Barry Ward

14. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the recommendations of the Garda vetting review group; if the recommendations will be outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19943/26]

The Minister is aware that Garda vetting is a very important issue for voluntary organisations, schools and healthcare. It takes too long and seems to be quite cumbersome insofar as a person who moves position has to be revetted in a way that does not seem necessary. I am aware there is a Garda vetting review group. Has the Minister received its recommendations or report? Has he had a chance to r…

I am surprised the number is as low as that. I welcome the fact many of them are being dealt with in under ten days, but that does not accord with the anecdotal accounts being given to me. I do not know whether there is prioritisation within the system. There should be, because some of the applications are time sensitive. As regards the issues the Minister has raised, we can see in other jurisdict…

In respect of operability, renewals and things like that, the Minister mentioned the Garda having a difficulty with online signatures. We have to get over that. If we have a situation where this Government is proposing, for example, online age verification using certain existing ID systems, surely we can also do that for vetting. I recognise there is a problem with waiting for news to come back f…

I welcome this Bill and the implementation of the European Media Freedom Act into Irish law. It is hugely important. There are a few comments I want to make about the media landscape generally. Some people often give out about media in Ireland but, considering how functional our media are here compared with those in other jurisdictions around the world, even in the European Union, we are incredib…

Níl aon ghá dom a rá leis an Aire cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an t-ábhar seo, go mbeidh an teastas tiomána ar fáil do dhaoine ar fud na tíre, go háirithe i nGráinseach an Déin agus Dún Laoghaire, áit a bhfuil an liosta feithimh chomh fada. The importance of the availability of driving tests cannot be understated. The reality is that when the test is not available in a timely fashion, people are de…

Again, I acknowledge the work that has been done and the commitment the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, have shown to this and the progress that has been made. I also acknowledge what the Minister said, that it is cold comfort to the people waiting 21 weeks that the national average has come down to 11.5 weeks, but I welcome those changes. I also agree with his statement that I …

We can all agree the closure of a post office is a bad thing. I understand the need for consolidation and the business case for reducing the number of post offices because of the costs associated with each one but we have to recognise that each post office is more than just a monetary unit within An Post's business model. It is a community lifeline, it is a facility for the local community and it …

I move amendment No. 2: In page 8, line 17, to delete “A person shall not sell a single-use vape in the State.” and substitute the following: "A person shall not invite an offer to treat for, offer for sale, keep for sale or sell a single-use vape in the State.". Section 9 essentially creates a prohibition on the sale of single-use vapes. Section 9(1) provides that a person shall not sell a sin…

I accept entirely what the Minister of State said. There is a provision in relation to the definition of "sell". There are two problems with that. First, it is very much at variance with the terminology that is used in legislation that attempts to do similar things. Being health led does not prevent the Government from making provision in law for an offence that is actually applicable. That is the…

I had not realised that my amendment had been ruled out of order. I do not think I was notified of that fact. More importantly, as we came into the House today, copies of the Bill were not available to Members and neither were copies of the numbered list of amendments. It is very difficult to deal with legislation in here when I am trying to work off my phone. Looking at a PDF on my phone is very …

I had indicated my opposition to this section. I know we are flying through the legislation, but I wonder if I might just address that. Section 18 changes the provisions of the Petty Sessions (Ireland) Act 1851, which creates a six-month statute of limitations or a jurisdictional limit on the prosecution of matters. Where we are dealing here with minor offences. These are offences for the purpose…

I am not trying to make it easier for businesses that have broken the law. We are talking about the criminal justice system. There are certain principles that exist in that system to ensure that it is fair. We benefit from a system that is actually very fair, which is why we do not have mass certificates-----

I am outlining my opposition to section 18, which was skipped over. We do not have large numbers of certificates of unjust prosecutions or miscarriages of justice because we actually respect the rules. The Minister of State saying that it is a standard provision in other Acts does not answer the question. I do not accept that there is a reason why this is being done. It is not the case that everyt…

Ba mhaith liom tosú agus leanúint ar aghaidh le rud a dúirt an Teachta Ó Cearúil ansin faoin láidreacht a bhaineann leis an nGaeilge inniu. Is maith an rud é sin, ach bhí mé chun scéal gairid a insint faoi chara liom, Seán Ó Tuathail. Is múinteoir é agus mac leis an iarTheachta Breandán Ó Tuathail, a fuair bás cúpla seachtain ó shin. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. Bhí mé ar an tsráid ar an nguthán l…

198. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the position regarding the reopening of applications under the sports capital programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16470/26]

I want to ask the Tánaiste about the SNA circular and the recent bad handling by the Department of a reorganisation of SNAs. It has caused huge upset within and without this House. I pay tribute to Michelle Cotterell, who is the principal of Our Lady of Good Counsel Boys' National School in Johnstown in my constituency. Ms Cotterell was one of the leaders in highlighting this issue. One of the re…

I thank the Tánaiste. One word he used in his answer is really important, and that is "understanding". The circular needs to represent an understanding of what teachers face and what school communities face in terms of the additional assistance they need to put in place. I attended a meeting earlier this week with approximately 30 principals from my constituency. One of the comments at that meeti…

Most of the wastewater in south-east Dublin is collected at the West Pier pumping station and then pumped under the sea to Poolbeg for treatment. There is an attenuation tank at the West Pier to handle overflow because during high rainfall events, run-off means that there is more water there than can physically be pumped to the pumping station. The attenuation tank at the site is 70,000 cu. m, so …

I do not need to tell the Minister of State the upset this has caused. He will have heard it from his constituents, as well as Members of this House. I want to address the circular. It is deeply disrespectful the role SNAs play. It does not properly define the spectrum of issues they have to deal with. It does not address the various issues that prevent children in our schools from achieving their…

I welcome this apology. Our State was founded on very lofty principles. Many of them have been delivered but so many of them have not. During the last century, the State fell short in terms of delivering for it citizens. This is one example of that. I met these people in September outside the Dáil. I acknowledge the courage it took for them to take the steps they did, and I am glad that it has re…

149. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding any further initiatives proposed by his Department to increase the support for offshore wind infrastructure in coastal communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13792/26]

Bhí mé ag éisteacht leis an díospóireacht anseo agus an méid a bhí ráite maidir le fuinneamh gaoithe go háirithe. Wind energy as it applies to coastal communities, in particular, is such an important aspect of our drive to meet the targets that are so often spoken about, yet there is no operating offshore wind farm in this country. What are we going to put in place to support communities, particul…

I thank the Minister of State. I have no doubt about the value of offshore wind energy to local communities, particularly, where it is being landed onshore, and about the benefits it brings. I am aware of the community benefit funds, which the Minister of State mentioned. Two major projects are being run from Dún Laoghaire in my constituency, the Dublin Array and Ocean Winds projects. RWE is a par…

The Minister of State is absolutely right, and the value of the community benefit funds, in particular, is huge. We will not feel the effect of this until these things are up and running. Again, in relation to linking them into local communities and the people who are elected to represent those communities, he referred to the professional delivery of community benefit funds. Is there a role for lo…