I will first address the proposed amendment to the Order of Business and ask for the guidance of the Senator concerned. I can offer two choices. I cannot accept his amendment today only because I do not have a Minister available for a 45-minute debate. I can propose that No. 1 on the agenda be withdrawn and rescheduled for next Wednesday or I can ask the Senator to allow No. 1 to go ahead without debate and we schedule a wider debate on technological universities for next Wednesday, as has been requested by other M…

I thank Senator Mullen. If the schedule that I will issue this afternoon does not have it listed, then I will make sure to add it on. I thank colleagues for the number of issues that have been raised today. The Tusla report that was raised gives rise to concerns, particularly when the concerns themselves are being expressed and shared by Tusla. It would be very apt to invite in the Minister for a debate on Tusla, its operation, its planned progress and what issues that it might have, so I will request that today. B…

I will ask them to come in and speak on the new pilot scheme for the universal payment to people in the arts industry. It would give the Minister a good opportunity to share her plans with us. I will write today.

I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Technological Universities Act 2018(Section 36) (Appointed Day) Order 2020, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 28 October 2020.

The Order of Business is No. 1, statements on combating domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, to be taken at 2.45 p.m. in the Seanad Chamber and to adjourn at 4.15 p.m., with the contribution of group spokespeople not to exceed ten minutes and all other Senators not to exceed six minutes, time can be shared; No. 2, Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2020 - Order for Second Stage and Second Stage, to be taken at 4.30 p.m. in the Seanad Chamber and to conclude at 5.30 p.m., with the contribution of group spokesp…

A number of colleagues have raised the horrendous situation of the tens of thousands of images that were discovered last week. The fear and anger of our young women and, indeed, lots of our young men, and their mammies, daddies, friends and everybody in the country last week was absolutely palpable. I do not say that anecdotally from meeting somebody in the street. I have four children who do not give two hoots about what I do all day, every day. They do not get exercised about politics. I have never seen my 18-yea…

It needs to be called out for exactly what it is. We need to move heaven and earth in this House and in the Dáil, along with our Government and Cabinet colleagues, to make sure that we do something about it in this year of everything else that has gone horribly wrong, so that we can have done something decent before the year ends. I thank my colleagues for bringing it up. The Minister for Justice will be in the House this afternoon and I am sure colleagues will raise the matter with her when she is here. Senator Bo…

We have had a major lift and a real tonic because of our beloved GAA over the weekend. The ceremony at Croke Park was poignant and was carried out beautifully. We should give a bualadh bos to the GAA and the organisation behind it for commemorating the occasion in such a lovely way. The lift we got from Cavan and Tipperary could not be bottled it and it is lovely. As a Dub, I say up the Dubs, because nobody else here seems to be saying it. We are definitely going for the drive for six.

True, sorry.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Tuesday, 24 November, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion re the sixth report of the Seanad Committee on Procedure and Privileges on Standing Order No. 45, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 1, without debate; No. 3, motion re the appointment of the Chair of the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, to be taken on th…

I will go from back to front, if that is okay. There is a motion on the Order of Business regarding the sixth report of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, CPP. One would be forgiven for thinking, from the various and fairly passionate statements that have been made here, that this was not agreed yesterday at the CPP. I was not at the CPP-----

I did not interrupt the Senator. I can see that she is passionate about this but I will not listen to charges made against me and my colleagues for, in Senator Higgins' opinion, trying to dispel an opportunity for debate. For the record of this House and to dispute what was said here this morning, a proposal was brought by me, on behalf of the Government, to the CPP-----

If the Senator does not mind, I will say what I have to say and then he can decide how to respond.

A proposal was brought yesterday by me, on behalf of my colleagues, to the CPP. It was discussed at the CPP and I acknowledge that I was not present. A message was sent from the CPP, by the administrative people, that the proposal had been agreed yesterday and, as a result, it was placed on the Order of Business this morning. If the proposal was not agreed, the motion should never have been put on the Order of Business. I was not at the meeting yesterday but the reports were that Sinn Féin, the Labour Party and the…

I will certainly ask. I am not sure whether we will be offered the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in the context of that issue, but I will certainly ask; that it is no problem.

I will, absolutely.

I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Standing Orders relative to Public Business: The Seanad on its rising on Wednesday, 18th November, 2020, shall adjourn until 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday, 24th November, 2020 and the following arrangements shall apply: ( a ) The Order of Business shall be proposed at 10.30 a.m. in the Dáil Chamber; ( b ) Commencement matters shall be taken at 1.30 p.m. in the Seanad Chamber; ( c ) Business ordered to be taken subsequent to Commencement matters, shall be taken in the Seanad Cha…

I move: That the Order of the Seanad of 16th October, 2020, relating to the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, be amended in paragraph (2) after ‘12 members’ by the insertion of the following: ‘, one of whom shall be Senator Lisa Chambers who shall be Chairperson’.

I speak on behalf of the female contingent in saying that we are very much looking forward to receiving the first lady Vice President to address both Houses of the Oireachtas. I pay tribute to RTÉ for the coverage it gave us over the weekend, in particular the montage at the very end that was so poignantly put to the Seamus Heaney poem. I thought it was beautiful and, apparently, it has gone viral in America so it has not done us any harm whatsoever.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re the Technological Universities Act 2018 (Section 36) (Appointed Day) Order 2020 – referral to committee, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion re the reappointment of four members of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority and the appointment of one new member, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 1, without debate; No. 3, statements on living with Covid-19 and an update on level 5 restrictions, to be taken at 3 p.m. in the Se…