I am sharing time with Senator D'Arcy. The Minister is very welcome. I will also forgo the formalities for the sake of time. I sat on South Dublin County Council's tourism policy committee. I am amazed by how much tourism can bring to an area in terms of investment and employment and the potential it possesses. I congratulate the Minister on what has been put together in the July stimulus package and other measures. They are extraordinary and welcome, so I will not go into their details. The Minister referred to th…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. I was particularly heartened to see the provisions in yesterday's plans when it comes to ASD and the provisions for special needs assistants. However, I want to draw her attention to a particular lacuna in the provisions, that is, in the areas of Dublin 6 and Dublin 6W. As a result of interventions and lobbying by the Involve Autism group and the Dublin 12 autism group a report was commissioned by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, at the behest of the pr…

I welcome the Minister. I congratulate her on the changes which the Bill brings in. They are creatures of necessity. While they are temporary, I look forward to them modernising how we conduct the business of justice in the State. Many of the measures are welcome and long overdue. I particularly welcome the video link and warrant arrangements. They will lend themselves to a more efficient and effective means of conducting matters of justice and may also lead to a diversity of inclusion and to a greater scope of ind…

I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

I congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment. I welcome the amendments proposed in this Bill and wholeheartedly support them. I particularly welcome the provisions that allow for meetings to be held virtually as it will be a particular relief to companies anxious to fulfil their corporate obligations but constrained by their constitutions and company law heretofore barring the validity of virtually held meetings. When one hears the word "company" an image springs to mind of large multinationals or well-k…

I welcome the Minister and wish him every success in his role. It is a daunting task to take on at any time, but particularly at this time, and I admire thus far how he has carried out the role and his presentation of the Bill, which I very much welcome. As Senator Murphy said, the GP relationship is such an extraordinary one of trust, and possibly one of the last bastions of our society that is standing and held up in such great esteem. I believe access to GP care is a fundamental right. That is my position, full …

The previous Government piloted a scheme in Limerick and Wexford for the provision of baby boxes to all newborn children. The concept has been championed by Deputy Richmond as a means to ensure the State gives all newborn babies an equal start in the form of a box containing all of the essentials, including blankets, recyclable nappies, thermometers, clothes, and information on nutrition and health for mother, baby and all of the family. The box itself can convert into a cot for a newborn because it has a good qual…

I very much welcome the Bill and I am particularly delighted that the implementation of the legislation will put the climate action fund on a statutory footing. I welcome also the commitment that once the Bill becomes legislation and is commenced there will be a second call for projects to be announced. It is on the subject of one of those projects that I wish to address the Minister. I bring to the Minister's attention a group calling itself Metro South West. This group, headed by Pauline Foster and Seán Ward, com…

We heard news reports this morning about the major security breach relating to Twitter last night. This morning, the European Court of Justice has struck down the agreement between the EU and the US facilitating the transfer of data between those two parties, which generally occurs where there is a parent company within the US. That is at a macro level. My concern is at the micro level where I am thinking about the small businesses in the villages of Inchicore, Kimmage, Crumlin and Walkinstown that still have to ad…

The global pandemic has brought about changes in workplaces and how we envisage the workplace in ways that we thought would never change. In recent months the concept of working from home has brought about extraordinary and great benefits. However, there are other elements to the situation. I appreciate that today it was announced that there will be a remote working consultation. We must have an opportunity to address and bring together two pressing issues. We know that the hospitality industry is under pressure du…

I welcome the Minister of State, though it seems bizarre to welcome him to our Chamber when we are in his. It is a wonderful and awe-inspiring surrounding. I welcome this legislation. As so many of us have said today, small businesses are significant contributors to employment across our country. As the Minister of State noted, they account for over 99% of the total enterprises and 69% of persons engaged. They make a significant contribution to our economy and to the employment of people of all ages. However, micro…

I am delighted to welcome the Covid-19 app and I hope its use will grow. I must confess that I was somewhat cautious when I heard about it as it was being planned. I was very nervous regarding the privacy implications. Last night, when I downloaded the app I read about the extensive data privacy impact assessment that was done. I also read the privacy notice published about it. It is very heartening to know the care taken with regard to privacy by design. It is a very interesting and useful example of the public po…

I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his election. We do not know each other. I have only gone to Kerry on holidays. However, I look forward to working and serving with the Cathaoirleach. I also look forward to serving in the Seanad and serving the people of Ireland in all of their diversity. I look forward to working with the Leader and Deputy Leader. It is a great honour to work alongside the skilled and talented representatives who are all across the House. I pay tribute to Senator Doherty for the exceptional job…