I wish to comment on the Passport Office and passport services. I acknowledge the pressure the services and staff are under who are liaising with ourselves and the general public with regard to pressures within the system. There is of course pent-up demand for passports, and delays due to Covid-19. Covid-19 meant people were not travelling but they are now. We always support Ireland as the venue of choice and people to staycation. We have to acknowledge as well that people wish to go abroad for a break with family or with mates. Sometimes it is planned for months, sometimes it might be a spur of the moment, and sometimes it is an emergency, it might be for a funeral or to support a loved one abroad who has illness or whatever. The passport is so necessary, and there must be a better way than what we have at the moment in terms of the pressures, the frustration and upset, and the postponements and costs that families are incurring. If ever there was a misnomer it is "Passport Express" because eight to ten weeks is not express. Using that word might give people the view that that is the best way to go. It is not. Online is the best way to go. Online is the quickest and most efficient way to apply. That is not to say that there are not sometimes delays but they can be more quickly sorted online.

The Department of Foreign Affairs needs to introduce a system of notification of time-to-renew one's passport say six months or a year in advance, by text or email. Elderly people who may not be tech-savvy could nominate a family member to receive such a notification. It should not be outside the bounds of modern technology to be able to do that. Airlines could step up also. It might not be in their interests but there should be somewhere when one is booking a flight to tick one has checked one's passport or what the expiry date of one's passport is.

Reminders should be provided because, unfortunately, too many people only remember to check the expiry date a few days or maybe a week before their flight, only to find it has passed. Then panic sets in, phone calls are made and blood pressure rises. The consequences of that are huge. There needs to be a better system in place. Yes, Covid has caused the backlog we have at the moment, but we must also move away from the paper system and provide supports, possibly in the form of sub-offices, for those elderly people who may not be tech savvy. There needs to be a better system. I urge the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Government to look at those alternatives. We could also look at additional passport offices, including in the west, such as in Galway, for example, and in Northern Ireland. There are actions that can be taken to expedite the process and solve some of the delays we are having.

I agree with what Senator Kyne has said. Perhaps Passport Express should be renamed "Passport stopping at all stations".

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for mentioning the mass for the late Sir David Amess today, to which people of all faiths and none are welcome. It is no harm at this point to thank all those who made this possible, including the British ambassador, who will address the congregation after communion today, and the Australian ambassador, who I believe will be present as well.

The Leader will forgive me for not being here to hear her response because of arrangements I must make in respect of that ceremony, but I will be paying close attention to what she says. As I think everybody knows, an issue has arisen with commercial rates, stemming from a decision of the High Court last week. It deserves some focus and attention and, potentially, action from Government and the Oireachtas. As we know, registered charities are ordinarily exempt from paying rates, but last week the High Court ruled charities which include the advancement of religion as one of their charitable objects are not exempt from rates under the Valuation Act. This was in a case concerning Tearfund Ireland, a Christian group that does development work in impoverished parts of the Third World, which is a registered charity. The High Court found that because one of the objects of the organisation was the advancement of religion, a phrase well-known to people who know about charity law, it could not qualify as a charitable organisation under the 2001 Act and therefore was not eligible for a rates exemption.

It seems strange a registered charity doing work among the poor and the hungry anywhere in the world would not be considered a charitable organisation for the purposes of any legislation. I do not think that could have been the intention of the Oireachtas when it passed the Valuation Act. You could literally have two registered charities in adjacent premises, both dedicated to the cause of helping the homeless, with one being entirely secular and the other, because it has a religious ethos or affiliation, not being eligible under the valuation legislation.

If the two definitions of charitable organisation in the Valuation Act 2001 and the Charities Act 2009 are not properly or fully merged by section 3 of the Valuation Act 2001, as amended, then that means there are charitable organisations that are charitable by the law on charities but are not by the law on valuation. That contradiction cannot be let stand. It is not my job to blame either the original legislation or the courts that interpret it. There is a problem here that must be fixed. The purpose of section 2(a) of the Valuation (Amendment) Act 2015 was clearly to adopt for valuation purposes the definition of "charitable organisation" in section 2 of the Charities Act 2009. Thus, we have the faintly ludicrous, or maybe extremely ludicrous, position that the definition of "charitable purpose" is sufficient to secure exemptions from income tax, corporation tax, capital gains tax, deposit interest retention tax, capital acquisitions tax, dividend withholding tax and professional services withholding tax but insufficient to secure an exemption from the payment of rates. That cannot have been the intention of the legislator. I even wonder about the constitutionality of the exclusion of an organisation on the basis its charitable purpose was religion.

This is a matter for us as legislators to attend to and I hope it is something the Government can take an interest in. I would certainly like to be involved in the process of remedying this contradiction, which seems to have no just reason for its existence.

I join colleagues in thanking those who are making the arrangements for today's service for the late Sir David Amess. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend but I take this opportunity to put on record my sympathies to his family after the tragic and unbelievable events last week.

I also endorse the remarks of Senator Kyne on the Passport Office. Any opportunity we have to engage and convey our experience of what we are dealing with is a welcome one. It is to be hoped it will assist the valiant efforts of staff there. I do not diminish what the workers are doing in the office. I just think they need to be better supported to be able to do their job and expand upon the already impressive work they put in.

Áras Uí Chonghaile, the James Connolly visitor centre in west Belfast, is a fantastic tourism, community and educational facility. It seeks to tell the story of the life of James Connolly and of his family, to give people the opportunity to engage with his story and, indeed, with his politics, writings and philosophies. This weekend the centre will organise a sponsored walk to the historic Cave Hill, which overlooks Belfast and which was the inspiration for Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. It was known also as an historic meeting place for the Society of United Irishmen, where they could meet in secret above the city. The centre is doing a sponsored walk in solidarity with the Moore Street Preservation Trust to support the trust's plans for the regeneration, redevelopment and preservation of the Moore Street historic area. I know there was a Commencement matter on this during the week but I would welcome the opportunity to have an update on Moore Street from the Minister responsible so we can all engage on this important issue. I welcome and support that solidarity being expressed between both cities, going forward.

I also want to reflect on the launch yesterday by my party colleagues, Deputy First Minister, Michelle O'Neill MLA, and Caoimhe Archibald MLA, of our own tourism strategy which outlines our vision for connecting the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East. The Leader will know this is something I have raised before. As we emerge from the restrictions and seek to bolster a safe return of tourists and visitors to Ireland, it is a timely opportunity for the Minister responsible to address us about our international work in promoting Ireland as a tourism destination and how we can all engage to ensure that destination and those services are even better for the many visitors we hope will be able to safely come and see us.

I too extend my condolences to the Amess family and thank those involved in the service today. Unfortunately, I cannot be there myself but Senator Wall will be. It is important we in the Houses mark Sir David Amess's passing.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business such that No. 15 be taken before No. 1. No. 15 is First Stage of the Social Welfare (Surviving Cohabitant’s Pension) Bill 2021. It is incredible in 21st century Ireland that cohabiting couples are assessed jointly for housing purposes, jobseeker's benefit, care benefit, medical cards and accessing college grants as mature students, yet when a partner passes away, that couple is not recognised in the eyes of the law and the remaining partner does not qualify for either a widow or widower's pension. We believe that law needs to be changed urgently.

The issue I wish to raise is that we are seeing an increasingly difficult situation in children's hospitals at the moment because of the sharp rise in respiratory illnesses. Worryingly, we had reports this week of one paediatric ICU bed being available. We have heard also the stories of parents. Of course, only one parent is allowed in with the baby. They are having to hold their young child for up to nine hours with no access to buggies or to support other than from the staff. As anybody with young children knows, there is only a certain amount we can do to protect and prevent young children from acquiring viruses but what we can do is ensure speedy intervention when a temperature, a cough or whatever else arises. It is unacceptable we have a situation where some GPs are refusing to see babies until they have a negative Covid result.

While we can access Covid tests relatively speedily, of which I am well aware having had to do so a number of times over the past two weeks because there was Covid in my household, it can take between 25 to 29 hours, sometimes longer, to get the results. That might be fine for an older child or an adult, but for a small baby that is simply way too long. When infections get out of control, parents rightly become worried and they need to bring their babies to Temple Street hospital, Crumlin hospital or to any of the other paediatric wards throughout the country. While there is free GP care, attending an accident and emergency department without a doctor's letter costs €100, which is a significant cost.

I ask that the Leader would contact the Minister for Health with regard to the putting in place of a fast-track process for Covid tests for young babies because the current process is too lengthy. We also need direction from the Irish College of General Practitioners to the effect that all GPs should be triaging babies, at least, in the car park, when they present with potential infections.

Today, I would like to discuss the recent announcement on the easement of restrictions with particular reference to the music and entertainment industry and the confusion, uncertainty and anomalies delivered on Tuesday afternoon. On 31 August last, 22 October was hailed as the date for the full reopening of this sector. Since then, preparations have been under way, rehearsals have been taking place and tickets were sold in anticipation of a return to full capacity after 587 days of closure. Unfortunately, instead, we were delivered a plan of total confusion, contradiction and anomaly. This plan had the appearance of an unrehearsed or thought-out performance, one that seemed more like an improvisation than a carefully composed piece. The uncertainty and confusion is bewildering among industry professionals. Some parts of the industry are still not free from capacity restrictions, which means work is not guaranteed or viable. This uncertainty is accompanied by phased out pandemic unemployment payments for many in the sector who rely on the pub gigs to earn their living. Pub gigs are under restrictions, as is dancing. There is a considerable dancing culture in this country. Dancing is permitted in a nightclub and at a wedding. The confusion around Tuesday's announcement has led to absurd circumstances and the question whether people dancing is permitted at a dance. This is a genuine question. It is crazy. Tuesday's announcement is another example of how the music and entertainment industry has again been disregarded and given the 11th hour and 59th minute treatment throughout this pandemic.

In the budget, the independent sector was awarded €25 million, which is a 50% cut on the necessary support in budget 2021, yet the Arts Council budget at €130 million remained the same. A pilot basic income scheme was announced to support 2,000 artists with €325 per week and budgeted at €25 million when the actual cost is €33.8 million. Independent musicians and entertainers, who are traditionally not funded, work extremely hard to make a living at their art. They have to survive. They perform, write, teach, record, manage and organise. These people are my family members. They tour and do anything and everything to earn a living. When one or more achieves fame and success on the world stage, the powers that be are quick to acknowledge and associate themselves with them and praise them for their valued contribution to Irish culture, heritage and identity, yet in their 14,088 hours of need over the past 587 days, they have had to fight hard for recognition for understanding and support.

I would like to know from the Taoiseach how much consultation took place with stakeholders in the industry prior to Tuesday's announcement. I would also like to know what engagement the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media , Deputy Martin, and her Department had in the week prior to Tuesday's announcement with the industry stakeholders and other Departments such that she was able to relay the industry's concerns.

Ba mhaith liom cúpla rud a ardú. I share colleagues' frustrations around the delays in the Passport Office, but it is at least processing applications. I want to again raise the fact that the registration of foreign births is listed as paused due to Covid-19. While we are seeing a reopening of every other sector, the Department of Foreign Affairs continues this paused registration of foreign births.

That is a good point. Hear, hear.

When things were normal, this process took 12 to 18 months. Now, people have been waiting for well over two years. There has been no progress. Quite frankly, given that every other aspect of public life has opened, it makes no sense that the Department of Foreign Affairs continues to pause this service. I am raising the matter again in the hope the Leader will raise it with the Minister and the Department.

I welcome the appointment this week of Professor Philip Nolan, the former President of Maynooth University, as the incoming director general of Science Foundation Ireland. He has provided great leadership during this difficult period, This appointment presents an opportunity for us to separate the role of director general of Science Foundation Ireland and that of the chief scientific adviser. This is something many in the science and research community, including the Royal Irish Academy, have called for for some time. It is important that this is done. As I said, this appointment provides that opportunity. I intended to table a Commencement matter on this issue, but I ask that the Leader would raise it with the Minister.

Yesterday was the 14th anniversary of the murder of Paul Quinn, who was beaten to death in County Monaghan by a provisional IRA gang. His parents, Breege and Stephen, have long sought justice for their son, an innocent man. The Garda have said that they now have fresh information. Could we, through this House, appeal that anybody with information about this savage killing would come forward to give some level of peace to his family?