Let us be clear that these amendments are in order. I was pleasantly surprised that they were found to be so, but the fact is they were and, as such, I do not really accept the Minister's response. It is tricky for us to bring forward amendments to this type of legislation without finding ourselves out of order. There is a difficulty in trying to do things that were not directly envisaged by the Minister, as author of the legislation. If there are any technical problems with any aspect of these amendments, the Mini…

I will support the amendment before us, in particular, along with the other amendments in the grouping. It covers some of the ground we sought to cover in our amendments Nos. 14 and 15. It seems the Minister does not really want to answer the question that is being asked about these tenants. I never used the word "tsunami", by the way, although I acknowledge it has been bandied about a bit. I know, because I am dealing with a case I have mentioned many times in the House, that there is a group of human beings for w…

Those tenants deserve protection now because that is a ruthless logic. This is not the mom-and-pop landlord often referred to as a justification for the lack of protections; this is cold, ruthless, profit-driven logic. These people have no intention of being landlords to tenants. They have one intention and one intention only, that is, to make profit by putting people out in the street. Why would the Minister not want to take this opportunity to protect such tenants? That is the question and I have never got an ans…

I move amendment No. 14: In page 6, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “ Amendment of Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 12. Section 5 of the Act of 2020 is amended to read: “5 . (1) All Notices of Termination of tenancy which fall to be served during or after the enactment of this Act are hereby deemed invalid and no notice of eviction on any grounds may be served on any tenant until this Act is repealed. (2) All subsequent Notices of Termination shall comply with the mini…

I move amendment No. 15: In page 6, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “Amendment of Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 12. Section 6 of the Act of 2020 is amended by inserting new paragraph after paragraph (b): “and (c) any rent increases that could have legitimately been served during or after the enactment of this Act can not accumulate or be backdated at the end of the emergency period.”.”.

I move amendment No. 16: In page 6, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: "Reports 12. (1) That the Minister will, within 6 weeks of the passing of this Act, bring a report on the numbers of people who have been evicted since the beginning of the emergency period. (2) That the Minister will, within 6 weeks of the passing of this Act, bring a report on the numbers of people who have had rent increases of 4 per cent and the numbers who have had increases of 8 per cent since the beginning of the emergency …

Yet again, I have to raise with the Taoiseach the plight of the taxi drivers. The so-called package that was announced by the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is worth about €300 per taxi driver, given that they have lost many thousands of euro in income in the past year and have carried ongoing costs. It goes nowhere near meeting the demands they made. They met with the Taoiseach and have written to him subsequently, but have received no direct response from him. They want to know whether that is the end of it now. Is…

Will the Taoiseach consider an extension?

The group-----

The pandemic has clarified some of the key risks facing this country, and in some cases has created risks, so it is important that we respond. The Taoiseach has spoken a lot about higher education, placements and people getting qualifications. I repeatedly put to him a number of examples of where we are not doing what he is saying we are going to do. One thing the pandemic has done is created something of a mental health crisis for particular cohorts in society, yet we are chronically under capacity in terms of the…

I wish to raise a specific question that was put to me. I do not expect the Minister of State to answer now, but I would appreciate it if he could get back to me. On the issue of the EU digital Covid certificate and plans for travel within the EU, a person asked me a very valid question. In the case of a person who has been told by their doctor - not through scepticism about vaccines - that because of a particular condition they have, they cannot be vaccinated, is that person going to be discriminated against in th…

Many issues will impact on the Dublin Bay South by-election. One that Brigid Purcell, the candidate for People Before Profit, has been campaigning on for some time and that we hope will feature relates to the commitment in the programme for Government to deal with the wastewater problems in Dublin Bay and the ongoing discharges of untreated sewage effluent, both from the water treatment plant at Ringsend, which is under capacity, and also from multiple locations around Dublin Bay, especially when it rains. There ar…

It is only being switched on between June and September. Will the Tánaiste or the Minister ask Irish Water to switch on the ultraviolet treatment of discharges into Dublin Bay for the entire year?

People Before Profit will support the Labour Party Bill. We welcome it. Indeed, it has some similarities to the Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Right to Housing) Bill 2020 that People Before Profit recently introduced in the House and which, fortunately, passed to Second Stage, in that it seeks to delimit the rights of private property relative to the social and common good of ensuring that people have a right to secure and affordable housing. Insofar as the Bill seeks to empower local authorities to co…

I am also speaking to amendment No. 19. If we do not have a just transition, it is very possible there will not be any transition that is effective in dealing with climate change. This is something I do not think the Government, or the Green Party, which should know this, fully comprehends. If we alienate ordinary working people from the climate change agenda which is so urgent, if we turn them against it because we do it unfairly then it will not happen, or there is a serious danger it will not happen. When one lo…

The Taoiseach's statement of strategy makes several commitments to supporting those affected by Covid-19 and assisting their economic recovery, allowing them to plan for a post-Covid future. One of the groups - I have raised this repeatedly with the Taoiseach - with a very uncertain future which has seen a massive and continuing adverse effect from Covid-19 is taxi drivers. After the Minister for Transport's announcement of a so-called package of support last week, taxi drivers wrote to the Taoiseach again to expre…

It was an extension of ten to 15 years, the same as-----

Paltry. They were absolutely paltry.

If my constituency is anything to go by, there is a real problem with the Department of Education delivering school buildings, autism spectrum disorder, ASD, units, which we know are needed, and school facilities. The latest in a long line of examples is St. Mary's Boys National School in Booterstown. I met representatives from there this week. They have made a request of the Department of Education for the acquisition of an existing building. Nothing needs to be built. It has a parish hall available to it for an A…

Tairgim: "Go léifear an Bille don Dara hUair anois." I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." It is worth noting that we originally tabled this Bill in the previous Dáil in September 2017. At that point, not surprisingly, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voted against it and, as a result, it did not pass. In the context of the earlier debate, let us be absolutely clear: we wanted to put the right to secure, affordable, dignified and appropriate housing into the Constitution and make it a right for every person l…