That is no problem.

We cannot agree to any section that supports the idea of the requirement for a six-month residency and, therefore, we oppose this section. I have made my position and our party's position very clear on that.

Does the Cathaoirleach want to name names?

Well said.

I congratulate the National University of Ireland panel Senators on tabling this important motion. I also welcome our friends in the Gallery. I will start with a quote from Dr. Ingrid Holme, adjunct research fellow in sociology at UCD, because it struck me as being powerful. She stated: I've never settled down. You can end up not having a family. I don't have pets – I foster – as you just don't know if you're going to be around or not.... I'm 45 and there's no way I'm going to get a mortgage on a house. That's not …

Yes

This evening, we are back on Committee Stage of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill. I wish to make an appeal to colleagues across the Chamber at this point, because something fundamentally wrong is happening. A Bill that is fundamentally flawed is going to be passed on Committee and Report Stages over the next week and then passed into law. As we all know, this is a Bill that excludes up to 30,000 victims and survivors of mother and baby homes. Some 21,000 people are being excluded on a completely…

I accept that. The reason I am making this point today is because I want to appeal to colleagues from the Government benches, in particular, to stop and have a conversation in their parliamentary parties to ensure that the Bill in its current form does not pass and those crucial reforms to include survivors are made. I cannot understand why there is silence from the Government side of the Chamber on this Bill. Everybody knows it is fundamentally flawed and we will let everyone down if the Bill passes in its current…

I wish to put on record Sinn Féin’s support for all of these amendments. These are important reports. I hope the Minister is not wasting our time. I hope he has not come here with a fixed mind to reject each and every amendment that has been tabled. On amendment No. 33, I highlight that since last week a number people have asked me where the Government got these financial figures. The Minister might explain where the calculation of the figure of €3,000 for people who had to leave the State and are not ordinarily re…

Well said.

I would just reiterate that last point. The Minister gave a commitment last week, which is welcome, that he would give clarity on this waiver issue. I expected that we would have that today but we do not. It is not reasonable for him to say to us that he is working on it but does not know when we will have it. At the very least, we should have it before Committee Stage resumes tomorrow. I would welcome a commitment from the Minister that we will not move to Report Stage until we have that clarity from him in writin…

I genuinely do not understand how the Minister can justify excluding people who spent less than six months in these institutions. Like others, I am extremely frustrated that when we have asked him this question previously, instead of answering it directly and explaining how he justifies excluding those people, he came up with a formula of words about the process but not the rationale. Like Senator Boyhan, I am incredibly frustrated that there apparently can be passionate all-party agreement in committee that these …

Once again, I raise the issue of University Hospital Limerick, UHL. Thanks to my colleague, Deputy Maurice Quinlivan, we found out that in the first 120 days of this year, the full emergency protocol was used on 118 days. In other words, there were only two days in the first four months of the year that it was not used. What does the full emergency protocol mean? It means that elective procedures have to be cancelled and there is what I would call aggressive discharging of patients. The hospital is in utter crisis,…

The Minister is very welcome. I acknowledge the exciting developments in Limerick, particularly the opening of the International Rugby Experience. It is very welcome in the heart of the city, alongside our medieval quarter and the fact that we really are the sporting capital of Ireland when you think of our success in rugby and hurling. Our hurling is a little dodgy at the minute, but we will see. There is our thriving Treaty United as well. The three bridges, quite unusually, came to prominence during Covid, when …

I want to briefly respond to the two previous speakers and to commend every word they have said. I highlight the fact, particularly to my colleague on the Council of Europe, Senator O'Reilly, that I have sponsored a request for a report at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe into the threat to the human rights framework of the Good Friday Agreement posed by the current proposals in British legislation. It would be really important to get cross-party support for that report so we can get it moving as…

Well said.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

Well said.

I welcome all our guests who have taken the time to be here today. I commend in particular my colleague and comrade, Senator Warfield, on bringing this very important motion to the Seanad. As has been pointed out, next month marks the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the 1993 Act which decriminalised homosexuality. It is worth reflecting that at least 940 men were convicted of homosexual acts in Ireland under the awful legislation in place before that. It is high time those criminal records were disregarded …