{"head":{"counts":{"debateCount":1,"resultCount":1}},"results":[{"debateRecord":{"house":{"showAs":"34th D\u00e1il","committeeCode":"","houseCode":"dail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/house\/dail\/34","chamberType":"house","houseNo":"34"},"chamber":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/def\/house\/dail","showAs":"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann"},"lastUpdated":"2026-10-13T16:12:52+00:00","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-13\/debate\/main","formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-13\/debate\/mul@\/main.xml"},"pdf":null},"date":"2026-10-13","counts":{"contributorCount":154,"divisionCount":1,"debateSectionCount":4,"questionCount":0,"billCount":1},"debateType":"debate","debateSections":[{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-13\/debate\/dbsect_2","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions","counts":{"speechCount":70,"speakerCount":12},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Lawless.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Lawless.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle I welcome those in the Gallery who are visiting."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Mary Lou McDonald Today a family and a community in Waterford city are dealing with unimaginable grief and trauma. Two adults and two children have lost their lives in an arson attack and two more children fight for their lives. It is a scene of utter devastation and heartbreak in Waterford. Garda\u00ed are now carrying out a murder investigation. This community needs every support possible. We stand with it at this desperate time. We think of those lives that have been lost. Ar dheis D\u00e9 go raibh a n-anamacha. Beidh n\u00edos n\u00e1 300,000 oibrithe sa tseirbh\u00eds phoibl\u00ed ag dul ar stailc am\u00e1rach. T\u00e1 siad ag troid ar son comhr\u00e9itigh p\u00e1 r\u00e9as\u00fanta a thugann aghaidh ar an gcostas maireacht\u00e1la at\u00e1 tar \u00e9is ard\u00fa go g\u00e9ar. Is f\u00e9idir leis an Rialtas an stailc seo a sheachaint tr\u00edd aont\u00fa a dh\u00e9anamh deile\u00e1il le c\u00farsa\u00ed p\u00e1 mar thosa\u00edocht. We are facing into a strike action of more than 300,000 public sector workers for a pay deal to address the soaring cost of living. These are nurses, teachers, special needs assistants - public servants - forced to the picket lines, and Sinn F\u00e9in stands with them. These are the workers we depend on. They educate our children, take care of us when we are sick and deliver the services we depend on every single day. They literally keep the country running, yet they cannot afford to get by. They have been left with no option other than to strike because the Government has failed to do its job. That is what has brought us to this point. The previous public sector pay deal expired last June, so the Government has had nearly four months to listen to public sector workers, four months to engage in meaningful negotiation and conversation and four months to sort this out and avoid industrial action. In fact, the unions warned the Government last year of the challenges it would face in reaching a new pay deal. The Government chose to ignore, delay and drag things out. Where there should have been leadership, it has engaged in brinksmanship. The Taoiseach's remarks last week provoked real anger. He claimed people want industrial action irrespective of what happens, but that is not true. This is not a game for public sector workers; this is about having enough money to pay their bills, provide for their children and have a decent future. That is why pay must be at the core of these negotiations - pay first and foremost. The Government refuses to listen. It refuses to hear what public sector workers have been saying for a long time. It is more interested in shifting blame than in any serious effort to resolve this dispute. That disrespect has led to this strike. That is why we face school closures, the cancellation of hospital appointments and disruption to public services. Public sector workers do not want to be on strike; they want to be at work. They need a fair pay settlement so they can live decently. The way to resolve this dispute and avert this strike action is for the Government to agree to enter talks with pay as the priority and first item on the agenda. This is a crisis entirely of the Government's making. It now needs to intervene constructively and show public sector workers the respect they deserve. The phones should be lifted to the unions and it should be made clear that the Government will enter these talks with pay as the priority and the first item on the agenda."},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputies Hear, hear."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach First of all, I would like to take a moment on the evolving situation in Waterford. I know that Deputies from across the House will have been united in shock, and indeed horror, as the news emerged this morning of the early morning fire at a house in Birchwood estate in Waterford. As Deputy McDonald said, two adults and two children have been killed in the fire, with another two children with very serious injuries being treated in hospital. The further news that An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na is treating the incident as a murder investigation adds to the sense of shock and incomprehension. The thoughts and prayers of everyone in this D\u00e1il and across government are with the family, the wider community in Waterford, the first responders, on whom we have to take a moment to reflect because the trauma that they encountered when they went to that house this morning cannot be comprehended and will leave an impact, and with the staff in the hospital in terms of the emergency situation they had to deal with. It puts the important role of public servants in our minds when we think of the first responders. All supports will be provided to the community. The Minister for education has ensured that the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, and counselling supports will be provided to children in the specific school and the neighbourhood. Regarding wider counselling and services, through the community network, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, will ensure that supports are made available also. In relation to the public service strike tomorrow, this Government is pro public service. The previous Government was pro public service. I come from a trade union background. I respect the trade union movement. I attended F\u00f3rsa's annual conference earlier this year. If we look at the expansion of the public service over the past number of years, there has been an increase of about 25% in the numbers of people working in our public service, to over 424,000. That has been a steady growth over five or six years. This is a Government that understands the need for an expansion of public services and public servants to do it. For example, the number of healthcare staff has grown by about 31,000 since 2019. There has been a 53% increase in hospital consultants. There are about 11,000 more nurses, midwives and so forth. Next year, we will have up to 28,000 special needs assistants in our schools. I have been involved with the expansion of SNA numbers all my political life. We are pro public service. I want to make that very clear. In terms of the Deputy's assertions, we approached the budget with a cost-of-living framework in our minds. That is why we did substantial measures in terms of an income tax package, which amounts to \u20ac1.3 billion and cuts taxes, particularly the point at which workers go into the higher rate of tax where the band expansion will be significant. We are also listening to congress. We took measures that will reduce the cost of childcare significantly. These give us a clear pathway to get that cost down to \u20ac200 over the next number of budgets. We then did work on disability. From the outset of the Government, childcare and disability and the costs around disability were clear Government priorities. This will help many working families. In addition, there is a whole range of other measures, such as the increase in the tax credit and the improvement in student supports, all of which are helping working families. The reduction in excise duties on petrol and diesel also benefits workers. We saw the budget-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Thank you, Taoiseach."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach -----as creating a platform, along with the \u20ac1.2 billion in provision, for negotiations."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Deputy McDonald can come back in."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach It is a good platform for negotiations to begin. We invite everybody in to discuss it."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Mary Lou McDonald The Taoiseach has known since June that a new pay deal had to be struck with public sector workers, and yet we find ourselves almost four months on here, at the eleventh hour, on the brink of this strike action tomorrow. The reason we are here is because of a failure of this Government to engage, to agree and to enter into those talks processes in good faith. It is glaringly obvious that the issue of pay for public sector workers has to be the first item on the agenda. The Taoiseach knows as well as I do that they, like other workers, are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Why on earth is the Government engaging in this brinkmanship? Why on earth is it playing a game of chicken with public sector workers at a time when what we need is leadership? This is just a matter of good order and entering into discussions in a rational and fair way. However, rather than do that, the Taoiseach has said things that have in fact inflamed the situation."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Time is up, Deputy."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Mary Lou McDonald I ask him now to be constructive, make it clear that pay will be the first matter, not the only matter-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle An Taoiseach to respond, please."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Mary Lou McDonald -----but the first matter for negotiations, and try to avert this strike action."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach We have had ongoing contact and meetings with the trade union movement. The Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, for example, is one such regular mechanism by which we engage with congress and trade union leaders. We circulated some ideas to the trade union movement. I offered an enhanced social dialogue earlier this year to the trade union movement, given the geopolitical uncertainty facing the world, the wars that have broken out and the impact that is having on economy. I made the point to the trade union leadership that we should move into an enhanced form of social dialogue so that we have a more united societal approach to really fundamental problems all over the world that are impacting on our society and our economy. That has not been taken up, but that was offered. Everybody knows that in any national pay agreement, pay is always the central issue. Let us call a spade a spade. That has not changed-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Mary Lou McDonald So why are we facing into a strike?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach You are asking me? I think you might be asking the wrong person."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(Interruptions)."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Deputy Cian O'Callaghan."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach What I would say is this. We are open for discussions. We have invited in the unions to talk-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Thank you, Taoiseach."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach -----and the Minister for public expenditure said every issue that they have raised is on the table."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Cian O'Callaghan On behalf of the Social Democrats, I extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the four people, including the two children, who were killed this morning in Waterford. Our thoughts are with the two children who are in hospital. It is really shocking and harrowing what is happened, and the wider community needs support. I also pay tribute to the first responders and the staff in the hospital who engaged in hugely important and traumatic work this morning. More than 300,000 public service workers are taking strike action tomorrow. Nurses, teachers, doctors, SNAs, and local authority workers will be among those joining the pickets. The Taoiseach's commentary on this about the industrial action has been deeply unhelpful. On the few occasions that he has interjected, his statements have been glib and incendiary. Last week, he said, \"People want industrial action almost now irrespective of what happens.\" He decided to rage-bait public sector workers and depict them as spoiling for a fight. Does he really think nurses want to be going on strike tomorrow? Does he think teachers want to be standing outside schools on picket lines? His comments are telling. They betray a condescending attitude from the Government to public service workers which has led to this strike. The Government made almost no attempt to engage with unions in advance of the pay deal expiring. There was a half-hearted effort of preliminary talks that was made only about two weeks before the previous deal expired. Comparing that with the negotiations which happened for the last two public sector deals, preliminary talks and then formal negotiations happened long before those deals expired. On this occasion, the Government opted to ignore the unions and treated them with contempt while expecting them to fall neatly into line. It got that badly wrong. The letter sent by Jack Chambers yesterday was no more than a desperate face-saving exercise, an attempt to disguise the Government's inept handling of the crisis, which has led to one of the country's biggest strikes. The responsibility for tomorrow's massive disruption can be laid squarely at the feet of the Government. The people striking tomorrow are the workers who keep this country running. The last thing they want to do is to take strike action but they have been left with no other choice by the Taoiseach's Government. It has adopted a strategy which is effectively a game of chicken, going right down to the wire in the mistaken belief that unions would blink first. Does the Taoiseach take any responsibility for his mishandling of the crisis? When will the Government make a credible pay offer so the negotiations can begin?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach I do not think the Deputy was listening to what I just said. We had been engaged with the trade union movement. We did engage. The platform for negotiations clearly exists. The Deputy knows that too. Provision is made to increase public service pay next year and the year after. Those are the facts. We have cut taxes for workers, which was a key issue that was raised by the trade union movement. We have cut childcare costs, which was also an issue raised by the trade union movement, for workers and working families. We have also brought out the first ever cost-of-disability payment. We have enhanced thresholds for working families in terms of the working family payment. There are a whole range of other measures designed to try to reduce the pressure on working people, both public servants and private sector workers, in terms of the cost of living. If you combine what we did in the budget with the actual provision of \u20ac1.2 billion in the Estimates, by any objective yardstick that is a platform for negotiations. I would say something if we were dramatically changing the conditions of workers, which we are not doing, or if we were trying to cut pay, which we are not doing. We are doing the opposite. We have also expanded numbers exponentially over the past five years in the health service and in education, quite dramatically, despite what gets said. The last pay agreements were entered into in good faith, which resulted in pay rates and a pay deal that were higher than inflation. We are willing to engage with the unions again, and the Minister for public expenditure has made this very clear with the trade union movement, in terms of negotiating a new pay agreement. I genuinely believe that negotiation and dialogue are the only way to resolve this. The Government has said we are open for dialogue. We have invited in the trade union movement to avoid the level of disruption that will occur. I do not think that is necessary because we have taken measures in the budget, and if you add to that the continued expansion in the number of public servants plus the provision we have made in public service pay, there is a basis there for negotiations. Clearly, pay will be a central issue. We all, including the trade union movement, know that. The attempts the Deputy is making to try to stereotype are not fair because, in the totality of everything I have said in the past week, I have been very clear that we are open for talks and that we want to engage, and that remains our position. In fact, I said earlier - and it is true - that I offered the trade union movement an enhanced form of social dialogue to deal with the global issues we face, which have impacted for the past six years, if you think about it, including Covid, the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East. All are impacting on cost-of-living pressures, and sometimes in such moments of crisis internationally a broader social approach can be helpful."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Cian O'Callaghan Does the Taoiseach take any responsibility for the industrial action that will take place tomorrow? Why is it that when Deputy Martin is Taoiseach he cannot get into negotiations? Why were the previous Government's public sector pay deals concluded long before this, at a time when the country had more resources? Does the Taoiseach take any responsibility for this, or is it all somehow somebody else's responsibility and somebody else's fault? Deputy Martin is the Taoiseach of the country. We will have one of the largest strikes taking place tomorrow as a result of his Government's inability to get negotiations off the ground with the unions. What is the Taoiseach going to do specifically to get negotiations going? Is he going to change tack? What he has done so far has not worked and has not been effective. There will be a strike going on tomorrow, so what will he do to avert future industrial action?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach The Deputy has not put one idea before me. It is very simple: come in and talk. It is a very simple invitation to the unions: come in and talk about a new public service pay deal. We have made financial provision and we have taken significant measures to enhance the quality of life of workers. We still accept there are people who are under pressure - we know that from the cost-of-living crisis - but there is only one way to resolve this, and that is people getting around the table. The Deputy talked about the last two pay agreements and that is what actually happened. People came around the table, people engaged and we will engage. It is as simple as that."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Ivana Bacik On behalf of the Labour Party, I extend my deepest sympathies on the family members who have lost their lives in the horrific house fire in Waterford. It is truly devastating news. Our thoughts are with all those affected, with the two adults and two children who have died, and with the two children who are now in hospital. Our thoughts are also all with the fire services, the Garda and the first responders on the scene, who will be dealing with the lifelong trauma of what has occurred. We are truly grateful to them for the vital work they do in protecting people, supporting communities through tragedy and keeping the country going. They are not alone in carrying out an essential role in Irish society. There are over 300,000 public sector workers who are the backbone of our public services. Sadly, tomorrow their unions have been forced to escalate the dispute over pay by taking nationwide strike action after the Taoiseach's Government recklessly allowed the last pay deal to run out in June. Public sector workers have my solidarity and that of the Labour Party in this industrial action. Indeed, they have the support of the public. The Government has treated them with contempt in refusing to engage meaningfully with unions and making derisive remarks about workers suggesting that they want to be in this situation. Nobody wants to be on strike but they were left with no choice. The Taoiseach's so-called \"workers' budget\" last week was anything but. The Government has cut taxes on the very wealthiest in Ireland and has narrowed the tax base making ordinary families even more vulnerable to future economic shocks. It announced a \u20ac1.2 billion package for pay negotiations but hidden in the fine print was that this sum was also intended to cover existing costs. In reality, the Government showed no understanding of the real struggles resulting from rising bills, poorly funded public services and creaking public infrastructure at a time when the cost-of-living crisis leaves so many households running just to stand still. Inflation is running at nearly 4% and rising. The country has never had more money it seems, yet one in five children is living in poverty while many of their parents who have what used to be known as good public sector jobs are finding that is no longer a guarantee of a good life or even a basic quality of life. Something has to give. Yesterday the Government reissued the invitation to meet workers' representatives but there was nothing new in that invitation. It seems the Government is not serious about breaking the stalemate. We would love the Taoiseach to prove us wrong. Negotiating in good faith means putting cards on the table. Pay talks must do what they say on the tin and that means prioritising pay from the word go, as the unions have asked. I have three questions for the Taoiseach. How much of that \u20ac1.2 billion announced last week is actually new money for a public sector pay deal? Is the Taoiseach seriously asking unions to negotiate on the basis that the best they can expect is a 2.5% increase? Will he confirm that future pay increases for public servants will, at a minimum, protect their wages against inflation?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach I think the Deputy's assertions are wrong in terms of what we did in the budget. It was a substantial budget by any yardstick. The tax package was about \u20ac1.3 billion. Basically, we increased the entry point for the higher rate of income tax by \u20ac2,500. That is significant for many workers who are paying the higher rate of tax far too early in their incomes. We have increased the main tax credits by \u20ac125 and the home carer credit by \u20ac100. We have increased the ceiling for the second USC band, increased the maximum level of help-to-buy relief, which will help workers, and young workers in particular, in buying homes, and increased the rent tax credit again to \u20ac11.50, which will help many workers. Childcare fees will be reduced from \u20ac735 a month to \u20ac550 per month. That will help families significantly. The working family payment income thresholds will rise by \u20ac30 per week helping almost 60,000 working families. Then there is the \u20ac500 cost-of-disability payment. The Deputy cannot ignore all of that as she just glibly did in her presentation. In fact, if the Deputy read the ESRI reports, or any reports, the budget helped the lowest income people the best in that they benefited more from the budget than anybody else. It did not look after the wealthy as the Deputy just threw out as a cheap shot, which is not based on facts. The Deputy can keep on saying things, as a lot of people do here, that are not factual. The last two pay agreements exceeded inflation. The last agreement exceeded inflation by 3% or 4%."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Ivana Bacik It did not."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett Not true."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach That is true. That is true and, again, it is not our statistics. All of this can be mediated. It is new money. A total of \u20ac1.2 billion is being provided. That is new money. It is in the Estimate and is provided for in the budget. The Deputy, as leader of the Labour Party, knows full well that the basis exists for negotiations, given what happened in the budget, that \u20ac1.2 billion is provided and that we have increased the number of public servants by over 80,000 in the past five years. Then we have people here saying we are anti public servants and do not respect them. For God's sake, can we have a bit of reality in the debate? We want to invite people in to talk about a pay agreement. Of course pay will be central; it has to be. We understand that people are under pressure. In the public sector, and in the private sector also, there are a lot of pressures on people. I again repeat that our offer was not taken up. I offered an enhanced social dialogue and we circulated ideas to the union movement in respect of that. The offer was not taken up."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Ivana Bacik The Labour Party has a very proud record. Our record is with the trade union movement and we understand negotiation. That is why we find what has happened extraordinary. We are not alone in the Labour Party in finding it very hard to understand how the Government could let a pay agreement lapse in June and not take steps to ensure a new pay agreement would be negotiated to follow from it. That is the extraordinary thing. That is the reckless behaviour from the Government. The Labour Party has a motion before the House, which will be taken on Thursday, on public sector pay. I very much hope we will hear a more substantive response from the Government to our motion than the sorts of responses we are hearing from the Taoiseach today in the D\u00e1il, including the talk of \"enhanced social dialogue\". Where was that in June? Why did Government officials and Ministers not come to the table and engage meaningfully with trade unions to ensure there would not be industrial unrest and to avoid this cliff edge whereby the agreement was allowed to lapse? That is the reckless behaviour. Enhanced social dialogue means nothing if workers are not protected against rising inflation. That is the fundamental honesty the Labour Party is talking about."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach There are two things to say. I fully appreciate the role of the Deputy's party in the labour movement. I delivered a paper at the Irish Labour History Society last Saturday morning outlining Fianna F\u00e1il's relationship with labour since the formation of the party, which, by the way, has been a very constructive and proactive one. I invite Deputy Bacik to read the paper because it will give her a sense of where I have been coming from."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Ivana Bacik Maybe I will."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach As I said, I come from a very strong trade union background and have full respect for workers. I offered an enhanced social dialogue but it was not taken up. \"Not yet\" was the response. I think people were waiting for the budget. I think the unions wanted to see what was in the budget as well. There was engagement. The budget focused on the cost of living. That was the main issue as far as we were concerned. Through the tax cuts, childcare cost cuts and disability payments - there were measures in other areas as well but it was through those three areas mainly - plus the provision for public service pay of \u20ac1.2 billion, we honestly felt the basis existed for dialogue and negotiations to take place between the Government and the unions. The Deputy knows that."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle The Taoiseach's time is up. Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn is on his feet."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach Normally, the scenario would be much different when a strike is called in the manner it has been called."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn I join other speakers in expressing my horror at the devastating news that is emerging from Waterford. It is deeply shocking. The fact the Garda has declared a murder investigation is chilling. It is the second such attack this year in which children have been killed. Everyone can remember the face of Tadhg Farrell, who was killed in Edenderry. This is a dark and disturbing development in Irish society. I want to speak about the record of the Government. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is accused of breaking the law and damaging the protected disclosures system within the Garda. I put the Government on warning that if she does not answer the questions properly on this matter, Aont\u00fa will table a motion of no confidence in her. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has blocked the promised scoliosis public investigation and has devastated families. The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, threatened RT\u00c9 funding because of its fuel protests reporting and then proceeded to pull funding. The national children's hospital still has no opening date and the costs keep racking up. Meanwhile, the T\u00e1naiste, previously Minister for Health, has still evaded accountability. The Taoiseach stood idly be as we faced the possible breakdown of peace around Drumcree and then went on to welcome a decision by the Secretary of State that he refused to do anything to bring about. The Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, is presiding over the breakdown of the free legal system in the courts. The Minister, Deputy Browne, is telling the country we have turned a corner while 17,800 people are homeless. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, oversees the highest electricity price and the worst congestion in the EU. While there is a shortage of medical professionals in this country, the Minister, Deputy Lawless, allows for the majority of medical professional places in Irish universities to be taken by people from outside of the EU."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Lawless.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Lawless.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy James Lawless Incorrect."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn The Minister, Deputy Calleary, uses our money to pay for 100,000 free school meals that are dumped on a daily basis. In that same school system, the Minister, Deputy Naughton, oversees over 20% of students who are chronically absent every year."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Dara Calleary I think we get the memo."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn The Minister, Deputy Burke, facilitates more work visas than there are houses built in the country at the moment. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is the Minister for Tusla, where there is an omnicrisis leading to children's lives being lost. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, cuts budgets for farmers in their time of difficulty. At the start of this year, the country ground to a halt because of fuel strikes. Tomorrow, the country will grind to a halt again because of the public service strikes. The Minister, Deputy Chambers's inaction has led to the largest public sector strike in two decades and possibly a winter of discontent. The cost-of-living crisis, which in part the Government has created, has led to an actual fall of public service income. The essential workers the Government applauded and clapped during Covid are now getting poorer under this Government. The Taoiseach said he is not seeking to cut wages but, in real terms, those wages are being cut. The unions simply want to front-end negotiations. Will the Taoiseach put his intransigence aside and negotiate with those union leaders?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach First, I said I will negotiate with trade union leaders, or the Government will and-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn Front-end it."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach ----- we have no issue with that. I have said that we are open for negotiations. We believe negotiations should take place. There is no issue there. I do take issue with everything else the Deputy said."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Lawless.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Lawless.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy James Lawless Hear, hear."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach We will go through some of those issues. In terms of health, we have a lot of pressures in our health service. We have expanded it hugely. The Deputy did not mention the fact we are up 53% in the number of consultants in our hospitals over the past five years. There are thousands of extra nurses. We have expanded the health service. The more important point about health service is our lifespan has increased dramatically as a country. If the Deputy goes back over two decades, there has been a transformation in the quality of life that people are living in this country health-wise, and in the lifespan, which is probably the most important metric. That came about through a national strategic approach on key issues like cardiovascular health, cancer, stroke and other areas. That is the approach we need to continue to take. Vaccines are included in that as well, by the way. They have been particularly important in terms of dealing with disease. On the national children's hospital, by the way, the Minister is not blocking any inquiry. That is a fairly low sort of way of describing things-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn Ask the parents of the children."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Please, Deputy. You asked the question. Let the Taoiseach answer, please."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach The Minister is not blocking anything. Remy Farrell independently came forward with a report. That is not the Minister blocking something-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn Who has the executive power?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Deputy, I will not tell you again. Allow the Taoiseach to deliver uninterrupted, please."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach I did not interrupt the Deputy. Remy Farrell gave his best recommendation in terms of the form of inquiry he deemed to be optimal given the circumstances and the situation involved, particularly in relation to children. By the way, that is an ongoing debate in terms of inquiries - whether it is a public open inquiry under the 2021 Act or a commission of inquiry. These are legitimate issues. The Deputy should not be reducing them to simplistic derogatory soundbites. It does not do justice to the seriousness of the issue. Very often, you may reduce the number of people who participate in an inquiry if you go one route as opposed to another. We have had a challenging history with inquiries in the country in terms of the length of time and in terms of people getting satisfactory closure from inquiries. All those issues are legitimate issues for debate but not in the manner the Deputy has tried to do it, in a derogatory soundbite which does not do justice to the issues. No one stood idly by in Drumcree, by the way, but I did think of the future. I did look around the corner, unlike the Deputy-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Jerry Buttimer Hear, hear."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach He just wanted to see how much space he could get to deal with Sinn F\u00e9in or others. A lot of cynicism went on there. We fully supported the right of the residents of Garvaghy Road not to have that parade."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Cathy Bennett You did not show it."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach We engaged in diplomacy. The Minister for foreign affairs, Deputy McEntee, in particular, engaged with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. We were very conscious of what comes after."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Thank you, Taoiseach."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach We are looking at future relationships on this island. We actually believe in unity but-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Thank you, Taoiseach, the time is up."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach ----- there are times when the Deputy's behaviour gives me the sense that he actually does not really believe in it."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn It is interesting that the Taoiseach chose the health service because 1 million people are on hospital waiting lists at the moment. It is also interesting that one of the issues the Taoiseach chose to respond to was the promise that there would be a full public investigation into what happened in terms of scoliosis. Who has the executive power in relation to that decision? Remy Farrell does not have the executive power. He is not the individual responsible for fulfilling that particular promise to the families. The reason that the country is coming to standstill tomorrow is the cost-of-living crisis. Housing, electricity, gas and other fuels have increased in cost by 9.5% over the last 12 months. The Government is, in general, in large part responsible for the increases of all those issues over the last while; 45% of the cost of petrol, for example, is Government tax. It is incredibly frustrating for the Taoiseach to stand up in the D\u00e1il and give the pretence that he is standing, willing and waiting to negotiate with unions. He is not paid big money to stand willing and waiting to negotiate with unions."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle I thank the Deputy. The Taoiseach to respond."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn He is paid to roll up his sleeves, get in there and make sure that the sticking point here-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle The Taoiseach to respond now, Deputy."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn -----which is the front-loading of income, is the issue that is addressed first."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle The Taoiseach, please."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach The Deputy went through a long list and I do not have enough time in three minutes. If we take education, we have the highest school completion rates in Europe. We have probably the highest participation rate in third level education, all because of expansion in numbers and investment in education at primary and secondary level and particularly in third level. The Deputy mentioned the Minister, Deputy Lawless. The INSPIRE programme, which was launched last year, does not get a mention in the House because the Deputy is not into long-term stuff. The INSPIRE programme is a massive investment in research that will guarantee enterprise, new ideas, new companies and new solutions for the future of this country. That will never get a mention by the Deputy, however, because it is long term and, as far as he is concerned, it is not into the meat of politics or electoral politics. In terms of infrastructure, disability and childcare but also investment in education and research, this Government has made significant, game-changing moves in the last two budgets alone in the research space. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, has the confidence of the entire third level sector because of the work he is doing in that regard."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle I thank the Taoiseach. Time is up."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach The Minister, Deputy Heydon, this morning brought before Cabinet measures in terms of fertiliser and fuel costs that will benefit farmers-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Time is up. That concludes Leaders' Questions."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"The Taoiseach -----and the Minister for Transport has a transport support scheme in relation to fuel for hauliers."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-13\/debate\/dbsect_3","debateType":"orderofBusiness","bill":null,"showAs":"An tOrd Gn\u00f3 - Order of Business","counts":{"speechCount":33,"speakerCount":9},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle In accordance with Standing Order 35, I call on the Chief Whip, Deputy Butler, to move the arrangements for this week's business."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Mary Butler) I move: Tuesday's business shall be: - Motion re Appointment of Ordinary Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill 2026 (Second Stage) (to conclude at the end of the first half speaking round; not to exceed 1 hour and 52 minutes and any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2026 (Report and Final Stages) (to conclude within 90 minutes) - Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill 2026 (Committee and remaining Stages) (to conclude within 90 minutes) Tuesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Home Heating Oil Costs, selected by Sinn F\u00e9in. Thursday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Public Sector Pay, selected by the Labour Party. Thursday evening business shall be the Second Stage of the Children\u2019s Health (Ospid\u00e9al N\u00e1isi\u00fanta Kathleen Lynn do Leana\u00ed) (Amendment) Bill 2025, sponsored by Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh. Proposed Arrangements for this week\u2019s business: In relation to Tuesday\u2019s business, it is proposed that: 1. notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders: (a) the time allocated to Government business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business; (b) there shall be no Questions on Policy or Legislation pursuant to Standing Order 36; (c) Oral Parliamentary Questions to the Taoiseach shall not be taken; (d) private members\u2019 business shall be taken on the conclusion of proceedings on the Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill 2026; (e) Parliamentary Questions to a Minister pursuant to Standing Order 47(1) shall not be taken; (f) Topical issues shall not be taken and the D\u00e1il shall adjourn on the conclusion of private members\u2019 business; and (g) the D\u00e1il on its rising shall adjourn until 8.47 a.m. on Thursday, 15th October 2026; 2. the proceedings on the Motion re Appointment of Ordinary Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission shall be taken without debate and any division claimed thereon to be taken immediately; 3. the proceedings on the Second Stage of the Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at the end of the first half speaking round and the following arrangements shall apply: (a) the first half-round speeches shall be in accordance with the table below (to be read across); (b) on conclusion of the first half speaking round or where speeches conclude before 1 hour and 42 minutes has elapsed and no other member is offering, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; (c) any division claimed on the Second Stage proceedings shall be taken immediately; and (d) members may share time; Gov SF SD Gov SF Mins 10 10 10 6 2 Lab Gov SF IPTG Gov Mins 10 6 2 10 6 SF ITG Gov SF OM Mins 2 10 6 2 10 Total: 1 hour 42 mins 4. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2026 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 90 minutes by one question, which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport; and 5. the proceedings on Committee and Remaining Stages of the Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill 2026 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 90 minutes by one question, which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. In relation to Thursday's business, it is proposed that: 1. notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders: (a) topical issues shall be taken immediately following the SOS; (b) private members\u2019 business pursuant to Standing Order 168(1) shall be taken for 2 hours on conclusion of topical issues; and (c) Second Stage of the Children's Health (Ospid\u00e9al N\u00e1isi\u00fanta Kathleen Lynn do Leana\u00ed) (Amendment) Bill 2025 shall be taken on the conclusion of private members\u2019 business and the D\u00e1il shall adjourn on the conclusion of Thursday evening business."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Are the proposed arrangements agreed to?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Pa Daly Not agreed."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett Not agreed."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Pa Daly Under Standing Order 35(3), I want to propose an amendment to the Order of Business. Some 3,600 households in Kilmoyley, Causeway and Ballyheigue have been subject to a \"do not consume\" water notice for the past week. People out there are confused about the risks to the population and the health of the people in the area. Having handed over control of water to Uisce \u00c9ireann, we need the Minister to make some time to come into the Chamber, give reassurance and give extra funding, if necessary. He should make some time so that we can ask the questions that need to be asked about this."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney Last week, three students from Gaza successfully appealed their visa refusals from this Government. However, they do not yet know if they are on the evacuation list for 26 October, whether the number of evacuees can be increased, how many evacuations are planned over the next month, on what dates, and whether their names have been notified to the Israeli Government for security clearance to be completed in time or how the Government will get them here in time for their academic deadlines. We need answers urgently for these students from the Minister for justice and if he cannot appear before the D\u00e1il, he might please provide them to my office."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Ivana Bacik We need urgent action on the students in Gaza who have been denied visas despite being granted scholarships in Irish universities. This is deeply shameful. It is really appalling to see students who are now waiting under the bombs having been granted full scholarships in Irish universities. Time is running out for them. The court case this week saw the State delaying matters and delaying the cases being heard. We are looking now for answers from the Minister for justice, in particular, on whether the cases can be settled to enable these students to take up their scholarships in Irish universities."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett We need an emergency debate on the fact that hundreds of thousands of public sector workers feel they have no choice but to take strike action - the people who work in these buildings and who look after us, health workers, teachers, people in further education, councils and so on - because even now, the Taoiseach has failed to acknowledge that the pay increases they have got over recent years have not kept pace with inflation and the cost of living. Even now, he is denying the fact that has led them out to take strike action tomorrow."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Michael Collins I am raising a very serious issue that arose in the courts in the last few days. It affects every potato grower in the country. Tailte \u00c9ireann won a case meaning that it will now apply rates to sheds to store potatoes. Worryingly, that could apply to every food grower in Ireland, which would add major costs for the grower and the purchaser in the shops. Can we debate this issue in the D\u00e1il this week?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Danny Healy-Rae A Cheann Comhairle-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle No, Deputy. I call the Chief Whip."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Danny Healy-Rae I wish to raise something very important-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle The Deputy cannot raise anything. I call the Chief Whip."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Danny Healy-Rae Why not?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle What is the point of order?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Danny Healy-Rae The point of order is-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle There is none. Thank you. I call the Chief Whip."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Danny Healy-Rae -----our roads are riddled with deer and people's lives are being endangered every day of the week, day and night."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle This is not the time or the place."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Danny Healy-Rae We need to have a debate in here-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle This is not the time."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Danny Healy-Rae -----on how this is going to be addressed, or if will it be addressed at all."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Will the Chief Whip please answer?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Michael Collins Excuse me, a Cheann Comhairle. The Deputy is right."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle It is not the time. He does not have-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Michael Collins There are people being killed on the roads."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle The Chief Whip, please."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Mary Butler I thank the Ceann Comhairle for convening a meeting of the Business Committee on Saturday last at 2 p.m., at which a D\u00e1il schedule was set out for Tuesday and Thursday of this week. When I attended that meeting, I got the impression that the majority of people were in agreement with the proposed schedule. Legislation was prioritised for today because it is time-sensitive. Both of the Opposition parties that will have Private Members' business this week were facilitated. All I can do is suggest that the Order of Business go ahead. I am not in a position to accept the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Deputy Pa Daly."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle In answer to Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, he can contact the person who sits at Business Committee meetings on behalf of his group, Deputy Gillian Toole, to put his proposal forward, rather than disrupting proceedings."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Danny Healy-Rae I did not disrupt anyone."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle Are the proposed arrangements for the week's business agreed to and the proposed amendments negatived?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputies Not agreed."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"An tOrd Gn\u00f3 - Order of Business"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-13\/debate\/dbsect_8","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Appointment of Ordinary Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission: Motion","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Norma Foley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Norma-Foley.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Norma-Foley.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Norma Foley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Norma-Foley.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Norma-Foley.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Deputy Norma Foley) I move: That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann, in accordance with section 8(3)(a) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003, as amended, appoints Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere to be an ordinary member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in place of Deputy Catherine Ardagh who has resigned her office in accordance with the aforementioned section 8."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Appointment of Ordinary Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission: Motion"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-13\/debate\/dbsect_9","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/95","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/95\/dail\/2","houseCode":"dail","stage":"2","isBillStage":true,"showAs":"Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill 2026: Second Stage (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill 2026: Second Stage","counts":{"speechCount":23,"speakerCount":19},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_9","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Norma Foley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Norma-Foley.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Norma-Foley.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Claire Kerrane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Liam Quaide","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Liam-Quaide.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Liam-Quaide.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Se\u00e1n Canney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Se\u00e1n-Canney.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Se\u00e1n-Canney.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Emer Currie","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Wall","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Keira Keogh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Keira-Keogh.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Keira-Keogh.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aisling Dempsey","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aisling-Dempsey.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aisling-Dempsey.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D. McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Grace Boland","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Albert Dolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Norma Foley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Norma-Foley.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Norma-Foley.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (Deputy Norma Foley) I move: \"That the Bill be now read a Second Time.\" I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on the Second Stage of this important legislation. At the outset, I would like to thank the House for facilitating the taking of all Stages of the Bill today. The Bill provides for two separate and important issues. First, the Bill includes amendments to the Employment Equality Act 1998. The proposed amendments and subsequent regulations to be made under the Bill will legally oblige employers in scope of the legislation to report their gender pay gap information via the gender pay gap portal. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality first introduced gender pay gap reporting in 2022 following the enactment of the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021. Reporting was introduced on a phased basis. As of 2025 employers with over 50 employees must report on their gender pay gap by publishing it on their own website or making it otherwise publicly available. The Department has now developed a centralised database called the gender pay gap portal which launched on a voluntary basis last year. The amendments to the Employment Equality Act 1998 contained in this Bill, which are purely technical in nature, will make the use of this portal mandatory for all employers in scope of the legislation. I would like to emphasise that the use of the gender pay gap portal is not an additional burden on employers and SMEs. Employers with over 50 staff are already obliged to report on their gender pay gap and publish the report on their own website. Mandatory use of the portal will provide this information in a centralised manner allowing employees, researchers and the general public to view and compare gender pay gap information across year, employer and sector. I am pleased to say that throughout the development and voluntary launch of the gender pay gap portal our social partners have been incredibly supportive with IBEC a key partner in promoting the portal to its members. I also want to note that this legislation, while not directly transposing elements of the pay transparency directive, will assist with its transposition. I will be bringing further legislation to the Houses in the coming months to complete the transposition of the directive. Mandatory use of the portal and having this information available on a centralised database will help us to progress our efforts to close the gender pay gap by highlighting the difference to make a difference. The Bill also includes amendments to the Institutional Burials Act 2022 to include first cousins as eligible family members who can participate in an identification programme under the Act. The 2022 Act provides for the excavation, recovery, analysis, identification and reburial of remains which have been buried in a manifestly inappropriate manner on land associated with a former residential institution in which a public body had or has a relevant role. Part 4 of the Act provides for an identification programme. It allows for samples to be taken from eligible family members who wish to participate and for their DNA profiles to be compared with DNA profiles from recovered remains. The Act defines an eligible family member as a person who has reasonable grounds to believe that they are the child, parent, sibling, half-sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, half-niece, half-nephew, grand-niece or grand-nephew of a person who is buried at an intervention site. The policy intention of this definition was to enable participation in as inclusive a way as possible by a range of relatives. It was drafted to reflect the technology that was available at that time and which could reliably establish a familial link. The inclusion of first cousins was raised during the passage of the legislation through the Houses. However, the scientific advice provided at that time highlighted challenges with the inclusion of first cousins due to greater variability of DNA which would make it notably more difficult to draw conclusions about a familial link than with the other third-order relatives. Earlier this year, Forensic Science Ireland informed me of new scientific developments which have emerged since the enactment of the legislation and can allow for DNA matching of sufficient quality to support the inclusion of first cousins in an identification programme. On foot of this updated advice in April, the Government approved my proposal to amend the Act to include first cousins. I was keen to move quickly because I know that there are first cousins who are interested in participating in the identification programme under way in Tuam. I am now deducing the amendments to the Houses at the earliest opportunity as the age profile of some of those who wish to take part in the Tuam identification programme means that time is of the essence to them. I will now outline the key Parts of the Bill as initiated. Part 1 of the Bill contains the Short Title and details of the Bill commencement, with Part 2 coming into operation following a commencement order and Part 3 coming into operation upon enactment. Section 2 of the Bill amends the Employment Equality Act 1998. subsections (A), (C), and 1 insert the requirement for employers to publish their gender pay gap information directly to me as Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality. Subsection (B) allows me to make regulations as to how, where and when employers should report this information to me. As previously mentioned, employers will report this information directly to me via the gender pay gap portal. Subsection (D) provides for the recording of information being reported to me in adherence with GDPR and data protection legislation. Subsections (F) and (G) provide for a number of measures related to the information to be reported to the Minister and its publication. Regulations made under this section, which are currently being drafted, will lay out the criteria the information must comply with. This includes ensuring the information is accurate and the employer\u2019s statement does not contain any personal data or offensive or discriminatory language. In addition, the regulations will allow comparisons to be made with the statistical information submitted. The new subsections will allow me to publish information that employers have already submitted during the voluntary reporting period since the portal's launch in November 2025. They will also allow the unpublication of information that may directly or indirectly identify a person. Part 3 of the Bill amends the Institutional Burials Act 2022 to provide for the inclusion of first cousins in an identification programme conducted under that Act. It also provides for transitional arrangements so that first cousins can participate in an identification that is already commenced under the Act, as is the case in Tuam. Section 3 expands the definition of \u201celigible family member\u201d to include first cousins. It includes the first cousin of a deceased person in the category of \u201celigible family member\u201d whose participation in an identification programme can be objected to by a child, parent, sibling or half sibling of the same person. It also adds a first cousin to the list of family members for the purpose of making final arrangements for recovered remains of a deceased relative. Section 4 contains a number of transitional provisions. Subsections (1) and (2) will allow first cousins who may have previously applied to participate in an identification programme to reapply following the legislative amendments in this Bill. This is particularly relevant in the context of the ongoing Tuam identification programme. Subsections (3), (4) and (5) provide for situations where a first cousin applies to participate in an identification programme and an eligible family member of the same deceased person has previously objected to another person's participation in that identification programme. In such circumstances the director will make reasonable efforts to contact the previous objector to ascertain if they also wish to object to the participation of the first cousin. Subsection (6) defines \"identification programme\" for the purposes of this section. I sincerely thank colleagues for their attention and I look forward to hearing their thoughts on these important amendments. I commend the Bill to the House."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Claire Kerrane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Claire Kerrane Before I begin, I want to put on the D\u00e1il record my welcome for the release of Robert Pether who is a resident of County Roscommon. He returned home from Iraq yesterday. I take the opportunity to acknowledge him, his wife and his family. I was there with them yesterday as he returned to Dublin Airport. It was a very special moment that will remain with me forever. I wish him and his family all the very best. I appreciate this legislation is timely, particularly in terms of Tuam and the extension to first cousins in terms of DNA. We are all aware that there is an age factor, with people getting older. People firmly believe loved ones' remains are in Tuam and they want the opportunity to have the remains of their loved ones identified and buried appropriately according to their wishes. I have no issue with the legislation before us. Similarly, I have no issue with centralising the gender pay gap portal, which has already been launched, and making reporting via that system mandatory. Listening to the Minister, I thought of those people in Tuam, and the fact that we are in a rush to get this through because we want DNA to be able to be collected from first cousins and put to use in the processing that is under way. That then reminds me of time and the time that survivors, who are locked out of the mother and baby institutions payment scheme, have. I do not understand the purpose of having a special advocate in place if, when she does her report and calls for the expansion of that payment scheme, she is ignored. What will the Minister do following the High Court judgment in February on Temple Hill and St. Joseph's? There are survivors for whom time is of the essence. They are locked out of the scheme over the silly issue of them having been in the institution for less than six months. As far as I am concerned, it is entirely unacceptable that any survivor is excluded from the scheme. Some of them will have had a similar experience to those in Tuam and yet they are excluded. I again call on the Minister to look at all survivors and at the report by the special advocate and not to ignore her request. Every year this payment scheme is returning money in the millions. There is no excuse for leaving out survivors. Temple Hill was one of the institutions that was cited and part of that High Court action and judgment back in February. What a shame that survivors are forced to go to the High Court to seek recognition and respect in terms of this payment scheme. Every year money is sent back unspent and yet so many survivors are excluded. They do not have time on their hands either. Temple Hill was where Michael Grant spent the first year of his life. I have referenced his case on the floor of the D\u00e1il and in committee with the Minister many times. I cannot sit in front of Michael Grant and tell him why he is excluded. He was in Temple Hill for his first year. He had no illness and no issues with his health. His mother paid for him to be there for the first year, yet we deem Temple Hill a hospital and say it will not be one of the institutions covered. It was not a hospital for Michael Grant. He will say time is of the essence and that he remains excluded. He is the same as any other survivor but he is being treated differently. I have to raise his case on the floor of the D\u00e1il again. Michael is one of many survivors being excluded. This legislation is important, particularly in relation to Tuam and the work under way there. I commend everybody involved in that work. It is difficult. I particularly commend the local community, who have given space in their family homes to allow the process of finding remains to continue. There have been repeated calls for a forensic examination of the site at Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea, County Tipperary. Those calls have not gone away. When it comes to this issue we cannot ever do enough, given the hurt and pain the survivors live with to this day. More should be done in terms of Sean Ross Abbey. Anything that can be done should be done. The move in terms of Tuam and first cousins is welcome but I reiterate my point: the institutions payment scheme is failing too many survivors because of the institution they were in, or because they were boarded out or were there under six months. It is unacceptable. I say again it is unacceptable to return millions at the end of each year unspent in a scheme, where we have survivors who have suffered, live with the pain and are excluded, as if they have not suffered enough."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh I acknowledge the contribution from my colleague, Deputy Kerrane, who addressed the provisions of the Bill related to institutional burials. I also acknowledge the work done by my colleague Kathleen Funchion, MEP, on the whole area of mother and baby homes. These are deeply important matters of dignity and justice for families seeking answers. It is important to mention the Bessborough mother and baby home and the denial of justice for the families of those buried there, who will not receive the same recognition as Tuam if building works go ahead on that site. We can never talk about this subject without acknowledging the wonderful work of Catherine Corless. We would not be here discussing this today if it were not for her. We owe her a debt of gratitude and will forever. I acknowledge the families as well. I know some of the families and some of the individuals who spent time in Tuam, and I acknowledge the trauma they have experienced from that time. It is appalling that those who were there for under six months are excluded. As Deputy Kerrane said, millions have been sent back. There is no rhyme or reason to this. It is cruelty upon cruelty to exclude people from this payment scheme. As enterprise, tourism and employment spokesperson for Sinn F\u00e9in, I will focus on the gender pay gap reporting provisions. Employers are already required to collect and publish gender pay gap information but the Bill introduces a mandatory requirement for that information to be reported directly to the Minister. I recognise the importance of having this information centrally available. However, I am also acutely conscious of the enormous administrative burden already facing small and medium enterprises. Businesses are dealing with increasing compliance requirements, rising costs and considerable pressures on their time and resources. We must ensure that additional reporting obligations, which I agree are necessary, are proportionate, straightforward and do not unnecessarily duplicate work already being undertaken. The bigger issue is what happens after the information is collected. Unless that information drives meaningful action, we risk creating another administrative exercise without delivering real change. We must remember who pays the price for that failure. It is overwhelmingly women who experience the consequences of the gender pay gap through lower earnings, reduced career opportunities and, ultimately, lower pensions. I wish to send solidarity to those who are in that category and the women who will be out tomorrow on strike who want to be in doing their jobs. I again call on the Minister and the Government to do something to stop that, let common sense prevail and let pay talks be pay talks."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle I ask the Deputy to stick to the content."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh I want to see a clear commitment from the Government that the information that will be gathered here will be actively used to identify inequalities to hold employers accountable and to deliver measurable improvements."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Daniel Ennis I welcome this Bill for both its updating of the Gender Pay Gap Information Act and its expansion of the identification programme to include first cousins. The measures of strength and transparency under the Employment Equality Act are also welcome, but Ireland's unadjusted gender pay gap is estimated at 8.3% in 2024. We know that for women with children, women of colour and women with disabilities this is even greater. However, closing the gender pay gap requires more than just collecting data. It requires fairer childcare systems, stronger maternity protections and proper recognition of the value of care work in our society. Turning to the Institutional Burials Act, extending eligibility to first cousins is an important step for families seeking answers about their loved ones. Mother and baby homes, Magdalen laundries and industrial schools are part of our country's darkest and most shameful history. It is a history of incarceration and cover-ups in which anyone who tried to speak out was shamed and a history in which the State was deeply implicated for which it must now answer. A piece I read recently really hit me and has stayed with me. It said, \"The children were never lost; if a baby goes missing, the police get called, social services become involved. The babies born at the mother and baby home ... [in] Tuam [were not lost they] ... were discarded.\" While the children of Tuam are finally receiving attention, the State's responsibility cannot end there. We cannot claim that its work is done until that justice has been served. How can justice be served when we do not know where over 800 children and 19 women are buried at Bessborough? How can justice be served when in Sean Ross Abbey an investigation revealed that at least 1,000 babies died there? This is something that we still do not know the extent of. How can we claim to have confronted this history when so much remains unanswered? Ministers cannot simply say that Bessborough or Sean Ross Abbey does not meet the criteria and consider the matter closed. When the Institutional Burials Act was initially brought forward, the committee's report emphasised that the legislation should be drafted so that as many sites as possible could be included. It warned that a large number of conditions and restrictions will prevent this from happening. Now, we have seen its warnings come true with families still fighting for answers. An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la's decision to grant planning permission for apartments at Bessborough is a further slap in the face for survivors who have spent years advocating for justice. The Government must release the archaeological reports and burial records relating to Bessborough. How can planning permission be granted when the commission of investigation found it highly likely that unmarked burial grounds remain on that site? Where is the justice for those children? The Government must compulsory purchase order, CPO, the remaining land at Bessborough. The country owes an enormous debt to Catherine Corless. Her work forced Ireland to confront a history that so many refused to face. Despite being told repeatedly to stop searching, she persisted. Her determination has shown why we cannot accept silence or delay when families are still waiting for answers. Speaking recently about her work in Tuam, she said: I also must mention Bessborough. There are 900 babies missing there, nobody seems to care. They want to come in and build apartments over the plots, which is horrific. I don't know it got to that. But that must be stopped and those babies must be found as well. Catherine's words expose the failure of the State's response that leaves families at some sites still fighting for the recognition and investigation their loved ones deserve. The obligation to find these children cannot depend on whether a site fits criteria that the Government itself has set. Survivors and families should not have to spend their lives campaigning for the State to accept its responsibilities. They deserve answers and action while they are here to see it. These women and children were failed by the State, and we cannot continue to fail them."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Jen Cummins I express support for both parts of this Bill, including the gender pay gap element of it. Currently, the gender pay gap in this country is at 10.8%. I welcome mechanisms to increase the reporting because when we have more data, we can see exactly what the difficulty is. I was trying to figure out how to explain the gender pay gap to somebody. If two people are working in the same company and they work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the man will get paid from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but with the current 10.8%, the woman will get paid until 4.08 p.m. and then will do it for free for the rest of the day. In 2026, that is a shocking situation to be in. Sometimes I am flabbergasted that we are in this situation, so I welcome any ability to change that. Regarding the second part of the Bill, I support the addition of first cousins to this element of the institutional burials Bill. To hear of the babies and children buried at Tuam is utterly heartbreaking. They are somebody's child and, as Deputy Ennis said, they were discarded there. No conversation about mother and baby homes can ever happen in this Chamber without thanking Catherine Corless for the work that she has done. I send my thoughts and thanks to those people who are doing the delicate work of trying to find those babies in Tuam. That must be a very difficult situation so I thank them. I would also caution that for every fight that had to happen for Tuam, and it was a fight every single step of the way - and there are still fights for it - that is the same situation that is going on for Bessborough. I would like to encourage the people who are every single day campaigning to make sure that apartments are not build on Bessborough to keep going because people like Catherine Corless kept going. People like Councillor Noelle Brown, a Social Democrats councillor, has for decades been talking about mother and baby homes, and she is still campaigning. I encourage those people to keep fighting. We are supporting them. We are really hoping that something can happen in Bessborough that prevents this building of apartments."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Liam Quaide","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Liam-Quaide.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Liam-Quaide.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Liam Quaide I welcome the provision in this Bill extending to first cousins the right to participate in efforts to identify the remains of people buried at former institutions. That is a sensible and necessary change. However, I wish to raise the case of the Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork, where the burial places of 859 children and 19 women remain unaccounted for, according to the commission of investigation. Think about that. There are 859 children and 19 mothers whose families still do not know where they are buried. What is the Government's position? It is that an intervention under the Institutional Burials Act cannot proceed because the burial locations have not been established. How can the Government use the fact that these children's burial places remain unknown as a reason not to investigate? Meanwhile, planning permission has been upheld for 106 apartments on part of the former Bessborough grounds, despite the unresolved questions about where these children are buried. The then Minister for children who oversaw the commission of investigation, Katherine Zappone, has questioned whether sufficient efforts were made to establish the locations of these burials. Why has the Government declined to pursue a comprehensive investigation of the site? Why are we contemplating further development before these fundamental questions have been answered? I acknowledge the extraordinary persistence of the survivors, their families and other campaigners who have fought for answers for years. We are legislating today to extend the rights of families to participate in identifying remains. That is welcome, but what use are those rights to the families of Bessborough if the State has no credible plan to establish where their loved ones are buried? The Government must now act on the entirely legitimate demands of survivors and campaigners to protect the site, investigate it properly and establish what happened to these children and mothers, including where they are buried."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney I too welcome the two elements of this Bill. Speaking first to the gender pay gap issues, the transparency of the central availability of this information will be a step forward. I would disagree slightly perhaps with the impact this potentially has on SMEs as overly bureaucratic because, of course, any companies under the 50 threshold will not be impacted by it. However, I emphasise the point that knowing about a gap and doing something about it are two very different things. Gender pay discrepancy persists in this society and we must do more than simply finding out the information. I appreciate that this phase of the work is about establishing that, but it is slow going. Until we have that complete picture we really cannot make meaningful change because what we cannot measure we cannot change. Unfortunately, as long as gender pay discrepancy exists in our society, then we are working for free, and that is at a time when women also provide the unpaid care of much of society, disproportionately to men. All of these elements compounded mean we face serious disadvantage. The separate piece of this legislation around access by cousins to the institutional burials scheme is really important. However, as others have raised, the arbitrary nature of different sites being excluded, and the ways and the justification the Government has brought forward for those sites being excluded, is hugely problematic. Arbitrary decisions and metrics that have applied to various schemes associated with mother and baby homes mean this is not taking a human rights-based approach and it is not trauma informed. Once again, victims of State wrongdoing are treated with suspicion and mistrust instead of the care and compassion this State should be showing them. I urge that every effort is made to make sure that those people who have relations associated with other sites, not just Tuam, get access to the schemes that are appropriate to them and finally find justice. I have dealt so much with this community of survivors. People spend their whole lives upskilling in human rights and getting master's qualifications in order that they can fight for their cause. We have heard about them today, including Catherine Corless, as an investigator, Noelle Brown, as a survivor, and others. They must get the justice they seek."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Se\u00e1n Canney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Se\u00e1n-Canney.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Se\u00e1n-Canney.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Minister of State at the Department of Transport (Deputy Se\u00e1n Canney) A Cheann Comhairle, thank you for allowing me to speak. I very much welcome the amendment to this Bill reaching Second Stage. I want to speak to the fact that first cousins can now use their DNA for testing at the former mother and baby institution in Tuam. This is very welcome to a number of people who believe they may have family members buried there. Since this legislation was enacted, DNA testing has been limited to parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. This has been an issue of concern for some relatives who wish to participate in the programme, some of whom I have worked with closely. As time passes, the opportunities to identify those buried at the site becomes more challenging. In some families, those who will have been eligible to provide DNA may no longer be alive. Extending the programme to include first cousins is therefore a very important and practical step. It gives more families an opportunity to participate in the identification process and, hopefully, get answers to questions they have carried with them for many years. The identification programme is extremely important to people who believe they may have family members buried at the former mothers and babies institution in Tuam. As a local TD, I know too well how important it is. These are people at home and abroad who want to have a connection with their loved ones and bring some closure for their families. We must ensure that every reasonable opportunity is provided to families who wish to participate in this process. They have waited a long time for answers, and it is important that we continue to support them as this difficult and very sensitive work progresses. I compliment the director in Tuam, Daniel MacSweeney, and his team on carrying out the excavation in such a professional, diligent and humane manner. This is so important for those who are buried there and for their families. I also pay tribute to the local community in Tuam for what they have had to endure over a number of years, with the media coming from all over the world to invade their privacy and they not knowing what is going on. It was not an easy situation for them but they have dealt with it extremely admirably. I acknowledge that as well as their co-operation with the director. Ultimately, this work is about treating those who died with dignity and respect and giving their families the best possible opportunity to find the answers they deserve. I also thank the former Ministers, Katherine Zappone and Roderic O'Gorman, who progressed this, and now the Minister, Deputy Foley, for the great work they are doing. I acknowledge that and, indeed, the officials within the Department. It is not an easy task but they are doing a very good job in these circumstances."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Emer Currie","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Emer Currie I also welcome this Bill. It requires employers to submit gender pay gap information to the central portal, making reports easier to find, compare and scrutinise. It also extends eligibility under the Institutional Burials Act to first cousins, an important compassionate change for families seeking answers. On the gender pay reporting, transparency matters, but what matters most is what we do with the information. Ireland's gender pay gap is reported to be at 8.3% and, according to the CSO, the number of women in employment has increased by 82% since 2000, so there has been progress, but being in employment does not necessarily mean having an equal opportunity to progress. I have spoken repeatedly in this House and in the Seanad about the motherhood penalty. Maynooth University research found a 27% fall in earnings immediately after childbirth among female graduates, and that is from 2023. Behind those figures and others are women reducing their hours, turning down promotions or leaving careers they have had to work hard to build because the struggle to juggle is still alive and well. Families are working harder than ever, juggling jobs, commuting, childcare, school collections and caring for relatives. Too often, making that work still falls to women. When it does not work, women are more likely to pick up the slack. Women have spent generations levelling up in education, employment and leadership, and men now need the opportunity and support to adjust their working lives and share care equally. That requires a change in culture. People need to know that taking parental leave or requesting flexibility will not damage their career or invite judgment. When I proposed amendments to the work-life balance Bill in the Seanad, I argued that flexible work should be available to all employees and I still very much believe that. If flexibility is treated as an exception for mothers we risk reinforcing the motherhood penalty. If it becomes normal working practice, care can be shared more equally. A review was promised, including consideration of extending the right to request flexible work to everyone. I am wondering where that review stands and when its findings will be published. We also need a clear timetable for full implementation of the EU pay and transparency directive following the deadline in June. Reporting reveals inequality. Our responsibility is to change the conditions producing it through accessible childcare, flexible working and supportive family leave. Women should be able to become mothers without sacrificing their careers. Men should be supported to share care. Families should be able to earn a living while still having time for each other, particularly when their children are young."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire I wish to address the part of the Bill that relates to institutional burials. I acknowledge that the legislation in a small way advances the ability of relatives of those who are survivors of the Tuam mother and baby home, and of those who were buried there, to access full truth and justice. There is a great deal more that needs to be done right across the State to ensure that survivors, their families and campaigners receive justice. I am thinking particularly of Bessborough in my own county and city. We still do not know where over 800 children and many mothers are buried. The decision of An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la to grant planning at that location was received with profound grief, shock and anger, not only by survivors and their relatives, although most particularly by them, but also by the people of Cork and the people of Ireland. It was through their campaigning that the Taoiseach agreed that all options would be on the table. I am taking this opportunity to encourage that. I am not sure whether a mediator has been appointed yet. I believe that the State and the Government need to throw their weight behind ensuring that discussions between the city council and the property owner lead to the outcome we all want to see, which is a site of conscience, and to ensure there is no development on a place the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes said was very likely to have children buried. That cannot happen. One other key demand came up through those campaigners, the survivors and their relatives. They were shocked and angered in the past when legislation sealed the burial records of institutions such as the mother and baby home in Bessborough. The Minister has the opportunity in this legislation. This is appropriate legislation to amend to ensure that is reversed. I encourage the Minister to do that in the Seanad. I know it is too late on Second Stage today but I encourage her to do that. The technical report on the mother and baby home at Bessborough also needs to be released. The Minister has the power to do that."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Wall","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Mark Wall I welcome the Minister to the House today. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill 2026. The Bill before the House today deals with two separate issues, both of which are very welcome steps. The first issue I will deal with is gender pay gap reporting. I welcome the Government's move towards establishing a more central reporting portal but we need to see more urgency on pay transparency. For example, the Government, disappointingly, missed the deadline to transpose the EU pay transparency directive, which should have been legislated for in June of this year. Even after this Bill is passed by the Oireachtas, a number of key provisions of that directive will not be transposed. Under the terms of the directive, employers must inform prospective employees of the pay or pay range for particular roles before any interviews and will not be permitted to ask interviewees about their salary history. Why is the Government dragging its heels on implementing this provision? It has had three years to get it done but has still managed to miss the deadline. A survey in September 2026 found that just 20% of employers always post salaries in job advertisements. It also found a rise in the number of employers opposed to the proposed reforms. The Government should be making a considered argument for why the directive is good for workers and for business. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, has shown that the Government's failure to transpose it on time will cost working women more than \u20ac570 million per year in lost wages. The directive's measures for tackling the gender pay gap are not limited to reporting. Where such gaps persistently exceed 5%, employers would be required to consult with unions or other employee representatives on the measures required to address the situation. The Government needs to spell out what policy responses will be put in place to give real teeth to the reporting requirements in the Bill. It is all well and good having a reporting portal but it will not address the problems on its own. The Government talks a good game on its European credentials but it cannot keep ignoring and delaying following through on European directives when it suits it to do so. The second issue addressed by the Bill is institutional burials. The provisions close a significant gap in the 2022 Act by allowing for first cousins to take part in identification programmes. It is a very welcome change. We are glad to see it will apply retrospectively to enable first cousins to apply to participate in an identification programme that is already under way. We all know about the horrors that went on behind the high walls of institutions in so many cities, towns and villages across the country during the previous century. The vital work of people like Catherine Corless laid that bare and made sure that we, as a society, could no longer turn away and ignore the wrongs that were done. The 2022 Act was the response we made as legislators. It was not perfect but it was important that we took the steps to legislate for the cases where we know inappropriate burials took place inside institutions, many of which had shockingly high mortality rates. One such institution was Bessborough Mother and Baby Home in Cork, which has been raised with me by people all over Ireland and raised by colleagues in this debate. While the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes estimated that 923 babies died at Bessborough, just 64 burial locations could be identified. Burial records for 859 children and 19 women were missing. According to the commission, it is highly likely that some of those babies are buried in unmarked graves on the grounds. That is why such deep dismay was caused when An Coimis\u00fain Plean\u00e1la granted planning permission earlier this year to build on that site. Bessborough should be a place of memorial and a site of conscience. We cannot cement over Ireland's dark history when there are so many questions left unanswered. Survivors have been let down many times previously by the State. The Bessborough site should be secured through compulsory purchase, if necessary, or by negotiating with the developer. I thank my party colleague Senator Harmon, who has been at the forefront of raising this issue in the Seanad. We should remember the images from International Women's Day in March. When teddy bears and candles were laid at the gates of Bessborough, it brought home the message that this place should never and must never be forgotten. It is welcome, therefore, that the Government is closing the gap in the 2022 Act through this Bill. However, if it is serious about doing right by survivors of institutions and their families, it must step in to ensure the Bessborough site is protected. We cannot and should never forget Bessborough. I look forward to working with the Minister to progress the Bill through the House. We have some amendments that we look forward to discussing with her."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Keira Keogh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Keira-Keogh.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Keira-Keogh.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Keira Keogh I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill 2026. While appearing technical in nature, it provides for two vital measures that will make a real difference in people's lives. The first concerns gender pay gap reporting. The Bill requires employers to report data directly to the Minister, thereby creating a centralised national system and comparison mechanism. We know that transparency is one of the most effective tools we have against inequality. We cannot fix what we cannot reliably measure. In Ireland right now, two graduates who leave university on the same day with the same qualifications and the same ambitions can go on to have very different earning experiences. The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office for 2025 show that women's median weekly earnings are almost \u20ac152 less than men's. That amounts to nearly \u20ac7,900 over the 52 weeks of the year. Behind those figures are real people, real careers and real financial consequences. Moving beyond individual company reports to accessible cross-sector data will empower employees and legislators with the confidence to ensure that equal work receives equal treatment. The second part of the Bill extends eligibility for the Institutional Burials Act identification programme to first cousins. This is particularly crucial for the ongoing work in Tuam. I acknowledge the sensitive, professional and compassionate work being led by Daniel MacSweeney and his team, which I witnessed at first-hand this summer during my visit to Tuam. Many immediate family members have unfortunately passed away. In these cases, the first cousins are the closest living relatives capable of assisting with identification. Extending participation to them is both practical and deeply humane. I urge the House to pass this legislation as quickly as possible. At the core of the Bill is transparency in the workplace and dignity for families seeking closure. I am pleased to support it."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aisling Dempsey","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aisling-Dempsey.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aisling-Dempsey.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Aisling Dempsey I welcome the employment equality provisions contained in this Bill and the clear commitment they represent to fairness, dignity and equal opportunity in our society. The Irish gender pay gap currently stands at 8.3%, below the EU average of 11.1%. It is also lower for newer entrants to the job market. That is welcome news but, even still, only one in ten CEOs are female. The gender pay gap portal is a centralised reporting database. It is an important element of employment equality. It creates transparency and fairness. It should, and will, I hope, highlight discrepancies quickly that will be swiftly and appropriately addressed. Employment is about far more than earning a living. It provides independence and security, which is particularly relevant to women. It is imperative that we know what the gender pay gap is. Even more crucial is that it continues to narrow and, ultimately, disappears. While the Employment Equality Act 1998 and subsequent legislation have helped advance the principle of equal pay and treatment, the gender pay gap has shown that legal equality alone is not enough. Progress has been made, but women remain under-represented in many of the highest employment positions, demonstrating that the work of achieving gender equality in the workplace must continue. I visited a school yesterday in my constituency of Meath West, St. Nicholas Primary School in Longwood. We talked about politics and the school's student council elections. Those children do not need gender quotas to ensure that enough women are elected. They see everyone as equal. Some time later in their lives, however, we are failing them somehow. Many are adopting gender inequality beliefs. The measures before us strengthen our commitment to ensuring that nobody is disadvantaged in employment simply because of their gender. Equality in the workplace cannot simply be an aspiration. We must continue to back it up by law."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D. McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Conor D. McGuinness I support this Bill. It goes some way to helping people find truth, information and justice. Earlier this month, I had the chance to watch \"The Lost Children of Tuam\", the film telling the story of Catherine Corless and her determination to uncover the truth about 796 children who died at the mother and baby home in that town. The film, like Catherine Corless's important work, forces us to confront how our society treated women and children. Children were neglected, bullied, starved and oftentimes abused, put to work, trafficked and, in some cases, disappeared. Women were mistreated and had their babies taken from them. Their choices were taken away. Again, they were put to work and their spirits were often ground down. People were discarded, hidden away and forgotten. In the days since watching that film, I have had conversations with people whom I have known for years, who have told me things and shared things with me that I never knew about them and that they never told me before. Yesterday morning, in my constituency office, I sat down with a man in his 80s. He shared his experience with me. Decades later - an entire lifetime later - he is still living with the consequences of what happened to him as a small child. He told me about his life and childhood, the feeling of abandonment, neglect, pain and shame, and about an idea he has had for a long time that he feels would go some way towards healing him and, he believes, others. He spoke about a national day of learning and remembering, a day to ensure that what happened in mother and baby homes, industrial schools, reformatories, Magdalen laundries and other institutions is never forgotten, so that future generations know the truth of what happened and that we, as a society, never again allow people to be treated this way. This is not just something that happened in the past. The consequences are still being lived with today, and that hit home yesterday. Trauma and loss have followed this particular gentleman and many other people around every single day of their lives. People are still waiting for answers and carrying that pain. We owe them truth and justice and we owe it to the next generation of children and young people to make sure that we, as a society, never allow that to happen again."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Grace Boland","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Grace Boland A central system for gender pay gap reporting is a very sensible reform. It should make information easier to find, compare and track over time, giving policymakers, researchers, employees and the public a clearer picture of where progress is being made and where further action is needed. Transparency is not compatibility, however, and the key question is not whether information is published. The key question will be, what happens when it is not? Therefore, if an employer fails to report, reports late or provides incomplete information, who identifies that failure, who follows it up, what is the escalation process and, ultimately, what are the consequences for employers who do not comply? Existing legislation provides enforcement mechanisms, including powers for the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, to seek a court order requiring compliance with pay gap reporting obligations. However, does anybody have a clear duty to proactively identify employers who do not report? If that compliance role is to sit with IHREC, it must be property resourced to carry out that function. That is why the regulations that will underpin the Bill are so important. If this legislation is to have any real impact, they need to set out a practical process for reporting, identifying issues, following them up and enforcing compliance, where necessary. Without that clarity, there is a risk that we improve reporting without strengthening accountability. We must also address the causes of the gender pay gap. We know the gap widens when children arrive and caring responsibilities fall unequally. Paternity leave in Ireland remains at just two weeks, and just over half of fathers claim paternity benefit. I welcome the fact that the T\u00e1naiste is taking paternity leave. That sends out a really important signal, but we need to create a system that makes it easy, affordable and culturally acceptable for both parents to take time away from work to care for their children. I have repeatedly raised the need for the State to do more to promote awareness of the leaves that are currently available, including paternity leave and parent's leave. We should also continue to make progress towards earnings-related leave for parents so that taking time to care for a child does not result in a financial penalty for families. If we want greater equality in the workplace, we also need greater equality in caring responsibilities in the home. As colleagues have noted, we need to see urgent progress being made on the transposition of the pay transparency directive. The success of this Bill will depend on whether employers are supported to understand what is required of them. We know from research that many of them do not understand their obligations and whether there is a clear and effective system for identifying, following up and enforcing non-compliance. I welcome the extension of the education programme under the Institutional Burials Act to first cousins. For families still seeking answers, that change will matter greatly."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Albert Dolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Albert Dolan I welcome the Bill and the proposals the Minister is bringing forward to strengthen gender pay gap reporting. The gender pay gap has real consequences for women throughout their lives, in their earnings, opportunities for promotion and pensions. Requiring employers covered by the legislation to report through a central portal will make that information more accessible. It will help people compare employers, assess progress and see where further action may be needed. Publishing the figures has to lead to change, however. Employers need to examine what is driving the gap in their organisations and take practical steps to address it, including supporting women into senior positions and improving access to flexible working. I welcome the Minister's commitment to greater transparency and accountability. Turning to Tuam, I particularly welcome the provision to extend participation in the DNA identification programme to first cousins of children believed to be buried at the former institution. As a representative for Tuam, I know how important this is for families still searching for answers. So much time has passed. Some of the closest relatives of those children are, sadly, no longer alive. Parents, brothers and sisters may have passed away without ever knowing what happened to their loved one. That makes the connection through first cousins all the more important. It provides another opportunity to establish a family link and we must make every possible effort to support that. There are still many unanswered questions. Families deserve the opportunity to engage with this deeply difficult and sensitive matter at their own pace with clear information and compassionate support. I wish to pay tribute to Catherine Corless for her extraordinary persistence and determination to ensure that these children were remembered and the families' questions were heard. I also wish to pay tribute to the community in Tuam, particularly those who have supported families and helped preserve the memory of these children over many years. I sincerely thank Mr. Daniel MacSweeney and his team for the work they are doing and for the care, sensitivity and respect with which they are approaching it. Their ongoing engagement and briefings are really appreciated. Keeping families and public representatives informed matters enormously, especially when this work is so sensitive and the expectations are deeply personal. Our responsibility is to ensure the support continues throughout this process. Families have to be listened to, kept informed and supported through whatever lies ahead. Every opportunity to provide the families with the answers they require matters and extending this programme to first cousins is a very welcome and meaningful step."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Thomas Gould I wish to raise the issue of Bessborough. The Minister will be well aware that mediators between Cork City Council and landlords and landowners have been appointed. This was confirmed in the media on 8 September. After a month, will the Minister update us on the progress of the mediation? I reached out to those involved in the campaign group today and they asked me to ask the Minister these questions. I hope the Minister will not dismiss them. Who has been appointed? How many meetings have happened? What progress, if any, has been achieved? Has this progressed beyond initial meetings? Most importantly, has the Government earmarked funding for the purchase of the Bessborough site, and if mediation leads to an agreement, is the Minister ready to step in, provide the necessary funding and not let this drag on any longer? This is urgent. The survivors and loved ones of those who did not survive Bessborough deserve answers and they are anxiously waiting on them. I will not allow them to be brushed under the carpet, as has been done to so many women and babies who perished and died in Bessborough over the decades. I will not allow their voices to be silent. They are currently living in limbo, with the potential that apartments will be built on their loved ones' graves. It is beyond belief. They need answers and certainty and I appeal to the Minister to hear the questions they have asked me to ask her. Will she ensure the money is there to buy Bessborough and preserve it?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle I thank the Deputy. I call Deputy Gogarty."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty I ask the Ceann Comhairle to bear with me for one second because I am up slightly earlier than I thought I would be. Is Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn coming?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Ceann Comhairle No, I cannot see him."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty I have got longer than I thought, which is good. I welcome the opportunity to speak a little longer on the Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill, which is a constructive piece of legislation. We need provisions relating to the gender pay gap reporting. It is always important to have transparency for policymakers, employers and workers in improving things but we obviously still have the existing inequalities. The creation of this central reporting mechanism is going to make information easier to access, analyse and compare notes on, so to speak. The Government itself stated that the purpose of the portal was to enable clear examination of pay disparities across sectors and to support responses aimed at reducing the gender pay gap, which, unfortunately, is still evident in many areas. With the technology we have had over the past couple of years, you would argue that gathering this data is not rocket science. I want to put a related point out there or ask a rhetorical question as to why it has taken so long to roll out. There have been comparable systems in the UK for quite a number of years, whereby the gender pay gap data are reported to the central government service that allows users to search and compare different organisations and sectors. It is a much bigger jurisdiction with bigger resources to match, but it should not have taken us so long. Internationally, this has been seen as best practice in many countries for a long time. In 2025, the Department stated that a centralised portal had been a long-held policy intention. It was \"long-held\" in the sense that during the period of Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021, it was announced that the portal was forthcoming. It took four to five years for it to be launched on a voluntary basis in November 2025 before becoming publicly accessible in June 2026. That was quite a long time. We have to ask ourselves why it took so long. It was mostly not during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. Getting this information reporting on a statutory basis should have been a priority for the previous Government. Because this is an omnibus Bill, I want to add to the discussion of the provisions relating to the Institutional Burials Act 2022 which extend the participation in the identification programmes to first cousins. I have listened to a few of the speeches about the traumatic impact on many survivors and families. This amendment, following on from Forensic Science Ireland's confirmation that you can reliably get the DNA information from cousins, is going to help in some cases. It will, we hope, give more answers to extended family members who are seeking to identify remains at the site of the former mother and baby institution in Tuam, where forensic excavations began last year. On the wider picture, and this is a point that other Deputies have raised, we have to question the barriers being thrown in front of people. The forensic barrier might be lowered to some extent with this widening of the DNA identification process, but survivors, their relatives and legal advocates will tell you that our historical culture of State secrecy has stopped people from getting information. It has improved in recent years, but the institutional records and commission archives were sealed for 30 years. If closure for survivors includes finding out and identifying, but also getting proper information, we need to make it as easy as possible to access the archives. In the scope of this omnibus Bill, which is small but important, can we, as Deputy Currie and others have asked, accommodate further measures to access information on the pay gap side and especially in relation to survivors? If first cousins are now legally recognised as eligible family members for the purposes of physical identification, they should also have a right to access institutional administrative records that concern their families. We should consider whether amendments could be introduced on Report Stage to link the physical identification rights with meaningful access to information. We have been gradually pulling aside the squinty curtain in our society but many things are still hidden. If anything, we should be trying to get more information into the open and once and for all rid ourselves of that shameful period."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Bill 2026: Second Stage"}]}}]},"contextDate":"2026-10-13"}]}