I am pressing the amendment.

I move amendment No. 2: To delete all words after “That” and substitute the following: “notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, and unless the Dáil shall otherwise order, the speaking arrangements recommended in the Appendices to the Report of the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform titled ‘Speaking time arrangements on the first round of Second Stage of a Bill, and on fixed-time debates’, dated 29th July, 2020, be amended by the substitution of the tables contained in the Schedule to this amendment w…

I am sharing time with Deputy McNamara. I am will limit my questions because time is limited and I have only five minutes. This issue has already been raised by several speakers, but the Minister needs to clarify the Department's view on the issue of special needs teachers. Will they be redeployed to provide cover within their schools? What will happen to those children with special needs who were being looked after by those teachers previously? How is it envisaged that specialist rooms in schools, such as home eco…

I also asked about new buildings.

I acknowledge that the Minister has intervened in the hunger strike in the Skellig Star. It is over, which is important. For anybody in Ireland to be on hunger strike sends a strong message to us. For the asylum seekers concerned to feel that was the only way they could have their voices heard is telling. It is time to resolve the issues and deal with them fairly and quickly. In her response I would like to hear from the Minister what the timeframe will be. It is not enough to say things will happen over the next n…

I share the views of my colleagues that this must cease to be a centre and no more asylum seekers should be moved in. The Minister should clarify that this evening. Unfortunately, the problem here is that IPAS is not dealing with asylum seekers properly and unless the Minister stays involved this situation will get out of hand again. IPAS will not accept people talking on behalf of asylum seekers. Asylum seekers will not talk to IPAS because they are afraid it will affect their cases. They will not accept me or the…

The Ceann Comhairle is right. I am sharing time with Deputy Fitzmaurice. This legislation was first brought forward in December 2019. The Government was accepting it and pushing it forward at that stage. The Regional Group has found a good way to bring this legislation forward again and at least now the group will be associated with it. The Government will bring the legislation forward in this way and it will be enacted. Unfortunately, I think this is now the only way that Opposition groups will get to put forward …

On the same issue, there is a need to have a debate on rescinding this discriminatory order on the Statute Book. It is incumbent on us to treat everybody who leaves the State with respect regardless of who the person is. This is discriminatory and must be rescinded as a matter of urgency.

I will share time with Deputy Harkin. The motion is not directly on the return to school programme but it is going to be naturally caught up in all of that. The fact the motion was put down tonight meant the plan was brought forward. The Minister was supposed to announce this plan after we had all gone home next week, after the Dáil had risen for the summer. At least the plan has been announced and we can scrutinise it and talk about it in the House because it is vitally important. While the motion may not be direc…

A lot has been said about this Bill by every other speaker here and I just want to add my voice to that. The Minister has his beef with Sinn Féin and he can outline whatever his concerns are with that party, but that does not take from the fact that what he is doing in this Bill is completely wrong. He can attack us, the Social Democrats and everyone else in this House who says this is wrong and this should not be happening. If Ministers are attending the Cabinet, however, it should be an honour for them to do so, …

I welcome the Minister and the Minister of State to their roles and wish them all the best. The Minister has probably the most difficult job and Department in the Government. He knew that before he took the job, however. It is his own fault whatever happens. In all seriousness, it is a job that could have huge potential and give huge rewards. It can definitely have huge rewards for the citizens, which is most important. If it is tackled in the right way, it can be hugely significant. I hope that is what the Ministe…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. Much has been made of the reduction in funding and Ireland will not get as much out of it as people believe it should get. There is a sense of solidarity and a need for countries to benefit more. If we are doing well we should contribute more and take less of the benefits across the board. However, the question is whether we are doing better. Are we doing well in that context? In terms of our recent history in Europe and how it has treated us, at the time of t…

They are supposed to be circulated by email as well.

It has not been circulated yet either.

I thank Deputy Funchion for bringing this motion forward and allowing us the opportunity to debate this important issue in the House. I welcome the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to the House. I would like to be able to welcome their response to the motion but, unfortunately, I cannot but I will elaborate on that later. It is important to reiterate that childcare is a huge cost and burden on everybody across the State. For people who do not have children, it is a huge burden …

Will the Government implement the group's findings?

I also want to ask about the July stimulus package, which we all know is needed to assist businesses in the reopening of the economy and the months ahead. We all agree on this. I want to ask what businesses will be expected to do for the State in return for all of the support the State is giving to them. It is a two-way street and it is not simply enough that they come out of the crisis in reasonable shape. The State must also be in reasonable shape. In return for the support we, as the State, are giving to them th…

I thank the Tánaiste, but people staying at work for wages on which they and their families cannot survive is not good for them either. What we must do is change the dynamic whereby businesses in partnership with their workers will survive. That is the reality. The Tánaiste has consulted and met IBEC, the Small Firms Association, ISME, Chambers Ireland, SME Recovery Ireland and a range of State bodies, including Enterprise Ireland, local enterprise offices, Fáilte Ireland, the Strategic Banking Corporation of Irela…

The Bill is part of the overall package, including the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2020 from last week, to support businesses during the Covid crisis. This Bill relates to European funding that needs to be drawn down. I am slightly concerned that all EU member states have to pass similar legislation before next week to allow this fund to be established. The Minister of State is only bringing it forward now, which has reduced the time we have to discuss it and consider its implications. That discussio…

We definitely could keep on going because it is right that we should keep talking about this. It has to be restated that the Minister's statement here today is shocking. I fully support the motion and it is right that it is brought forward in response to the NWCI and the very good campaign it has run. Like my colleague, I pay tribute to Deputy Bríd Smith and the work she did in highlighting this issue during the interim period when there was no Government. It is vitally important and is the least we could do. A way…