I thank the Minister for her statement. Many of the features of the Bill are good and we will support its passage to Committee Stage. Some trials are becoming increasingly complex and lengthy due to technological advances and legal innovation. An informed, non-frustrated jury is an important part of the justice system. The provision to allow some arguments to take place pre-trial, thereby avoiding the need to have a jury in another room for perhaps a week or two, is welcome. If I am to be a little picky, I remember…

I was contacted this week by a start-up company after the Revenue Commissioners adjudged that it did not submit strong enough evidence that its turnover had decreased by more than 25% during last year's trading. This is one of the criteria used to determine "significant negative economic disruption". While I understand the need for some parameters, the company lost a number of contracts due to Covid-19 and can prove it. This is, unquestionably, significant economic disruption by any measure. Other supports are insu…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an rún seo agus ní bheimid ina choinne. I wish the new appointees well. As the Minister of State said, they have considerable skills and experience and I have no doubt that they will be an addition to the board. The importance of the role of any Garda oversight body cannot be overstated, especially in light of recent events such as the death of George Nkencho in Clonee. It is important that public faith in An Garda Síochána is preserved a…

On the amendment to which the Minister of State referred, I know that pet theft is very upsetting. It is even more upsetting than regular theft but I am not sure that this is the place to be putting an amendment of this nature. The delay to which it would give rise would cause more trouble that it is worth. It is important to say that in the original 2001 Act, under section 12, the penalty on indictment is imprisonment of up to 14 years for somebody who goes onto someone else's property and steals anything, regardl…

A statement. In order for the vaccine roll-out to succeed - we all want it to succeed - it needs a plan to deliver buy-in and trust from participants. Buy-in should be very high. The Covid-19 vaccine is likely to be the most desired vaccine the world has seen in decades. The plan should set out goals and timelines and performance indicators and all of this will build trust. If the plan is good, it will work. Unfortunately, the last couple of weeks have shaken the implicit trust that many people had. Educators and t…

I echo many of the concerns of my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, about the legislation. As he said, we are not opposing the legislation but we ask the Minister to consider some of the amendments because of the rushed nature of this process and the absence of scrutiny by the housing committee. It is most important to consider the Deputy's amendment to delete what the local authority might consider "appropriate" and to ensure effective public participation. As with many issues in planning, the question of trust is most i…

My own club, Tralee Dynamos, have continued with its under-13 leagues but all of the junior leagues have been cancelled. Can the Taoiseach consider extending this exemption? There are also some outdoor activities, such as the fun runs and park runs that will be coming up at Christmas. Perhaps these might be given an exemption for smaller numbers.

Anyone who has read Brian Friel's play Translations will know an eviction of sorts took place in the 1840s, when the Royal Engineers came and changed the names of all logainmneacha throughout the country. He stated "a civilisation can be imprisoned in a linguistic contour which no longer matches the landscape of fact". I ask whether a similar situation to what is in Wales could be brought in here, whereby the signs are changed back to Irish.

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. In Scotland, the decision has been delegated to local councils so if people go through Motherwell they will see Tobar na Màthar is written at the railway station. If people drive through Wales the priority is the Welsh language. People catching the ferry will see a sign for Abertawe but they might not necessarily know it is Swansea. The Minister of State referred to SI No. 391 of 2008. The difficulty with this and road signs is that the Irish language tends…

In politics and language, visibility is very important. The regulation in Wales states that when a new sign is being erected, a sign is being renewed, or a notice is published or displayed that conveys the same information in Welsh and English, the Welsh language text must be positioned so it is likely to be read first. This is the opposite of what happens here. I am glad I can hear the enthusiasm of the Minister of State for this. In Wales, it applies to all signs. I can flesh it out during Private Members' time i…

Anyone could have predicted that there would be a major uptake in the winter flu vaccine programme this year. The Government's winter plan even committed to a large expansion the scheme. However, GPs in Kerry are contacting me to say that they cannot get their hands on the vaccine. They believe it might be arriving at the beginning of December, but they are not sure. They need clarity. I am asking that the Tánaiste intervene to ensure that there is a supply as soon as possible.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire agus an Aire Stáit. I agree with the Minister 100% that the responsibility of An Garda Síochána is to keep people safe, eliminate crime and eliminate the fear of crime. It is a responsibility of everybody in this House not to exaggerate sometimes low crime figures in an effort to get headlines. In regard to eliminating the fear of crime, the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, spoke about the Garda's text alert scheme. Councillor Tom Barry in Listowel has done amazing work in gathe…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. In the course of a conversation with a constituent last week, I learned that it was 100 years ago, last Wednesday, since the Black and Tans had burned her grandfather’s creamery. He had to go on the run, leaving his family, with the price of £1,000 on his head. Afterwards, I received a message from her saying that her grandparents were committed to a republic, a better world, equality of access to education and employment and their democratic right to vote. She mentioned e…

Christmas is approaching and every town in the country has a local producer of Christmas trees, advent wreaths and wreaths for graves. It is a time of year which is close to people’s hearts and they remember the dead. I ask the Tánaiste to ensure these producers are deemed an essential service and give some clarity to the people involved in the business.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I ask him to take into consideration that many of the types of seasonal retailers that I am speaking about operate in an outdoor or semi-outdoor environment. Many of these providers who do this work every year but perhaps only for a short window of time have invested throughout the year and this is the only time they can make a living. The evidence is increasing that indoor, poorly-ventilated spaces pose the largest risk. I ask that the Government consider making an e…

I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response but in the next few weeks, it will be important to take a nuanced approach to every single item covered by levels 3, 4 and 5 and to have particular regard to making exceptions. We should analyse the risk of every activity to make sure that as many people as possible can earn a few quid in the run-up to Christmas.

What is the timeframe for the completion of the planned remaining broadband connection points in County Kerry? Since the Covid crisis, the plan has changed. While there were initially 12 places nominated as BCPs in County Kerry, it seems now that only eight are to be completed. People living on the road between Lyracrumpane and Duagh have contacted me many times about the lack of broadband. Perhaps a BCP is not really appropriate there and what is needed is for more wiring to be laid on the road, up by the post off…

Broadband coverage is very patchy in the whole of County Kerry, including in Lispole, Sionnach, Brandon and Cloghane, beyond Dingle, and in the Lyracrumpane area, where it is difficult even to get telephone coverage, never mind broadband. Given the peripherality of County Kerry, the fact there are three peninsulas and that only eight out of the 12 BCPs have been taken up, will the Minister look again at the provision for some of these rural areas? The whole of west Kerry does not have one BCP beyond Inch. Will she …

Coicís ó shin, bhí mé ag caint mar gheall ar rudaí a bhí in easnamh sa bhuiséad. Leis an méid sin airgid a bhí ag an Rialtas, cheap mé nach mbeadh seans ann go dteipfeadh air ach níl an iomarca sa Bhille Airgeadais chun daoine laga agus oibrithe a chothú. Mar shampla, cuirfidh an méid cánach ar dhíosal na hiascairí cladaigh faoi bhrú. Following the recent High Court ruling, the collapse in lobster and crab prices and the increase in the price of diesel, smaller fishing boat owners will have to borrow for next year.…

I was interested to hear the recent remarks by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, on the issue of the imposition of fines for breaking quarantining rules. He spoke about how he would prefer there to be a greater understanding of the requirements and that a well-informed and knowledgeable public is more motivated to buy into such measures. Senior representatives of An Garda Síochána have spoken in similar terms about how achieving that type of buy-in is the preferable goal in this pandemic. An issue we dis…