I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, for taking this matter. I acknowledge it is an issue the Minister of State is aware of but it is important to raise it again. I am far from being the only person who has raised it. I know that Deputies Brendan Smith and Cahill previously raised this issue. The Minister of State will have met a constituent of mine who highlighted to me the issue. One hears about waiting lists and about difficulties in the health system but it really brings it home when one sees the imp…

I thank the Minister of State. I am glad to hear that the Minister for Health will go with her. I have often wondered whether we should have a Minister for Health and a Minister for Covid response. I do not agree with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, but I appreciate that he must be completely overwhelmed with the Covid response and the requirement to restructure and refocus the healthcare system still exists and pertains. I am delighted to hear he is able to find the time to go to Cappagh hospital and see what they …

I thank Deputy Connolly for tabling this amendment and bringing the focus of the House to bear on this issue. I listened closely to the Minister of State's explanation. I do not think anybody is arguing that we do not need to prosecute people smugglers. However, I find it hard to be convinced by the Minister of State's argument that if somebody from Libya, for example, claims to be part of a humanitarian organisation, the State may not be able to disprove that. Certainly, somebody is being tried and has met the thr…

I am glad that that is not what the Minister of State implied.

Okay. My question is how-----

I am not being disingenuous. How does such a person prove he or she is a member of such an organisation? Many people in this House will have spent some time in the Middle East and countries across other parts of the world. NGOs are small, diffuse, badly organised and badly funded. They are not like the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, where you can go online and verify who its members are. There are indeed NGOs practising in those countries where you can go online and verify who their members are. Usuall…

I want to clarify three scenarios. The Minister of State has clarified the first, as I hoped he would. If a boat is going down in Irish territorial waters, or just outside Irish territorial waters, and an Irish fishing boat, or any fishing boat, comes across it and brings the people in, can those on the fishing boat be prosecuted? The Minister of State said that, yes, they will have a defence that they can avail of, but they will be prosecuted.

I understand the DPP has to bring a charge if there is a reasonable-----

Okay. That is the first scenario. The Minister of State is saying it is possible that a fishing boat would be charged but it will depend on the circumstances. I had a more specific point. If people are being smuggled, they cannot be charged with smuggling themselves, clearly, because they are victims and they are being smuggled by these people who smuggle people in, subject them to appalling risk, take their money and, in many instances, have no regard whatsoever for human life. I am hoping the Minister of State wi…

No one can enter the country if they drown.

They do not enter the territory of Ireland if they drown. It is like Stalin’s "no person, no problem".

I am slightly confused by the Minister of State's contention that borders are irrelevant to the purpose of the Bill, if that is how I am to understand it. We are talking about the Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021, section 6 of which states: "A person is guilty of an offence if he or she intentionally assists the entry into, transit across or presence in the State". The "State" is Ireland and its territorial waters. If somebody lets the person drown, he or she has not assisted that person anywhere. …

We discussed the potential impact of this Bill and the Minister of State outlined its rationale in detail. I do not wish to characterise the Minister of State incorrectly but if I understood him correctly, he said that if somebody was prosecuted, notwithstanding the fact that the act was humanitarian assistance, and if that person was found guilty, the Minister of State has no doubt this would be revisited very quickly by this House. How will it be revisited if nobody knows about it? If there is no reporting mechan…

I welcome this Bill coming before the Dáil. However, we need to look at why we are here. Previous speakers have alluded to it. The whole make-up of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board has been repeatedly raised in this House over the years. It has been also raised at appropriate committees in the past. Concerns were expressed by Members of the Opposition and indeed by some such Members who now find themselves Government backbenchers. However, those concerns were dismissed entirely by the Government of the day. …

That is fine. I just did not want anyone to be excluded. One may ask why we are here. We are not here because of any concerns expressed in this House, and many concerns were expressed in this House. We are here because the European Commission took a case against Ireland and Ireland, as is often the case at the European Court of Justice, lost. I want to know, as Deputy Barry has asked - I mean Deputy Berry, although I am sure Deputy Barry will probably ask the same question - how much the case cost. We need to know …

It is 73 weeks since the Taoiseach was elected to his position. On that day, I raised the future of Shannon Heritage with him. The instability continues for the sites, the company and, most important, the workers and the future of those sites. Tourism businesses are now planning for the future. What is the future for Shannon Heritage? When will they be transferred?

New management, new ideas.

Yes, it was on this issue of the numbers. I appreciate the difficulty the Passport Office is in and that it and the Minister are doing their best. I also appreciate that having to answer calls from constituency offices distracts people from work they would otherwise be doing and it is a vicious cycle. However, the ability of parliamentarians to ask questions on behalf of their constituents is being limited, especially when it is for people who have been told their passport will be available by a particular date and…

The Government has recommended that people work from home. That has plenty of environmental benefits as well as public health benefits, on top of rejuvenating towns and cities across our country. However, the rural broadband scheme is hopelessly behind and that is a disincentive for people as it makes it impossible for them to work from home. The Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, has been promising a Bill that would give ComReg powers to make existing broadband providers provide the services they are contracted to, but we…

They do not work from home-----