I commend Senators Ruane and Higgins on introducing the Bill. It concerns an issue that many of us in the House will have come across, given that in most cases we will have come to politics through our community activism. I have had involvement with many of the groups mentioned and know that many of the problems have existed for 20 years, putting undue pressures on small groups on which the State relies for much of its functioning. It is unpaid, voluntary work. I commend, therefore, the Senators and the Civil Engag…

I also agree with the sentiment of the amendment. As the Minister said in his earlier contribution, he intends to bring something forward next year. What we have seen through the previous Dáil and Seanad is how difficult it is to progress this legislation. The legislation before us is a step in the right direction but a lot of stakeholder engagement needs to happen from this point onwards. I ask that the Minister at his earliest possible convenience would engage with stakeholders. I have been contacted by Tuam Moth…

I can agree with an awful lot of what has been said. As Senator Bacik said, we need to talk about this. We need to talk about the State collusion and shame on the one hand and the abuse on the other hand. I come from a constituency that is deeply impacted by this and I have been contacted by a number of my friends in this regard in recent days. It is incredibly difficult to put a shape on this because it is not about this Bill but is about the larger issue. I have a fear in respect of those who state they will not …

I welcome the Minister and thank him for joining us today. We are in the grip of a global pandemic and are facing into Brexit. We have never been in more uncertain times. We need to ensure that the country is prepared and people are supported and, as we recover, that it will be a green recovery, putting our economy on a sustainable footing for future generations. While we support families through this difficult time and protect the most vulnerable, we also need to think about the kind of country we want to live in …

I again welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for her dedication and all the work she has put in. This year has been a particularly difficult one to be a Minister as all of us, across the House, recognise. I have just come from a meeting of the Joint Committee on Education, Higher and Further Education, Research, Innovation and Science at which the Minister with responsibility for higher and further education, Deputy Harris, asked the committee to look into the issue of consent which some other Senators h…

I wish to bring the attention of the House to the high number of dialysis patients in Ireland who have contracted Covid-19. I was contacted late last night by a person who appeared on the RTÉ "Prime Time" programme last night. Some Senators may have seen it. The individual in question is on dialysis and awaiting his third transplant. Not only have 92 dialysis patients contracted Covid-19, some 29 of them have died, which is one of the highest rates in Europe per capita , but there has been a slowdown, almost a stop…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for allowing me to speak and I thank the Minister of State for returning to the Chamber. Some Senators have suggested she may be bamboozled. I think it may actually be the case that many of the Members are allowing themselves to be bamboozled. My experience of the Minister of State is that she is rarely bamboozled. We are losing sight of the fact that this is an extra level of appeal that does not exist in other jurisdictions. Some quite misleading comments made on Second Stage sugge…

Senators may raise a point of order if they so wish, but that is my understanding. On the amendment, there is a case to say-----

I am speaking.

It was not personal at all.

Unless somebody would like to say that he or she made that statement, I do not have to hand all of the comments that were made. I will withdraw it. I will look again at the issue.

It certainly was not at all directed at the Senator who has just spoken. However, we need clarity for the public. We need to make sure. This amendment will afford people the clarity around that appeals process. My main point was to put on the record that there is no intention that I can see behind this Bill to stop people's appeals further beyond this. It is just an additional measure.

I also welcome the Minister of State and I congratulate him on his appointment. This has been an incredibly difficult year for young people, especially the cohort of first year students, but also those who are working and not in third level institutions. It is quite right that we acknowledge that not everybody goes from second to third level. We are here today to talk about that cohort in third level who had certain expectations. They had expectations that they would try their best to do the leaving certificate and…

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Foley, to the Seanad Chamber. We are delighted to have her here. Since she has taken up the role she and her Department have really hit the ground running. There is no doubt that this is an area that has faced one of the biggest challenges. The massive challenge we have faced as a society has been to open back up. I will not say it was easy to lock everything down but what the Government has faced is this challenge of opening up gradually. We have all pulled together as a society. I w…

I welcome the Leas-Chathaoirleach to his new role and look forward to working with him this term. I also welcome my colleague the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, and thank her for bringing the Bill to the House. It is a really important occasion. As the leader of the Green Party in this House, it is important that I speak to the Bill. Most Senators will know me at this stage and know I have absolutely no problem standing in the Chamber and criticising the Government. I did it last Friday and they all welcomed m…

Last week, we all witnessed the devastating fire in Lesbos, which again brought into sharp focus conditions in the Moria camp, particularly for children. In light of the announcement yesterday by the Minister with responsibility for children, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman, that Ireland will take four more unaccompanied children, it would be remiss of me to fail to point out that we, as a Government, are not doing enough. As the leader of a Government party in the Seanad, I wanted to make that statement. Humanitarian effo…

As leader of the Green Party in the Seanad, I am delighted to see both of these candidates nominated. I have known Senator Joe O'Reilly for a considerable length of time, which is to say two and a half months, and in that time we have spent a good bit of time chatting together. I am delighted to see an O'Reilly nominated for the position. Senator O'Reilly gave me some homework to do over the recess. I am delighted to say I have completed that homework and we will chat again afterwards. I wish to formally say that I…

I wish to share time with Deputy Vincent P. Martin.

I heartily congratulate the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. It is great to have her here as we sit in the Dáil Chamber.

That is all right. I will start again. I offer hearty congratulations to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. I know she will do a fantastic job and she has all the experience and passion required for this role. Tourism is where culture, economy and mobility come together, hopefully not to collide but to enhance each other. I will begin with the economy. My constituency of Galway West is a good example, which I will use today. We are completely reliant on tourism. Having spoken to the Galway Chamber…