That is true for both of us.

Well said.

They are all on the same side anyway.

I wish to raise the issue of the World Cup, which starts on Sunday in the horrific regime that is Qatar. There have been well documented details of human rights abuse relating to Qatar and workers. According to the Qatari Government, 15,000 workers have died at work in the past ten years but in many cases it put those deaths down to natural causes. The Guardian did an exposé which showed that 6,500 workers from five countries alone died in that period. There has been well documented horrendous abuse of workers' rig…

It is good to see the Minister of State. I acknowledge her work and her commitment in this area. I will start by painting a picture of the stark reality facing the health system. More than 2,000 nursing home beds have been lost since 2018, with the closure of 64 nursing homes over the last four years. At a time when hospitals are packed full, when we need step-down beds and residential care more than ever, this trend is only accelerating. Some 17 closures have been announced already this year, which is a loss of mo…

Well said.

Well said.

I thank the Minister of State. In February last year workers at Rehab Enterprises in Limerick were informed by senior management that the company would make 36 workers redundant following a 30-day consultation period. Most of these workers were earning the minimum wage of €10.20 at the time, of which 75% was subsidised under the long-standing disability wage subsidy scheme. The workers concerned who subsequently lost their jobs as of 2 April 2021 are among the most vulnerable people in society. They include people …

I thank the Minister of State for his reply, which I am a little disappointed with. I understand the State cannot compel an employer to make a payment above statutory but, as a Minister of State, I would have thought he would have a responsibility to support the industrial relations machinery of the State. The Labour Court is the highest court in that regard. It has made a clear call on Rehab to pay these very vulnerable workers the moneys they are due under the collective agreement. We both know there has been a w…

Like others, I want to begin by expressing sympathy on behalf of our party on the passing of Vicky. Even though we knew she was very ill, it was still shocking to hear that she had passed away. Vicky Phelan was a graduate of UL and had particularly close links to Limerick. She was a past staff member of the university and of course was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2018 in recognition of her courage and incredible leadership on all the issues she faced. I agree with Senator Paul Daly. Rather than words, the best…

Sinn Féin supports amendments Nos. 34 and 35. We believe ISL, which is a native language on the island, should be defended and protected whenever possible.

I raise two issues. I am sure many Members will have heard Flora Crowe, the supermarket owner from Sixmilebridge, County Clare, on the radio this morning. It really was startling to hear what she, and indeed so many other small businesses, are facing at the moment. She received an electricity bill for €20,000 and has made a very clear call on the Government to save rural towns and villages because they are facing bills they just cannot pay. I understand there are restrictions under EU rules but I have a couple of r…

I wish to raise the issue of the Shannon Heritage group. It is hard to believe and almost beggars belief that the understanding that was made, which was that the Shannon Heritage group would switch from Shannon Group to Clare County Council, was not followed through on in the budget. These are key tourism sites, namely, Bunratty Castle, Craggaunowen Castle, Knappogue Castle and Dunguaire Castle. They are a package of sites that bring tourists in huge numbers to the mid-west to Limerick and Clare. The sites are in t…

Well said.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is leading the way again.

I do not believe I have formally congratulated the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, on his promotion, and I want to do so now. I wish him well in his job. We will miss him on the Council of Europe but I am sure that Fianna Fáil will appoint someone equally as dedicated as he was over the time. I am happy to support this motion on behalf of Sinn Féin. We are happy to see the support for approval of these regulations. The technical changes ensure that data protection regulations do not hinder the work of important…

Well said.

Today I want to raise the issue of the cost-of-living crisis and ask for an urgent debate on the matter. Some of the Members may have seen the survey published by Barnardo's at the end of last week that showed that there were times in the past 12 months when one quarter of families across this State could not feed their children. The same survey also showed that some 41% of households have been consciously cutting back on food spending. A spokesperson for Barnardo's stated: According to our research the cost-of-liv…

Well said.

It is good to see the Minister of State. I do not know where to start as some extraordinary contributions have been made. I will try to deal with those and then suggest some positive contributions from our side. It is a pity Senator Cummins is not here. His speech was quite extraordinary. He spoke of the strong foundations laid by the previous Government. I do not know whether Senator Cummins is considering a career in stand-up comedy but he certainly has the lines to make a good start. What we need from Fine Gael …