I joined the parents of babies born via surrogacy standing outside Leinster House this morning - as did other Members - in calling for the Government to progress the assisted human reproduction Bill, which people have been speaking about since 2015. There has been promise after promise but we have yet to see any progress. Of course, the issues are complex and there are no easy answers but we cannot allow a situation to continue where the mothers of these babies have no legal recognition in this country.

I again ask for a debate with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, on arts and culture and all that has happened and that needs to happen in that space. We have been asking for such a debate for a number of months. I do not know if the debate in question took place. If not, it needs to take place as soon as possible because there are serious issues with regard to the reopening of the night-time economy. There is massive frustration on the part of those who have been beating on the door in that regard for a long period regarding what needs to happen for a safe reopening. There is also frustration among many nightclub and late-night bar owners in respect of the shambles of the regulations that are currently in place

It is important to say that a meeting was organised by Theatre Forum Ireland in mid-October and that it was attended by more than 70 theatre workers from across the country - actors, actresses, theatre directors and producers. This happened on foot of very important research published by Theatre Forum Ireland in August about pay and conditions in the performing arts. The results of the survey to which that research relates were stark. The survey was conducted among more than 90 arts organisations, venues, production companies and festivals and 139 artists. As a result of that important research, we know that: 22 respondents said they earned less than the national minimum wage; the median income was about €21,000, which is just over half of average earnings in this country; and more than one third had to rely on work outside the sector in order to get by. When we talk about treasuring and supporting the arts, we need to talk about the participative arts and those who make the arts their livelihood. Many of those who go into the arts do not do so to make a fortune. If we are in a situation whereby people cannot afford to live in our cities and are being obliged to undervalue their own work in order to get other work and have to live precarious lives, we need to ask serious questions about how we support those working in the sector. To its credit, the Arts Council has its Paying the Artist policy, which was launched in February 2020, but we need to see much greater action and recognition by the Government and across the economy of the fact that we need to pay artists better. I would like to have a debate with the Minister on the matter.

I wish to call attention to the report on the Traveller community and homelessness that was finally released last week. The report makes for difficult reading. I wish I could say it comes as a surprise but we have seen too many reports like this before. My colleague in the Civil Engagement Group, Senator Flynn, has spoken passionately in this House about the unacceptable conditions our Traveller neighbours are still forced to live in. It is a deeply emotional subject for generations of Travellers who have lived in these conditions.

How many more reports will it take before we see effective, transparent and comprehensive Government action? Senator Flynn said that an advocacy paper was also released alongside the report, which she thinks highlights the severity of the situation. There are such aims as reducing Traveller accommodation deprivation by one third by 2030, cutting overcrowding by half by 2030, and assuring access to clean tap water for 95% of Travellers by 2030. Senator Flynn said the Government must act immediately, as the aspirations towards a delivery for 2030 are simply not enough. She said that after nearly another decade of hard work this should not be the best the Traveller community could expect.

Travellers continue to be terribly over-represented in our homeless population. The report notes - and we know this - that all homelessness has severe, negative consequences on physical and mental health and for children's education. The cost of these Government failures is measured in Traveller lives. The costs are the physical, mental, emotional and communal health of people that have been decimated over years. We cannot allow it to continue. Traveller children and families are worth exactly the same as all our family members. They must be valued in the same way. Would any Member here, who has a duty towards our collective society, honestly accept such a neglectful approach to the needs of their own family? We have a roadmap to address to this, if the political will is there. This report comes with very strong recommendations. These recommendations do not just outline what Travellers want, but they detail what Travellers need and deserve. This is not a Traveller issue, however. This is a societal issue and a collective call for a true, honest and transparent response. We have to learn from our mistakes, mistakes that generations of Travellers have had to pay for. We are talking about the most basic needs, such as access to clean water, heating, safe accommodation, access to potential private accommodation providers, and the elimination of overcrowding. Our aims, targets and timelines must be clear and it is on all of us to make this happen.