Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is not within my gift. I will communicate the desire of Senators to have sight of the Government amendments.

Senator Rose Conway-Walsh raised the Pat Finucane case, which is before the UK Supreme Court today. I wish the Finucane family well in terms of the public inquiry. They need justice and I hope they will get it.

I join Senators Reilly and Conway-Walsh in hoping the Bill sponsored by Senator Reilly, the Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017, which is currently with the Department, will come before the House soon. I share the view of Senator Conway-Walsh that we need continued investment in primary care in tandem with investment in respite care. Respite care is an important piece of the health budget. I concur that funding should be made available to families who are carers. There is a significant deficit in funding for respite care that needs to be filled.As Senator Conway-Walsh said, members of families are 24-7 carers for loved ones for 365 days of the year, in many cases in very difficult and trying conditions. There must be continuing investment in respite care. However, I disagree with Senator Conway-Walsh on the rainy day fund. We need such a fund. Otherwise the high tax Sinn Féin model of economics will again bankrupt the country. We saw what happened in the past when there was recklessness in our economy and we cannot return to that. It is important, however, that as the economy grows stronger we reinvest in people and in the delivery of services and infrastructure for people.

Senator Bacik also raised the issue of the gender pay gap. Today the Cabinet approved the legislation compelling companies to deal with the gender pay gap. I hope to work with the Senator in passing a Bill that will eliminate that deficit and repeal that unacceptable gap. I am not sure where that Bill will be introduced but I hope it will be in this House because, as the Senator said, we have done a great deal of work on the matter. The Government is committed to tackling the gender pay gap and we all welcome that Bill and hope it will not be delayed.

Senator Lawlor raised the sports capital fund and the €40 million that will be announced soon by the Minister of State, Deputy Griffin. It was a Fine Gael-led Government that reopened the sports capital grant programme.