I am so late to the party. I want to mark the occasion by congratulating Senator Ruane. The Bill is a very fine piece of work and it is very much needed. I congratulate all those who have been involved, including those in the previous Seanad. I have no doubt all in the Civil Engagement Group played their part very well in supporting the Senator on the Bill. Wearing my employment lawyer and data protection officer hat, I have advised employers on Garda vetting and its impleme…

I welcome this Bill. I congratulate our Green Party colleagues on demonstrating a sense of leadership and urgency in bringing forward what is the latest in a series of Bills and motions that very much reflect our Programme for Government: Our Shared Future and all that we should be - and are - doing with that sense of urgency. The biggest surprise is the fact that this legislation is needed at all. When I first spoke about it with Senator O'Reilly, I was surprised at what I learned. Schools should automatically hav…

I very much support the Bill and everything it contains. It is time Ireland was no longer a laggard and that we become leaders in climate action, in the decisions we make at macro and micro levels. The strategy in the Bill brings together all the key players in the country and obliges them to take action, placing obligations on them with regard to their plans and targets, particularly the local authorities. I really value that engagement. My experience from being on South Dublin County Council is that it would embr…

It is testament to the Minister's work rate that I have probably seen him more in this House than I have some Members. I thank him yet again for another innovation and provision of support and protections for tenants. I welcome the extension of the protections for tenants in respect of Covid-19 hardships. It is to be supported. To be fair, low-income families have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19, working in the hospitality and retail industry. Therefore, it is particularly reasonable that we extend the…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. While I missed some of the debate due to meeting commitments, I echo the calls for the increased use of antigen tests. I understand the caution and the nerves. When I first saw them advertised in a supermarket I was concerned that their cavalier use could facilitate more socialising and more people being out and about. If we get instructions and public information about how to use them, however, there is no reason that the latter cannot be overcome. The benefits of thei…

The wording "as soon as is reasonably practicable" has to do with the fact that this provision is about putting the regulations in place. Thus far, the Minister has always delivered anything he has committed to within a timeline. The impetus in the programme for Government and so on is to put this legislation in place as quickly as possible. While I understand and agree with the urgency, I do not believe that either amendment is necessary.

My points related to the GDPR aspect of it. The collection of data such as these would be very well done by a body such as IBEC or the Department on a collective where there is pseudonymisation and where people cannot be identified. The proportion of part-time employees in many employments is considerably lower than the proportion of full-time employees, so there is a possibility of identification. The other side to it is that, albeit not perfect as a protection, we have the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work)…

In the principal Act the definition of remuneration covers any kind of remuneration, whether in cash or in kind, that an employee receives directly or indirectly from the employer in respect of that employment. It is a real catch-all. Having argued the point in the context of what basic pay and conditions means and whether it is the same as remuneration, there are times when the two are very distinct. Remuneration is a much wider definition when one is arguing it than basic pay and conditions. Remuneration is a bro…

I will be brief. In an ideal world, this would apply everywhere in every company and would be administered appropriately in every company. I am mindful, however, of the advice that came through the Oireachtas Library and Research Service, which states: Given the experience that has been identified in the UK and other jurisdictions regarding the administrative burden that gender pay gap reporting can place on smaller organisations, the committee also recommended [this was the joint committee in its pre-legislative s…

The recourse to the Circuit and the High Court in and of itself is very powerful from the point of view that it is public. While larger companies may be able to buy their way out through paying fines and penalties, what is of greater value is the need to avoid potential reputational damage by not ending up in the Circuit or High Court. The very welcome decision by the Supreme Court in the Zalewski case also empowers those taking a case to the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and the Labour Court because such ca…

The point made by Senator Higgins is valid, to be fair. There is an idea that whoever is to tender for public contracts must show compliance but such compliance should be demonstrated across a number of areas and not just this. It is something that could be put into regulations without it being mandated here. In public procurement rules there is a requirement to comply with all sorts of provisions now, including the general data protection regulation, for example. There must be evidence of compliance in that regard…

I wish to refer to the very fact that access to the likes of the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court can be had, and there is no threshold of payment or threats of fees or costs afterwards in the event of an unsuccessful claim to the WRC. The very fact that we have that avenue of redress and an ability to lodge a complaint will have the effect of throwing up where we have repeat offenders and sectors. There are sectors of society and companies that could install bunkbeds in the WRC building because …

The announcement is great because for years I advocated for a joint labour committee for childcare. Well done on all of that all around and hearts up.

The Minister stole mine last week.

On Friday, 25 June 2021.

Tomorrow at 9 a.m. in the convention centre.