It is.

The Order of Business is No. 1, address to Seanad Éireann by MEPs representing the European Parliament Dublin constituency, to be taken at 5 p.m. and to conclude at 6.30 p.m. in accordance with the arrangements set out in the order of the House on Thursday, 15 September 2022; and No. 2, the Higher Education Authority Bill 2022 - Report Stage (resumed), to be taken at 7 p.m. and to adjourn at 9.30 p.m., if not previously concluded.

I thank colleagues for raising a variety of topics today. Senator Carrigy made a request for the continuation of funding for the N4 project until the review is complete. I will drop an email to the Minister but I suggest he also writes to him on behalf of his constituents. Regarding the issue of disability team staffing within the HSE, I suggest the Senator asks the Minister for Health for the workforce planning report, which might give him a better insight into the reality of the issue we face, not just in Longfor…

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re the arrangements for the address to the Seanad on Tuesday, 20 September 2022 by MEPs representing the European Parliament Dublin constituency, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of the Order of Business; No. 2, Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022 - Second Stage, to be taken at 1.30 p.m. and to adjourn at 4.30 p.m. today, if not previously concluded, with the opening contribution of the Minister not to exceed 15 minutes, those of group spokesp…

I thank colleagues for their contributions. Senator Warfield is right that the value of Monday's symposium should not be lost on anybody. While the Seanad does reflect a little bit more of what we would like to see, it probably does not go far enough. The Senator was not present yesterday when Senator Conway made a request to have three separate debates on the three topics addressed on Monday and I will try to arrange that over the coming weeks. I would like to let Senator Warfield know that Seanad reform aims of t…

-----that did not require legislative change. As the Senator will be aware, any of the substantive change we would like to see requires legislation. That said, we will keep plugging away and I urge him to also keep plugging away and raising the matter. The Senator also referred to Tavistock and gave a far more honest account of the report on that clinic but if Senator Keogan has concerns, I urge her to write to the CEOs of the HSE and Crumlin children's hospital. The biggest shame that has been highlighted by the T…

I move: That, in accordance with Standing Order 57(1) and the approval of the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight, Seanad Éireann agrees that, in respect of the European Parliament Dublin Constituency, Mr. Barry Andrews MEP, Mr. Ciarán Cuffe MEP, Ms. Clare Daly MEP, and Ms. Frances Fitzgerald MEP, may attend and be heard in Seanad Éireann on Tuesday, 20th September, 2022, and that the following arrangements shall apply: The proceedings shall commence at 5 p.m., shall not exceed 90 minutes, and shall…

Before proceeding with the Order of Business and in the presence of ambassador Paul Johnston, I propose that Senators now rise in their places for a minute's silence to mark the sad passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. On behalf of Seanad Éireann, I wish to convey our deepest sympathy to His Majesty, King Charles III, the royal family, the UK Government and the British people on the loss of their beloved monarch who reigned for more than 70 years. We wish to sympathise with our unionist friends in Northern I…

Notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, or the Order of the House of Tuesday, 12 July 2022, the address to the Seanad by Mr. Marty Walsh, US Secretary of Labor, shall not be taken today, and the Order of Business shall be No. 111(3) on the Order Paper, Private Members' business, motion on energy, to be taken at 5.30 p.m., with the time allocated not to exceed two hours.

I thank colleagues for raising the various topics today. Senator Lombard requested a debate on the taxation and welfare report. I suggest we would have to allocate a hell of a lot more than the normal 90 minutes to that particular report. I note the large amount of sensationalist reporting and scaremongering in recent weeks, maybe to fill the pages of our newspapers because there was not much else to fill them with. I will be pleased to arrange a debate. I am even more pleased that the Taoiseach announced yesterday…

The reason we adjourned the debate on this Bill a number of weeks ago was to allow clarification of a point of order that was raised. I believe the Minister of State sought legal advice, as did Members. Can we have a conversation about the legal advice before we dispose of amendment No. 3?

Would it be possible for the Minister of State to say that on the record? I would then like the opportunity, on behalf of the Members who sought their own legal advice, to put that legal advice on the record.

Those are the exact words the Minister of State said to me last week. To be very fair, the record of this House is very important to all the people here.

I thank the Chair. When we adjourned a number of weeks ago, the Minister of State and the Members of the House said that they intended to seek legal advice. I would like to put our legal advice on the record so that we can then proceed, if that is okay. It reads: 1. These advices are furnished in urgent circumstances described below .... 2. Counsel is instructed with the following facts. 3. Querist is a branch of Fórsa trade union representing Airline Pilots ... [We all know them as Irish Air Line Pilots Associatio…

For the purpose of clarity, we should reflect on what the Minister of State said here on 29 June. I will not read out what she said, but I think we are all aware that she read out exactly how she has conducted the application of the drafting of the Bill. On that day, the Minister of State admitted that external advice was only obtained to insert the regulatory functions that the Minister of State was bringing to this Bill and that she relied solely on the Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, with regard to inserting new …

I am not finished. The legal advice that IALPA has obtained for the Seanad Members clearly states that Article 4 provides for certain principles to be observed by member states and their agencies. I do not see how we have upheld that article to that end. I disagree with my colleague, Senator Craughwell, about invoking Standing Order 70. That is probably premature. What I have done, however, off my own back and, I hope, with the co-operation of colleagues here is that I have written to Commissioner Adina Vlean, who …

I am not finished. We had an accident a number of years ago, Germanwings Flight 9525, which gave rise to the conversation and the EASA regulations that we now enjoy throughout the European Union. It was an Airbus A320 that crashed into the Alps in Nice. The 144 people on that plane all lost their lives that night. Six crew members were on that plane and they are all dead. The crash was deliberately caused by the co-pilot, who had been previously treated for suicidal tendencies and declared unfit for work by his doc…

Amendment No. 3 is on peer support.

I will finish on this point. We are debating amendment No. 3 and peer support, which is exactly what I am speaking about, is fundamental to it. The Leas-Chathaoirleach will be aware, by virtue of Standing Orders, that Senators are entitled to give any respective views we have on amendments and that is what we are doing. I am sure that the Bill will pass because I do not think there is anyone in the House who has a problem with its contents. Most of us have a problem with what is not in the Bill. When it passes, I w…

-----but I wish to put on the record of the House that my attempts to do this are far more important than titles or job allowances that I might get for any job that I perform in the House. What we do with regard to the Bill is a matter of life and death, and that is why it is so serious. That is why the people who are watching us and who we represent know that we are trying to serve their best interests to make the regulations safe so that they and, ultimately, all of us will be safer.