The Minister is very welcome to the House. I congratulate him and pay tribute to him on his budget yesterday. I will start by referring to the contribution of a colleague of mine in the Lower House, Deputy Lahart, who in his contribution to the Dáil a few weeks ago pleaded with the Government to provide a sense of hope to the people of the country in the months ahead as we face into the winter. His words rang in my ears yesterday as I listened to the speech of the Minister because the budget gave us all hope. That …

In respect of level 3 restrictions and Senator Mullen's remarks about going to church, I go to church on Sunday with my children, who serve at mass. After that, I like to pop down to the local hotel and have my dinner. When I have eaten, I like to go to Páirc Tailteann to watch a club championship match. When the match is over, I enjoy going to the Paddy Fitzsimons pub for a pint with my friends. I would be doing all of those things this coming Sunday, which is the day of the county hurling final, but I cannot do s…

I welcome and congratulate the Minister of State. I am delighted that she was appointed to the role because her dedication and passion for her portfolio, when in opposition, was second to none. She is going to be a reforming Minister of State. A very famous television show called "Game of Thrones" had the tagline "winter is coming". For us in this country it really is and it will be a winter like no other. For us, the coronavirus is our reality of the White Walkers and just as deadly. The winter programme will be c…

Yesterday's Cabinet decision to establish a commission on the future of the media in Ireland is to be welcomed. However, the absence of anyone from the National Union of Journalists, NUJ, on this commission is akin to printing a paper without a headline. We would not establish a commission on the future of agriculture, pack it full of stockbrokers and have no one from an agricultural background on it. The people in the NUJ, headed by Mr. Séamus Dooley, know at first hand the real problems and challenges facing the …

Earlier this week we all received a briefing note from Ms Anne Timoney of the Oireachtas Library and Research Service on vaping and e-cigarettes and the negative health impacts thereof. Although smoking is banned in pubs and public spaces, the obnoxious flavoured fumes emitted by these devices waft freely through the air. Of more concern is the fact that there has been no real debate in the Oireachtas on the health issue relating to vaping. The question posed in the position paper to which I refer was clear: should…

I welcome the Minister and I will cut right to the chase. Two weeks ago, he conducted a feature interview in The Business Post with the journalist, Michael Brennan. It was a very large splash. In that interview, the Minister set out his plans for childcare in this country, a practice that is becoming the norm in modern politics whereby politicians brief the newspapers rather than the Dáil or the Seanad on their policies. In the interview, the Minister alluded to the fact his civil servants in the Department of Chil…

I thank the Minister for his response. He spoke about a review but that review has clearly been prejudiced. Any report on the system has clearly been prejudiced by the interview in the Business Post . I acknowledged a briefing note was provided to Michael Brennan and prepared by civil servants but Mr. Brennan was going to publish it. As a result of this, the Minister has adopted a scorched earth approach, beginning a Borg-like attack on the childcare system and creating yet another monster like Irish Water. The app…

Earlier this week, the Minister with responsibility for children, disability, equality and integration, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman, told fellow Ministers he was undertaking a root and branch review of childcare services to support the delivery of affordable and high-quality school-age early learning. I sincerely hope this Minister grasps that matter. In addressing this review, the Minister stated "the review is to look at the existing structures that administer childcare in the country" and "these have developed in a …

I thank the Minister, who is very welcome to the House. I wish her all the best in her new role in a new Department that has responsibility for media. I look forward to working with her as my party's spokesperson in that area not just in discussing the industry here but what is happening internationally. We saw what happened in Hungary last week when the staff of an entire newsroom resigned from the last independent news organ in that country because of state interference. I look forward to discussing such matters …

I thank the Cathaoirleach. The fear in the industry, and among the ancillary industries that survive off it, is that the money circulating will be significantly down. The Minster has said that on her worst case scenario figures, that spending could be down by €2.1 billion. In Kerry alone, Ireland's tourism capital, anticipates a loss of €400 million this year. According to Fáilte Ireland, every €1 million in tourist expenditure supports 27 jobs. The OECD estimates a 60% to 80% decline in international tourism which…

What about Aer Lingus?

Last week, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment stated that the proposed North-South electricity interconnector project should proceed as planned, in other words, utilising overhead pylons, and that he was not interested in any more reviews. Despite the previous reviews he cited ruling out underground options, such options will be considered as part of another major electricity upgrade project announced by EirGrid yesterday, which will run between Kildare and Meath. There are therefore cl…

I congratulate the Minister on his appointment and I wish him well in his new position. I know his capabilities. He is a very reforming politician. I am delighted this new Department is now being established. I acknowledge what the Minister of State has told the House in respect of the €168 million package of supports. That is welcome. As Senator Ruane said, it is only another step along the path towards what is required in this sector. Crucially, this Department will put a dedicated focus on the sector. During the…

We were always a reforming party for education. Senator Buttimer should remember that.

We have to look at the whole picture.

I join the call to have the new Minister of State with responsibility for sport, Deputy Chambers. I congratulate him on his appointment as Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach. Sport rarely gets a hearing in these Houses but we had two notable appointments yesterday. One was the appointment of the Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and the other, which I want to welcome, was the appointment of the new SSE Airtricity League director, Mark Scanlon. For t…

I welcome the Leader outlining the very important business today in respect of the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2020. One of the most common parliamentary questions tabled here in the Dáil Chamber asks the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation to outline how many investor visits IDA Ireland has conducted in a particular year and in which counties they took place. The answer is then followed by the gnashing of Deputies' teeth when they attack the lack of visits to their county vis-à-vis thos…

I agree with Senator Hoey's remarks. She and I met four years ago at the publication of the Cassells report. We sat down together and I assured her I would press with the author of the report its implementation. At the time he warned that if the recommendations even in the first 12 months were not implemented, we would fall off a cliff edge. That was four years ago. Last week in my remarks I touched on the importance of this House addressing the very essence of what faces us, that is, the threat to the survival of …

I am delighted to have been elected to this House as a member of the labour panel because, as a proud member of the National Union of Journalists over two decades, I know the importance of our unions and their work in protecting workers' rights. This was bred into me from my very early childhood when I saw my uncle Peter head up the unions in this country in the 1980s and 1990s, negotiating wage deals and making sure that everyone got a fair crack and a proper living wage. This will be very important to me in our w…