The Deputy will have a full response when I get a chance to respond. All things are taken into full and frank consideration because the Government recognises the importance not just of tourism but also the hospitality sector to both the economy and the tens of thousands of people it employs directly across the country. The Deputies opposite have cited the Restaurants Association of Ireland. I have met its representatives three times in this brief and half a dozen times in my previous brief to discuss this issue and…

In response to Deputy Nolan, I will be in Laois on 8 July and am happy to meet any business owners. I am also travelling to Kinnitty. I am sure the Deputy can understand why. I will meet a particular hospitality business there this month to discuss the impact of this. If the Deputy is available, I am happy to meet her. The last time I was in Clonmel, Deputy McGrath and I shared breakfast.

I am happy to meet him. It is always a pleasure. I will not be in Kerry until 22 July, but if I have both Deputies Healy-Rae meet me in Killorglin, I will be happy to see them then. I will be in Fexco and meeting the local credit unions. I will make time to meet any local hospitality businesses to discuss this issue. That offer goes to the Deputies opposite, whether in Louth or Donegal. I was in Donegal two weeks ago.

I will not leave out Waterford either. We all know that this has a significant impact on many communities, both rural and indeed urban, in Dublin and outside Dublin. We know the many challenges that so many SMEs have experienced in recent years with economic shocks from the Covid-19 pandemic. Many business representatives I have met in recent months cite the supports. People talk about shutting down hospitality. No one ever wanted to do it but unfortunately it is what we had to do. They will talk about the real sup…

Do not mislead the Chamber.

I welcome this opportunity to contribute to this debate and speak in favour of this motion. This gives us a great opportunity not only to speak to the detail of this pact but speak more widely about the issue of migration. Many people have been calling for that and it is important. I spent four and a half years having to listen to Nigel Farage's contributions to Brexit debates but little did I know that I would see it repeated here for a good three and a half minutes by Deputy Tóibín. That was spectacular Euroscept…

It took him 90 seconds to raise the canard of the EU army. I was just waiting for him to talk about straight bananas; that is how ridiculous he got at one stage. The absolute twisting of truth is lessening this debate. It took Deputy Tóibín seven minutes to actually mention the pact at hand. He was citing issues, talking about a hard border, checks at a border, no checks at a border. He was talking about welcoming immigrants and then talking about a firmer system. He then talked about this entire notion, which I wi…

All right, I will address the issues. Some of the issues the Deputy raised are ridiculous.

Talking about a European defence union and an EU army has no place in this debate.

It is that sort of level of debate that unfortunately leads us having to spend the whole time myth busting.

The issue I would like to address is the pact at hand.

I will speak more pertinently to the issue of sovereignty. Deputy Mattie McGrath is due to speak in two slots and I will listen to his contribution then. I look forward to it as ever.

Very few people have talked about the detail of the pact and the fact that this took eight years to come about. It took eight years of contribution by Irish people in Brussels at every level to ensure that we talk about this. When I was on the EU's committee of the regions, I sat on the CIVEX committee. All my colleagues from the Mediterranean wanted to talk about Mediterranean crossings, migration and the asylum crisis and the fact that this was seen in a total vacuum as some sort of humanitarian issue alone in Ir…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time". I welcome the opportunity to address Dáil Éireann on the Motor Insurance Insolvency Compensation Bill 2024, which was published on Friday, 30 May. As Minister of State with special responsibility for insurance, I am bringing forward this Bill to transpose Articles 10a and 25a of the motor insurance directive, as inserted by the sixth motor insurance directive. The purpose of these articles is to provide protections and allow for timely compensation for Irish motor …

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this extremely important and worthwhile debate. I will address all the points and the questions raised, but there are a few things I would like to add in response as well. I do not think I will take the full 30 minutes. I will try my best to get in and get us on the road. I look forward to engaging further on Committee and Report Stages in respect of the issues which have been raised today and on which we can provide additional clarity. I reiterate that the Motor …

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)( a ) and 181(1).

I sincerely thank Senator Clonan for raising this case again on the floor of the Seanad and for the comprehensive way in which he has put this across, which is testament to his continuing personal, professional and political work on this issue over many years. We are all truly grateful for that. As for the wider issue, as the Senator knows, inclusion is a key aim of the Department of further and higher education and skills and equity inclusion are a key part of our aspirations. The Senator raised a particular case …

I join the Senator in that hope, genuinely, and I have no doubt that the individual will be successful. The Senator has highlighted the constraints and while I understand and completely empathise with the point he makes, it is important for me to address the wider context and to say why those constraints are there. While it may be maddeningly frustrating and appear to be, quite frankly, wrong in this individual case, the Government has to approach this from the perspective of every single case and not just those ca…

I thank Senator McGreehan for raising this issue. I welcome Niamh to the Chamber and it is great to see my old pal Ciarán accompanying her. This is a very timely Commencement matter. I am meeting Vision Ireland tomorrow afternoon to discuss this and many other issues relating specifically to my work with the Department of Finance on access to financial services for those with visual impairments. This follows on from a lot of work we have done with Senator Martin Conway on access to apprenticeships, particularly in …

The Senator is correct. Only 24 children are looking for equality of access and opportunity. It is not too much to ask. The technology is evolving daily. There have been changes to what the Senator and I experienced when we did our leaving certificate a number of years ago, and we would have known individuals for whom no accommodation was made. Changes have reached a 1999 or 2001 standard, but we are in 2024 and will soon be in 2025. We have to make sure the standards are of a 2025 standard, not just for Niamh but …