Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Aontaím leis an méid atá ráite ag an Seanadóir Sherlock. I agree with pretty much everything Senator Sherlock said when expressing her concerns about some of the specifics announced, or rather not announced, in the July stimulus package.

I am concerned about the way we are doing and are expected to do our business in this House over the next while. While none of us is shying away from the important work facing us over the next few weeks, a number of substantial Bills are coming before us and they are being taken at all Stages. That has been the case for the last number of weeks, for some reasons that are understandable and justifiable. However, we need to reflect on the manner in which legislation is proceeding through the House. It is not good practice for all Stages to be taken in one day. Sometimes all Stages of one or two Bills are being taken in one day. That is unsettling for legitimate parliamentary reasons, but also on the basis of the very legitimate points expressed by Senator Sherlock.If it is a matter of us having to sit a bit longer we should do so, given the Government formation talks went on for so long and the pandemic restrictions prevented us from coming to this place and kept us at home. That is not to say Members were not working, we were all involved in work in our own communities and representing people. If it means that we can better scrutinise and do our job to improve legislation from the Government or the other House we need to look at that. I appreciate that this is not on the Leader. It is something for the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to reflect on and is something I will take up next week but I ask Members from both sides of this Chamber to be cognisant of that reality.

I welcome the announcement from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade this week that it has granted over £60,000 funding from the reconciliation fund to the CAIN website. For anyone who does not know, CAIN is the conflict archive on the Internet, based in Ulster University. It has been in existence since about 1997 and it is lauded internationally for its comprehensive record of conflict-related incidents. It is held up as an educational, academic and indeed civic asset and resource. As a student of politics, both at A level and in university, it was something I leaned on very heavily. It is cited as a source at the end of many a paper or essay. People were deeply worried that funding had come to an end for the archive and that it may have had to be mothballed. This intervention from the Government and the Department is very welcome because it is such an asset, such a resource. While it is only a temporary stopgap, I hope the universities and others will engage and appreciate just how important this website is and hopefully that funding can continue.