I have no issue with us having a debate on this issue. I do have an issue with the charge of inflammatory language. I was extremely careful in how I spoke on this. Senator Moynihan was far more careful and articulate than I could ever be. I respectfully ask Senator Clifford-Lee to withdraw the charge of inflammatory language.

I move amendment No. 4: In page 38, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “Report of the Minister 5. Not less than two weeks before any motion for a renewal of the provisions of this Act, a report on how they have been applied or enforced shall be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. The report shall include: (a) information, including statistical breakdown, on implementation of these provisions; (b) information, including statistical breakdown, on breaches of these provisions; (c) information on …

I thank the Minister of State again for the comprehensive response. In light of the points she raised and the commitments referred to which the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, made yesterday, I am happy to withdraw this amendment.

It is nice to see the Minister. He is welcome, as always. I begin by completely condemning the thugs who stood outside his house. I offer my solidarity to him on that point. We are short on time and I want to be constructive. I will raise a few key issues. The first is probably the most important. We know that the World Trade Organization TRIPS council is meeting this week. To date, the Irish Government has opposed waiving intellectual property rights for Covid vaccines that would enable countries in the developing…

I will move on to some of the key points. I agree with some of the points made by Senator Malcolm Byrne. Let us be clear. Everyone should be scheduled for a booster jab at six months post the second job. I do not know why we are delaying. We know the need is there and we know it is safe. We know how to do it. We should just do it. I will use my time to make a clear call again to anyone who has not yet been vaccinated to get out and get the vaccines. They are the best route to safety for all of us. There should be n…

Will the Minister refer to the TRIPS waiver?

Well said.

I will begin by quoting one of my favourite singers, who passed away in Kilkenny a few years ago. His name is John Martyn, a great Scottish folk singer. Approximately 50 years ago, he famously wrote: Some of us live like princes Some of us live like queens Most of us live just like me And we don’t know what it means To take our place in one world His words come to mind because, as colleagues will know, there is a protest taking place outside Leinster House as we speak. I will join it after I have spoken. I will ret…

Well said.

I say "Goodbye" to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, and welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth. While I welcome many aspects of this plan, I am deeply disappointed, as we see major rail and light rail projects being kicked further down the road. I will talk about Dublin initially. The MetroLink and Luas connections to Lucan, Bray and Poolbeg are all stalled for at least another ten years. Despite the rail line to Navan being the largest single issue raised during t…

I raise the issue of our secretarial staff, on the back of a very powerful meeting that many of us attended at 10.30 this morning. Their starting rate of pay is €11.75 per hour. A living wage is €12.90. They have no job security. I have lost two excellent colleagues because they could not afford to keep working in the job. My current secretarial assistant, a fantastic guy, had to move back in with his parents because he cannot afford to rent. We all know that the title of "secretarial assistant" is a complete misno…

The union has made a series of constructive suggestions not just relating to an increase in pay and regrading the position of secretarial assistant, which must happen, but also on issues such as the conversion of overtime pay to an allowance and compressing the scale. One thing I did not know until this week is that the scale takes 18 years. It is completely out of whack with other scales. We have a collective responsibility to deliver for these secretarial assistants. Let us be clear: we have the power, as parliam…

Well said.

Well said.

Well said.

Well said.

Well said.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.