That is what happens when we get the legal-----

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I will not rehearse the points that have been made by colleagues in respect of this amendment but I endorse the points made by Senator Higgins. It is a sincere and genuinely helpful effort to try to address the issues. It would be of great benefit if the Minister of State were to accept the amendments in the sincere way they were tabled because they would be of much use and a great strength in assisting further in respect of what this legislation can do.

I do not want to dwell on this topic but this is my first opportunity to raise, since the break for Easter, the disturbances that took place in Belfast last week and the week before. I want to use this platform in the Seanad today to thank those community, youth, political and church leaders who put themselves out on the ground to try to ease and resolve intercommunity tensions. In one example on the Springfield Road, political, community and youth leaders dismantled a barricade by hand. We also saw them form a hum…

That might be a controversial comment. We are all very proud of President Higgins and have a deep affinity with him. Seeing all of the nice, positive sentiments expressed on social media yesterday was a reminder for many of us that we still do not have the opportunity to vote for our President, even though we do have that connection with the office and the office holder. As we move out of the restrictions and the lockdown, it would be useful to have statements from the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Gover…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht teacht isteach chun labhairt ar an Chéim seo den Bhille. The Acting Chairperson might forgive me if I smile the whole way through the course of this contribution because I have just been able to book my vaccine for tomorrow in the North. The process has just opened for my age bracket, although I will not say which bracket it is. Nevertheless, it is good and I am happy. As colleagues have acknowledged across the House, the purpose of this Bill is to introduce preliminary trial h…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Táim buíoch go bhfuil seal againn leis an ábhar seo a phlé. I welcome the Minister. I am glad we have the opportunity to hear from him as well as the opportunity to discuss some of the very important issues that pertain, which colleagues have rightly raised in this debate. Brexit is the product of a project of collaboration between the DUP and the British Conservative Government that has lasted more than four years. Despite the rather hollow and hypocritical howls of protest from …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a bheith linn agus as an cheist seo a ghlacadh. What I am asking for is very straightforward. People have been in touch with me and many of my MLA and MP colleagues. Their main issues relate to the cost involved in applying for naturalisation and the complexity of the process. I appreciate and fully understand that citizenship is very precious, that we need to guard it and ensure that we are not lacklustre in our approach. However, it is important to state that we also need to under…

I thank the Minister for her comprehensive answer. There is quite a lot to get through there. I am very keen to work with her and her Department in terms of offering positive suggestions as to how this could be reviewed and how we could look at a more bespoke arrangement for people. The Minister will know from her previous life in another Department that, given the consequences of Brexit, there is a heightened interest in Irish citizenship among people living in the North who are entitled to avail of it. It is impo…

I share the concerns of colleagues on the deeply shocking revelations in last night's "RTÉ Investigates" programme. I am conscious that Deputy Seán Crowe, the Chair of the Joint Committee on Health, is convening that committee this afternoon to consider how it will react and take next steps on this issue. I have no doubt it is something the Seanad will revisit in the coming period. In my lifetime I do not recall a period quite like the one we are living through, in which the constitutional future of this country is…

Guím beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig ar an Cheannaire, ar mo chomhghleacaithe agus ar na daoine ar fud na tíre agus ar fud an domhain. It is an important opportunity, as we approach St. Patrick's Day, for us to remember and recognise the very important bond and link we have with our diaspora throughout the world. It will come as no surprise to colleagues in the House that I would use the opportunity again to call on the Government, once it is safe to do so and once we have navigated safely through the Covid restrictio…

Tá fáilte is fiche roimh an Aire Stáit chuig an Seanad don phlé inniu. Sinn Féin will support this Bill to the next Stage as it represents an important legislation in the context of the pandemic. Our general approach has been to facilitate changes to the law which are sensible and address the outworkings of Covid and the attendant restrictions within wider society. The Bill falls into this category and it is interesting that we would have supported some of these measures regardless of the pandemic. I will begin by …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire agus an Aire Stáit agus cuirim fáilte rompu. Tá seanfhocal ann i mBéarla faoi bheith ag fanacht ar an mbus agus ansin tagann dhá cheann. Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil a leithéid de sheanfhocal againn sa Ghaeilge. Beidh orm ceist a chur ar mo shean-mhúinteoir Brendy Ó Fiaich fá dtaobh de sin. É sin ráite agam, agus cé go dtuigim an ghéarchéim Covid, caithfidh mé a rá gur mór an trua atá ann gur ghlac sé chomh fada seo dúinn cúrsaí Gaeilge a phlé anseo sa Seanad. Mar atá ráite ag comhghleac…

Gabhaim buíochas le mo chomhghleacaithe Shinn Féin as an Rún seo a leagadh os ár gcomhair anocht. Ar chuala an tAire Stáit scéalta na ndaoine atá i ndrochstaid agus iad ag streachailt leis an gcíos? Thug mé teachtaireacht láidir do dhaoine bliain ó shin san olltoghchán maidir le cúrsaí tithíochta. Tá athrú plean agus gnímh de dhíth go géar. Ach táimid ag cloisteáil ón Aire an t-am ar fad nach bhfuil aon fhadhb ann agus go bhfuil an córas cíosa ag feidhmiú de réir mar is cóir agus é á rá linn chun leanúint ar aghaid…

Hear, hear.

Hear hear.

Maith thú, a Chathaoirligh, as úsáid a bhaint as do chúpla focal. Tá ardmholadh tuillte agat. Go raibh maith agat as sin. I wish to raise yesterday's unilateral decision by the British Government to extend aspects of the grace period of the protocol. I think the Leader and colleagues would agree that things are heading in a very negative direction and it is completely unnecessary. More than a week ago, the joint committee met and understood the issues to be addressed at the next meeting in a couple of weeks. The me…

We will not be too taxing on the Cathaoirleach this year but, if God spares us, next year we will be putting him to the test. Mar atá ráite ag an Seanadóir Garvey cheana féin, is cúis cheiliúrtha go bhfuil tús curtha cheana féin le Seachtain na Gaeilge. Mar atá an cás le roinnt imeachtaí eile, is mór an trua go bhfuil na srianta i bhfeidhm agus nach féidir linn í a cheiliúradh ar an dóigh thraidisiúnta agus a dhéanaimid é den chuid is mó den am. Mar atá ráite ag comhghleacaithe cheana féin, má tá Gaeilge nó má ta p…

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire. As the Minister will be aware, Sinn Féin will continue to play its part in the collective, and importantly all-island, effort in ending the Covid nightmare that our people and people throughout the world have been burdened with for over a year. On handling the virus, we take our guidance from the medical experts on the measures that are needed to eliminate it. Influenced by the direction from the medical experts, we have offered up solutions to the problems created by the…

I will not prolong the debate needlessly. I referred to all of our amendments in my earlier contribution. The purpose of amendment No. 9 is fairly clear. I just want to touch on the point made by Senator Bacik on her amendment and the Minister's concluding statement on Second Stage about the jump from 20-odd countries on the list to 32. We are seeking, as we always do in this House, through our amendments to make this legislation as robust and as steadfast as it can be. We are not advocating uniformity for the sake…

Hear, hear.