I will begin with something I meant to say yesterday. I wish to put on record my own support for the Leader in relation to the nonsensical emails that we have received over the past few days. Some of those people will be outside the building today. We do not believe in any of that nonsense and are in full solidarity with the Leader in that regard. The issue I want to raise today is the plight of the people of Yemen. There was an awful landmark reached yesterday. Ten thousand children have now been killed or maimed …

The Minister is very welcome. I would like to speak to the section. I have a number of questions for the Minister regarding the amending agreement. My colleague, Senator Higgins, engaged with the Minister on this legislation on Second Stage. She is at the Conference on the Future of Europe today and could not attend the Seanad but looks forward to engaging again with the Minister on these issues on Report Stage. The amending agreement in the legislation allows that, as part of a memorandum of understanding relating…

I appreciate the Minister's comments and I look forward to Report Stage.

I move amendment No. 1: In page 7, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following: “Report 8. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, publish a report setting out the measures taken to ensure appropriate safeguards and separation between ESM cooperation with the EU Commission on any area of policy and ESM engagement with private investors.”.

This amendment seeks "a report setting out...measures...[for] appropriate safeguards and separation between ESM cooperation [and] the EU Commission on any area of policy and ESM engagement with private investors." On Second Stage, my colleague, Senator Higgins, outlined how it is unclear what the firewalls will be regarding engagement with private investors in terms of the ESM. I would be concerned if, on the one hand, the Minister is seeking to play an active role within the European Commission in the implementati…

I will withdraw the amendment with a view to further engagement on Report Stage.

I move amendment No. 2: In page 7, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following: "Report 8. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, conduct and publish a report outlining where compliance with EU fiscal criteria has precluded public strategic investment or required public services or infrastructure to be delivered "off balance sheet" and the additional costs associated with such short term expenditure versus long term investment.". This amendment asks the Minister to publish a report ou…

I will withdraw this amendment with a right to resubmit and further engagement on Report Stage.

Last week we heard many announcements regarding budgets and budget spending. We were told that never have we spent so much before and so on and so forth. You can imagine my reaction when I was contacted by a family in Castleconnell who are residents of a council house and whose shower has completely broken down after 15 years. I wrote to Limerick City and County Council and explained the situation. I received a reply yesterday evening which stated that, due to funding constraints, housing maintenance is not current…

I will be brief. I want to place on the record the support of Sinn Féin for all of these amendments.

I will speak briefly on this issue, which I have addressed in the Council of Europe, our human rights body for Europe. I concur with everything both speakers have said. I have real concerns about the direction of travel with regard to the incredible work that NGOs do and this move to threaten them potentially with prosecutions. It would be wonderful if the Government could include this amendment to ensure we are not in any way, intentionally or unintentionally, aligning ourselves with that train of thought.

It is always good to see the Minister of State. I thank him for coming into the House. I raise the issue of the continuing incarceration of Julian Assange and ask for urgent action from the Irish Government on this issue and for it to speak out about it. Since 9/11 and the subsequent, and misnamed, war on terror, respect for international law by the US, NATO and other allied countries has virtually collapsed. That has led to the most horrific war crimes and abuses being committed. Sadly, Ireland is implicated in th…

It is so disappointing. We have a seat on the UN Security Council yet the Minister of State says the Government will not comment on perhaps the biggest human rights case facing the western world. What a contrast with the situation in Belarus. That is a situation involving a legal case. That is a legal matter and the Government has no problem commenting on it. It has no problem commenting on legal proceedings in Russia but it will not offer a word of condemnation or stand for human rights when it comes to a man who …

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that is, that No. 19 be taken before No. 1. I wish to introduce the Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021. While Sinn Féin is proud to be supporting this Bill, all credit for this Bill belongs to Together for Safety, a national campaign group for safe access zones that I have had the privilege to work with for the past number of years. This is very much a cross-party initiative. I acknowledge the strong support of the Labour Party, which will be …

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to protect the free and unencumbered access to facilities providing legal termination of pregnancy services; protect individuals providing or facilitating legal termination of pregnancy services from harassment; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

Next Tuesday.

Next Tuesday.

It is nice to see the Minister here and I thank him for coming to the House. I think we can agree this is a difficult topic. I have real concerns over where we stand with Sláintecare. When three of the most senior people on the advisory implementation council resign and say they are resigning because they do not believe the Government is committed to implementing Sláintecare, that is a major problem. Deputy Shortall put it best when she said the Minister's dropping of the advisory implementation council amounted to…

I wish to raise the issue of low pay. I respectfully suggest that it might be connected to the last topic that my good friend and colleague, Senator O'Reilly, raised. One of the big issues we have in this country, of which the Leader will be aware, is that we have the largest proportion of workers on low pay of any country in the EU, at 23%. Indeed, it was a topic that was explored by my colleague, Patricia King, of SIPTU. She quoted the papers produced by the Government's own tax strategy group, which estimated th…

The Minister is very welcome. I welcome the opportunity to speak on behalf of my party on the Finance (European Stability Mechanism and Single Resolution Fund) Bill 2021. This follows the agreement reached by the Eurogroup in November 2020 in respect of the ESM reform package and the signing of amending agreements to the treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism and the Single Resolution Fund inter-governmental agreement in January 2021. The primary purpose of this Bill is to ratify these amending agreem…