I am afraid Senator Ruane is. That will be, I am sure, the only time the Senator will be wrong.

I thank Senators Higgins and Ruane for the amendments they put forward and offer my condolences to Senator Ruane on the loss of a member of her family. At times like this, we all feel loss in terms of being able to be with our families in different ways due to this emergency. That is a factor in why it is so vital that we have measures in place to address the needs of those in different forms of accommodation and housing. To respond to the different issues raised by both Senators, the reason the timing in this Bill…

I thank Senators Higgins, Mulherin and Ruane for their questions. We are going to have to look at what our economic and social architecture is going to be after Covid-19. While we will go back to a normal, that normal will not be the one we have just left. That is certain. There are going to be big questions that we will have to answer regarding the role of the State and the commitments that citizens have. Those questions will not only be on a national level but at a European and global level. While this is strayin…

I thank Senators Ruane and Gavan. I will deal with the amendments first before I respond to Senator Gavan's question. I propose not to accept the amendments tabled. The reason is that section 5(1) provides that a landlord cannot serve a notice of termination during the Covid-19 emergency for any reason. The limitation on the constitutionally protected property rights of landlords will only be in place during the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Bill provides for the Covid-19 emergency perio…

I will respond to the different points that have been put to me. On Senator Ruane's point, if we discover any loopholes in the drafting of this legislation which need to be addressed, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, and the Government will act on them, notwithstanding the limitations we will face for some time with regard the future of this House. The objective driving this part of the legislation is to give as much security as possible to renters at a time of great change and great risk. If we become aware of …

The only rationale for putting this forward is the risk of the spread of Covid-19 during such hearings. There is no intention to make this the norm. It is only being done to reduce the risk to those who would be involved in the hearing and would only be used in those circumstances.

Regrettably, I will not accept the Senator's amendment, purely because we do not believe that it is legally necessary. Section 3 provides for tenants to be construed to include licensees in student accommodation.

For the avoidance of doubt, all Travellers currently resident at any location should not be evicted during this crisis except where movement is required to ameliorate hardship or to provide protection, subject to consultation with the Travellers involved. The intention is that members of the Traveller community will not be evicted from any current unauthorised site during the emergency period. The development of new unauthorised sites will be dealt with in line with the existing trespass legislation. Where it is no…

The regulation of the right to work comes under regulation 11 of the European Communities regulations of 2018. We are not aware of a definitive timeline for the completion of the review. However, it is under way and we hope it will be completed as soon as possible. Public safety demands that regulators are careful to ensure that persons are qualified and experienced, and it is important that they carry out the necessary checks to make sure of this. It may be also necessary to carry out appropriate checks to determi…

I thank the Senators for raising this issue. I understand the point being made. I am also sure the Senators can understand, from our point of view, that we want to ensure that those health professionals involved in the giving of care at a difficult time have the qualifications needed. I refer to them being safe for the patients they are treating and supporting, but also for their fellow staff members with whom they are working. I was with the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, in the Dáil Chamber last night when t…

I thank Senator Horkan for raising this issue. I think the Senator was present in the Chair for the debate that I had with Senator Clifford-Lee earlier. At any other time, the change that the Senator is looking for would already be contained in the legislation. I can imagine very few other circumstances in the future in which we would have legislation that would vest this kind of power in the Executive. The sole reason for this is because there are conceivable circumstances in which it would not be possible to reco…

I thank the Senators. I was not aware of the issue raised by Senators Gavan and Conway, but I will raise it with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. It is just one of the series of issues that are developing now as our economy responds to the public health emergency. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport are making great efforts in other areas to deal with the concerns of travellers. I will ensure the matter raised by both Senators is raised with the…

As I understood the issue last night, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection was studying the issue. If the Tánaiste gave the Senator a more up-to-date answer this morning, I am afraid that is information I do not currently have available to me.

I am afraid I do not have an answer at the moment. I will have to get the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection to answer the Senator directly.

I am not in a position to accept amendment No. 59. Senators are aware that the emergency period is defined in this section as ending on 31 May. If there is no need to extend the emergency period beyond that, the Government will not. We merely want to give businesses an opportunity to get back on their feet and it will revert to the normal time periods when the emergency period is over. With regard to amendment No. 60, in order to qualify for a redundancy payment, an employee must have worked continuously for his or…

The requirements referred to by the Senator have already been published. They are available on the www.gov.ie website and are already available to the public. I have a copy of them here.

As far as I am aware, the section we are dealing with only concerns the registration of dates and births.

We may well be doing so. Legislation cannot be implemented retrospectively. The particular section will be implemented on Monday and the stakeholder to consult with is the Minister for Health.

I am afraid I am at something of a disadvantage because several amendments are being addressed that have been ruled out of order.

What does amendment No. 64 refer to?