I welcome the Tánaiste. I acknowledge Senators Doherty and Gavan, and former Senator Ó Clochartaigh, my own county man, for the work they did before the Government brought forward this legislation. I welcome the Bill, in the main, because it will provide certainty for workers. Most hospitality businesses in west Galway have almost always treated their employees well and divided tips fairly. On occasion, there have been incidents where that has not been the case, but it has been a minority of businesses that have no…

This morning I want to come back to an issue I raised late last year, specifically burglary and the light sentences being handed down for this horrific crime. Just before Christmas in the area in which I live, that is, the Carnmore-Oranmore-Claregalway area, there were 14 burglaries across ten days. They largely followed a similar pattern. It was obvious that prior surveillance was being carried out on the houses. They were not random burglaries. They were planned and targeted with a number each night. I have spoke…

I support the Bill. I have listened to the comments of other Senators, in particular Senator Ardagh, which showed the difficulty and the challenges on the human side. I know from personal experience in Galway city and beyond that this is something that has touched almost every household and every family in the land. We are all aware of what an enormously difficult time it is for parents and that for other family members, be they brothers, sisters, cousins or friends, it is frightening. The Government has previously…

I very much welcome the approval by An Bord Pleanála yesterday for the Galway city outer ring road. This has been long promised for Galway, going back decades at this stage. It is frightening that every other city, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Dublin and smaller areas and towns have developed their road network, yet we have been left in the ha’penny place. Traffic is such an issue in Galway city that when representatives of American and European companies have come to invest in the city they have opted to establish t…

I welcome the Tánaiste to the House. I wish to welcome the comments from the Government in general that these new restrictions can be removed quickly if we gather more information and data on Omicron and it emerges that it is not as threatening as originally feared. The Tánaiste, in his contribution, set that out. We are all aware that the hospitality and live entertainment sectors have been hit harder than most throughout the pandemic. Unfortunately, that continues with the introduction of further restrictions tod…

I welcome the Minister of State to the house. In fairness he has been here on a number of occasions at this stage. I welcome the tax changes in the Bill. With inflation and rising prices in many areas it is essential that the Government reduce the tax burden for people, as this Bill does. The budget is also progressive in that those on the highest incomes will gain the least while the most vulnerable 30% of families gain the most. Fianna Fáil said before last year's general election that any budget with it in gover…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. When is it expected the report from the expert forum on antisocial behaviour will be received, in light of the increasing incidence of antisocial behaviour throughout the country, including Galway, my home city, but also other cities such as Dublin, Cork, Waterford and Limerick? There have been issues with antisocial behaviour, which has certainly increased in the inner cities since the pandemic began more than 18 months ago. There are a number of reasons for that. I …

I thank the Minister of State for his very positive comments in regard to public spaces. They are for the enjoyment of all our people. I welcome his comments on Eyre Square in particular. It is very positive that nearly €7 million has been set aside and that the Minister of State is working with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The biggest issue is the visibility of gardaí on the ground. That has never been more important. I very much welcome the recruitment of an additional 800 gardaí and 400 civili…

I raise this morning the issue of jail sentences given to those convicted of burglary. There was a case recently in my own constituency in Galway where the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, appealed the sentence given to a man who had committed multiple burglaries including one in the home of an 83-year-old woman when she was present, which happened in mid-2020. The Court of Appeal agreed and added a year to the sentence. The man will now serve six years with the final 12 months suspended. In my opinion, this i…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. As we are all aware, burglaries are one of the most horrific crimes, given the impact that they have on the victims. The home is sacred for our people and is a place of comfort and security and is a person’s castle. That can be wiped out very quickly by such burglaries. This has a crippling and chilling impact on the victims of these crimes, reducing the quality of their lives for many years. It also has an impact on communities beyond that of the direct victim. It causes fear and terror …

I thank my colleague, Senator Malcolm Byrne, for the support. I am a little confused. As you outlined, a Chathaoirligh, I was referring to the leniency of the particular cases. I did not refer to a specific case, but said it in general. It is an issue in Galway city and county, as you are aware, but it is also an issue across the country. I am still not clear about why I was not allowed to make the full contribution. In what way was it not right or appropriate to discuss it in the House, as Senator Malcolm Byrne me…

I want to raise the supports being offered to businesses affected by yesterday’s announcement. The Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS, currently makes businesses that receive restart grants ineligible for further payments, as the majority of Members of this House will be aware. That needs to be changed as a matter of urgent priority, within the next 24 to 48 hours. Effectively, premises with late-night licences, such as nightclubs, will have to close due to yesterday’s decision, and others will have their inco…

Before I start, I acknowledge the sincere heartfelt contribution of Senator Hoey and her courage and conviction to come in and say it in this Chamber this afternoon. To her I say I believe you. I think all Members felt her pain here this afternoon. We are certainly here to support you and to stand with you. I welcome the report and I commend the Committee on Justice for its work, in particular the Chairman of the committee, Deputy Lawless, for his time here this afternoon. In his contribution he outlined the situat…

I appreciate the need for public health measures but as other Senators outlined, late-night sectors are to close again, having been closed for 595 days and reopening for 27 days. This is extraordinarily difficult for staff, as Senator Sherlock outlined, and business owners, as Senator Horkan outlined. It is not just about the closure but ongoing difficulties for the staff in this sector. Businesses are supposed to retain qualified, experienced staff but they cannot offer them any certainty about working conditions.…

I offer my sincere sympathies to Annita, Emer and the Currie family on the death of a statesman. I want to raise the construction sector. It is an area, thankfully, that is rebounding strongly following lockdown with business having increased in each of the past seven months. The sector seems poised for further growth and with the new sectoral employment order likely to be implemented - I attended a joint committee on this earlier - that is very welcome. However, there are issues facing the sector in regard to recr…

This afternoon, I want to speak about Eyre Square in Galway city, which has suffered from a spate of antisocial behaviour in recent times. Having grown up 200 yd from Eyre Square, I can say with certainty that this is unprecedented. At a recent joint policing committee, the chief superintendent of Galway city suggested that consideration should be given to closure of the area at night time. I can inform him that this is not an option and will not be happening. Eyre Square is in the heart of Galway city. It is often…

I wish to raise the issue of enhanced funding for the education sector in budget 2022. I welcome in particular the greater staffing in terms of special needs assistants, with funding provided for more than 1,100 special needs assistants. There will be 980 new special education teachers, 620 of whom will provide additional support for children attending mainstream classes, including in new and expanding schools. Funding has also been provided for an additional 360 posts to facilitate the opening of 287 new special c…

I thank the Minister of State for attending. I also thank the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, for his support in recent weeks and months. There is a lot of positive news in the budget and I welcome the increased rates for core social protection schemes in particular. Similarly, the recruitment of additional special needs education teachers and assistants will surely be welcomed by all, as will the recruitment of a significant number of additional gardaí, who are especially needed in inner city Galway, where I com…

I want to raise the issue of driver test delays. I appreciate it has been raised before in the House but it remains a significant issue with more than 100,000 people currently waiting for a test, according to the latest figures from the Road Safety Authority, RSA. I want acknowledge the Government has taken action by hiring additional testers and opening ten temporary testing centres but it is simply not enough. It is a huge issue in Galway and across the county. However, there is also a backlog with the driver the…

This morning I raise the issue of special exemption orders for bars and nightclubs across the country. Any licensed premises that seeks to open late currently has an additional payment of €410 per night, made up of €300 in court stamp duty and €110 in excise stamp duty. That is the total of €410. The figure does not include the cost of legal fees associated with court attendance, etc. To put that into perspective, that represents an extra €8,200 per month in charges for a late-night venue that operates five nights …