Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate those couples who got married yesterday, the first day on which gay couples in Ireland were able to marry. It was a very welcome and historic day and it was great to see celebratory photographs in the newspapers after such grim news from Paris and elsewhere in recent days. I know all colleagues will want to join me in welcoming what happened yesterday.

I welcome the new Stormont House agreement, A Fresh Start, reached in Northern Ireland yesterday. I hope it offers some resolution of the outstanding issues which have been obstructing progress for so many months in Northern Ireland. I ask for a debate on the changes and their relevance to us, particularly the proposed change in corporation tax. While our schedule is very full in terms of legislation between now and Christmas, we might have a debate early in the new year once we have had time to absorb the terms of the new agreement. I also welcome the fact that we were able to conclude Committee Stage of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill last night. The Bill and the changes to it debated on Committee Stage received a broad welcome across the House. It was a constructive debate and I look forward to the speedy passage of the Bill. The Leader might confirm that Report Stage will be taken next week.

I welcome the schools building programme. Many colleagues referred to it on the Order of Business yesterday and I referred to it in my response. It is particularly welcome to see a new secondary school proposed for my own area in Dublin's south inner city. That school is very much needed and the announcement in respect of it is welcome. I hope it will be an Educate Together school because there is a huge need for multi-denominational secondary schools to accommodate the many children who are coming out of Educate Together primary schools in the north and south inner cities. We will also see a development at the Harcourt Terrace premises where there was a school previously, the Portobello Educate Together national school, which I was involved in setting up. That school is also set for development into a three-stream school in Dublin 2. I also welcome that.

In responding on the Order of Business yesterday, I informed colleagues that we would seek a debate in due course on security issues in the context of the horrific attacks in Paris. I know the Leader will support that call.