Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Craughwell also referred to the issue of education, to which the Minister, Deputy McHugh, and the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, are committed. As the Senator knows, €11 billion is being allocated to education in the budget this year. He is right about the issue of retention and recruitment, and I agree with him that there should be no deviation whatsoever in the provision of posts.

Senators Reilly and Wilson referred to Virginia International Logistics and its wonderful achievement. We congratulate those involved and welcome the new jobs at Liberty Insurance in Cavan.

Senator Devine made a very good point about the just transition commissioner, and I would be very happy to have a debate on the matter. It is a very topical matter on which we need a real and in-depth conversation.

I welcome Senator Humphreys's commendation of the Minister, Deputy Harris. The Minister will be before the House next week or the week after and we can have a debate then on the matters raised.

I will not accept Senator Black's proposed amendment to the Order of Business on the basis that the Bill before the House today deals with social welfare. All Stages of the Bill will be dealt with in the Dáil next week. We had a Second Stage debate here in July and have had very thorough Committee Stage debates on two separate days already this term. We have allocated three hours to debate on the Bill today, and I have in fact extended the time allocated today following requests to do so. As Members will be aware, the Bill is about allowing for increases to protect the self-employed, with payments due on 1 November.

The matter Senator Black raised about the Border communities and Brexit is one to which we need to pay particular attention. Again, we hope to have the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, or the Minister, Deputy Coveney, before the Seanad post the European Council meeting but, as the House will be aware, it is a very fluid situation.

Senators Leyden and Feighan, along with Senator Black, made two sensible contributions about Brexit, specifically the need for a communications blackout in respect of negotiations. Senator Leyden is dead right. The statements are helping nobody and are only causing confusion and raising the heat at a time when calmness is what is needed on all sides, especially the British side, let me add, not our side.

Senators Leyden, Conway, Mullen and Kieran O'Donnell raised the issue of RTÉ, Lyric FM and the paintings. I heard what Senator Mullen said. Notwithstanding his comments, if I am correct, it was RTÉ that commissioned the paintings originally. Therefore, public money was won and used to commission them.