Under the aviation section of the programme for Government, there is a clear commitment to deliver the capital programmes required to support services and ensure safety at State and regional airports. I am speaking specifically in respect of Cork Airport, with which the Tánaiste is familiar. The chief executive officer of Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, was in Leinster House yesterday and he stated that Cork has received no direct funding. I am merely asking now if Cork Airport will be able to access regional airpor…

Is that a "Yes"? Will we get funding in Cork?

I am taking that as a "Yes".

I seek clarity on a point of order. I thought-----

The Deputy is well used to interrupting in this House when needs be. I am asking for clarity.

Deputy Boyd Barrett should not shout into the microphone. He should have a little bit of decorum.

May I just have a moment of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's time? I thought the order of speakers went from the Government to Sinn Féin and then to the Labour Party. I seek clarification on that.

I-----

I sought clarification from the Whip's office last night on the ordering of business for Private Members' time and received it at about 9 o'clock. I received an email to the effect that the order went from the Government, back to Sinn Féin and then to the other Opposition parties. That order seems to have been disrupted.

I want to speak in favour of the motion and to speak specifically about the cohort of workers who are in receipt of the payment of €300 per week. As we are in a level 3 lockdown, the inevitable consequence is that thousands more people will lose their jobs. The Minister is telling us that approximately 129,500 people are in receipt of the €300 rate and that this represents 60% of the prior average income for this group of workers. That is the same cohort of workers who will feel the brunt of this lockdown, however,…

I express our sadness at the passing of Dr. Martin O'Donnell of Charleville, father of Deputy Kieran O'Donnell, our colleague in the House. Dr. O'Donnell was one of the founders of the Charleville and District Mentally Handicapped Children's Association, which was the forerunner of St. Joseph's Foundation as we know it today. I was particularly heartened to hear the Minister of State tonight mentioning Cooleens House and St. Joseph's Foundation. I take some solace from her speech that she is very much aware of St. …

The Labour Party and I wholeheartedly support this excellent motion and the recommendations therein. The European Court of Auditors recently published a special report, Combating Child Poverty - Better Targeting of Commission Support. Mr. Tony Murphy, the Irish member of the court, was clear in his messaging about the European Union's response to eliminating child poverty. He stated: Child poverty is a serious issue in the EU. Without a sustained and targeted action, the current unacceptable level is unlikely to de…

I will not be giving a rendition of "Rivers of Babylon" or treating the House to a treatise on Mesopotamia. I stand here to support the amendment, which is quite logical and practical. We are about being practical this evening in how the forestry appeals service could operate. I will refer briefly to the Mackinnon report, which is the template for many of us now. In wrapping up her Second Stage speech, the Minister of State referred to it and the appointment of an independent chairperson. In support of the amendmen…

I will have concluded by then, le cúnamh Dé. Míle buíochas, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I rise to support the Bill. I welcome the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, and the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and I congratulate them on their appointments. The issues are well articulated. My colleague, Senator Annie Hoey, articulated the Labour Party position in the Seanad. While the legislation is necessary, it gives rise to many questions, one of which is forestry policy in its totality. The Labour Party is not convinced …

I apologise for being late. The record of the House already shows that Fianna Fáil had quite a strident position on this when in opposition. Without reprising all the issues here tonight, which is unnecessary, I hope that there will be consistency in the approach it takes now. I hope Fianna Fáil will be consistent with its approach in opposition. I just wanted to put that on the record.

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to discuss the issue of dual pricing. It is important that we acknowledge the work of our parliamentary colleague, Deputy Doherty, in respect of this issue. Had it not been for his foresight, I would not be here talking about it today and we would not be dealing with this as an issue. We hear terms such as "price walking", "price signalling", "dual pricing" and "differential pricing" but it all amounts to the same thing, namely, how much more money can be squeezed and…

I accept the bona fides of the Minister of State but the response does not inspire me, to be honest. If the Central Bank was fulfilling its obligation as the "watchdog", it would already have the evidence. If the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, tell us it has investigated practices as far back as 2015 and 2016, what was the Central Bank doing in that period? There should already be a book of evidence on the matter. I take the point that the Minister of State is making in respect of legislation…

I support the my party's Bill. Unlike their counterparts in most other European countries, Irish workers have no legal right to be paid by their employers if they are absent from work because of illness. Whether to pay sick pay is entirely the decision of an employer. There is no legal obligation to do so. Dr. Ronan Glynn has spoken on this issue and said that NPHET had recommended to the Government that "whatever measures need to be put in place" should be put into place to ensure that workers who are sick can aff…

I would like to ask the Minister if she has given consideration to the restoration of the Covid payment for those people who are part of the live entertainment and events sector.

The reason we are consistently making the case on behalf of the live entertainment and events sector is there is no timeline for the restoration of those jobs. The loss of income that has accrued to those in that sector through no fault of their own, which the Minister will appreciate fully, has been absolutely devastating. The ability of many of the people working in that sector to survive and their quality of life, even at the tiered rates, have been severely diminished. The net effect of that will be that many o…