People will be bitterly disappointed if the commission reports back and the living wage is not €12.30 or more per hour. People have suggested that the living wage should be €12.30 per hour. The reason that we are demanding a living wage in this country is because issues such as the cost of rent, public transport and childcare have not been addressed. Until they are addressed, we are going to be demanding a living wage of €12.30 per hour. I wish to remind people and businesses that we also need to amend the National…

We in Sinn Féin believe this is not a fair tax. We have been consistent on that position from start. It hits low- and middle-income families the hardest, as many are already struggling with negative equity and high mortgage interest payments. Also included in the tax are homes and estates that are not taken in charge and therefore get few, if any, local authority services. Council tenants who do not own their homes are included in this tax. This tax has never delivered what it was supposed to. It has not delivered …

I will do my best. The Government is committed to progressing a living wage within its lifetime That commitment in the programme for Government should be welcomed. The Tánaiste previously remarked that the improvement of workers' conditions is a priority for him. As such, it is disappointing that the matter of a living wage has been subcontracted out to the Low Pay Commission. Its form when it comes to improving workers' wages would not make us hopeful. In the previous Dáil, the Low Pay Commission twice recommended…

When does the Minister envisage the Government will publish its plan to move to a living wage?

I will be very brief, a Cheann Comhairle. I welcome that the Bill is going through with the amendments. We have listened to some of the groups that were concerned. Some of the sporting groups have been listened to, which is quite good. It is past time that we have legislated for this and it is great to see that it has almost come to a conclusion. Like Deputy Mattie McGrath, we would like to know when this legislation will be enacted. It is really good news for people who want to go to events. We are all looking for…

There is no doubt that the banking sector in Ireland has been heavily impacted over the past 15 months. Unfortunately, the impact has been felt mainly by customers, particularly some of our older citizens. Over the past month, we have heard announcements that Bank of Ireland is closing 88 outlets across the State. These outlets offer an important community service, particularly to those who are not confident about or who do not trust the Internet for their banking. A visit to the bank is an important element in the…

There is no doubt that the lives of our student population have been upended because of the pandemic. I do not need to tell the Minister that. However, people in third level institutions have adapted to the changed environment and course work has been completed online. The third level experience is both an academic learning experience and a social development opportunity for our young people. Unfortunately, over the last three years they have been deprived of the social learning experiences which the campus site ha…

Sinn Féin will be supporting both amendments, which are technical, as the Minister of State has said. We are delighted to see we have progressed this ticket touting Bill. I, along with many other Deputies, have worked on this issue for many years and I am pleased that we are here now. It is a good day for consumers and for people who want to go to concerts when we get out of the Covid pandemic. It is also good for entertainers. The Government has our full support on this.

I am deputising for Deputy McDonald. The seventh meeting of the EU-UK joint committee took place recently. It was Lord David Frost's first meeting as co-chair since he replaced Michael Gove, MP. This change in personnel does not appear to have had any material impact on the British Government's approach to the work of the joint committee. From the comments of the European Commission Vice President, Maroš Šefčovič, following the meeting in question, it is clear that the EU's patience is running out and that further …

The Citizens' Assembly on gender equality has, in effect, given the Government a people's charter for change. It has set out in clear terms the enhanced role of the State in protecting and sustaining society and building a fairer economy. Many groups and individuals engaged in the assembly's work were alarmed by the Fine Gael Party's opinion of limiting consideration of the assembly's recommendations to the proposals that require constitutional change. Establishing a special Oireachtas committee to only consider su…

My party leader, Deputy McDonald, and I have previously raised the issue of the Department of Education's delay in completing the review into the ex gratia scheme for those people who were sexually abused while attending Irish primary and secondary schools. We both have noted the hurt and anger this delay continues to cause the survivors of Creagh Lane National School in my constituency in Limerick and in many other places. Deputy McDonald wrote to the Taoiseach and to the Minister two months ago on behalf of the C…

The ongoing crisis in aviation has had a devastating impact in the mid-west. When is the Minister of State's Department going to wake up to this crisis? How many job losses and warnings will be needed before action is taken? Shannon Airport is on its knees and we see no action being taken by the Minister responsible for aviation. To be clear, commissioning yet another report is not acting. It is pushing the solution further down the runway. Sinn Féin's position has been absolutely clear. We called for robust checks…

To maintain Shannon as a viable international airport, it is crucial that connectivity be maintained, especially the routes to London Heathrow, Boston and New York. Having worked in the travel industry for 19 years, I have no doubt that travel restrictions were necessary to combat the pandemic. What is also evident is that the lack of Government support for the industry has put us in a situation where we may lose an international airport and the associated jobs and connectivity. Aviation workers need a recovery pla…

I thank my colleague, Deputy Doherty, for bringing forward the Judicial Council (Amendment) Bill. The work he has done to tackle the artificially high premiums has been tremendous. If adopted this Bill will have a really positive impact on insurance customers across the State. I was disappointed to hear the responses from both Ministers of State. When I lived in America, people would use the phrase "mañana, mañana", which means tomorrow, or we will basically do nothing. The nine months mentioned by the Minister of …

I want to express my disappointment that the Minister, Deputy Foley, is not present. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, for dealing with the matter. I have raised the issue of redress for victims of historical abuse in Irish national schools numerous times in my five years as a Deputy. I have spoken specifically in regard to survivors of sexual abuse at Creagh Lane national school in Limerick. I am deeply frustrated by the glacial pace of progress on this issue so we can imagine the frustration of the s…

I thank the Minister of State for her response but it seems from her remarks that these men are no closer to achieving an answer on this. They still do not know if they are included in the review of the scheme, despite numerous parliamentary questions we have put in. The Taoiseach himself has met these survivors. He made both public and private commitments to them on this. He was vocal on the matter in opposition and before the general election. The time for review has long passed. These men deserve and, as a matte…

The discussion today takes place against the backdrop of the announcement last week of the job cuts by Aer Lingus at its base in Shannon. The Minister of State, in words that probably should not have been said, noted that it was very regrettable. The axing of 120 jobs by Aer Lingus at its base in Shannon is much more than that. It is a very bitter blow to the mid-west region and the wider community there. It is particularly devastating to the workers and their families. Many aviation staff have been receiving the s…

Yesterday, the mid west suffered another hammer blow with the decision of Aer Lingus to close its Shannon base. This has the potential to be catastrophic for the mid-west region. The Shannon-London-Heathrow connection, and these onward connections are vital to the people of the mid west and businesses in the area. Sinn Féin vigorously opposed the privatisation of Aer Lingus in 2015 and we said at the time that it would leave the State at a strategic disadvantage and could cost jobs. The decision to sell off this ke…

The housing crisis has got worse and worse under the Government. A generation is being failed as we speak. A single person who wants to buy a home can forget about it. It seems like a hopeless ambition for a single parent to purchase a home. Even couples with two incomes and no dependants struggle to get a foothold on the property ladder. A generation is being squeezed out of property ownership. For many it is near impossible to get mortgage approval and for those who do get it, in many cases it is for much less th…

I want to raise the vaccination centre we have in the mid-west region, which serves Limerick city. We previously raised the issue. The centre was not actually in Limerick city, it was in County Clare and I understand from HSE contacts this morning that it is moving shortly to the racecourse in Patrickswell. That would make it more difficult for people in the city to access the vaccination centre. The one in the Radisson hotel was working well and while there were problems, there was public transport to it. As there…