Having worked with the Minister of State in the previous Dáil when she was a Deputy, I know her work ethic. She was our spokesperson on older people and I know this has been an issue on her agenda. When she was appointed Minister of State, I know what it meant to her. Today is another milestone so I congratulate her on her success in getting this important legislation through that we were all looking for. I also thank her officials. Finally, I thank Martin Groves and all the staff over the year. I especially thank …

It is a false statement to say that the Minister has not listened to what the Members have said on this floor. He has listened, throughout the debate, to what the Members have said. It is wrong to say the Minister has not listened to members. That is factually incorrect. He has made significant changes from the time this was entered. Even since it was introduced during the previous Dáil, in committee where Senator Boyhan and I sat, this is completely different legislation from that which started out. Providing hous…

Chairperson-----

I served on a local authority for 12 years and I believe in local democracy. The Minister would not bring this legislation to the House if there was not good reason for it, and we must take that into account. There is nothing to prevent councillors providing and approving a housing scheme before the LDA even gets involved in it because the Minister has given members and administrations the tools to bring whatever housing proposals they have, and he will support them. Put the onus back on the local authorities. The …

Hear hear.

The local authority land in Wicklow has not been used for social housing at all.

The core elements of section 2 are the two key pillars that have sustained businesses and kept them going over the Covid-19 period. I refer to the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, and its predecessor, the wage subsidy scheme; and to the Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS. I have some reservations about the end date of the EWSS in the particular context of my industry, which is solely reliant on seasonal business. Most of our business is done in the summer months of June, July and August and that has alrea…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply but the definition of a cliff edge is it is there one day and not there the next. That is exactly what he is describing on 31 December. The EWSS will come to an end. I will speak to this from a practical point of view. When Covid hit us, the wage subsidy scheme allowed us to keep core employees on board. We believed at that time this was a short-term provision and we were able to top up employees' wages to bring them to their normal level. Regrettably, as Co…

Senator Kyne outlined most of what is involved. Regarding the 31 August 2022 date, the Covid crisis has been rolling and none of us knows where it will end. Every time it extends, the period of recovery for the industry also needs to be extended. The hospitality needs the 9% VAT rate for a two-year recovery period. Ending this on 31 August 2022 will give it only a year because we will not be back at full capacity even in the middle of next year. Senator Kyne has referred to the importance of the hospitality sector …

I refer to the period 1 and period 2 described in this section. Tax warehousing was critical where businesses could not access credit from their banking institutions and it was the only way they could get cash liquidity to pull them over. Can period 1, the restricted trading phase, be extended to when businesses are actually reopening? That is when they could do with a cash injection or have the tax warehousing available to them to help with liquidity as other bills come in. The interest phase of the warehousing is…

Little did we know in March 2020 that we would still be dealing with a pandemic in July 2021. It must be acknowledged that, without the support of the Government, most businesses would have collapsed. We must also acknowledge how the Government reacted when it came across things that were not working out or did not quite fit specific sectors. It rearranged supports to suit them. I would not be in business today without the support. The employment wage subsidy scheme has been a godsend to the industry, and the Covid…

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Senator Boyhan will remember the previous time the housing committee prepared a detailed report on the complexities of applying universal design across all housing. It would not be practical at the end of the day. We always felt there was an element when designing a housing complex housing that a number of units would be designed with universal design in mind so they are protected for people for the long-term future. However, having universal design across all housing is not practically possible. If we were to do s…

I am sure the Minister will agree that every opportunity should be availed of to provide 100% public housing on public land where it is needed and that he will support that. We should remember that, as drafted, the legislation provided for 30% and that, in fairness to the Minister, that was increased to 50%, while the Part V provision was increased by a further 10%, which brought it to 70%. The Minister then increased it to 80% and 20% for the cities of Dublin and Cork, and that must be recognised. It does not alwa…

I had the privilege to grow up surrounded by a national park. I grew up beside one of our greatest heritage sites. When I saw this amendment I was unsure whether I was reading it correctly. I cannot for a moment see the LDA approaching any of these lands in respect of development. However, I understand the concerns that the Senators have raised. We have county development plans under which all these lands are protected. Section 52(3), which relates to the report that has to be provided by the LDA, states: In provid…

Before I begin to speak on the Land Development Agency, I want to say that I agree with Senator Mullen on the vacant site levy. At this stage, we all agree it is not fit for purpose. How it is applied in the various local authorities differs and there is no consistency. It does not do what it was intended to do. I welcome the opportunity to speak on Second Stage of the Bill and I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Having served on the housing committee in the previous Dáil I was there when the heads of the…

I tabled this Commencement matter to bring a degree of proportionality and transparency to the debate on the true impact of the pandemic on the hospitality sector. I believe that information is sorely missing. I thank Senator Crowe for his intervention today. Every time, the industry's hopes are raised and then dashed. This has happened six times. The impact cuts deeper each time this happens. I am not just referring to the financial impact. At Christmas, our industry was blamed for the serious outbreak of the Oxfo…

I thank the Minister of State for her answer. All I am trying to do is get an open debate around the true impact of hospitality in respect of this virus. An example was given the other day of a pub in Waterford and how it caused 200 cases. That was an outdoor event. We need to bring some clarity to this. Our industry has behaved and responded in the best way it could, so we cannot question how it reacted to this. We have tried to find solutions. All I am asking for is a level of transparency regarding the true impa…

Regrettably, it is a bit like Groundhog Day, as the reopening of indoor dining on 5 July looks like another false dawn for the sector. I point out that indoor dining is already happening but it is happening exclusively for residents of hotels. I am one of the few privileged to be able to use that facility but even last night I was inside and there were people sitting outside. My locals were outside and my residents were inside. It is about the inequality. The undisputed fact is that the requirements, regulations an…