I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the Chamber. I welcome the support for the Bill, which will modernise the employment permits system. Although the current system is strong, it is not flexible. Flexibility is required in this area. This legislation will provide for a system of employment permits that is more responsive and capable of adjusting as the labour market changes. With more than 2.7 million people at work in Ireland, the Bill will allow us to better compete for global talent to fill the …

I agree with and echo the comments made by Senator Kyne regarding school buses. The situation in this regard is an absolute pantomime. He is so correct. It has been going on since last September. I echo the sentiments he expressed. Reports in recent weeks have stated that an internal draft document warns that the HSE's freeze on recruitment risks increasing waiting times for patients, demoralising staff and providing poor value for public money. I am regularly contacted by those on waiting lists for operations. I s…

I would like to ask the Minister for Justice, in the context of confirming that six in every ten applications for international protection, IP, in Ireland are refused, what was the total number of official deportations from the State arising from such refusals in the six months up to 31 December 2023. I will leave it at that for now.

I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response. To me, the figures really do not seem to be adding up at first glance. The Minister stated that the Garda National Immigration Bureau “has reviewed a large sample of the cases that were subject to deportation orders. Their inquiries suggest a very significant number of these individuals have left the State.”. Could we get any further details on that? Certainly, 26 people in the space of six months does not seem to add up in relation to the sample.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, to the House and I welcome the Bill before us. Full implementation in Ireland of the EU regulation on a Single Market for digital services is an important step and we should proceed with a speedy and diligent manner. As all Members are aware, services available online have transformed the lives of everyone in the country and throughout the world. They have brought enormous benefits. Information has never been so readily available, connections are available between ge…

Next Wednesday.

The vacant property refurbishment grant provides funding of up to €50,000 to renovate a vacant property and up to €70,000 if the property is derelict. It can be availed of if the applicant intends either to live in the property or to rent it out. There is a considerable number of property owners across the country who will benefit from the grant. It is an important piece of the jigsaw in terms of our efforts to tackle the current housing situation. In my county of Galway, the scheme absolutely could be beneficial a…

Now.

Now.

Tomorrow at 9.30 a.m.

Now.

Now.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, to the House. Overall this Bill is to be welcomed. It serves an important purpose in addressing the potential threat posed to security and public order from some third country investments. It is important to highlight that the record of FDI into Ireland has been outstanding and is something that should be acknowledged when discussing this Bill. The IDA has done and continues to do outstanding work in that regard, with the quality of investment coming into Ireland be…

Next Tuesday.

I propose to suspend until 5 p.m.

I welcome the Minister of State. I commend him and his Department on their work in bringing forth this Bill. Often the transposition of European law into Irish law can take many years. I am sure all Members have seen legislation brought in to transpose directives made six or seven years previously. With this legislation, we are not transposing the directive but are giving full effect to an EU regulation. To be fair to the Department and the Minister, the regulation to which we are giving full effect only came into …

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, to discuss this matter in light of the importance of this project to Galway, the standard of facilities available and the impact it will have on the local economy. As he is aware, this is an important project not just for Connacht Rugby and its supporters but also for the local economy in Galway and regionally for the west. As he will be aware, the strategic benefits of the project to the entire region are closely aligned with the Government's national planning framew…

I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response, which has given clarity on the timeframe involved. The support of the Department is essential for the completion of the project and I welcome the Minister of State's comments in that regard. As I outlined, it is essential not only for Connacht Rugby, its staff and supporters, but also for Galway. The Minister of State has brought clarity on the timeframe as regards 4 August 2023. That is welcome. I have no doubt the Government will be in a position to continu…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: - "the Bill be read a second time this day twelve months, to allow for further consideration of the Bill." I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, to the House. As Members will be aware, there are existing industrial relations structures for the negotiation of apprenticeship rates. When the national minimum wage was introduced in 2000, it was determined that the apprentices should be excluded from the Act in recognition…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and thank him for his time at the Oireachtas meeting yesterday and in the Chamber today. As has been outlined by most Senators, including Senator Ahearn, it is very positive to see collective bargaining continuing to work in the construction sector. We all need the sector to be as healthy as possible, given our reliance on it to face some of the greatest challenges for the country,. As the House is aware, I believe this is the fourth SEO for the construction sector …