Before I begin, I would like to second the moving of the National Asset Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2017 by Senator Conway-Walsh.

I join colleagues in remarking on the weekend's events in Catalonia. Regardless of how they voted in the weekend's referendum, I want to express my solidarity with and commend the people there on taking their courageous stand in participating in that most basic tenet of the exercise of democracy. The response of the Spanish state, which has been referred to, was to meet those people with baton-wielding riot police and, ultimately, violence. The response of the Irish Government was slow in coming but I welcome an Taoiseach's remarks in the Dáil to the effect that he was horrified by the scenes of violence on Sunday and that he would raise the matter with the Spanish Prime Minister. I encourage Fine Gael Senators to do the same with their sister-party colleagues in the Partido Popular, PP.

I believe to my core in the right of the Catalan people to national self-determination. We should all be able to agree, not least here in Ireland, on the fundamental right of any people to pursue that objective peacefully and through the ballot box, as was seen on Sunday. It is my view that the momentum is behind the people of Catalonia who voted overwhelmingly in favour of their right to independence. The Taoiseach's assertion that the Government will not recognise the vote of the Catalan people will not only put this country on the wrong side of history, it is not reflective of the broad view of the people of Ireland.

Ireland's bond with the Catalan people dates back many generations. My own home city of Belfast sent many volunteers to fight against Franco and against the kind of tactics which we saw deployed against the people of Catalonia at the weekend. My parish sent two IRA volunteers, Liam Tumilson and James Straney, who died in defence of the kind of democracy we saw exercised by the people of Catalonia on Sunday. The people there have spoken. They have voted for their independence. As we prepare in the coming years, quite rightly, to remember and honour the historic election of 1918 and the establishment of our own democratically-elected Government in 1919 and the First Dáil, which too faced repression and violence, it ill behoves the Government to be a passive observer to the changing political and social dynamic across Europe. The Taoiseach should address us on this matter and heed the calls coming from Catalonia for an independent, international mediator to be appointed by the EU to help navigate the changed political paradigm which now exists between Spain and the people of Catalonia.

I send my condolences to the people of Las Vegas and to those who lost loved ones in the horrendous atrocity that happened there. I also join my colleague, Senator Higgins, and others in strongly condemning what happened in Catalonia in recent days. No matter one's position, brutal police violence against people trying to exercise their right to free assembly and the democratic process is a disgrace. The Irish State should never hesitate to condemn that sort of behaviour.

I am also concerned about the democratic process in this country. Seanad Éireann is supposed to sit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to debate issues of national importance and scrutinise legislation. However, the schedule for this week leaves Thursday completely blank - no debates, no motions and no legislation. We need to look at this. There is a lot of really important legislation coming up. I am reminded of Senator Colette Kelleher's excellent Bill on adult safeguarding in particular. I am also reminded of Senator Colm Burke's legislation on home care. We need to introduce legislation which can change people's lives for the better.

I will talk about legislation about which I have been very concerned. Fine Gael introduced the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015. I am very concerned that it still has not come in. It has been talked about for the last few months but there has been no sign of progress. I recently held a public meeting about the Bill in Cork. I was amazed and surprised by the amount of non-governmental organisations, NGOs, which came out in Cork in support of this legislation, including Pieta House, the ISPCC and the emergency department of Cork University Hospital. These NGOs came out and spoke on the importance of this legislation being enacted in its entirety - all four measures. The Irish Heart Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society also came out in support of this legislation in its entirety. I ask the Deputy Leader when this legislation will be progressed. It needs to be enacted sooner rather than later.