I thank Deputy Doherty for bringing forward this much needed Bill to the House. It is long overdue and will be welcomed by all civil and fair-minded people. For far too long, this dual pricing could be practised through deceitful and cunning methods designed for nothing more than cream-skimming off the backs of motorists and homeowners. It wilfully discriminates against clients through the use of big data such as: a postcode; where the person does his or her shopping; how many addresses the person has had previousl…

I want to ask the Minister four questions. I contacted him during the week about the scallop industry in Wexford. From 1 March, those involved in this industry are forbidden by the British authorities to land their catch at any British port. This will wipe out the industry. What does the Government propose to do about this? The current cut in quotas of 15% is completely disproportionate and leaves our fishers, including the Wexford fishers, with a bill of over €45 million to pick-up. What is the Government's stance…

I ask the Tánaiste to intervene in a serious situation concerning the scallop fishers in County Wexford. There are seven such boats in total: five in Kilmore and two in Duncannon. From 1 March, they will be forbidden by the UK authorities to land their catch at any UK port. This will kill off the scallop industry in County Wexford. More than 120 families will be affected. This industry is worth more than €12 million to the local economy. Every €1 earned at sea creates €4 on land. I ask the Tánaiste to take this ser…

I thank the Labour Party for tabling this motion. It covers a comprehensive number of detailed issues, many of which have been spoken about before in this House. Various proposals have already been discussed. I would like to focus on a few issues. This motion calls for student nurses to be paid. This is of the utmost necessity. What is needed is a sense of urgency to protect the well-being of all front-line workers, financially and in every other way possible. I spoke on the Sinn Féin motion calling for pay for stu…

As the Tánaiste is well aware, there are growing mental health issues among our young people right now. Not being able to see their best friends, remote learning and uncertainty around exams are all causing heightened anxiety. Some 20 children have been put on the mental health waiting list in the south of Wexford over the last eight months. Another 49 children are waiting on support from child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in the north of the county. A senior psychologist post in the south service …

I thank the Acting Chairman. I welcome the chance to speak on this Bill. As outlined by my colleagues in Sinn Féin who spoke previously, I, too, am supporting this legislation. I also commend my fellow Wexford man, the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, on bringing forward this Bill. The Bill is welcome because it seeks to tackle aspects of white collar crime, corruption, fraud, tax evasion and specific offences against the EU's financial interests and, therefore, Ireland's interests. We know that these types …

As the Tánaiste is aware, Rosslare Europort has been chosen as a major supply base for future offshore wind farms and projects by XELLZ, a Dutch company. Does he know how many permanent jobs will be created by this company and what percentage of its workforce will be Irish? Will Government funds be made available for the Europort business park?

Before I begin I would like to commend on the record the tremendous work my colleague, former MEP Liadh Ní Riada, did for the Irish fishing industry during her tenure. There is no doubt that, as the saying goes, Brexit was neither good for man nor beast but in this case it was neither good for fishermen nor Irish fresh fish stocks. I have met inshore and offshore fishermen in my county, particularly the Kilmore fishermen, who feel completely let down and say once again that they are being used as sacrificial pawns …

I ask the Minister about the quotas that are in place on the upcoming review of the CFP and the 15% drop in quotas.

Many stories will be told in the coming years about 2020 and 2021. This pandemic is a time of fierce challenges, loss and sadness. We must not, however, let it go down in the annals as a time of unfairness and inequality. I ask the House to imagine how we will be judged by future generations if we do not help the very people who put their lives at risk for our sake and theirs. Instead we turned our backs and refused to help them with a small financial reward and suspended placement. This is what the Government is d…

I thank my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, for introducing this Bill, which is both timely and necessary and must be welcomed by all civic-minded citizens. The basis of this Bill is to empower the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and local authorities to provide persons at risk of homelessness with necessary supports to prevent them from becoming homeless. In County Wexford, the council employees who deal with the homeless are under severe pressure, with 547 presentations so far this year. An added pr…

I know the Taoiseach is aware that there is great upset in respect of the renewed level 3 guidelines regarding live music at weddings. This decision affects not only couples whose plans have been in place for months, if not years, to be changed overnight but also the live music industry, which has been hugely impacted by this pandemic. The Government needs to clearly outline the rationale behind this decision. Are there any plans to review these guidelines as soon as possible?

I imagine the Taoiseach is aware of the 27 Ability Programmes nationally. One such Ability Programme is provided by Wexford Local Development. It started in autumn 2018. This Ability Programme has already helped more than 70 young people with mild to moderate disabilities to participate and become part of the modern-day workforce. In County Wexford only 19% of people with disabilities participated in the workforce out of a possible 22,000. The importance of the Ability Programmes to participants and their families …

Tackling homelessness is mentioned many times in the programme for Government. It is a very serious issue in Wexford that requires immediate action. There is no homeless hostel in my county specifically for women. When I asked a parliamentary question about the issue I received a reply about a shelter for women suffering domestic violence. At the moment women in my county who are in dire need of safe accommodation due to homelessness have no safe place to go. I know that eradicating homelessness is a priority of th…

I commend my colleague, Deputy Ward, on bringing forward this very important legislation. This Bill rightly puts mental health treatment at the same level of importance as physical health treatment. This principle was enshrined in British law in 2012, demonstrating we are at least eight years behind with our own Irish legislation. The rationale for the Bill is to place a duty of care on the State to accept the principle of parity of esteem, both for physical and mental health. Earlier this month I raised with the T…

I thank my colleagues, Deputies Doherty and Mairéad Farrell, for introducing this Bill. Any Bill that improves the accountability of Government and protects the public interest must be welcomed. The current situation of revolving doors and free hall passes for former Ministers and senior officials to move with ease between public office and lobbying roles, having gained valuable inside information, must be addressed. The consequences of fobbing off this Bill to a review will further erode public confidence in the i…

I thank the Deputies for bringing forward this legislation. The first part of the Bill, which aims to strengthen workers' rights within the current context of Covid-19, is very welcome. It is widely accepted now that work-life balance is fundamentally important. With advances in technology and people being accessible more easily we must catch up in law and make sure a worker's right to disconnect from work is protected. Workers' rights are something I have long fought for as a member of Unite. I know all too well t…

The community and regional development of rural Ireland must be prioritised and well-funded if we are serious about protecting and sustaining our rural communities. The recent closure of post offices, rural Garda stations and the decline in funding in recent years, combined with villages losing their parishioners to emigration, sadly, has taken its toll on rural Ireland. The Government's funding commitment to the new rural regeneration fund is a step in the right direction. However, some of these grants apply to a …

I raise the issue of the increasingly long waiting list for driving tests. Everybody knows the impact Covid-19 is having on the service in this regard. However, the delay in getting tests is having a severe impact in rural areas where public transport is not readily available. At present, 93,791 people are awaiting driver tests. Some 954 of these are in Wexford alone. I am being contacted on an almost daily basis by essential workers, such as nurses, shop assistants and lorry drivers, who are finding it almost impo…

I join colleagues in congratulating US President-elect, Joe Biden. Ireland has a good friend in that man. My understanding of this Bill is that the purpose of Part 11 on customs is to accommodate the anticipated substantial increase in customs controls required at ports and trade premises arising from the end of the transition period. I spoke about Rosslare Europort and the preparations at the port in my last contribution on Brexit, and I wish to raise it again today. It is of vital importance to Rosslare village, …