I wish a happy Christmas to you all and happy new year. In accordance with the order of the House yesterday, the Seanad now stands adjourned until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 19 January 2022.

As we prepare to break, it is worth thinking of the privilege it is to get to serve Ireland in this manner, getting to debate things of such importance which have an impact on people all over the country. We have to represent everyone. That is why we cannot just have one voice or the voice of one cohort in our Chamber. It cannot be the case that only the opinions of the liberal elite are heard, or the progressives, or any other political label that can be used. We must have a full and honest debate and that is why …

Not agreed. I am sorry, but notice regarding the matter of the Joint Committee on Gender Equality was only given to the Members at 10 o'clock last night. I am wondering why that was. Some of the members of that committee were not notified of that meeting this morning.

Okay. No problem at all. I thank the Acting Chair.

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I want to go through some points with her that the Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland has asked me to raise with her today. There is €25 million for the live entertainment sector for 2022 in the budget and an additional €25 million was secured on the announcement of the most recent restrictions, which effectively closed the sector, yet this €25 million goes only to the ticketed sector. The survey recently carried out by the Music and Entertainment Association of Ir…

I was not due to speak this morning but I was in my office and I listened intently to Senator Warfield’s contribution. I have never come into this House without doing research on subjects I have spoken about. When I speak about something I speak with knowledge of the subject I am talking about. With subjects like this, I always come from a place of love, compassion and a wish to protect children. That is all I come from. If anybody wants me to brand me as anything else, I would say that the three things I always br…

Sorry, through the Chair. My door and heart are always open to talk about issues. When it comes to the education of our children, it is important that we have these conversations and that the correct policy is there to educate our children, from primary through to secondary level. I certainly want children to grow up in a happy environment and to be the people who they are.

I move amendment No. 3: "In page 5, lines 5 to 18, to delete all words from and including “amended—” in line 5 down to and including line 18 and substitute the following: “amended in subsection (3) by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (b): “(b) Part 3, continues in operation only until the 9th day of February 2022.”.”." There is much to be said on these amendments. They are simple. They take the date of 9 February 2022 as a sunset clause for the Covid-19 regulations. The amendment was put fo…

I do not believe we are living with Covid. Half this country does not believe we are living with it either. People say that this is new norm. It is not and should not be the new norm. People have had their civil liberties taken away from them over the past two years and were told that they could not go outside a 5 km radius of their homes. Those over 70 were told that they could not leave their homes. I know only too well what it is to lose somebody. My mother died last January because she caught Covid, but she als…

It is still in the newspapers. It is still being mooted. Journalists are still reporting it. Why are the Minister and the Taoiseach not coming out to discuss the matter? It is being reported that more restrictive measures may be imposed on the hospitality sector, namely, that closing times will be brought back such that they may open until 10 p.m. instead of midnight. We need to give the people who are in business who have made so many sacrifices over the past two years in the name of public health hope over the ne…

I acknowledged that.

No.

I move amendment No. 6: In page 5, to delete lines 21 to 32 and substitute the following: "amended by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (3): “(3) This Act continues in operation only until the 9th day of February 2022.".".

I move amendment No. 8: In page 5, lines 34 to 36, to delete all words from and including “amended—” in line 34 down to and including line 36 and in page 6, to delete lines 1 to 8 and substitute the following: “amended by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (3): “(3) This Act continues in operation only until the 9th day of February 2022.”.”.

I move amendment No. 11: In page 6, lines 10 to 22, to delete all words from and including “amended—” in line 10 down to and including line 22 and substitute the following: “amended by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (3): “(3) Part 2 shall continue in operation only until the 9th day of February 2022.”.”. Amendments Nos. 12 and 15 were tabled by Deputy Cullinane in the Lower House. They address one of the huge problems with the Government's response to Covid, which is the complete lack o…

There were comments about certain countries not getting it right. Many countries did not do things right. We are part of that. England has done something that we have not done. It has brought in Covid certificates for the medically exempt. I ask the Minister of State to look at that. There is no reason those who cannot be vaccinated for whatever reason cannot have a Covid certificate. They are banned now from gyms and swimming pools which was their one way of looking after themselves. There are people who were look…

I am sorry; I do not interrupt anybody. Senators can come in after me. Consent, obviously, is the most important thing. I want to read out a tweet the WHO sent out this week: As school holidays approach, we must also acknowledge that children contaminate their parents and grandparents at home, with a ten times increased risk for these adults to develop severe disease, be hospitalized or die when non-vaccinated. A subsequent tweet from the WHO reads: The use of masks and ventilation, and regular testing, should be a…

Is amendment No. 1 agreed to?

Under the rules, it has to be withdrawn.

When is it proposed to sit again?