I have no skin in the game between Cork or Kerry but it gave great joy in our house and it was something to shout out at on the telly at the weekend. Sport is definitely something to be welcomed. A number of colleagues asked for debates and I will put in requests immediately. A number of them are tied together and that might be significant with regard to maybe having a day-long debate on the marine planning and development management Bill and our obligations around climate change, including solar farm development a…

I move: That the proposal 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, be referred to the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in accordance with Standing Order 71(2)( b ), which, not later than 25th November, 2020, shall send a message to the Seanad in the manner prescribed in Standin…

I move: That Seanad Éireann, noting that the Government agreed on 28th October 2020 to propose, for the approval of Seanad Éireann, the appointment or re-appointment, as the case may be, of the persons concerned to be members of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority, and pursuant to sections 9 and 10 of the Legal Services Regulation Act, 2015, approves the appointment of Simon Murphy, with effect from 1st October, 2020, by the Government to be a member of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority in accordance with…

Notwithstanding anything in the order for the Seanad of this day, I propose that No. 3 shall adjourn at 4.15 p.m. and resume and conclude next week, and No. 4 shall be taken at 5.30 p.m. and adjourn after 100 minutes.

I agree with the Order of Business. I raise today the ongoing and deeply distressing situation of hundreds of Aer Lingus employees. As we are all aware, over the last five months I along with many colleagues in this House and the Dáil have raised issues regarding Aer Lingus workers accessing the short-term income supports backdated to March 2020. Due to the management of the temporary wage scheme by Aer Lingus, I believe a disservice was done to the employees leaving them on less - much less in many cases - than th…

Wide-ranging and varied debates have been requested by Senators and one can see that although Covid seems to be all-consuming, normal life and normal challenges still exist for all our towns, villages and communities. I take my hat off to Ballinasloe Says No because it won on this issue once previously. I wish Senators Murphy and Dolan and all the community groups down there every success in challenging this plan. Please God they will be successful a second time. I will request debates on all the issues raised over…

I move: That, pursuant to subsection 2° of section 2 of Article 25 of the Constitution, Seanad Éireann concurs with the Government in a request to the President to sign the Residential Tenancies Bill 2020 on a date which is earlier than the fifth day after the date on which the Bill shall have been presented to him.

I thank the Minister for his opening remarks and for the humility of his approach, especially in the past week. In Irish society there have been few occasions where we have felt the gut-wrenching anger of our citizens with regard to the treatment of previous generations of Irish women and men. We have definitely felt the anger, the hurt and the sense of revisiting the humiliation inflicted on these women and men over many years. I wish to speak to amendment No. 1. I welcome the Minister's decision to keep a copy of…

I have a query for the Clerk. I have been trying to find out the information from my office but have not yet heard the answer. The Chair is due to pose the question to pass the Bill at 4.45 p.m. but we are not due to start the debate of the Health (Amendment) Bill 2020 until 5.30 p.m., which gives us 45 minutes. Can we extend this debate until 5 p.m. or 5.15 p.m. to give colleagues an opportunity to get to amendments that we are not likely to reach if I keep rabbiting on?

Yes, I would like to. I propose we continue with the debate and not put the vote until 5.15 p.m., if that is acceptable to colleagues.

We are on the Minister's second amendment, which compels the investigation to give us a report by 30 October, and give an extension before it winds up, until 28 February 2021. The Minister's response to me on the amendment in the previous section was that he is going to rely on amendment No. 15 to not give information to data subjects on the basis of an amendment. That amendment applied to the workings of the commission whereby they were refusing information to data subjects on the basis of the necessity and propor…

It is important that the Minister respond. He told us previously that he would rely on the amendment to support his and his Department's stance to apply blanket refusals on information requests. I find myself in the unusual position of being on the same page as the Data Protection Commissioner, DPC, given that I have had a number of years of differences with her, but her salient statement is that it is necessary for the Department to demonstrate "why in all the circumstances of this Commission it would be necessary…

-----explaining why the Minister is still comfortable relying on the amendment under the 2018 Act.

I move: That, pursuant to subsection 2° of section 2 of Article 25 of the Constitution, Seanad Eireann concurs with the Government in a request to the President to sign the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020 on a date which is earlier than the fifth day after the date on which the Bill shall have been presented to him.

I propose, with the agreement of the House, that we suspend the sitting until 8 p.m.

I move: That pursuant to subsection 2° of section 2 of Article 25 of the Constitution, Seanad Éireann concurs with the Government in a request to the President to sign the Health (Amendment) Bill 2020 on a date which is earlier than the fifth day after the date on which the Bill shall have been presented to him.

I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the order of the House of 22 October or in Standing Orders, No. 6a on the third Supplementary Order Paper be taken now.

I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Standing Orders relative to Public Business: (1) On its rising today, the Seanad shall adjourn until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 5th November, 2020, and the following arrangements shall apply: ( a ) Commencement matters shall be taken in accordance with Standing Order 29; ( b ) Standing Order 30 shall stand suspended; ( c ) There shall be no Order of Business; ( d ) Matters on the Business of the Seanad shall be taken in accordance with Standing Order 16 (3) at 12 noon; ( e…

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Friday, 23 October, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of the Order of Business; No. 2, Investment Limited Partnerships (Amendment) Bill 2020 - Committee Stage (Resumed), to be taken at 1.30 p.m. or 15 minutes following the conclusion of No. 1, whichever is the later, and to conclude by 3.30 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or acce…

It should read "whichever is later". I thank the Cathaoirleach for the latitude today given we will not have an Order of Business tomorrow. The next number of weeks are probably going to be difficult not just for the operations of this House and the Dáil but for every Irish citizen. We woke up this morning with level 5 imposed on us. Senators Murphy and Dolan brought the impact and reality of this virus home to us with clarity, when they described the information released this morning on the nursing home in County …