Dáil debates
Thursday, 30 July 2020
Adjournment of Dáil: Motion
9:55 pm
Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I move:
That the Dáil on its rising tonight shall adjourn until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 September 2020.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the proposal agreed to?
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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It is not agreed to.
Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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It is not agreed. I have already written to you, a Cheann Comhairle. The Data Protection Commissioner has expressed concerns about the practices in Dublin Airport and I believe it is appropriate for An Tánaiste and the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to come into the House next week and take questions and answers and not just statements.
Furthermore, it has been mentioned already on several occasions that people are watching - of course they are. We do not need six weeks' holidays. I believe it would be much more appropriate if we were to resume proceedings on 1 September. I ask that we convene next Tuesday to facilitate questions and answers with An Tánaiste and the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection on an issue causing great concern. Concern was expressed about people looking in here. The same people are phoning radio shows. They are concerned. We deserve to have our questions answered and I believe the floor of the Dáil is the appropriate place to do that. We do not agree to the adjournment.
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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Hear, hear.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Does the Deputy have a proposal?
Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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I have proposed that the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and An Tánaiste come into the Dáil on Tuesday and take questions and answers on what is going on in Dublin Airport and the concerns raised by the Data Protection Commissioner, and that we adjourn when that is concluded and reconvene on 1 September.
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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The Labour Party would like to support the proposal made by Deputy O'Reilly. I also wish to raise the issue of pandemic unemployment payments to those who are self-employed and those who are in receipt of employee wages and self-employed wages, who are now going to be put on a lower schedule of payment. We can only resolve this issue if the Dáil is sitting. We cannot have a six-week recess for those who are in receipt of this payment. It would be very simple for us to return here on Tuesday to have questions on this issue and come to a resolution on it and the issue outlined by Deputy O'Reilly.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Does anyone from any of the other groups wish to contribute? I call Deputy Mattie McGrath.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Please.
Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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The self-employed musicians and people at home will not like the cheerleaders tonight. If they had guitars, they could play them. They should be ashamed of themselves. They are like "The Lonesome Boatman" on the fiddle. That is what they are.
I too believe that after what happened here tonight, when we gave the vultures more powers, abandoned the self-employed, the pensioners, people with disabilities and everything else, the Dáil should not rise. I know we agreed this in the Business Committee but we should not rise. We should finish our business and deal with it properly here next week.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Does the Minister of State wish to respond?
Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, we are proceeding with the motion on the adjournment as moved.
Tá
Cathal Berry, Colm Brophy, James Browne, Richard Bruton, Colm Burke, Peter Burke, Mary Butler, Thomas Byrne, Jackie Cahill, Dara Calleary, Ciarán Cannon, Joe Carey, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Jack Chambers, Niall Collins, Patrick Costello, Simon Coveney, Barry Cowen, Cathal Crowe, Cormac Devlin, Alan Dillon, Stephen Donnelly, Paschal Donohoe, Francis Noel Duffy, Bernard Durkan, Damien English, Alan Farrell, Frank Feighan, Peter Fitzpatrick, Joe Flaherty, Charles Flanagan, Seán Fleming, Norma Foley, Noel Grealish, Brendan Griffin, Simon Harris, Seán Haughey, Martin Heydon, Emer Higgins, Heather Humphreys, Paul Kehoe, John Lahart, James Lawless, Brian Leddin, Michael Lowry, Marc MacSharry, Josepha Madigan, Catherine Martin, Steven Matthews, Paul McAuliffe, Charlie McConalogue, Helen McEntee, Michael McGrath, Joe McHugh, Aindrias Moynihan, Michael Moynihan, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, Eoghan Murphy, Verona Murphy, Hildegarde Naughton, Malcolm Noonan, Darragh O'Brien, Joe O'Brien, Jim O'Callaghan, James O'Connor, Willie O'Dea, Kieran O'Donnell, Patrick O'Donovan, Fergus O'Dowd, Roderic O'Gorman, Christopher O'Sullivan, Pádraig O'Sullivan, Marc Ó Cathasaigh, Éamon Ó Cuív, Anne Rabbitte, Neale Richmond, Michael Ring, Eamon Ryan, Matt Shanahan, Brendan Smith, Niamh Smyth, Ossian Smyth, David Stanton, Robert Troy.
Níl
Chris Andrews, Mick Barry, John Brady, Martin Browne, Pat Buckley, Matt Carthy, Sorca Clarke, Michael Collins, Rose Conway-Walsh, Réada Cronin, Seán Crowe, David Cullinane, Pa Daly, Pearse Doherty, Paul Donnelly, Dessie Ellis, Mairead Farrell, Michael Fitzmaurice, Kathleen Funchion, Gary Gannon, Johnny Guirke, Danny Healy-Rae, Martin Kenny, Claire Kerrane, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Mary Lou McDonald, Mattie McGrath, Michael McNamara, Denise Mitchell, Imelda Munster, Paul Murphy, Johnny Mythen, Louise O'Reilly, Darren O'Rourke, Eoin Ó Broin, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Ruairi Ó Murchú, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Maurice Quinlivan, Patricia Ryan, Brian Stanley, Pauline Tully, Mark Ward, Violet Wynne.
10:05 pm
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The adjournment is agreed.
Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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On a point of information, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy Connolly, chaired over 60% of the debate tonight and I want to find out if she walked out in protest with the rest of the Independent Members. This is a very serious-----
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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That is not a point of information.
Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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It is a point of information-----
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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No, it is not.
Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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-----she should come into the House before this ends tonight to clarify her position as to whether she did or not.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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In fairness Deputy Kehoe, that is not a point of information and you are around here long enough to know it is not.
We move now to item a13. I put it to Members that it is now 12.14 p.m. The Order of Business envisages one hour and 25 minutes debate with the Minister for Education and Skills on the opening of schools and calculated grades. We had one hour and 30 minutes, I think, with the Minister this morning. We then have a further 48 minutes with Topical Issue Matters. I notice many Members are leaving. That is their prerogative. Do Members wish to continue with the sitting or do Members feel that at 12.14 p.m. it is rather late and they might wish to adjourn?
Who is offering?
Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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It is imperative that we continue to sit, particularly on the subject of the reopening of schools.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank Deputy Gannon. I will stay here all night if Members want to. That is okay, Members want to continue.