I welcome the Minister to the House. I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth and Senator Carrigy for the report. I acknowledge the work on the 9% VAT rate, which was critically important and much appreciated. Like Senator Conway, I would love a debate on the wider issue of VAT on the hospitality sector and where it should lie. Drink needs to be brought into it. We must look realistically at where the VAT rate is. We must stop having this argument every two years about whether it is going up or down. I would like a wider debate …

Senator Gavan is right. I am just saying the hospitality sector has challenges that no other sector has. We talk about unsocial hours, weekends and night work. That is the industry. We must work those hours. If we do not work those hours, there is no industry. We talk about seasonal work and irregular hours. That is the industry. That might not be the case in cities where there is a continuous and consistent level of business all day long, every day, where people can plan and they know exactly what they are going t…

Let us see. The problem with reports is they change every year. Let us look at a report from 2021 from the Workplace Relations Commission. There were 38 cases relating to the hospitality sector and nine breaches, 24%, were recorded. The breaches in the administrative and support sector amounted to 38%; in agriculture it was 54%; in construction it was 41%; in electrical contracting it was 75%, in legal services it was 33%, in meat processing it was 60%, and in mechanical engineering and building, it was 40%. Let us…

I accept we have challenges, but we treat our staff fairly and well.

Yes. If we did not, we would not be in business. It is as simple as that. Like every other industry at this time, we are struggling to get staff.

If Senator Gavan wants to start talking about input costs, then let us go there. We can up our wages if he wants, but there would be a knock-on effect on the cost to the consumer. It is fine coming in here and thinking this is easily resolved, but it is not. If Senator Gavan looks at the financial viability of many hotels in Ireland, he will see it is not there. We must bring some realism to this debate. Senator Gavan should not come in and pick one statistic. He should go back to 2018, 2017 or 2021. He should go b…

It is disgraceful.

As I said, I had not intended coming in to speak but Senator Gavan got my blood boiling while listening in my office. I love my industry. It has a significant role to play in the economy and in every community in rural Ireland. It is a lifeline to those communities. We are seeing that being affected by hotels being taken over with refugees and the damage it is doing to the whole economy of our rural communities, because it is not doing what it was meant to do. The uncertainty of our sector is another reason why hot…

I admit we can do more. I have spoken to Senator Gavan in relation to the JLC. We are singing from the same hymn sheet on that. I would love a wider debate about where hospitality should be in relation to that. I think that is another debate and that issue could form part of the debate. On that note, while Senator Gavan and I agree, I will sit down.

Now.

Amendment No. 43 is in the name of Senator Keogan, who is not present.

Before we proceed, I remind Members that amendments Nos. 46 and 63 are related and will be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed. Any Senator who wishes to speak on amendment No. 63 must do so now. I call Senator Higgins.

Amendments Nos. 48 and 49 are related and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

It is grouped with amendment No. 49.

When is it proposed to take Report Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

The Minister is welcome to the House. I will start with a point made by Senator Ward. It is very hard to stand up here as a man to talk about sexual violence against women, but on the other hand, we should take the lead on it and drive the reform process. I wish to focus on the title of the debate: "Moving Towards Zero Tolerance of Violence Against Women". The question is how quickly we can move because we must move exceptionally quickly on this matter. I will confine my remarks to two specific areas: one is the ed…

It is my first time to greet the Minister of State. I welcome her to the House and congratulate her on her appointment. As the saying goes, it is never too late. Today is a good day but we all know it is long overdue. Several years after the Central Bank recommendation to make individual decision makers and financial institutions responsible for their actions, we now have a Bill that will make that a reality. Despite the significant changes and improvements to regulation and supervision of the financial sector in t…

The issue I raise relates to the post office network. Last June, the Government announced a package deal of over €30 million to support the post office network, with €10 million per year to be provided over three years. That was meant to commence this month but state aid approval and enabling legislation are required in order to bring it to fruition. The legislation in question is the Communications Regulation Bill 2022. That Bill passed Report and Final Stages in the Dáil last Wednesday. Responsibility now falls t…

I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House this morning.