I move recommendation No. 14: In page 102, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: “Report on Tax Credit for Regional Film Development 42. The Minister shall within 3 months of the passing of this Act prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the impact of retaining the enhanced tax credit for regional film development at its original level until 31st December 2028.”. Section 481, as the Minister is aware, is a very important measure within the finance legislation, with the rate of ta…

The Minister is welcome as is the Social Welfare Bill. It is a far cry from what we faced back in 2011 to 2014 in terms of what we can do. We are doing things in this budget because they are the right things to do but also because we are in a position to do them, given the strength and management of the economy and the fact we have such strong tax receipts. A considerable number of beneficial changes were made with regard to the payment rates for social protection and I will touch on a few. The pool of eligible par…

The Minister of State is welcome. I thank the Office of the Cathaoirleach for choosing this matter for debate this morning. As the Minister of State will know, Galway has a very proud record of job creation at IDA Ireland-sponsored plants in a range of sectors, including technology, pharmaceuticals, medtech, international financial services, business services, engineering and food. We want to see the pipeline of investment continue. The Oranmore-Athenry economic corridor was designated and included in the Galway co…

The Minister of State is right to talk about the region. What is good for Galway is good for Mayo, and vice versa. There is engagement between both counties regarding both employment and movement. It is heartening that there have been 31 site visits to Galway by IDA Ireland-sponsored companies, that the Department is keeping the land banks under constant review and that there has been an advanced-buildings solution for Parkmore. I understand there is interest in acquiring some of the lands in Oranmore, so it is imp…

On behalf of the Fine Gael group, I welcome the ambassador to the Chamber. I wish the Finnish people a happy national day as well. I had the pleasure of visiting Helsinki back in 2004 and it is a beautiful city. First, I recognise the establishment 100 years ago of the Irish Free State. It was a turbulent part of our history. We know the divisions that ensued are still with us. It is important, at the same time, that we recognise the establishment of the Parliament here and all that we have achieved since then – th…

Yes, but the letter has been written by the CEO. It will be dealt with at the meeting subsequently. Again, it was urging caution, which I find strange. There are a number of issues here and there is talk of Garda investigations. I have no idea who has been investigated by the Garda in relation to Inland Fisheries Ireland, but I am of the view there should be an investigation by the Minister. The Minister needs to investigate issues that have come to pass surrounding Inland Fisheries Ireland. They have hounded one f…

I move: "That Second Stage be taken today."

The Leas-Chathaoirleach does not need any supervision. The Minister of State is welcome. I want to briefly welcome the publication of this Bill and to compliment his own engagement with the credit union sector. He has met various credit unions, has engaged with them in stakeholder engagements and has toured the country to meet the front line in relation to credit unions. We all agree that they do tremendous work and they are a trusted brand. They cover so much of the country and are available to communities. In com…

I wish Romania and all Romanians a happy national day also. I welcome the ambassadors who were with us earlier. I have raised inland fisheries matters on numerous occasions. I am grateful for the reply I received this morning from the Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, informing me that an investigation will take place on matters under the Department’s protected disclosures policy. The contents of the emails, together with the information and attachments I have provi…

I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for selecting this matter. I will say this again, as I have said numerous times. There are four Ministers in the Department of Health, senior and junior, and yet Deputy Noonan is here. I mean no disrespect to him but it is something many of us have raised in the past. For the first time since I came into these Houses in 2011, I can see a vision from the Saolta Hospital Group for healthcare in the west. Heretofore we have had internal politics, division and debate about different s…

I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive reply on behalf of the Department. All of these projects are important. I do not like to make any of them more important than another but there is a clear need for all projects to be delivered in the coming years. It is incumbent on Government to prioritise them. The public spending code is obviously important and we know about the debate with regard to the children's hospital but it can also be seen as a delaying tactic in some cases with regard to these vital pr…

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the Orders of Reference of the Joint Committee on Gender Equality extension of reporting deadline, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion regarding the protocol and arrangements for President von der Leyen's address to the joint sitting of both Houses of the Oireachtas to be taken on conclusion of No. 1, without debate; No. 3, Water Services (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2022 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 12.45 p.m.; …

I thank all the Senators for their contributions. Senator Malcolm Byrne raised the issue of the new national children's hospital and called for a debate on the matter. Representatives of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, NPHDB, appeared before the Joint Committee on Health, of which I am a member, on 5 October 2022. We discussed the issues concerning this development. The members of the joint committee had the pleasure during the summer of visiting the site. It is a wonderful piece of infrastructu…

I move: That the Orders of Reference of the Joint Committee on Gender Equality, as agreed by Order of the Seanad of 7th December, 2021, be amended in paragraph (4), by the deletion of ‘within nine months of the first public meeting of the Joint Committee’ and the substitution therefor of ‘not later than 15th December, 2022’.

I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Standing Orders relative to Public Business, unless otherwise ordered, the following arrangements shall apply in relation to any meeting of the Seanad on Thursday, 1st December, 2022: (a) the ordinary routine of business shall be interrupted after the Order of Business pursuant to Standing Order 16, and the sitting of the Seanad shall thereupon stand suspended; (b) at 2 p.m., the Seanad shall be enjoined with Dáil Éireann to constitute a joint sitting of both Houses of …

I welcome the Bill and commend those involved in the work to date, including on committees. This is common-sense legislation to modernise all areas in regard to lands. I have always had a fascination with maps, particularly historical maps, and I enjoy using the satellite imagery on Google Maps, which is accessible on our phones. Such maps provide a detailed and accurate image of where we are and where we came from. I recently came across pre-Famine maps from 1842. Whatever about the authorities at the time, they w…

I ask that the Leader contact the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine regarding an issue that has been raised by former Civil Service and Coillte pensioners, many of whom are on fixed incomes and have received no pension increase since 2007. The Forestry Act 1988 established Coillte and provided for the transfer of staff from the then Department of Energy to Coillte. Sections 43 and 44 set out the key provisions of the Act applying to the transfer of staff. The Act provided protections to the staff, which…

The Minister of State is welcome. I said previously that everything we did in this budget, we did because it needed to be done and we were in a position to do it. We were in a such a position because of the way the finances were thanks to the stewardship of the economy, the strong rebounding from Covid and the supports put in place when we were in a position to do so. There was the impact of ensuring the link between employees and employers was maintained, ensuring employers were able to keep going through Covid an…

Next Tuesday.

At 10.30 tomorrow morning.