Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I am always open to amendments. I spent most of my time in my previous role as Minister for Justice either in this House or the other House debating legislation given the type of Department that it was. I am always open to amendments and working with colleagues here. I agree with a lot of the amendments tabled today. Some of them are in the Bill already and that is why they have not been accepted. I simply cannot accept other amendments and some amendments have been ruled out of order.

In terms of the payment, we must specify in the Bill what is being paid which is why we have the figure, to make sure that it is in line with the others. I am not saying that it is the figure and, personally, I would love to give an indefinite one. We need to be clear in what we are doing here. We need a scheme that is fair and equitable right across the various schemes that have been rolled out to date, and make sure that people get it as quickly as possible. If we approve this legislation in the coming weeks, and I hope we will, that payment can be made available. If we do not enact the legislation then the payment will not happen. I want to make sure that all of the supports contained in this legislation can be accessed as quickly as possible.