I welcome the confirmation by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage of €53 million funding for the urban regeneration fund, particularly within the south inner city. A number of the projects being funded today are ones I was involved in initiating as a city council member, namely the Liberties greening project, which followed on from a campaign I lead for Weaver Park and the identification of a lack of green spaces in Dublin 8 in comparison with other areas of the city. The funding for the Dolphin…

I second the proposal.

I pay tribute to Senator Wall for bringing forward his Bill. Illegal dumping may not be the most glamorous side of politics but, as the Senator said, it is the issue on which we get most representations. Every time we knock on a door, the first issue people raise is the need to tackle dog poo and illegal dumping. People talk about GDPR gone mad. The most illustrative case of that was the move by the Data Protection Commission to reprimand local authorities for the use of CCTV in tackling illegal dumping. Illegal du…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House today. I had one of those glorious trips in here on my bike that one has in the early spring sunshine. It made me realise why I enjoy cycling so much. I came in on the Liffey cycle route, a route which took a long time but which thanks to people like the Minister and people in his party has finally been completed. It creates a safe cycle route for people to come into the city. What the Minister has done to prioritise walking and cycling, in particular the €50 million for…

I want to raise the issue of the revision of construction activity due to be announced in the coming days. It was welcome that, since January, essential construction such as social housing has been allowed to continue. If the indications from the Taoiseach are to be believed, however, we are looking at another half a year during which other non-essential construction activity will be restricted. That is fine when it comes to things like people adding extensions to their houses or something that is considered non-es…

My thanks to the Minister of State for a comprehensive reply. I understand the need and the reasons for the restrictions. I believe in expanding the definition to more social projects, for example, those relating to schools or childcare facilities. Anyway, that is a comprehensive and open answer from the Minister of State. I will forward the details to him.

I commend the Minister for Justice on the overhaul of the licensing laws as reported in the media today. It is welcome that she is considering a number of measures. I also pay tribute to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, for prioritising culture and the night-time economy. According to media reports, issues being examined include staggered and extending closing times and an annual nightclub permit. I also hope these will apply to promoters who arrange pop-…

This issue has been raised many times in this House and has certainly been raised since I was elected back in April. I thank Senators Boyhan, Keogan and Craughwell for bringing this motion to the Chamber again. It is not the first time we have heard about it but movement on the issue has been sadly lacking. I acknowledge the grave mistake my party made in the reform of local government back in 2014. Town councils were abolished and local electoral areas were increased but the corresponding respect was not given to …

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 11 on the Order Paper be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business. I hope that will be accepted by the Leader. Despite all the talk and focus on the leaving certificate between the Government and the unions, there is very little focus in the media on the severe and detrimental impact that school closures are having on our most vulnerable students, particularly primary school children in DEIS schools, who look likely to miss two key months in the year …

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to make provision in relation to the pay of student nurses.

Next Friday.

I welcome this debate and I welcome that the issue of access to period products is being discussed in the House. That said, I am disappointed that the reason the Government has at last raised the issue is because of a rushed Bill in response to one I introduced. This is a Government Bill that has been considered at Cabinet but it is unlikely to be constitutional because it delegates power to a Minister without setting proper procedures, principles and policies for any regulations being introduced, as is required in…

I would like to raise the absolute scandal of 300 units lying empty in the middle of Dublin city, including the city centre, at Clancy Quay and Capital Dock. The week before last, the Business Post carried a really important article on the Clancy Quay and Capital Dock developments. At Clancy Quay, four fifths of the apartments are empty. At Capital Dock, half are empty. We need to have a serious discussion about a vacant unit levy. In the middle of a housing crisis and a pandemic, it is a disgrace that large instit…

I thank the Minister for coming into the House. It is good to get a viewpoint of everything that is happening in his Department in the course of the pandemic. When we focus on this issue, we all appreciate the severity of the housing crisis, but local authorities and people go out and make this country tick over even in the midst of a pandemic. I pay tribute to homeless services, which the Minister rightly identified as doing an incredible job over the course of the pandemic. In March, they launched a great effort …

I ask the Leader of the House if we can put No. 4 on the Order Paper ahead of No. 1. It is an amendment to the Order of Business to add the Period Products (Free Provision) Bill 2021 onto the Order Paper. The Bill seeks to introduce free period products within educational settings and public buildings. I would appreciate the cross-party support to amend the Order Paper. I know this got cross-party support in the previous Dáil through the Irish Women's Parliamentary Caucus and the motion that it agreed. This would p…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. It is my first time doing it so I am not entirely sure what happens and what is going on. I wish to raise the issue of the shocking "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night on the issue and area of homelessness. It would be worthy and worthwhile if we had a Bill in the House on this matter. People and viewers were shocked when they saw that people were turned away from homeless beds despite beds being empty in the city at the time. It is worthy of a response and the Minister with responsib…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to secure the general availability, free of charge, of period products.

Next Tuesday.

I do not wish to discuss these amendments, but I would like some clarity on what we are working on. We were given a Bill as amended by the Dáil. The Minister has now spoken to the amendments. Are we working off the Bill that was sent to us as amended?

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach.