Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)

I wish the Chair well. It is great to see a female in the position of Cathaoirleach. There are more females on this committee than males, which is probably indicative of the workforce in the early years sector. The caring sectors are predominantly female. Part of our work will be to examine the gender pay gap. It is important that the committee discusses that.

Ten years after the marriage equality referendum, there is still a lot of work to do. We had a big celebration of it last night but there is a bit of concern, particularly in regard to trans people, that some of those rights are being rowed back on, not just in Ireland but across the world. The committee has an important role to play in this matter. I look forward to working with everyone. Best of luck to the Chairman.