I too welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, particularly the long-overdue amendment to the Education Act 1998. Parents and students need consistency, openness and transparency. A charter between schools, students and parents is a step towards achieving this. I am concerned the guidelines that limit the scope of this charter are too narrow. I understand there is provision for the Minister to consult education partners, the Ombudsman for Children and such other Ministers, bodies or persons considered appropr…

It is no accident that we are here today discussing an extension of time for anyone making claims to the CervicalCheck tribunal. The families have no confidence in the process and are not engaging with it for good reason. The Government must talk to them and address their concerns. I pay tribute to the members of the 221+ patient support group, and their families, for their bravery in coming together to support each other. I remember in particular those who have died. As one member of the group said: The day I foun…

The provisions contained in this Bill provide for enhancements to existing Covid-19 supports, as well as the introduction of the business resumption support scheme. We need to do more for small business owners where businesses are closed due to the pandemic in order that they will have a business to reopen when it is safe to do so. Every day, I am contacted by small business owners, mostly in the hospitality sector. They are genuinely worried that they will not have a business to reopen if the Government does not l…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the future of banking in Ireland. This conversation is long overdue. The withdrawal of KBC and Ulster Bank from the Irish market was recently announced. In March, we had the announcement that 103 Bank of Ireland branches across this island will close. The bank is closing one third of its branches, including those in Kilcullen and Monasterevin in my constituency of South Kildare. The announcement was not surprising, but it was very disappointing. It was not surprising because th…

I thank An Teachta Bríd Smith for bringing forward this legislation. I, too, have been contacted by a large number of people who have been affected by the issue this legislation seeks to address. Tens of thousands of retired workers must be given a voice in pension disputes when changes are to be made to pension schemes. The current law prevents the voices of retirees from being heard when there are pension scheme negotiations, and they are limited in their ability to take their concerns to the WRC. Representative …

While I understand the aim of this legislation, I have concerns about such important legislation being rushed through the Houses. I am aware members of the housing committee received a briefing on the general scheme. It was agreed at the committee that it would write to organisations such as the Irish Planning Institute to seek expert advice on the measures proposed in the Bill. I would like to know if this has happened and what the results were. This is not a good way to legislate. We in Sinn Féin like to discuss …

This Government's approach to housing favours vulture funds and institutional investors. Sinn Féin in government will turn the tables on these funds in favour of ordinary workers and their families. For too long, successive Governments have treated housing as a commodity, so much so that people who are on relatively good incomes have found themselves squeezed out of the market, leaving home ownership as an impossible dream. Sinn Féin in government will change this. We will deliver affordable purchase homes at scale…

On page 115 of the programme for Government, the Government commits to ensuring that all enlisted members of the Defence Forces have the same access to healthcare as officers do. What progress has been made towards achieving this? Will the PDFORRA medical assistance scheme be extended beyond the end of the year and its scope be expanded to include family members and ex-service personnel?

The pandemic has had a huge effect on the mental health of our older people. Over the last year I have spoken to many of the groups that represent and advocate for our older people. The stories they have told me are shocking. Our older people have been left behind by this Government. One older person described their time during Covid as looking out the window waiting to die. Too much is being left to charities and non-Government groups with little funding offered to them. The little that is made available can only …

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. I do not often agree with Michael O'Leary, but in anyone's language, the action by the Belarusian Government last month was state-sponsored piracy. I send my solidarity to the people of Belarus, who are suffering under the Lukashenko regime. In particular, I send my solidarity to Mr. Protasevich and his girlfriend, Ms Sapega. It is clear that Mr. Protasevich's arrest was the object of the exercise. It has been reported that there were several KGB agents on the fligh…

It is important to note that mandatory quarantine can work and can be a key pillar of our defences during this pandemic. Its purpose is to limit the importation and spread of the virus. It is, and should only be, a temporary measure. Mandatory quarantine in a designated facility for non-essential travel from any country has a part to play in suppressing the virus and ensuring that we do not import further cases or dangerous variants. We recognise, however, that there have been many difficulties with the system curr…

I will say a few words on how the process will work in practice. When four or more tender bids are submitted for a public works contract, a tender that is more than 15% below the adjusted average shall be considered an abnormally low tender. In the event of an abnormally low tender being submitted, the contracting authority must seek information on, and an explanation of, the economics of the construction method with a detailed cost breakdown, the apparent exceptionally favourable conditions available, technical so…

A philosopher once wrote that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana is also known to have said that "Only the dead have seen the end of war". Those are two very appropriate sayings for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I recently watched two films, namely, "Schindler's List" and "Born in Gaza". There are many similarities between them but one that stood out to me was the use of gravestones as paving in a concentration camp in "Schindler's List" and very similar headstones i…

I welcome the move to address a long-standing issue affecting business owners and farming families under the fair deal scheme. This issue has been raised many times by my constituents. Unfortunately, the move will come too late for many families who will not be able to claw back thousands of euro in fees already paid. While the Bill is a welcome move, we need to do more to facilitate a greater number of older people to ageing in place. We need to increase funding for the home help scheme to deliver for all older pe…

I commend Deputy Eoin Ó Broin. Urgent action is needed if the Government is not to condemn another generation to a yet more precarious rental situation. It goes beyond indifference to describe successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments' attitude to housing. Do not get me started on Labour and the Greens. They acted as a mudguard when policies were introduced that stopped the building of public houses on public land. They would have us believe they did nothing. Last year, we had an election at which housing wa…

I welcome the chance to speak on this issue. The Bill is long overdue. I understand that several amendments were tabled in the Seanad by my party colleagues but were not taken on board. I urge the Minister to take another look at those amendments. We need to give students the right to be heard in the event of a review. We also need to shift the blame in circumstances where an approach is made to a teacher without the knowledge of the student. These are basic principles of natural justice and should be included in t…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is a timely proposal, given the times were are in when so many have been affected financially by the pandemic. People will tend to borrow more when times are good and they feel able to pay back a loan or meet a financial obligation. They are, however, at the mercy of developments in the wider economy. With employment becoming more and more precarious, it will be interesting to see how this legislation will affect things. Many workers have been badly affected by th…

I too thank Deputy Barry for bringing forward this Bill and for his continued commitment to highlighting the plight of the Debenhams workers. It is a cause close to my heart as I have supported the Debenhams workers in Newbridge on several occasions. We were successful in repelling the efforts of the liquidator and the haulage companies that facilitated strike-breaking. Unfortunately, the liquidator broke the agreement on level 5 restrictions to remove stock from the Newbridge store. This was facilitated by the man…

This is an area where reform is long overdue. The country has had a long history of landlordism and evictions, and to put it mildly, there have been and still are many unsavoury characters involved. Just yesterday I received a call from a constituent who had been given four months' notice of eviction in January in the middle of level 5 restrictions. Her landlord was at the door with "three burly chaps" as she described them, looking to remove her from her home. Needless to say he got short shrift. Imagine sitting i…

I understand that this legislation facilitates the introduction of the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Brexit impact loan scheme into the Irish market. I hope that, like many Government initiatives, this is not too little too late. Brexit continues to impact small businesses and farming families in counties Kildare and Laois and urgent action is needed if they are to survive. I welcome the amendment proposed by my colleague, Teachta O'Reilly, which would require the Minister to engage with the relevant bus…