{"head":{"counts":{"debateCount":3,"resultCount":3}},"results":[{"debateRecord":{"house":{"showAs":"34th D\u00e1il","committeeCode":"","houseCode":"dail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/house\/dail\/34","chamberType":"house","houseNo":"34"},"chamber":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/def\/house\/dail","showAs":"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann"},"lastUpdated":"2026-07-16T10:36:10+00:00","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/main","formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/mul@\/main.xml"},"pdf":null},"date":"2026-07-16","counts":{"contributorCount":3,"divisionCount":0,"debateSectionCount":4,"questionCount":3,"billCount":0},"debateType":"debate","debateSections":[{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/dbsect_2","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/dbsect_3","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Special Educational Needs","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/dbsect_2","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_3.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  I wish the staff and the Minister all the best for the summer. I know it will be a busy summer but I hope that everyone gets a break. I ask the Minister to state the number of children with additional needs who require but have yet to receive an offer of an appropriate school place for September 2026, based on her most recent meeting with the NCSE; the date of that meeting; and the measures she has taken to ensure that every child with additional needs has an appropriate school for September. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Education and Youth (Deputy Hildegarde Naughton)  I thank the Deputy for his comments and I too wish everyone well over the next couple of weeks.  An estimated 25% of students, or approximately 240,000 children and young people, have special educational needs. While the majority are supported successfully in mainstream settings by their class teacher, special education teachers, SET, and special needs assistants, SNA, as necessary, there remains an increasing need for special class and special school places for children with more complex needs.  The parents notify process has played a key role in forward planning, supporting the delivery of 584 new special classes, the establishment of four new special schools for the coming 2026-27 school year and expanded capacity in existing special schools. The National Council for Special Education has verified that some 7,860 children and young people who were notified to them by 1 October 2025 are eligible for a specialist place for the 2026-27 school year. The NCSE continues to work with families where children have come forward since then, to secure appropriate placements. NCSE data indicates there is sufficient overall capacity to meet identified demand. However, the Department recognises that places may not always arise in a preferred school or locality. The NCSE is actively engaging with these families to identify suitable placements. Approximately 7,000 of the 7,860 students have a diagnosis of autism and, given there are generally adequate places for students with other diagnoses, the focus is on new places for children with autism. NCSE data shows that approximately 75% of those who came forward by 1 October are already enrolled in school.  As in previous years, students without a school place are prioritised for access to specialist placements. My Department receives regular updates on placements and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, meets the NCSE every week. I have regular engagement with the NCSE and the Minister of State met its representatives as recently as yesterday to monitor progress. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  The Minister finished on the bit I am interested in and that I specifically asked about,. What was the latest weekly update? The information the Minister has just given me was previously provided to the House on 23 April. It is now 16 July. Does the Minister have any additional information to provide to the House as of this week? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Hildegarde Naughton  There is weekly engagement with the NCSE. Since January, 584 special classes have been sanctioned for the upcoming school year. That includes 68 inclusive classes. Of the 584 new special classes, 378 are being established in primary schools and 206 in post-primary schools. This brings the total number of special classes sanctioned to date to over 4,300. The NCSE continues to work with families and schools on this. As we know, there may be more children throughout the year who will need specialist placements. The NCSE is working proactively with them in relation to that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  Again, we have those figures from a briefing we had with the Department as recently as yesterday. It is all welcome progress but the question I am asking today is what is the unmet need as things stand? How many children do not have an offer of a school place? How many children have an offer of a school place but it will not be ready for September, in terms of advancing of works? It has been reported in the media this week that an extremely high number of children will not have a place for September. Many of them are taking legal cases. The Minister can confirm or deny that. I am providing her with the opportunity but she has not done it so far. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Hildegarde Naughton  A huge amount of work is being done on securing specialist places, be it in special classes or special schools. We are far ahead of where we were this time last year. We had a budget for 400 special classes. I got increased funding in March of this year. We are ahead in relation to forward planning. There are now 584 special classes allocated. This is far more than any previous years because of the parent notify system, on 1 October. I brought that forward again this year. This enabled the Department to forward plan even better for when I go into budget negotiations for September 2027. A huge amount of work is happening with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and me. There is sufficient overall capacity to meet identified demand. There is a pathway for children to receive a specialist place or supports within mainstream settings. As I have said, about 25% or approximately 240,000 children and young people have special educational needs and the majority of them are supported in mainstream settings but the focus and priority will be on children who do not have a place and are coming into the primary school system or moving from primary to post-primary, for example. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Special Educational Needs"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/dbsect_4","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Youth Work Supports","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/dbsect_2","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_4","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_4.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aidan Farrelly  I ask the Minister to provide the House with an update on the commitment with regards to Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Hildegarde Naughton  As Minister for Education and Youth I am committed to supporting the workforce in the youth sector to deliver high-quality youth work and non-formal developmental opportunities for young people. Action 7 in Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028, commits to developing a workforce development strategy in respect of the youth sector. This is to include consideration of training needs and the requirement for high-quality, accessible and inclusive youth work services and opportunities.  The Department has engaged extensively with youth workers and managers in youth organisations and is aware of the recruitment and retention challenges being experienced in the sector. This engagement included completion of a workforce survey and employer questionnaire. These were followed by 11 regional, in person and online consultations. The data captured from the consultation period will inform the development of the strategy. Important data from the consultation include: the high level of job satisfaction in the sector; learning and development opportunities; the challenging recruitment and retention environment; the varying youth worker pay scales; different contract types; and details on average and median youth worker pay. Profile data on youth workers was also captured, including their qualifications, length of employment, age range, gender and ethnicity. It is important to highlight that this is the first time this information has been sought and received from the youth work sector.  It is important to highlight that this is the first time this information has been sought and received from the youth work sector and that will establish critical baseline information for us for the development of the strategy. To support the development of the workforce development strategy, a workforce advisory group will be established. My Department is working in partnership with the National Youth Council of Ireland to agree the role of this group, including its membership. It is intended for the advisory group to have its first meeting in September. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aidan Farrelly  I thank the Minister. If she will indulge me, it is very rare I get the opportunity to speak about my life experience prior to being in here but I have been a youth worker for about 16 years or the guts of three D\u00e1il terms. The day before the general election I submitted my PhD thesis, which was on professional youth work. It asked youth workers many of the same questions that were asked afterwards by the Department. I will happily share the findings with the Minister.  Youth workers, in the main, are very satisfied but equally they are very concerned about what the future looks like because we are losing good youth worker after good youth worker to other sectors who can offer more. They can offer more in terms of pay and remuneration but also the burnout associated with the occupation is really difficult.  When the Minister says that advisory group is going to meet in September, who makes up the membership of that? The information the Minister's Department has collected is golden with regard to the sector. Will the Minister publish the findings of that survey? It would be really useful information. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Hildegarde Naughton  I thank Deputy Farrelly. I would be very happy to receive that information. It would help our data collection and make sure we are getting a really good picture of the youth work sector across the country. The work that has been under way within the Department is to try to get that profile, to really understand our youth work sector and to get feedback from them.  The first advisory group will have its first meeting in September and the terms of reference of that group will be finalised once the group is established. My Department is working in consultation with the National Youth Council of Ireland to agree the role of that group. The workforce survey data will be shared with the workforce advisory group in the first instance to inform its work in overseeing the development of the strategy. The workforce data will also accompany the strategy in the publication. So, it will be published.  While the subject of the pay and conditions of the sector has been raised through consultations, they will not directly form part of the strategy. As the Deputy knows, youth workers are not employed by my Department. They are not public servants and funding is allocated on the provision of service spaces to meet the needs of the youth population in an area. The employment of the staff, including youth workers, is a matter relevant for youth organisations and services. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aidan Farrelly  It is acceptable that data will be shared with the task force in September but I ask that it be shared more widely once the terms of reference have been agreed. It would be really useful for the academic sector and for those who are in the market of training and professionally qualifying youth workers in the field.  I have been around long enough to have seen youth work move from Department to Department. The only conclusion I can come to in terms of analysis is that the Minister has a real opportunity in her Department to map out what the future of youth work looks like, and not just for the young people. We are consistently talking about the issues facing young people and how youth work is often a response to those issues. Actually, youth work is an occupation and profession that is one of the best jobs to have but we need to make sure the landscape is there for budding youth workers to go through appropriate professional qualification programmes and that the job will fulfil them not just from a rewarding job perspective but also from a financial perspective and from the perspective of promotions and so on, right through their 20s, 30s and 40s.  I wish that group the best. I also wish the Minister's Department the best in its endeavours with that and I thank her again. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Hildegarde Naughton  It is very fitting that youth has moved into the Department of education. It is a good fit. I have met with many youth organisations across the country since I was appointed and they seem very happy with the formal education and the informal education. I have witnessed the huge expertise on the ground. This is the data we want to collect and there is a willingness there and an appetite for training as well. As the Deputy knows very well, it is so important we have the right skill set in our youth services across the country, dealing with children and young people and with trauma, and making sure we have the best, which we do, and that workers are accessing the training they require.  For example, in response to some of the calls from the sector, a bursary initiative was established in June to support eligible youth workers and youth work managers to undertake the three-year MA qualification in community and youth work, part-time, in-service programme in Maynooth University. Also, the workforce advisory group will regularly update the nation youth sector reference group, which is also currently being established. That group will include representatives from across the youth sector, including academics and youth representatives, and will support a balanced and transparent input from across the wider sector. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Youth Work Supports"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/dbsect_5","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"School Staff","counts":{"speechCount":3,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/dbsect_2","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_5","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-16\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_5.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Hildegarde Naughton  This Government is committed to improving staffing levels in primary schools and supporting the recruitment and retention of teachers. According to the latest published data from November 2025, there were more than 97% of allocated primary teaching posts filled. Teacher numbers at primary level have increased by almost 6,000 since 2019 and now stand at the highest level ever recorded at over 43,400.  The Government is investing a record \u20ac14.1 billion in education and schools through budget 2026. This record level of investment has enabled significant progress in tackling educational disadvantage and supporting children and young people with special educational needs to achieve their full potential. Funding has been provided for 860 additional special education teachers across special schools and mainstream settings, together with more than 1,700 additional special needs assistants.  Budget 2026 also includes an additional \u20ac48 million full-year investment across both the DEIS strategy and the DEIS plus scheme. That provides more teaching positions and more staffing and supports for schools as well. That DEIS programme will benefit approximately 30,000 children and young people attending DEIS plus schools as well as one in four children across schools in the DES programme.  Under the programme for Government, there is a commitment to reduce the general primary pupil-teacher ratio to 19:1 over the lifetime of the Government and to introduce targeted measures for schools with very large class sizes. This builds on substantial progress already made. The primary staffing schedule has improved from an average allocation ratio of 26:1, five years ago, to 23:1 for the current school year, which is the lowest ever at primary level. Average class sizes have fallen from 24.1 to 22.2 pupils, while the overall pupil-teacher ratio improved from 15:1 in 2019-2020 to 12.8:1 in 2023-2024, which is comparing favourably with the OECD average levels. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  I thank the Minster. She said from November that 97% of posts were filled. In real terms at the same time, 996 teaching posts were unfilled, which is almost 1,000. Figures as recent as last week tell us that over 39,000 primary school students were in classes of 30 pupils or more in the past school year. A figure of 36,805 were in classes of 30 to 34 pupils and 2,237 were in classes of between 35 and 39 pupils. That is simply incredible in 2026 in Ireland and it has a direct impact on the type of attention children can get in the classroom. It is as simple as that. It is also contributing to the burnout for teachers.  I did not hear the answer in her initial response and maybe the Minister will provide it in her next response. Is it her ambition to move on the pupil-teacher ratio in this budget cycle and will she provide for 1,000 primary school teachers? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Hildegarde Naughton  It is an absolute commitment in the programme for Government to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio over the lifetime of the Government. The Deputy will appreciate I cannot announce anything here in the D\u00e1il. I have to go into negotiations in relation to the upcoming budget.  In the past ten years there has been a five-point improvement to the primary staffing schedule. In 2015, teachers were allocated to primary schools at a general average of 28 pupils for every one teacher. This is now reduced to 23:1. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"School Staff"}]}}]},"contextDate":"2026-07-16"},{"debateRecord":{"house":{"showAs":"34th D\u00e1il","committeeCode":"","houseCode":"dail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/house\/dail\/34","chamberType":"house","houseNo":"34"},"chamber":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/def\/house\/dail","showAs":"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann"},"lastUpdated":"2026-07-16T08:51:49+00:00","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/main","formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/mul@\/main.xml"},"pdf":null},"date":"2026-07-15","counts":{"contributorCount":161,"divisionCount":4,"debateSectionCount":26,"questionCount":30,"billCount":9},"debateType":"debate","debateSections":[{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_2","debateType":"topical","bill":null,"showAs":"\u00c1bhair Shaincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Matters","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case:  Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss the bus service in Cork city.  Deputy Ryan O'Meara - To discuss the establishment of an SATU in the HSE Mid West region.  Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the need for the development of Bunclody Community College, County Wexford.  Deputy John Clendennen - To discuss the cumulative regulatory burden and rising cost of doing business.  Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss delays in payments to subcontractors by Uisce \u00c9ireann.  Deputy Paul Donnelly - To discuss the use of scramblers by those under 16 years of age.  Deputy Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in - To discuss the school bus transport system in Wicklow and Wexford.  Deputy Roderic O'Gorman - To discuss reform of the Taxsaver commuter ticket scheme to include shared mobility services.  Deputy Marie Sherlock - To discuss the use of periodic payment orders in the courts.  Deputy John Connolly - To discuss the provision of appropriate public housing for families that provide foster care.  Deputy Tom Brabazon - To discuss the proposed new Garda station at Northern Cross.  Deputy Rory Hearne - To discuss the cessation of the financial contribution scheme in Dublin North-West.  Deputy Pa Daly - To discuss measures to prevent the spread of harmful content on social media platforms.  Deputy Louis O'Hara - To discuss the need for a 24-hour rapid response vehicle at Tuam ambulance base.  Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss the Government response to the rejection of the workforce development plan proposals by SNAs.  Deputies Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire, S\u00e9amus McGrath and P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan - To discuss the State acquiring the Bessborough site in Cork city to provide a memorial.  Deputies Gary Gannon, Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa\u00b7 - To discuss issues being created in the courts system by the new legal aid model.  Deputies Ciar\u00e1n Ahern, Se\u00e1n Crowe, Paul Murphy, Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh and James Geoghegan - To discuss the feasibility of continuing MetroLink from the city to south-west Dublin.  Deputies Shane Moynihan and John Lahart - To discuss the urgent situation concerning a Tusla-funded service provider for children.  The matters raised by Deputies Thomas Gould, Roderic O'Gorman, Shane Moynihan and John Lahart, John Clendennen and Pa Daly have been selected for discussion. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"\u00c1bhair Shaincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Matters"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_3","debateType":"topical","bill":null,"showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_4","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Bus Services","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_4","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Gould  The bus service in Cork has been in crisis for a number of years. Buses do not turn up. Buses are late. There are ghost buses. There are buses that have \"out of service\" displayed on them as they drive past dozens of people waiting at bus stops for them. There is an app that does not work. People are looking at the app which says there is a bus due shortly and after a while the bus disappears from the app.  It is unbelievable that the crisis in the bus service in Cork is this bad and has been this bad for so long. I have been contacted by drivers who tell me the condition of the buses in Cork is so bad. There are numerous issues and there is a shortage of buses in Cork. One of the reasons there is a shortage of buses in Cork is that there was supposed to be a temporary depot in Tivoli. That is a year late. It is going to cost \u20ac18 million for a temporary depot and Cork will not get any buses until that is up and running. I have looked for commitments for the last two years to get that open and here we are looking at delay after delay.  This means there is gridlock in Cork at the moment. There is absolute gridlock in the city centre with people trying to get from one side of the city to the other. At Monday night's council meeting there was a discussion about a new traffic system in Cork to encourage people to walk, cycle and use the buses. How can people use the buses when we are short buses and they are not turning up? With this new system, because the bus service that was supposed to be in place is not in place, the gridlock is now worse.  It is unbelievable in this day and age that a city like Cork has been reduced to this because of a shortage of buses. In the middle of the crisis last week there was a big announcement to introduce 90-minute fares for Cork city. You might say to yourself that this is a bit of positive news. However, hidden inside that announcement was another announcement saying fares for adults would increase by 26%. Fares are to increase by up to 26%. For an adult in Cork who commutes, that is the equivalent of an extra \u20ac240 a year. The Government gave Cork 90-minute fares and at the same time gave us a 26% increase. How in the name of God with the cost-of-living crisis we have at the moment is that acceptable? I do not think it is. It happened in Dublin. I think most of them had no increase and some of the services had an extra five cent or a very small number.  This 26% increase has to be changed. The 90-minute fares have to stand but they have to stand at the original price. The thing about Cork is that most people do not use multiple trips. If someone pays a fare in the morning, they are going one way. They are going to work, school, college or the hospital. For the vast majority of passengers, the 90-minute fare is actually no saving but, rather, an extra cost.  The question I ask myself is whether these fare increases are to subsidise the poor decision-making of the NTA and the Government and to supplement Bus \u00c9ireann for the extra costs? I want to make it clear that this is not the drivers' fault. In fact, I do not believe it is Bus \u00c9ireann's fault, and it is not the passengers' fault. This is a result of Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael's decision to privatise the bus services and it is wrong. Bus services need to be public services. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (Deputy Niamh Smyth)  I thank Deputy Gould for his passionate presentation this morning about bus services in Cork. I am really disappointed to hear the technology is failing passengers and bus drivers, with apps not working. We are in a day of digitalisation and digital transformation and I am in disbelief about that. I will certainly see if there is anything from my end that we can do on that. The Deputy raised the condition of the buses along with a shortage of buses. That is very disappointing to hear too and is something I will raise with the Minister.  The Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, he is not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport, which cover a lot of the issues Deputy Gould has raised about digital transformation, conditions of buses and shortages of buses. I want to make that distinction.  The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators. It is clear this is an NTA responsibility. The NTA also has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers, which the Deputy alluded to, in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation contracts, including Cork bus services.  As Deputy Gould is aware, the NTA recently announced that from Monday 20 July passengers using Bus \u00c9ireann\u2019s Cork TFI city bus services will benefit from faster boarding times and a simplified 90-minute fare.  This means that, for the first time, passengers would be able to catch any bus in the city and transfer between buses in Cork city as often as they need within 90 minutes. To support the introduction of TFI 90, adult Leap card fares in Cork city will move to a single flat fare of \u20ac1.70. This replaces the current adult Leap fares of \u20ac1.35 to \u20ac1.55, creating a simpler fare structure while enabling unlimited transfers within 90 minutes. It means passengers can move between buses without being penalised for doing so. The main ethos of this is to keep fares reduced and as low as possible.  The introduction of new onboard ticket validators also means that passengers can simply tap their Leap card and go, reducing boarding times and keeping services moving. This improves the overall reliability and punctuality of Cork city bus services. That said, it is disappointing to hear the Deputy\u2019s presentation this morning, which speaks against all of the information the NTA is giving the Minister. As a result, passengers should enjoy greater flexibility, and they will also benefit from fare capping, which has not been previously available to passengers in Cork. This initiative is future-proofing the multimodular public transport offerings planned for the city of Cork over the next few years.  The Tivoli temporary bus depot, to which the Deputy referred, is being delivered by Bus \u00c9ireann using funding administered by the NTA. The Tivoli bus depot is a critical enabler of the BusConnects Cork programme as it allows for the expansion of the urban bus fleet servicing the Cork metropolitan area in the short term. The Minister has been advised that substantial completion of the Tivoli temporary depot has been achieved and that fit-out works are ongoing and due to be completed shortly. This will facilitate the additional bus fleet needed for Cork, including Cork city. Regarding the upgrading of fleet, the electric bus charging infrastructure framework has been completed, and contract signing is expected shortly. Once finalised, the framework will support the delivery of charging infrastructure at Capwell depot. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Gould  The Minister of State referred to the new 90-minute fares and the fact that people can tap on and tap off. I want to let her know that the fare is \u20ac1.90 but next week, it will be \u20ac2.40. That is a 26% increase in the fare. How can that be justified? The people of Cork are being forced to pay 26% extra for a service they cannot even depend on, a service that might not turn up or might be delayed. People are depending on the bus service in Cork but it is not reliable. Can the Minister of State imagine this? Drivers are telling me that brake warning light signals are coming on. They are driving buses that are old and decrepit in this day and age. Dublin, Limerick and Galway got new buses. Why did Cork not get new buses? At the same time, we are being asked to pay 26% extra.  The Government always blames everyone else. It blames the local authorities for the housing crisis. It blames Irish Water for the infrastructure. It blames the HSE for the health crisis. Now, it is blaming Bus \u00c9ireann for the bus crisis. The Government has to take responsibility. It is unbelievable that people cannot get to work, school or college on time and be able to depend on the bus service.  The Minister of State mentioned BusConnects. We supported BusConnects. We engaged with it, we put in submissions and we met those involved. Right now, BusConnects is dead in the water. As long as that is not up and running, we are in big trouble in Cork in terms of buses. Taylor Swift has a song, \u201cAnti-hero\u201d, which has the line, \u201cIt's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me\u201d. I think those in the Government need to say that to themselves. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  I am glad the Deputy presented different figures from those provided in the information from the NTA. I have taken note of that because the Deputy has presented different figures for the flat fee and the 26% increase. However, I have to be factual and say to him that there are State agencies in this country that have absolute responsibility. The NTA has responsibility for the regulation of fares. It is important to outline that in order to counteract some of what the Deputy is saying. That said, I have taken note of what he said.  It is important to note that the NTA continues to engage with Bus \u00c9ireann to finalise the depot layout required to accommodate 52 charge points at Capwell. I take the Deputy\u2019s point on the introduction of new buses in certain cities, but not in Cork, as well as his point about the conditions. The Deputy raised that very clearly here today and I have taken note of it. The infrastructure at the depot is due to be completed by quarter 4 of 2027 to support the electric bus roll-out for future network redesign launch dates.  The performance of all public transport operators is monitored by the NTA as part of the contractual arrangements in place between it and the operators. I understand the Minister for Transport and his officials continue to engage with the NTA on an ongoing basis in relation to maintaining high operational standards on all forms of public transport. That should also mean high standards and the good condition of buses that passengers have to use.  The individual operators are responsible for the management and operation of services on a day-to-day basis. In this case, Bus \u00c9ireann operates both PSO services funded by the State subvention and Expressway inter-city services, which operate on a commercial basis and do not receive any State subvention.  I can assure the Deputy the Department of Transport is committed to providing investment in our public transport network, which is clear to be seen across the country. The Minister is supportive of the Government\u2019s goals in relation to delivering an accessible, affordable and, most importantly, reliable public transport network throughout the country, including in Cork city. As I said earlier, I have taken notes of the issues that the Deputy has raised. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Bus Services"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_5","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Public Transport","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_5","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Roderic O'Gorman  I want to raise the issue of reforming the existing tax saver commuter ticket to include shared mobility services and to recognise new work patterns like working from home, as has been proposed by several service providers. As the Minister of State knows, shared mobility is shared bikes, e-bikes and e-car share services that people can rent when they need them. It complements rather than replaces existing public transport by providing flexible transport options that connect people to destinations that fixed public transport routes simply cannot reach. The first mile and last mile of any journey are as important as the middle. We know there are people who would like to get public transport to work but the time it takes them to get from their house to the bus stop or station at either end of the commute can act as a disincentive. For many commuters, shared mobility provides that vital last-mile connection between the bus stop or train station and their home or work. For others, it offers a full-on, sustainable alternative to owning a private car for journeys that would otherwise have to be made by car.  The potential is significant. Commercial bike sharing services last year delivered more than 600,000 journeys, while car sharing services facilitated over 500,000 journeys last year. These numbers are expected to grow substantially, with estimates suggesting that expanding car sharing alone could take demand for 300,000 private cars off our roads completely.  The national policy statement on shared mobility was published last year. It highlights the OECD findings that shared mobility has enormous potential to reduce carbon emissions and support more sustainable travel, an ambition that we all support. However, the potential will only be realised if the sector receives the policy support that it needs. There are businesses operating on low-margin, high-cost models. We have already seen providers like TIER & Dott withdraw bike sharing services from Irish towns and cities, including Limerick and Navan, while Driveyou exited the Dublin car share market. If we fail to act, we risk further market failure and losing services that are essential to a more sustainable transport network.  Last year, the national policy statement on shared mobility policy referenced the potential of introducing a shared mobility voucher but I understand the sector has recently been told that the option of a voucher is now off the table. If this is the case, there is another practical and achievable solution, and that is modernising the existing tax saver scheme. Quite simply, the existing tax saver model is no longer meeting the needs of today\u2019s commuters.  Participation has fallen dramatically. In 2019, there were about 60,000 users and that has fallen to 25,000 today. While initiatives like the 90-minute fare in Dublin have undoubtedly played a role, they do not fully explain this decline. The reality is that the tax saver model is built around an outdated model of commuting. It works best for people with fixed travel patterns and convenient access to traditional public transport, but we know that nowadays many workers split time between working from home and the workplace, and they rely on a combination of transport options to complete their journey. However, the tax saver scheme completely excludes shared bikes, car share services and other sustainable transport models, and it is not providing the incentive for a genuinely multi-modal travel model. It also remains very much focused on Dublin transport patterns.  If we are serious about encouraging sustainable travel, the tax saver scheme must evolve. It needs to become more flexible, more inclusive and more reflective of how people travel today. As a first step, I ask that the Minister for Finance directs officials in his Department to undertake a review of the tax saver scheme. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  I thank the Deputy for his heartfelt contribution. The proposal is to reform the tax saver commuter ticket scheme to include private shared mobility services. As somebody from a rural area where we totally rely on bus services, it sounds like a novel thing to have the shared mobility model of bikes, cars and all the rest. It is way beyond what we experience in more rural parts, but it is wonderful to hear about it from the Deputy.  The key objective is to ensure and encourage behavioural change in favour of the usage of shared mobility services and would support integrated transport services like bike, scooter and car-sharing through a virtual tax saver account model. The core objective is to encourage a shift in usage towards shared modes of transport in place of less efficient, congestion-inducing and carbon-intensive private car use, particularly for frequent journeys such as commuting. However, I take the Deputy\u2019s point that the existing architecture of the scheme is for reliable, constant and regular transport rather than the patterns that most people have, which are a bit more flexible, particularly with working from home.  As the Deputy is aware, commuting employees currently have access to reliefs from benefit-in-kind, BIK, in respect of sustainable transport, namely the cycle to work scheme under section 118(5G) Taxes Consolidation Act 1999 and the tax saver scheme under section 118(5A) of the same Act. The schemes have similar objectives - to reduce car dependency and to encourage the use of public transport and cycling as more sustainable forms of commuting.  What is being proposed is the introduction of a new scheme that would allow employees to choose to assign part of their salary to pay for shared mobility services. Specifically, the sacrificed pay could be transferred to a virtual card account operated by an approved third-party commercial provider. Under this proposal, the sacrificed pay would not be subject to PAYE, USC or PRSI, while employers would benefit from reductions in employer PRSI. The actual operation of the ticketing wallet would be appropriate to the Department of Transport but there may be limitations in terms of what the current ticketing system, primarily Leap, can support.  Subject to meeting the conditions of the scheme, there is currently no impediment to employers who wish to provide a voucher in respect of a shared mobility service to an employee under the small benefit exemption. The current threshold for this scheme is \u20ac1,500 per annum per employee. It is for each employer to decide whether to utilise this provision.  The existing schemes are implemented as tax-exempt benefit-in-kind in order to keep the implementation as simple as possible and to reduce the administrative burden on employers and employees. The schemes are designed to be as straightforward as possible to encourage uptake by employers. The proposed model is more complex than the existing scheme and is something that would require engagement with stakeholders, including employers, software providers and transport operators.  It is important to note that employers are not required to take part in the tax saver or bike-to-work schemes. Where an individual's employer does not participate in the schemes, any benefits that could arise under the relevant scheme will not be available to any employees of that employer. This means that an individual cannot avail of the scheme if their employer has chosen not to participate.  However, it should be noted that if an employer does choose to participate in the schemes, employer\u2019s PRSI is not payable on the cost of the relevant benefits when they make the associated deduction from their employees\u2019 salary payments. Thus, there is an incentive for employers to participate in these schemes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Roderic O'Gorman  I think we can all agree that commuting patterns have changed a lot since the Covid-19 pandemic and that idea of the rigid, five-day, ten-journey commute along the same route every day has disappeared for many workers. The tax saver scheme needs to change to reflect that new reality. Commuters want something that is more flexible, to reflect the fact that they are commuting in less regular patterns, but also to reflect the increased desire for multi-modal journeys. The idea of a flexible tax saver ticket that includes shared mobility is one that is worth exploring for these reasons.  In the context of the forthcoming budget, I ask that the Department of Finance seriously look at reviewing the scheme and design a pilot programme to see how this type of flexible ticket might work in practice. As the Minister of State discussed earlier, it could be achieved through a digital wallet that allows commuters to assign a certain portion of their gross pre-tax income each month, which they could then use to purchase passes for different transport services on a flexible basis, depending on what modalities they needed and what particular days they need it for.  It would require some additional digital infrastructure and planning, but it would achieve a lot of flexibility that the current system does not achieve. That is why I am proposing a pilot programme. I am not suggesting that we roll it out immediately, but a pilot programme would be the perfect way to explore how this might function and test the system before we undertake a full roll-out. I ask the Minister of State to bring this to the Department of Finance and her Government colleagues because we are losing people from the tax saver scheme at a dramatic rate and we have to do something dramatic to halt that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  I appreciate the sentiment of the Deputy's contribution and I do not disagree with any of it. Particularly when we look at digitalisation and the travel wallet, all of that should be considered. I will re-emphasise to the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Transport to perhaps look at this as a pilot programme.  In considering proposals in respect of all tax expenditures, the Government must be mindful of the public finances and the many demands on the Exchequer. Tax reliefs, no matter how worthwhile in themselves, lead to a narrowing of the tax base and a strong and convincing case for the benefits and outcomes needs to be articulated and due consideration given to the commitment of scarce taxpayer resources for such reliefs. To be fair, the Deputy made that argument strongly.  While the conditionality around the BIK exemption for the tax saver scheme falls under the T\u00e1naiste\u2019s remit as Minister for Finance, the scope and conditions of the travel passes on offer are a matter for the individual transport providers. As with all tax policy measures, the tax saver scheme is kept under review by Department of Finance officials. It is particularly important in considering proposals in respect of tax expenditures that the Government is mindful of the public finances and the many demands on the Exchequer. The expansion of any scheme creates a cost and that cost must be recovered elsewhere. At present, there are no specific plans to amend the tax legislation in respect of the tax saver scheme, which is considered to be operating well.  The Programme for Government: Securing Ireland's Future contains a commitment to, within the lifetime of this Government, conduct a review of the bike-to-work scheme to boost take-up among all workers. The Minister\u2019s Department has engaged with officials in the Department of Transport in recent months in relation to this review and the terms of reference remain under consideration.  I again thank the Deputy and will pass on his heartfelt sentiments to both Ministers in relation to a pilot programme for consideration. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Public Transport"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_6","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Early Childhood Care and Education","counts":{"speechCount":8,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_6","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Lahart","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Shane Moynihan  I am taking this Topical Issue with my colleague, Deputy Lahart, on behalf of the children and parents affected by Nexus preschool, which is a service provider based in Knocklyon, but which has centres and provision in communities across Dublin Mid-West and Dublin South-West. Nexus preschool provides specialist educational programmes for children with autism spectrum disorder, many of whom have been unable to secure appropriate school placements. In recent times, the service has been informed by Tusla that, as a registered early years service, it is not in a position to enrol children aged six years or older.  The issue is that the service provider has, in fact, supported children aged over six for the past number of years, with the knowledge of the local special educational needs organiser, SENO, in situations where there are not sufficient school places for those children. We are not talking about a scenario affecting only one or two children. Across the sites it operates, if Nexus is not allowed to proceed with registering these children for September, we could be looking at up to 60 children without appropriate support. This is a matter of distress to those children and their parents.  I understand that Tusla is acting in good faith with regard to the regulations in place for early years providers. However, a precedent seems to have been set in recent years whereby this service was allowed to continue to register children over six years of age. Will consideration be given to a ministerial exemption and-or constructive engagement with the provider to get things to where they need to be? We also need to look at the range of powers and options available to Tusla under the early years and childcare legislation and regulations as to what can be done to ensure compliance with those regulations. More fundamentally, we may need to look at revising the regulations, especially in the context of an issue often raised in this House, namely the lack of sufficient special education spaces, particularly for children with ASD. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Lahart","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John Lahart  Parents of children with special needs require certainty and predictability. Their lives and those of their children are challenging enough without having to endure distress and anxiety caused by uncertainty and unpredictability. The Minister of State appreciates that. As my colleague Deputy Moynihan said, parents are deeply concerned that Nexus in Knocklyon and other locations has been informed by Tusla that due to its registration as a part-time service provider, it cannot take children who will be aged six or older for the 2026-27 school year. Nexus has been warned it could face sanctions, fines or prosecutions if it continues to provide services for those children.  The families affected have argued that this decision could leave their vulnerable children without appropriate educational supports at a time of severe shortage of special school and special class placements. Deputy Moynihan and I had a meeting with the parents on Tuesday, where we heard at first hand about those anxieties. Parents are frustrated that they may be forced to choose between keeping their child at home, having to leave employment to provide care and placing their child in an unsuitable educational setting.  Deputy Moynihan has highlighted the crux of the issue. As the parents have pointed out, Nexus has already been supporting children aged six and over for many years. It has undergone inspections without this issue being highlighted heretofore. Families are seeking clarity as to why a difficulty has now arisen and what steps will be taken to ensure their children are not disadvantaged. Tusla must explain why the provision of this care was okay until now. Was there an incident? What changed? Transparency on the part of both Tusla and the provider is needed before we can move forward. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. It seems absolutely ludicrous that this service was being provided to children aged over six and that Tusla was happy to allow it to continue but that things have suddenly changed. Deputy Lahart is right that transparency for parents is incredibly important, as is having certainty and predictability in respect of the service into the future. In today's world, we cannot leave children in a vacuum at any age, and particularly when they have previously had a service available to them up to the age of six. That cannot be allowed to happen. I appeal to Tusla to provide that transparency, certainty and predictability to parents immediately. It is absolutely crazy that because of this, parents might either have to leave their job or find an alternative, possibly unregulated or unsuitable, education setting for their children.  Tigers Childcare and Nexus Preschool provide a full daycare service, as the Deputies alluded to, which opened in 2024. The service is registered to provide care and education to children between two and six years of age across two distinct services at the same address, both with their own staffing teams. The service was inspected on 4 March 2026. During that inspection, the service was found to be operating outside of its registered status in regard to two children over the age of six who were in attendance on the day of inspection.  Should the providers wish to lawfully provide services for children who do not have a school placement, they can consider seeking approval to become an education provider pursuant to section 14 of the Education (Welfare Act) 2000. The service providers could alternatively reach a private arrangement with the parents of the children to provide services in accordance with the home tuition scheme. However, this could only be operated separately and distinctly from the existing registered early years service. The question is how to accommodate 60 children, as Deputy Moynihan noted. The service providers were requested to revert to the terms of their registration status.  Under the early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme, the provision of an exemption to the upper age limit where a child has special or additional needs is made under review by the Department of children in conjunction with the Department of Education and Youth. It is a requirement that any request for an exemption to the upper age limit under the ECCE programme must include a letter from a medical specialist or therapist specifically recommending why an ECCE service would meet the child's specific needs in a more appropriate way than a primary school.  In deciding on applications for exemptions to the ECCE age limits, the Department of children is guided by a review of the exemption to the upper age limit process carried out by the National Disability Authority, NDA, for the Departments of children and education in 2018. In its published report, the NDA concluded that it is in the best interest of children with additional needs to transfer to primary school with their age cohort. All cases are examined on their own merits. While many children granted an ECCE overage exemption will reach the age of six years while in their final year in ECCE, overage exemptions are not granted to children who have already reached the age of six. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Shane Moynihan  I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive response. The providers in question have indicated that they are exploring the possibility of securing education provider status. I understand they have started those discussions. I fully acknowledge the parameters of the regulations, as set out in the response from the Department of children.  Like Deputy Lahart, what I am asking for is certainty. Paths forward have been identified. What is needed now is urgent engagement between Tusla, the Departments of children and education and the provider to ensure we do not have a situation where children who are particularly vulnerable, given the nature of their needs, have to be moved from an environment in which they are comfortable and where they know the people caring for them. In fairness, Nexus has made it very clear that where primary school places have become available at other sites across both constituencies, they have assisted with that transition. In this instance, they have been providing a safety net for these children to ensure they have care.  I fully appreciate the remit of the regulations but it seems from the Minister of State's response that there could be a path forward. I ask that there be urgent engagement on the matter. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Lahart","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John Lahart  Will the Minister of State clarify on whose behalf she is responding? Is it the Minister for children or the Minister for education? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Lahart","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John Lahart  One of the things that strikes me about the reply, which is not the Minister of State's responsibility, is its technical nature and the lack of child-focused orientation it displays. There is no comfort in it for parents as to what will be done for their children in six weeks' time. That is the real letdown.  I fully concur with Deputy Moynihan that there is an avenue available to move this situation forward. I am grateful for the Minister of State's indication in that regard. If there is a child-focused view and perspective, then the Departments of children and education will move Heaven and earth to ensure that Nexus is in a position to qualify and to jump through the hoops that are there.  I thank the Chair for allowing me a bit of latitude here. I am not saying Tusla is wrong in its position. Nexus may not have been upfront with us but we have no reason to believe that is the case. Tusla has not explained why it allowed this service to continue. According to the provider, there were inspections previously. Let us focus on the children. They need places and their parents need certainty for 1 September. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  I totally concur with the Deputies' appraisal of the response to the effect that there is an avenue open now for Tusla, the provider and the Department of education to sit down and find a pathway forward. There may be a narrow window, but anything can be done within six weeks. It would seem deeply unfair that, because there may be discrepancies related to two children, 60 children and their wider network of family, parents and friends would be impacted. To give to any family the traumatic news that perhaps within six weeks' time their child will not have a place seems deeply unfair. Therefore, I appeal to Tusla to sit down with the provider and the Department of education to find a pathway forward, take away the uncertainty and give predictability to parents as quickly as possible.  Once again, I thank both Deputies. I know that when you go to public meetings like those in question, there are tough stories from parents and you may feel a little inadequate sometimes in being able to deal with these things as quickly as possible. I am glad the Deputies used their time here today to make the presentation and to campaign for the parents. I will relay their very heartfelt sentiments to the Minister, Deputy Foley, this afternoon.  The Minister wishes to acknowledge the role of the Tusla's early years inspectorate, which is the statutory regulator of early years services in Ireland. Regulation includes registration, inspection and, where necessary, enforcement. Regulation is very important. It is the gold stamp of approval for any service. The question here is one of why now when the service has already been in place for what I imagine is many years. Tusla's early years inspectorate promotes and monitors the safety and quality of care and support of children in Tusla-registered early years services in accordance with the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016. The ECCE programme currently provides for exemptions to the upper age limit in certain circumstances, as I have outlined, to support children with additional needs. The provisions of the exemptions provide an opportunity to ensure that these arrangements continue to meet the needs of children and families while remaining consistent with the objectives of the ECCE programme.  I will relay to the Minister the Deputies' heartfelt remarks on behalf of these most vulnerable children and their families. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Early Childhood Care and Education"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_7","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Business Regulation","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_7","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Clendennen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Clendennen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John Clendennen  I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter on the cumulative regulatory burden and the rising cost of doing business. It is certainly not an abstract issue. As someone born and raised in a family business, I am acutely aware of the challenges that many businesses face. I am very conscious that the two Ministers of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Deputies Niamh Smyth and Alan Dillon, and the Minister, Deputy Burke, have very much taken a proactive approach in their Department, constructively leading to strong results by adopting a simpler, lighter and faster approach to enterprise and the sector.  We have seen nearly 15,000 new companies registered in the first half of 2026, a 13% increase on the same period last year. At that pace of increase in registration, we are going to see one of the strongest years ever in relation to company registrations. There is no doubt that Ireland is a great place to invest. We are seeing exceptional growth in artificial intelligence and digital technology, as well as pharmaceuticals and manufacturing. For many small and micro-businesses and family businesses, however, viability is becoming an increasing challenge. These are businesses that are the cornerstone of local communities, sponsoring local events, community groups and sports organisations. For many of them, it is now a question of survival. Since I entered this House, I have done a considerable amount of work trying to highlight that. I carried out a survey last year on foot of which 600 business owners highlighted the concerns they had around the future viability of their businesses. This has been built on by ISME, which found that 78% of respondents cited business costs as a big issue facing SMEs. That is also recognised by the Small Firms Association, which points to a 40% cumulative increase in costs over the past three years. My fear is that the burden of these costs is being placed on employers and is reducing the number of employees and employers, specifically small businesses. Not every business has the potential or wants to scale up.  We have made progress in relation to the likes of the 9% VAT rate. I have met many of these businesses over recent weeks, and they have basically said that this was the difference between being in profit and being in loss. It is Government recognition of the challenges and is very much welcomed, but we need to continue to address viability.  When we look at some of the reports from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, in recent weeks, in which it has stated that more businesses need to consider switching, we note that this comes down to a lack of time for many of them. They are spending more time behind a desk and less time at the counter, where they should be serving customers. There are growing regulatory complexities and burdens, demanding tax obligations, investment needed in energy efficiencies, insurance premium hikes, complex applications for Government supports, and unattainable legal and planning costs.  An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la announced this week that it will be up to a year before it has a decision on the water pipeline from the mid-west to Dublin. If that is what it takes for the largest infrastructure development the country has ever seen, at a cost of \u20ac5.9 billion, what encouragement does it give to a small business that wants to expand or introduce a storage facility? There is a real need for urgent action by the Government to engage with An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la to ensure this process is not delayed and that we see delivery from small business, societal and economic perspectives.  Overall, the SME test has been beneficial and productive, and we need to continue to do that. I ask that concrete steps be considered for budget 2027 that will see meaningful and impactful measures to ensure the survival of small and medium businesses, and to build on the work we have seen with the recently introduced 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector, provided for in budget 2026. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  I thank the Deputy, including for the energy he brings to the Oireachtas committee with responsibility for enterprise. He and his colleagues come from a genuine business background, so he is speaking from experience. That makes a huge difference at Oireachtas committees and in feeding into the work of the Department with me, the Minister, Deputy Burke, and the other Minister of State, Deputy Dillon. It is very helpful and very much appreciated. I thank the Deputy for the energy and experience he brings to his role.  I want to outline the Department's priorities for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, centred on building a more competitive, innovative and resilient European economy. The Deputy's question is particularly around the regulatory burden. We have to have the relevant conversation knowing that, in the background, the evidence is available from the Draghi and Letta reports that right across Europe, not just in Ireland, we may have lost sight of what is required a little by being so correct about how we do things. We have laid huge burdens on the SME sector in particular. As the Deputy rightly stated, SMEs do not have huge human resources departments. They are multitasking, as they have to, and they are very much the backbone of this country. In light of that, we are using our Presidency to ensure we are harnessing competitiveness, including by paring back on the regulatory and bureaucratic burden that has been on businesspeople in this country for a very long time.  A key cross-cutting priority will be reducing administrative burdens and improving the business environment and ecosystem. My Department will advance simplification measures to ensure EU rules are proportionate, effective and supportive of enterprise. When we say that, we are not saying that it somehow becomes the Wild West to do business. That is not it. It is about giving that gold stamp of approval to businesses, but also taking away the regulatory burden. \"Simplifying\" is probably a better word.  The Minister, Deputy Burke, is leading the way on all this and established the cost of business advisory forum in June 2025, delivering on a programme for Government commitment. Its purpose is to examine key cost drivers and assess the impact of the rising cost of regulatory pressures on businesses in Ireland. The forum's independent report and recommendations will be presented to the Government and published on 22 July. I thank that committee for its incredible work in respect of that forum. It has been very helpful to us in our Department. These recommendations will aim to help businesses remain competitive and resilient in an increasingly challenging economic environment.  The Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity was published by the Department in September 2025. It contains 85 actions. Actions are important. We need to consider these not just as recommendations but as actions that we can take as a Government to ensure our competitiveness and productivity performance. The aim behind one of the themes in the plan, \"Regulating for Growth and Controlling Costs\", is to ensure that the regulatory costs faced by Ireland's businesses are kept to a minimum. The action plan includes measures to support the development of a more effective regulatory system that seeks to support sustainable economic growth while controlling overall cost levels, because we know they have grown exponentially and, in some cases, have got out of control for people trying to stay in business.  One such measure is the introduction of the red tape challenge across government to significantly reduce regulation and administrative burden for SMEs, which is incredibly important. Work on the red tape challenge is under way, and progress will be closely monitored. Implementation of the action plan is at an advanced stage. Officials from my Department provided an update on progress at the Competitiveness Summit on 13 July. For priority actions, 65.4% have either been implemented or are on track, while 34.6% are partially implemented and considered in progress. I will let the Deputy come back in. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Clendennen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John Clendennen  I have a number of asks. First, we need to look at the effectiveness of the local enterprise office, LEO, reporting to the local authority and Enterprise Ireland. There is a question there of effectiveness. I would also like to see the local authority leading out on enterprise parks to give opportunities for businesses. I would like to see more competition in the banking sector and looking at new creative ways of accessing finances for small businesses. I would like to see the following approach. A good example is what the Vintners\u2019 Federation of Ireland, VFI, has proposed in relation to an on-trade keg of draft beer or cider sustainability scheme where there would be proportionate and focused support for small pubs, considering their vital role in local communities. They are no different from newsagents or hardware stores where they are providing not just employment and economic activity but they are social anchors in our community as well. This scheme proposing a tax credit of \u20ac20 on every 50-litre keg of draft beer would be a huge tangible benefit to our local communities. I ask for it to be considered in the 2027 budget. This will not just protect the heart and soul of our commercial trading but it will protect our social activity and jobs and will support businesses. We would continue to see that rural and regional development and activity and build on the work that has been done.  I do not want this to be seen as being critical of the Government. We are moving in the right direction. We are on the right trajectory in relation to trying to cut out that red tape to ensure there is a seamless way of going about business and that it is encouraged. Far too often, we see now where there are challenges around succession from one generation to the next in family businesses. We have to ask: why is that happening? We need to see a broader and greater appeal and ensure that we do not see lights go out. One in five pubs has closed over the past 20 years. We see similar trends in relation to shops like newsagents and others. There is a real opportunity now to build on the work of VAT 9 in the last budget and to ensure that we continue to support small business. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  I thank the Deputy very much for his presentation. It is very heartfelt but, equally important, it comes from his experience in both business and on the committee. I take his point on the effectiveness of LEOs. We can see some LEOs being hugely effective but maybe that is not the same across the country. We may need to do a mapping exercise to see the effectiveness of all our LEOs across the country. I concur with his presentation about the importance of our local authorities being able to develop enterprise parks. In my experience of the Cavan and Monaghan area, we have nowhere to develop. There may be no finance or no obvious channel of finance for the local authority to do it. Enterprise Ireland and IDA are incredibly agile and energetic Government agencies. At that local level, we find that many businesses are operating from a back shed, particularly in country parts, and along highways and byways. It is about providing the facilities, ecosystem and infrastructure. Our local authorities are very energised about doing that. We need to find ways of channelling that energy and to give them the finances and the infrastructure to do it. I concur with that. I am working with the Minister, Deputy Burke, to see what avenues and finance we can provide to our local authorities to achieve that.  The Deputy is right about access to finance. We hear all the time that the pillar banks are not always the easiest for the SME sector to do business with and are not always the great risk-takers that our SMEs have to be and need to be. That is what gives them the fire in their belly every day of the week to get up and run their businesses. We need to make finance more accessible to them.  Regarding the proposal the Deputy made for the publicans, I like his term \"social anchor\". I agree with that, particularly in country parts and in small towns and villages. In my town, we went from 46 pubs down to two or three that are in business today. In today's world, we do not need 46 pubs, however, those who remain and continue to invest in those pubs and that industry are incredibly important. They are a social anchor and should be supported as well. I have a very detailed reply to give the Deputy, and I will share that with him. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Business Regulation"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_8","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Social Media","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  I thank the Minister of State for coming in to deal with this issue when other colleagues were not available. She will be able to bring her experience of this area to this debate. I am slightly caught for time, so I will try to parse it a little bit. I wish to ask the Minister of State about the harmful content on social media platforms.  I read reports in the newspapers this morning, for example, about the death of Ann Widdecombe. British police are investigating some comments that have been made - it has been reported already - online celebrating her death. They were saying that it was good news and that they hoped it was extremely painful. That has already been widely reported.  Social media has many very positive aspects, such as giving people a voice and allowing people to communicate, including people of all ages. The Digital Services Act was introduced. It was to ensure a safe, predictable and trusted online environment and to prioritise greater activity and online safety. There is the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 to protect children and the public from harmful and illegal content. There is a danger. It is an offence if something can harm the physical, mental or moral development of children or if it is an incitement to hatred. In this State, we have a lot of the very large online platforms operating here.  I wish to express my sympathy to the family of the woman who was killed in Killarney. On her social media platform, on her Instagram account, there are over 2,000 comments. They are still available if you open your Instagram app this morning. Many of the comments are mocking the deceased woman. While we know violence against women is a crisis and femicide in Ireland is a crisis, it is overwhelmingly men who carry out these acts. These are men of all cultures, races and ethnicities. However, social media giants have a responsibility and are clearly not stepping up to the plate. They are not complying with their obligations. They are allowing comments. If they were said in Temple Bar on a Saturday night, the person would be arrested for at least a breach of the peace or threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace. Clearly, some of the comments that are being made - I do not want to list some of the comments - are mockery of a dead woman. It is allowed. It is online and in public. There seems to be no monitoring and regulation of these comments. Somebody even said that they hope these comments are not going to be deleted to suit one's ideology, which they misspelt. That is the kind of narrative that is going on. They are mocking her beliefs and her. It is similar to what is being investigated by the police in Britain. I ask the Government to take a stronger line with the platforms, or at least, contact them. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  I thank the Deputy very much for raising this important issue. I pay my respects and express my condolences to the family of Ann Widdecombe. It was a shocking and heinous crime that happened to her. It is the same thing for the lady in Killarney. However, the points the Deputy raised are so true and accurate. Social media platforms fuel this.  To allow comments like that to sit on the account of somebody who has lost their life in such tragic circumstances, with the further traumatic impact that has on her family, is just not acceptable. I really am of the view that the likes of The Irish Times or the Irish Independent would not be allowed to publish comments like that. They fuel that hate and allow it to continue and be exacerbated. To perpetuate that kind of vile commentary online is shocking.  I am going to take time after this debate to look at the Instagram account the Deputy raised today to see for myself. I do not disbelieve the Deputy. It upsets me so much to see that is allowed. Where is the monitoring of it? The Deputy and I both sat on the Oireachtas committee where we had companies in and were promised that social media platforms would not be the wild west any more. What the Deputy has presented today certainly does not concur with that sentiment.  I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of online safety. It is a priority for me and across the Government, particularly when it comes to the protection of children, women and young people. It is one of the key themes of Ireland's EU Presidency and it is an explicit whole-of-government priority in the national digital strategy, published in February of this year. We have a robust online safety framework in Ireland that should be respected and regarded. It comprises the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, the EU's Digital Services Act, and the terrorist content online regulation. Together, they place obligations on online platforms, including social media platforms, to put measures in place to prevent and limit the spread of illegal and harmful content on their services. Last July, the framework was enhanced when the online safety code came into full force. The code includes provisions designed to strengthen the protection of children online. For example, it obliges designated video-sharing platforms to implement measures to ensure that under-18s do not have access to adult-only material, such as pornography. To comply with that provision, platforms are required to use robust age assurance measures. As the Deputy knows, the Government is working with our European colleagues to come up with an age limit on access to social media platforms. I think that is a must. The Government is developing an age verification tool to support compliance with that obligation. It will only confirm to a platform whether a person is over or under 18. No other personal information is revealed to the platform, so it will meet high standards for protection of privacy. That tool will be offered as a service on the digital wallet, on a voluntary basis.  Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n, as Ireland's online safety and media regulator, plays an important and central role in supervising and enforcing the regulatory framework. I have worked particularly hard on the prohibited practices piece, which will come into effect on 2 August. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  We are running over time but I will make one more point. If, as it provides in the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, we are to protect children and adults from online conduct, how does it look as an example to younger people in particular when this content is still allowed to be there? That is the example that is being set for people who are starting off on their online journey. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  The Deputy is right - it should not be there. It only encourages more of it and sends the wrong message to young people. I would appeal to the social media companies, particularly in the case the Deputy has raised this morning, that it be removed immediately. I am going to go and look at the Instagram account he raised today. It is shocking. We have strong regulation in place and I would appeal to the social media companies to respect that and regard it.  We are establishing the national AI office, as the Deputy knows, and it is incredibly important that the regulations be adhered to in respect of the prohibited practices piece. The regulation is designed to ensure that illegal and harmful content - there is no question that it is harmful content - is more likely to be identified, removed and militated against. New rules to address the challenge of AI have been adopted recently and will come into force on 2 August. The Government favours this European-wide approach to the digital services, which will make it more straightforward for serve providers to comply and regulators to oversee. Digital services are provided across borders and our response should be the same. Along with supervising and enforcing regulation, raising awareness is another tool to combat harmful content online. Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n is working in this area.  I will take a moment to thank Hotline, which does incredible work in this area, and An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. I appeal to members of the public who find harmful content online to make a complaint to Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n, Hotline, An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and, more importantly of course, to the platforms themselves to remove the content immediately. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Social Media"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_9","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Teachtaireachta\u00ed \u00f3n Seanad - Messages from Seanad","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_9","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Seanad \u00c9ireann has passed the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026, without amendment.  Seanad \u00c9ireann has passed the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, without amendment. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Teachtaireachta\u00ed \u00f3n Seanad - Messages from Seanad"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_10","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Digital Divide and Back to School Costs: Motion [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":52,"speakerCount":36},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_10","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Wall","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"George Lawlor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donna McGettigan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Donnelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ann Graves","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ann-Graves.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ann-Graves.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gillian Toole","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann:  notes that:  \u2014 research by the Economic and Social Research Institute and the University of Limerick from a survey of more than 720 post-primary schools showed that more than three in ten mandated the purchase of digital devices, including 17 per cent of Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS), and that there is a risk of growing inequalities in the education system;  \u2014 the Barnardos Back to School 2025 survey showed the average cost of digital devices for second level schools has reached \u20ac430, up from \u20ac121 in 2022;  \u2014 since 2015 the Society of St Vincent de Paul has received nearly 3,000 requests for assistance with educational digital devices;  \u2014 savings to parents from the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme are now being undermined by requests for mandatory Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment that is more and more essential for schoolwork;  \u2014 the Grant Scheme for ICT Infrastructure 2026 for schools was cut by \u20ac15 million, to \u20ac35 million in 2025, remained at \u20ac35 million in 2026 and there is no dedicated funding for repair or maintenance; and  \u2014 manufacturers have warned that the shortage of memory chips will lead to significant price increases for laptops and tablets;  further notes on school costs that:  \u2014 The Zurich Cost of Education in Ireland 2026 survey, shows an annual cost to parents of \u20ac1,794 for primary school and \u20ac2,928 for secondary school, and that the number of parents taking out loans to help with costs doubled from 2025 to 2026;  \u2014 Budget 2026 discontinued the two double Child Benefit payments, removed energy credits, the \u20ac400 once-off Working Family Payment, and the once-off family support \u20ac100 lump sum per qualifying child;  \u2014 State Examination Fees have been reimposed on Junior and Leaving Certificate students;  \u2014 the School Transport Scheme fees have increased to \u20ac100 per child with the family cap increasing by \u20ac95 to \u20ac220, the fee for primary school children doubled from \u20ac50, and increased by a third, \u20ac25, for post-primary students;  \u2014 the increased cost of energy, insurance, waste and other essential services are not being met from the Capitation Grant, leaving schools reliant on voluntary donations;  \u2014 at least 47 schools have been referred to the Financial Support Services Unit of the Department of Education and Youth in the 2025\/2026 school year, due to rising costs, an increase of 38 per cent on last year;  \u2014 the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear allowance (BSCFA) has been extended to 2- and 3-year-olds, but the \u20ac100 cut in the rate in 2024 has never been restored, and the income thresholds remain very restrictive;  \u2014 parents are provided with no support for other substantial costs including mock exam and correction fees, school trips and tours, after-school and summer extracurricular activities and camps, and students in transition year have additional expenses above normal year-to-year costs; and  \u2014 the 2017 circular on affordable uniforms is not being enforced, with large numbers still using crested or branded uniforms rather than generic uniform items;  recalls that:  \u2014 the Minister for Education and Youth has written to all schools noting that they cannot make it mandatory for pupils to purchase laptops or tablets, but there is no enforcement of this guidance;  \u2014 there is still no ban on voluntary contributions forcing parents to have to fund essential school activities; and  \u2014 the introduction of new curriculums for Leaving Certificate subjects has imposed further extra costs on post-primary schools; and  calls on the Government to:  \u2014 address the growing inequality from the digital divide and ensure all children have access to digital technology in school at no additional cost to parents;  \u2014 introduce enforceable guidelines for schools on the requirement for laptops and tablets in schoolwork that protects families from the costs of having to buy digital equipment;  \u2014 restore the school Grant Scheme for ICT Infrastructure 2026 to at least \u20ac50 million, and ensure there is a separate stream of funding for the maintenance and repair of equipment;  \u2014 ensure students have access to a national loan scheme when laptops or tablets are required for school project work;  \u2014 remove State Examination Fees, and reverse the increases to the School Transport Scheme fees;  \u2014 restore the \u20ac100 cut to the BSCFA and expand income thresholds to increase eligibility and ensure more working families qualify;  \u2014 ban voluntary contributions and ensure that school capitation rates are increased in Budget 2027 to meet the actual costs of running a school; and  \u2014 mandate schools to use non-branded uniform clothing and ensure that parents have a choice of supplier to ensure competition on costs.  Parents across Ireland are sitting at kitchen tables trying to work out how they are going to pay for another school year. For far too many families, the excitement of a child returning to school has been replaced by financial anxiety. Increasingly, parents are being forced into debt simply to educate their children. In one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, that should shame every single one of us. Education is supposed to be the great equaliser. It should be the pathway that allows every child to achieve their potential, regardless of where they come from or what their parents earn. That has always been a core Labour Party belief. It was the principle that guided Niamh Bhreathnach when she transformed education in this country. She understood that Government should remove barriers to education, not create new ones. The barriers facing families today may be different but the principle has not changed. The Labour Party believes opportunity should be determined by talent, effort and ambition, not by the balance in a parent's bank account.  Technology has transformed education for the better and it is now an essential part of modern schooling. If digital learning is essential, then access to digital technology must also be essential. It cannot depend on whether a family can find another \u20ac430 at the end of August. Equality of opportunity means very little if opportunity comes with a price tag that thousands simply cannot afford. The Government cannot claim it did not know this was happening. It has had the research from the ESRI and the University of Limerick. It has heard the warnings from Barnardos and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. It has heard from principals, teachers and parents, yet the response has simply not matched the scale of the problem. The research tells us that almost three in every ten secondary schools now require students to purchase digital devices. Even more worrying, almost one in five DEIS schools has introduced these requirements. The very schools established to reduce educational disadvantage are now asking some of the most financially stretched families in Ireland to spend hundreds of euro on technology simply so that their children can participate fully in school. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has received 3,000 requests for assistance with educational digital devices. Those are not just figures in a report. They represent parents taking out loans, relying on credit cards and sacrificing their own needs or the needs of other children because they refuse to let their children fall behind.  As a former teacher, I know that teachers learn quickly. We see the child who quietly falls behind because they do not have the same resources as everyone else. We see parents apologising because they simply cannot afford another payment. Teachers will always do everything they can to support those students, but teachers should not ever be expected to compensate for Government failures. This is no longer simply a digital divide. It has become an education divide. A child without access to the technology required by their school is not simply missing out on a laptop but on opportunities. If access to learning depends on family income, then we are failing in our duty to provide equality of opportunity.  The Labour Party welcomed the free books scheme because it genuinely helped many families but let us not pretend free books make education free. Free books do not pay for the hidden costs. Families do not experience Government decisions one at a time; they experience them all together. Government sees separate policies where parents see one enormous bill.  The Minister has written to schools stating laptops and tablets cannot be made mandatory; however, parents, teachers and children know the reality. If a child cannot complete assignments or fully participate in class without a device, then that device has become mandatory in everything but name. We need to stop pretending otherwise and introduce enforceable protections for families. As schools become more dependent on technology than ever before, the Government has cut the ICT grant by almost \u20ac15 million. That grant stands at just \u20ac35 million with no dedicated funding for repairs or maintenance. Schools are expected to deliver 21st century education with 20th century resources. The Government is not reducing the cost of education; it is simply moving the bill from the Department of education to the kitchen table.  The pressure on families does not end there. Parents have seen school transport charges increase and State examination fees return. Schools continue to rely on so-called volunteer contributions because capitation has failed to keep pace with the real cost of running a school. At least 47 schools have been referred to the financial support services unit in the Department in the academic year 2026 because they cannot make ends meet. That is not a failure of principals or teachers; it is the consequence of political choices.  The Labour Party believes there is a better way. We call for enforceable national guidelines on digital devices, the restoration of the ICT grant to at least \u20ac50 million, a national loan scheme so every child can access a device where required, the reversal of increased transport and examination fees, the restoration of the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance, proper capitation funding and genuine choice for parents when buying school uniforms.  This debate comes down to one simple question: do we want an education system where every child has the same opportunity to succeed or do we want opportunity to increasingly depend on what their parents can afford? The Labour Party has made its choice. Poverty should never determine potential. Education should be the ladder that lifts children out of disadvantage, not another bill that pushes families further into it. Education should open doors; it should never open overdrafts. I commend the motion to the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Wall","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Wall  I thank my Labour Party colleague, Deputy Kenny, for tabling this important motion which highlights a massive issue for many families across the country. The cost of education report by Zurich shows the annual cost of sending a child to primary school is \u20ac1,794. Sending a child to secondary school is even more expensive at \u20ac2,928. This means parents could be paying anything up to \u20ac32,000 just to put their child through what is supposed to be free education.  The Labour Party is clear that free education means free. It does not mean voluntary contributions, State examination fees or \u20ac700-plus on laptops or tablets. Uniform costs are putting financial pressure on working families who, in most cases, do not qualify for the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. Parents contacting my office tell me they are forced to go to one supplier due to the requirement for school branding. These parents pay over \u20ac160 on uniforms and over \u20ac100 on shoes for secondary school students, according to a recent report by the Irish League of Credit Unions. It is a lot for parents who are struggling with the cost of living. Government needs to intervene and mandate schools to introduce non-branded uniform clothing so parents can shop around for the most affordable prices.  I previously raised the ongoing issue of digital devices for students in this Chamber. This continues to be a source of concern for many working families and there is no clarity on whether these devices are mandatory. I have received three responses from the Minister's Department which state there is no requirement for digital devices in junior or senior cycle. The Minister has stated this in the replies and confirmed it to schools as well, yet principals and teachers have highlighted to me that the curriculum mandates digital devices for additional assessment components, AACs. I raised this in a parliamentary question to which the Minister replied, \"There is no requirement currently under the new subject specifications for students to have their own laptops or devices; or devices of a particular type.\" This is extremely confusing for many school communities and parents who are having to bear the costs of these devices. Working families coming into my office are being told they must pay \u20ac700 or more for these devices and that they can only be bought from a particular supplier. People from all over the country tell me there is no free education in Ireland any more. One dad told me he had to buy three laptops, one for each of his three children. That will cost him over \u20ac2,000 - a cost the Minister's Department is saying he does not need to incur. That is before uniform costs and voluntary contributions are factored in. A family in County Meath tell me they are paying \u20ac600 while another in Cork tell me they are paying the same. Parents are paying up to \u20ac1,000 for laptops. Members can imagine the pressure that is putting on families. Some have to pay insurance on top of this, which is adding another \u20ac100 to the cost. Families in Kildare, Meath, Cork, Dublin, Wicklow, Waterford, Longford, Tipperary and throughout the country are contacting me and other Labour Party members saying they do not know how they will afford these costs.  The cost of education keeps increasing year on year. Government was rightly praised for introducing the free books scheme but parents tell me that what the scheme gives on one hand is being taken away by the cost of laptops on the other. It is time for the Minister and her Department to provide clarity to school communities and parents by making a statement to the D\u00e1il on this matter. We cannot let parents spend the summer months worrying about this.  Every year, Bus \u00c9ireann and the Department of education places enormous pressure on those applying for school transport, which is another cost. This is a massive issue for many parents in my constituency of Kildare South who are fighting every year for a place for their child. Even if they are lucky enough to get a place, these families could face paying up to \u20ac200 for primary school transport and \u20ac220 for secondary school transport. In a cost-of-living crisis, this is an attack on working families who are doing their best to get their children to school and to get to work on time.  When we factor in voluntary contributions, digital devices, uniforms, State examination fees, mock examination fees, school transport fees and more, we no longer have free education. We no longer have equal starts for each of our children. The Government needs to deliver on the State's promise of free education. We ask it to listen to the Labour Party, to parents and to school communities, and to show up for workers. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  If we truly live in a Republic, we need to deal with the myth of free education. I have two children going to secondary school: one in TY and the other doing the junior cert. I have been through a lot of the cycle. My wife and I can afford the costs imposed but, over the summer, numerous families will be coming to my clinics saying they cannot afford what is ahead of them. In a Republic and a wealthy country like ours, we need to call out this myth.  I acknowledge the advances made on schoolbooks but when we talk about the cost of laptops and iPads, there is no point in telling parents about the circular and the Minister saying they are not mandatory. There is not a single parent who does not want to do the best for their children. If a certain percentage of students in the school have these devices, instead of saying they are not mandatory, we should ensure everybody is on a level playing field as we head into the 2026-2027 school year. That is the way we should be looking at it. In many schools, there is a digital divide, which is completely and utterly unacceptable.  Many people come to me about the ongoing costs they are facing. One woman told me her daughter is going into TY and the cost the family is budgeting for is well over \u20ac1,000. They considered not letting her do TY - letting her instead advance straight into fifth year - because they would not be able to afford it.  That is not a choice any family should be having to make. There are the issues of transport fees, stationery fees, the ridiculous voluntary contributions, transition year, branded school uniforms and \u20ac300 for a PE uniform, which is insane. My colleague, Deputy Eoghan Kenny, whom I want to commend, has outlined what we need to do to deal with these issues, namely, capitation grants, ICT grants, back to school allowances and all of that.  I ask the Minister to please listen to the Labour Party. Our party truly believes that, when we in a republic say that we have free education, it should really mean free education. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert O'Donoghue  This motion could not have come at a better time. Last week, a constituent was on to me. She told me that her child had finished school on Tuesday, 30 June and the next day the first payment request from the school had landed in her inbox. That is not the end of it. Between now and August, parents will receive email after email or app notification after app notification reminding them to pay. Sometimes, these reminders come twice a week. Then, throughout the school year, every time the parents open the school app, there is a request for more money. This is not the fault of schools, which are trying to operate with inadequate funding. The families are being asked to bridge the gap and the costs just keep mounting. It is the airtex tops, the school trousers, the crested uniforms and the voluntary contributions that we know are not voluntary. Then comes secondary school and the bills get even bigger. Parents are expected to buy Chromebooks, laptops and iPads, often designated through one supplier at inflated prices. One constituent mentioned to me that she had just paid \u20ac980 for her daughter who was starting secondary in September. The device cost hundreds more than it would have in Power City. Then she has to buy Microsoft Office, again, even though she already owns it. I do not understand why the Department has not established an IT service for schools. These devices are now mandatory, more or less, yet parents are carrying the full burden.  It feels like the company Wriggle has an exclusive arrangement and no real competition. This is not an isolated incident. I hear it repeatedly from parents across my constituency. On top of that, the Government has brought back State examination fees. School transport charges have doubled, particularly for people going from zone 1 to zone 2, for kids in Rush and Lusk accessing the Loreto Secondary School in Balbriggan. For families in Dublin Fingal West, particularly Ballyboughal, the situation is worse. The school bus service that goes from Ballyboughal to Lusk Community College forces parents to drive their kids to the outskirts of the town, absorbing fuel costs. That bus needs to go through the village so that students can walk to the bus. That should be looked at in the coming year.  The message parents are getting is simple: at every stage of their children's education, they are met with another bill. Education is supposed to be free but for too many families it no longer feels that way. The cost of sending a child to school has become one of the biggest financial pressures for working families. Parents are doing everything they can but they cannot keep being treated as the Department of education's funding model. It is time for the Government to recognise the reality families are living with and take meaningful action to reduce the cost of education, instead of shifting more and more of the burden onto parents. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  We all know that school costs continue to weigh heavily on families. I commend my Labour colleague, Deputy Eoghan Kenny, for proposing this important motion at this time. We are all hearing it from people in our constituencies. I hear it weekly from residents of Dublin Bay South. Desperate parents are telling me what they have to sacrifice to ensure that their children can feel normal at school. People are utterly squeezed by the education policies of the Government and, indeed, the schools. It causes immense distress to parents, principals and teachers but most of all, it is impacting on children in Dublin Bay South and every other constituency. Children are going without essential educational equipment or are suffering the trauma of seeing their parents grappling with financial pressures, taking out loans to pay off loans and going without basic essentials just to fund an education that, as my colleagues have said, is free in name only.  This week, research from the Irish League of Credit Unions shows that more than one in four families are getting into debt over school costs. Nearly 60% of parents say that back to school costs are a financial burden. It is no wonder. The average so-called voluntary contribution in primary schools is close to \u20ac100 per child and \u20ac150 in secondary schools.  I know that the Government will say what it has done to ease the pressures on families. I anticipate that is what the Minister will be saying. We acknowledge progress on hot school meals and schoolbooks. These are policies that Labour has been pushing for years. However, half of the respondents to the credit union survey say that their costs have gone up since last year. The trend is going in the wrong direction. Education is becoming less accessible due to costs, when education in a republic must be a right and not a privilege.  Deputy Kenny rightly focused on the digital divide in his motion. We know that the Minister has written to schools to offer guidance. I am looking at the letter. It clarifies that there is no requirement for students to have their own laptop or device for the junior or senior cycles. That is welcome. However, the Minister then says she appreciates that decisions on the use of digital devices rests with the board of management of each school. This is despite the fact that she acknowledges, in some cases, that families have been directed by schools towards commercial credit arrangements to meet the cost of buying a digital device for their children. As others have said, no parent wants their child to be without a digital device when others in the class have them. This is mere guidance; it does not really offer much support to parents. We have learned that three in ten schools are still requiring that parents cough up the expense. In a cost-of-living crisis, parents need the Minister of State to have their backs and to support them, as our motion asks, by restoring grants, reducing fees and enforcing what is now only guidance and is being ignored by many schools that are still requiring parents to purchase digital devices.  The schools need to be supported, too. Labour has been to the fore in looking for adequate supports for schools. Principals tell us that they feel they have no choice but to levy parents because the public funding they receive is just not enough to provide the supports they need to ensure that children will be taught the digital skills that will help them access decent jobs. High-quality education costs money and the Labour Party believes that the Government need to do more to ensure resourcing in education. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Education and Youth (Deputy Hildegarde Naughton)  I welcome the opportunity to respond to this motion. I recognise and share the genuine concern felt by many families at the beginning of the new school year, which can bring real and often significant financial pressure. I have listened to parents who have described the financial pressures they face when a number of education-related costs arise at the same time. That is why the Government has made affordability a central focus of education policy.  The concerns reflected in this motion are ones that I have heard directly from parents and it is important that we continue to help families to meet these costs in a practical, evidence-based and sustainable way. While digital technology can greatly enhance teaching and learning, no family should be placed under financial strain because of an expectation that they purchase a device. As our schools continue to embrace the opportunities of digital learning, we must ensure that access to technology remains fair and inclusive for all families.  I am very conscious that parents can feel under pressure when some schools seek the use of digital devices for learning. That is why, on 25 May, I wrote directly to all schools and made it very clear that there was no requirement for students to have their own personal devices for school. I encouraged schools to consider how existing ICT supports and funding could be used to meet students' needs before any expectation was placed on parents to purchase devices. I asked schools to carefully consider the financial impact of any digital device arrangements on families. In particular, I asked schools to engage with all parents and not just their parents' associations before making a decision on the use of digital devices. I also asked schools to ensure that no student was disadvantaged because of their circumstances.  While digital technologies can support teaching, learning and assessment, the way in which they are used should be guided by the educational needs of each school. That is reflected in the requirement for every school to have a digital learning plan that sets out a clear vision for digital learning. We know from the research commissioned by the Department and published by the OECD in 2025 that access to digital technologies alone does not guarantee improved learning outcomes. Rather, their effective use depends on deliberate, pedagogically informed decisions about how and when technology is used to support specific learning objectives.  This emphasises the importance of schools taking a planned and evidence-based approach to the use of digital technologies. To support this, the Department issued guidance to schools last May on the use of digital devices and the cost considerations for students and parents. The guidance asked schools to place affordability, equity and value for money at the centre of their decision-making and before introducing any expectation that families purchase devices to consider whether students' needs can be met through shared devices or school-managed loan schemes funded through the existing ICT supports.  I am aware that Deputies have called for further measures. I share the fundamental objective behind those calls and I strongly believe that no child should be placed at a disadvantage in his or her education because he or she does not have access to a digital device. At the same time, we must recognise the way our school system operates. Under the Education Act 1998, schools and boards of management have responsibility for decisions at local level while operating within national policy. That balance is important. It allows schools to respond to their own circumstances, their own students and their own educational priorities, but it also means that decisions about digital devices should be grounded in pedagogy, informed by engagement with parents and students and mindful of affordability for families.  That is why the Government has taken a balanced approach that involves clear guidance, significant investment in school ICT infrastructure and flexibility for schools to respond to the needs of their own communities. My objective is straightforward - every student should have access to the benefits of digital learning regardless of his or her family's financial circumstances. Technology should support better educational outcomes and greater opportunities for learners while remaining accessible, affordable and inclusive for all. While digital devices are a particular and growing concern, I fully recognise that the cost pressures on families go much wider. Deputies have also raised issues relating to school uniforms, transport fees, voluntary contributions, capitation funding and the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance.  I will turn first to school uniforms because this is an area where practical measures can make a meaningful difference for families. School uniform policy has traditionally been a matter for each school\u2019s board of management, reflecting local needs and traditions. However, Circular 32\/2017 makes clear that schools should take practical steps to reduce costs for families, including using generic items where possible, avoiding unnecessary exclusive supplier arrangements, using sew-on or iron-on crests and consulting with parents. We recognise that more can be done. That is why a working group, including the National Parents Council and education partners, is reviewing the circular to strengthen and update the guidance. We are also commencing work to promote uniform swap shops across primary schools, helping families save money while supporting sustainability.  Since September 2025, all students in the free education scheme, almost one million children and young people, have benefited from free school books and core classroom resources. This represents an investment of \u20ac160 million and the full delivery of the programme for Government commitment to provide free school books for every child.  We are also maintaining our commitment to affordable, accessible school transport. The school transport scheme, which Bus \u00c9ireann operates on behalf of my Department, has expanded significantly in recent years. Since 2018, the number of children and young people using the service had grown from 117,800 pupils in 2018 to over 180,000 pupils in 2025, which equates to an increase of close to 54%. It is worth highlighting that for the coming school year, a primary school ticket will cost 55 cent per school day, a post-primary ticket will cost approximately 60 cent per school day, and the maximum daily cost to a family will be no more than \u20ac1.32, regardless of the number of children per family who use the service.  To help cover the cost of clothing, as of this month, the Department of Social Protection issued back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance payments totalling \u20ac47.8 million to over 123,000 families in respect of over 229,000 children. The scheme has been extended this year to include children aged two and three and now covers eligible children between the ages of two and 17, and 18 and 22 if returning to second-level education.  A central tenet of our education policy is that schools need to always engage openly with parents and students - to listen as well as to inform them. That is the principle at the heart of the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill, which is progressing through the Oireachtas and is expected to go to Committee Stage before the end of this year. When enacted, this legislation will require every school to consult with parents and students on key policies and activities. It will set clear expectations for communication, transparency and respect between schools, parents and students.  We have also taken major steps to support schools with their running costs. In budget 2026, my Department secured \u20ac39 million to increase capitation funding, giving schools greater flexibility to cover running costs. This includes an increase of \u20ac50 per pupil in primary schools, \u20ac20 per student in post-primary schools and additional support for DEIS and special schools. Over the past three budgets, capitation funding has increased by nearly 50% at primary level and 28.5 % at post-primary level, which is a very substantial uplift.  I again thank all the Deputies for bringing this motion forward. The concerns raised today are real and reflect the pressures that many families experience at the start of the school year and they are concerns I also share. The Government's approach is practical and focused on easing pressure on families. The Government is supporting families through free school books, the expansion of hot school meals, increased capitation funding, continued investment in school transport, the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance, the strengthened guidance on school uniforms and digital devices. School costs should never stand in the way of a child taking part fully in school life. No family should feel that their child is at a disadvantage because of the cost of uniforms, transport, digital devices or other school-related expenses. That is why we will continue to work with schools, parents, students and education partners to reduce costs to support inclusion and to ensure that every child can participate fully and confidently in education. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  I thank the Minister for her considered response. We need to get rid of voluntary contributions and move to generic school uniforms. This is something that has been done in the UK. It is much more cost-effective and efficient because the average cost of sending a child to primary school in this country is now \u20ac1,794 and the average cost of sending a child to secondary school is \u20ac2,928. With our ever-increasing digital world, apparently everything is online and it is somewhat impossible to be a member of society and not have to rely on technology. Now more than ever, students are forced to rely on technology such as laptops, tablets and other devices in order to fulfil the basic requirements of their school education. If a student does not have access to one of these devices or access to one at home, there is often no alternative and that could leave them excluded. Many families are forced to pay hundreds and thousands, particularly with the rising cost of microchips, for these devices. In a country experiencing a greatly increased cost-of-living crisis with everything having gone up exponentially in price, the last thing families need is another cost to deal with and that is the cost of these tablets or laptop devices. A study by the ESRI and the University of Limerick showed that of more than 720 schools, three in ten required the purchase of a digital device. We really need the Government to take action to address this and to help reduce the numerous costs so many families have to face just to secure a quality education for their children. This digital divide is resulting in a severe and growing level of inequality where so many communities, students and families are unable to purchase the devices they desperately need for their children's education.  What we are trying to do with this motion is to ensure that all students have access to the technology they need in school by ensuring that the guidance supplied by the Minister that schools cannot mandate the purchase of digital technology is mandated and enforced and that, in instances where technology is needed, there is funding and a national loan scheme to support students who are unable to provide these materials for themselves. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"George Lawlor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy George Lawlor  I commend my colleague, Deputy Eoghan Kenny, on bringing this motion to the floor of the D\u00e1il. One line from his contribution this morning is at the nub of everything, where he said, \"Poverty should never determine potential.\" That is the key component of this motion.  What is happening to many families throughout this country is nothing short of unacceptable. Every year, parents brace themselves for the back to school season and, every year, the financial pressure grows heavier. Now, on top of books, uniforms, transport fees, exam charges and so-called voluntary contributions, families are being told they must purchase digital devices costing \u20ac400, \u20ac500 and sometimes even more. It is simply outrageous and it is already pushing hard-pressed households to the pin of their collars.  We know the facts. The ESRI and University of Limerick found that three in ten secondary schools mandate digital devices, including 17% of DEIS schools - the very schools serving families least able to absorb these costs. Barnardos tells us that the average cost of a device has skyrocketed to \u20ac430 - which I think we will all agree is a most conservative estimate - up from \u20ac121 - which is also conservative - just a few years ago. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has received 3,000 requests to help with digital equipment since 2015. These are real families and real children who are suffering real stress. I have spoken to parents who were choosing between paying the electricity bill or buying a tablet their child must have in order to participate in class. Parents who are already struggling with rising rents, food prices and energy costs are now being told that, without a laptop, their child will fall behind. It is shameful that the State's own free book scheme savings are being wiped out by digital demands that schools have no business imposing without the proper funding.  Let us be clear: the Government has also cut the ICT grant. It has failed to provide maintenance funding. It has reimposed exam fees, increased transport charges and left schools so underfunded that 47 of them have had to seek financial support just to keep the lights on. Meanwhile, families are expected to pick up the tab.  This motion is not radical; it is basic fairness. We are calling for enforceable guidelines, proper ICT funding, a national loan scheme, the removal of exam fees, the reversal of transport fee hikes, the restoration of the back-to-school allowance and a ban on voluntary contributions that are voluntary in name only. Families cannot take any more. The digital divide is widening and unless this Government acts it will become a chasm. I urge every Member, Government and Opposition, to support this motion and stand with parents and children who deserve so much more. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ciar\u00e1n Ahern  As the Minister knows, parents are paying hand over fist for ancillary school costs, be it for school uniforms, laptops, school transport or the so-called voluntary contributions. We cannot say we have free education in this country if the whole architecture that enables proper participation is hugely expensive for parents. What is so regrettable is that some of the good work that is being done, like the school books scheme - something that has been long-championed by Aodh\u00e1n \u00d3 R\u00edord\u00e1in and others in the Labour Party - is being eroded by these additional costs now being faced by parents. The benefits of technology in education have to be available to everyone on an equal footing. Gone are the days when you would just have a hand-me-down textbook and a few Aisling copybooks that would only cost a few quid. Some parents are now having to pay hundreds of euro for devices if their children are to just fully participate in school. As this motion states, we are at risk of creating a digital divide and new inequalities in our education system unless we put further supports in place for low-income families. Kevin Shortall, principal of St. Aidan's Community School in Tallaght, in my constituency, said on RT\u00c9 last week that the choice to use digital services is not available to some schools because of the associated costs for parents.  There are larger issues of funding for schools that I would like to touch on now. The Labour Party has been calling for a long time for an end to voluntary contributions. Schools should not have to go cap in hand to parents just to keep the lights on. Voluntary contributions would not be necessary if capitation grants were where they need to be. I welcome the fact capitation grants have increased in recent years but the costs in schools associated with that are also rising at a faster rate and the capitation grants still are not enough. Just last year, the Sacred Heart Junior School in Killinarden almost had to shut its doors because it simply could not keep up with utility bills. Thankfully, that school secured an early payment of its capitation grant, but only after months of anxiety and stress, and, even still, that does not address the underlying financial issue. It is just robbing Peter to pay Paul. The school will need to get this year's capitation grant earlier again and the cycle just seems to continue. As the capitation grant is not covering basic operating costs, many school boards feel that to avoid running deficits, which they will get into trouble for from their governing bodies, they have to find funds elsewhere. Some schools will fundraise via parents' associations or by increasing the voluntary contribution, but that will not always be possible or enough. The ever-growing need for increased revenues coming into schools means that things like school halls or classrooms, which are community assets that are routinely used by community groups or after-school services, are now being rented out at higher and higher rates, forcing community groups to fundraise themselves in order to keep going, or to opt out. Much of that fundraising comes from the same source, which is the parents of the kids using those after-school services.  This all comes back to funding our schools. All too often, despite the much publicised overspend in the education budget, schools still have to fight tooth and nail to get the resources they need. I never predicted that so much of my time as a TD would be spent working with local schools on funding and resourcing issues. In the past few months alone, I have worked with ten different schools. Scoil Maelruain Junior National School, for example, will lose a teacher next school year and will have to merge classes, as will St. Mary's BNS. St. Dominic's National School is looking for DEIS plus status. Sancta Maria College wants the Department of education to finish building its PE hall. Ballyroan BNS is looking for a new school building. Abacas Special School needs a new school building. Saplings Special School needs an emergency works grant. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Sin \u00e9, a Theachta. T\u00e1 an t'am caite. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ciar\u00e1n Ahern  The list of schools goes on. A lot of these issues are on the Minister's desk and I really hope they will be looked at favourably. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. I thank the Labour Party for bringing it forward. The cost of sending children to school has become increasingly unacceptable. Education should be the great equaliser but for too many families the start of the school year brings anxiety, stress and impossible financial decisions. No parent should have to worry about whether they can afford a school uniform, a so-called voluntary contribution or, increasingly, an expensive digital device simply to ensure their child can participate fully in class. Digital devices alone cost hundreds of euro - up to \u20ac800. The Government insists they are not needed and not mandatory but guidance without enforcement offers no comfort at all. The resulting growing digital divide risks creating a two-tier education system where a family's income determines whether a child can fully participate in learning. That is completely unacceptable.  The burden does not end there. The most recent cost of education survey shows parents are now paying almost \u20ac1,800 each year for a child in primary school and almost \u20ac3,000 per year for a child in secondary school. Even more worrying is that the number of parents taking loans to cover these costs has doubled in just one year. That should be a wake-up call for the Government. Instead of easing the pressure, this Government has reintroduced State examination fees, increased school transport charges and reduced a range of cost-of-living supports for schools and for families. Parents continue to subsidise the education system through so-called voluntary contributions because schools remain chronically underfunded. Principals are struggling to cover basic costs such as heating, electricity and insurance and families should not be expected to bridge the gap.  While I welcome the Labour Party bringing forward this motion, we cannot forget that much of the funding crisis in education was compounded by a Labour Party education Minister, Ruair\u00ed Quinn, who slashed funding to schools - vital capitation and grants that still have not recovered. It was a Labour Party Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, who, among other vital supports, cut the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. Funding for schools and school-going children must be protected above practically everything else. They are just that important to the health of our society.  Sinn F\u00e9in has consistently put forward practical and costed proposals to reduce the financial burden on families. We would properly fund schools so that voluntary contributions could finally be abolished. We have introduced legislation to reduce school uniform costs by ending restrictive single-supplier arrangements that leave parents paying inflated prices.  We would restore funding for ICT and provide proper support for digital devices, so that no child is disadvantaged because his or her family cannot afford expensive technology. We would expand school transport, reverse the reintroduction of State examination fees, and ensure that supports such as the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance continue to help families meet the real cost of education.  The cost-of-living crisis has not disappeared simply because the Government has stopped talking about it. Families know that every euro counts. They feel the pressure every time they buy groceries, pay a bill, or prepare their children for school. Education is a right, not a privilege. Access to learning should never depend on a parent's ability to take out a loan or put another bill on a credit card.  This motion provides an opportunity for the Government to recognise the reality facing families and, importantly, to act. Sinn F\u00e9in will support it because we believe every child deserves the best possible start in life and every parent deserves a Government that stands with them rather than adding to their financial burden. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donna McGettigan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Donna McGettigan  I thank the Labour Party for this timely and important motion. Sinn F\u00e9in supports this motion because the cost of sending children to school has become an unacceptable financial burden on families across the State. While the free book scheme is very welcome, the problem now is that the savings that many families receive are being completely undermined by mandatory ICT costs. In her opening statement, the Minister said schools should use the ICT fund in this case but was this fund not cut by \u20ac15 million? You really could not make it up. The Government cuts the fund and then tells schools to use it.  The reality is that a growing digital divide is emerging in our schools, and while the Government celebrates its announcements, parents are being asked to pay more and more simply to ensure their child or children can fully participate in education. So much for free education.  The Zurich cost of education survey shows that the annual cost to parents now is almost \u20ac1,800 for a child in primary school, and almost \u20ac3,000 for a child in secondary school. That is per child. Even more shocking is the number of parents taking out loans to meet these costs. That number doubled between 2025 and 2026. How on earth can that be described as free education?  At a time when families should be proudly taking photographs of their children on their first day back at school, many parents are instead lying awake at night, wondering how they are going to pay the bills. The Minister said school costs should not stand in the way of education but as she can see here today, they do, and she needs to listen and act on that.  The State needs to step up and properly fund schools. We need an end to the so-called voluntary contributions. We need action to reduce school uniform costs, and we need proper funding for digital services so that all children can access them. We also need the expansion of a genuinely universal hot meals scheme.  The truth is that schools are being so badly underfunded that parents are being forced to subsidise essential education activities. This year alone, at least 47 schools have been referred to the financial support services unit. That is a staggering 38% increase. While Government Members will stand up and list the things they have done, some which are very welcome, they will conveniently ignore the things they have done to make life harder. They have reintroduced State examination fees, increased school transport fees, and cut the school clothing and footwear allowance.  Most importantly, research from the Economic and Social Research\u00a0Institute, ERSI, and University of Limerick, UL, is now confirming what parents and teachers have been telling us for years, and what the Government has chosen to ignore, namely the digital divide is real, and educational inequality is growing. The Government has been sitting back while schools are left with no choice but to pass the costs on to parents because Ministers have continually failed to properly fund our education system. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Every July and August, families steel themselves for the cost of children going back to school, including uniforms, books, and shoes, and, as the Minister of State well knows, school transport. Now, for thousands of parents, there is another bill waiting on the kitchen table. It is one for hundreds of euro for a digital device. The latest research from the University of Limerick and the ESRI confirms what families and schools have been saying for months now that the Government's hands-off approach to digital education is widening inequality instead of closing it.  I have heard directly from parents across County Waterford who simply cannot absorb another \u20ac600, \u20ac800 or \u20ac1,000 in expenses. When they go to their child\u2019s school, they are often referred to the credit union or the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, both of whom, to be fair, are stepping up but that is not the way it should be. I have also spoken to principals who are told to stretch their ICT budgets, and, in fact, that is the response I got from the Minister of State\u2019s colleague, the Minister, Deputy Naughton, when I queried this. Those budgets have been cut. They are threadbare. They are already covering administrative software networks, cyber security, classroom technology, and audiovisual equipment for schools.  The truth is that the Government talks about equal opportunity but too often it delivers unequal access. It celebrates digital education while expecting parents to bankroll it. It tells schools to prepare children for the future but refuses to provide the resources needed to do so. That is not the leadership required here. It is simply passing responsibility on to families and calling it policy. A child's education should never depend on his or her parents' ability to buy a digital device, and no student should be disadvantaged because they cannot afford the device his or her school requires.  If the Government is serious about reducing back-to-school costs and about equality and access, it must properly fund schools' digital infrastructure and stop expecting families to bridge the gap. N\u00edor cheart go mbeadh todhcha\u00ed aon ph\u00e1iste ag brath ar acmhainn\u00ed airgid a theaghlach. Caithfidh an Rialtas infheist\u00edocht cheart a dh\u00e9anamh in\u00e1r scoileanna agus deireadh a chur leis an ualach at\u00e1 \u00e1 cur isteach ar thuismitheoir\u00ed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  The idea that education in Ireland is free at any level is a myth, whether it is the so-called voluntary contributions or a student contribution fee that costs more even though the Government claims it is reduced. It is utterly galling for hard-pressed families who shell out hundreds or even thousands of euro a year. That is not to say there have not been positive initiatives - for example, the schoolbook scheme. However, the benefit many parents have seen from that has been wiped away by the increasing numbers of schools mandating the purchase of digital devices.  We have an absolutely ridiculous situation whereby in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis continuing unabated, the Government has decided it is the optimum time to reintroduce costs for junior and leaving certificate examinations.  Most recently, we had a situation whereby the Government's refusal to adequately fund our schools led to cuts being imposed on every Government Department. If the Government wishes to work towards truly free education and to avoid being the cause of stress and financial hardship in the year ahead, there are a few things it should do. It should ban voluntary contributions - Sinn F\u00e9in has brought forward the legislation necessary to do this - and adequately fund our schools, including ICT. The Government should ensure the school transport scheme is not the shambles it is every year, and that it is actually free. It should reverse its decision to reintroduce the examination fees. These would be real supports for parents and would finally put an end to giving with one hand while taking back with the other. That could become a hallmark of the Minister of State\u2019s Government. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire  The summer is meant to be a time that families get some respite, a chance to de-stress and so on but very often, for a lot of families, it is as stressful as any other time of year as they are trying to deal with massive costs. I looked at a receipt a while ago from a mother of three kids, two in primary school and one in secondary, all in DEIS schools. The receipt was for one trip to the uniform shop. It was for a total of \u20ac348.50 and she told me that on top of that, the family has bought \u20ac70 worth of trousers and shirts, and that is before they get three sets of shoes, stationery for two, and bags for two. The tracksuit, made by a well-known branded company, cost \u20ac55, and the family spent \u20ac30 on a wool jumper, which incidentally, causes a lot of sensory issues for an awful lot of kids.  We look at these costs which could be cut in half if we were actually enforcing the guidelines. We need some kind of enforcement mechanism. The sew-on or print-on emblems on uniforms would make a huge difference to parents. We need to ensure an enforcement mechanism. Parents, like the women I mentioned, will get the uniform and stationery, have their holiday, if they can afford one, and come back in September and get the letters. These are DEIS schools yet this parent could be looking at fees for the two schools - there are two kids in primary school and one in secondary - of maybe \u20ac400. That is even before, in some circumstances, families deal with costs around tablets that could total \u20ac500, \u20ac600, or \u20ac800.  The cost families are facing are absolutely bananas, and real action needs to be taken, especially in terms of uniforms but also digital devices. Voluntary contributions are absolutely Dickensian. We have parents fundraising to keep the lights on. Schools do not get enough money to actually run, and it is not acceptable. We need a lot more action. Education is not free in this country. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louise O'Reilly  I thank the Deputies for bringing forward this motion.  I was chatting to my dad as I was coming in and told him I would be debating this motion in relation to supports for parents this morning. He reminded me, of course, that it was the Labour Party in government that cut those very supports. Then again, those in that party do have all their best ideas in opposition, as we both remarked, and not for the first time I need not tell you.  The Minister indicated that she is very conscious that parents can feel under pressure when some schools seek the use of digital devices for learning. She said that is why she wrote directly to all schools on 25 May and made it very clear that there is no requirement for students to have their own personal devices. She also asked the schools to ensure that no student will be disadvantaged because of his or her circumstances. I do not know why we are having this debate at all if the Minister has written a letter. What precisely happened as a direct result of her writing that letter? I refer to the outworkings of Government policy in the survey Barnardos undertook. One third of parents are getting into debt in order to just pay for the basics. Over 50% of them are very concerned about meeting the back-to-school costs. Some 20% of parents surveyed by Barnardos cut back on food in order to pay their bills. I would say they are very relieved that the Minister wrote a letter. My God - a letter. If her letter does not have any impact - let us be honest; it has not had any impact - the Minister of State might outline what he will do that might go a bit further than writing a letter.  We know that devices are essential. We know that parents want their kids to be able to participate. Let us say that a school has ignored the, I am sure, very strongly worded letter from the Minister. Parents want their kids to be able to participate. For many of them, however, that means getting into debt, going without and, in some instances, cutting back on food. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, the Government reintroduced exam fees. The very least it could do is not make matters worse for parents. Parents in this State pay the highest rents in Europe. They pay some of the highest energy costs. They pay the highest childcare costs. There is no sign of those costs being reduced. There are plenty of things outlined in the motion - they have been outlined in great detail by Sinn F\u00e9in time and again - that the Government could do to support parents in the here and now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Donnelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Donnelly  I welcome the motion. The matter to which it relates is something in respect of which Sinn F\u00e9in has been campaigning consistently for many years. There is no doubt that costs are rising and putting families under severe pressure over the summer months. At a time when children and young people are at home and with the good weather, constant demands on parents' budgets are causing massive concern.  We need to see the end of the so-called voluntary contributions. I understand why schools look for them. They are trying to keep the lights on and trying to keep toilet rolls in bathrooms. It is the basic stuff they cannot afford. They cannot afford these things because of the gaps in funding. We need to end restrictive single-supplier arrangements. We have already called for this in our affordable school uniform Bill. It is bizarre that the State does not fund digital devices. What is the point of free school books when people have to find hundreds of euro to pay for devices? In a country that is home to most of the largest IT and social media companies in the world, surely, we must be leading the way in terms of technology in our schools.  What has the Government done in respect of this matter? It has cut \u20ac15 million from the ICT grants for schools, which are down to a miserly \u20ac35 million. A recent survey puts the cost of education at \u20ac1,794 for primary school and \u20ac2,928 for the post-primary. Those are shocking costs for parents, particularly in view of the cost-of-living crisis. Of course, the Minister of State will point to the free books scheme. Surely even he can see that has been wiped out by the increasing cost of digital devices. This matter needs to be addressed. A letter from the Minister, however nicely worded, has simply not worked. We are often told that Ireland is a world leader in terms of quality educational systems. What we need is fair and equitable access to the education system for all of our children and young people. We often talk about nobody being left behind. I can tell the Minister of State that there are children all over this State who are being left behind. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ann Graves","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ann-Graves.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ann-Graves.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ann Graves  At this time of year and with the great weather we are having, families should be planning holidays or spending days at the beach or elsewhere. Instead, for a growing number of families, this is a time of stress. They are already worrying about the cost of their children going back to school in September. On top of spiralling rents, mortgages and food and energy costs, they must also pay for school books, uniforms, school bags and shoes and make the so-called voluntary donation. The list is endless, and the burden for families is getting heavier. Sending children back to school is a significant financial burden, with an average cost of \u20ac1,607 in respect of primary school students and over \u20ac2,100 for secondary school students. These costs, details of which were provided by the Irish League of Credit Unions and Zurich, are forcing many parents into debt. Added to them are growing digital costs. According to Barnardos, the average cost of digital devices for second level has reached \u20ac430. That is up from \u20ac221 a couple of years ago. Families are going to be contacting me throughout the summer at my constituency office in Dublin Fingal East, just like they did last year. Parents and guardians are under pressure. They are seeking financial help. Many of them are borrowing money to clear current debts before the back-to-school bills land on their doorsteps.  The Government points to improvements like the free school books scheme, but these gains are wiped out by the cost of living. The Government has reintroduced State examination fees, increased school transport fees, cut the back-to-school clothes and footwear scheme and removed the cost-of-living payments for schools and the double child benefit payment. Many schools still do not provide hot lunches for kids. Tackling these costs requires structural change, sustained public investment in education and schools and an immediate reversal of the cuts to grants and one-off payments and the reintroduction of fees. Our kids are our future; we need to invest in them. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jen Cummins  I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion. It is very timely. These are the summer months when parents start to think about how we will we stretch our finances to autumn, get everything that we need to ready and then still maybe take a holiday, organise summer camps, etc. The motion is, as stated, very timely. I thank everyone involved for their work on it.  It has been very interesting to listen to the contributions so far. Everybody recognises that there are challenges in the country in the context of poverty. Ultimately, this motion stems from the fact that hundreds of thousands of children in this country are living in poverty. The Department is trying to implement measures to combat that, but there are differing views in terms of where the support is coming from and how effective it is.  I will go through a few of the things that I think still present challenges. The capitation grant for schools was increased last year but has still not reached a level which will mean that schools are fully funded. It has not reached the level where it needs to be. In addition, it does not take into consideration the level of inflation. As a result, parents are offsetting the costs that the schools do not have the money to meet. Fundraising is happening, particularly in primary schools. I reiterate what I have said on previous occasions, which is that parents are not fundraisers for schools. They send their children to school and that really should be the end of the transaction. If education is truly free in this country, they should not need to fundraise. However, some parents like to fundraise for things that give schools a bit of icing on the cake but not for the bread-and-butter stuff.  There should be no parents' associations, etc., fundraising to pay for the cost of insurance, toilet rolls, which I heard about from a few schools, or anything else that should be covered by the State. There should be no parents coming in to fix a shelf that constantly falls down or a hole in a floorboard because material in a prefab is rotten. That should not happen in our schools. Our schools should be fully functioning, fully kitted out and fully workable. The people who work in schools and the students who attend them should be able to do so in buildings that are modern and fit for purpose. Parents should not be offsetting the costs relating to the upkeep of schools that and schools should not have to wait for an extremely long time to get the buildings they so rightly deserve.  Voluntary contributions should be banned outright. The payment of such contributions should not be allowed by any schools. There is an app that parents often have on their phones. There is a payment section in the app, and there will always be a little notification mark in that section to say that there is a payment outstanding. When people click into the section in question, they find details of the voluntary contribution.  The word is \"voluntary\" and so that should not be allowed to feature on any app whatsoever. There should never be reminder letters telling parents they have not paid their contribution fee or the kind of passive one stating, \"For those parents who haven't paid...\" They should just be banned because the State should fully fund the school. We need to get rid of that and the sooner we do that the better.  The issue of hot school meals has been a focus of the education committee for a long time. I introduced my first Bill a number of weeks ago with regard to the nutritional value of hot school meals. That is available because there were children who were hungry coming to school. It was introduced to combat that, to make sure that no child in primary school would be hungry. That needs to be rolled out to all primary schools. It is available to all primary schools but not all of them take it up because of the administrative burden on the principals and not all parents take it up because of the nutritional value. That needs to be rolled out, to be fully functioning and to be nutritious so that every child is able to have a nutritious meal in primary school. I would love to see that rolled out in secondary schools but that is a different day's discussion.  The reintroduction of the examination fee six weeks before it had to be paid was an absolute disgrace. If at the time of the budget in October the Government knew that was going to happen, parents should have been notified that it was going to be reintroduced in the springtime. When parents were told, they had six weeks to pay but most people do not have such a flexible budget to allow them to pay the \u20ac160 or however much it is. When things are being reintroduced time needs to be factored in for that.  There was an increase in the cost of school transport for families. I know the Minister said the numbers look very small but for parents with a number of children and on a tight budget any increase will put them in difficulty.  I have mentioned school uniforms several times. Sinn F\u00e9in had a motion earlier in the year dealing with school uniforms. I put on the record that I think the uniforms for some children are very challenging. I would probably have a different view as to whether we should impose uniforms on children but again that is for a different day. Circular 0032\/2017 has been in existence for almost ten years and in most parts is not enforced. There is no point in issuing a circular if nothing is going to be done about it. I am delighted the Minister has said there will be a working group to review and hopefully strengthen that. I would love if nobody had to spend hundreds of euro on a uniform. There should be iron-on or adhesive logos on a generic uniform that would not cost so much money.  The reason we know things are so difficult for parents is that the Minister for Social Protection has said that he is going to give 126,000 families the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. That equates to 233,000 children in this country who need support for their clothing and shoes to go back to school. I do not see it as a great achievement that we are supporting them. I see it as an absolute disgrace that such a number of people need that support. I welcome that that funding and support is there for those families but I am still shocked that this affects 233,000 children, which is a lot of children, aged between two and 18. I think it goes up to 22 in some cases.  There is a digital divide. The digital divide has been seen from Covid time, in particular. My own project in Ballymun, the anseo school completion programme, provided laptops and broadband. I know people still do not believe me that we provided broadband to families but we did because they did not have broadband at home and that is still the case for families around the country. There is a growing divide even though the Minister is saying that children and young people do not need laptops. However, there is an advantage if their family can buy them one and they can continue their school work at home. It is not good enough to say that schools can make up their minds about that. The Department needs to actually decide and give guidance like it does for other things. The Department needs to say they either do not need it or they need it and if they need it, it needs to provide the support money for that.  My next point continues on from the digital divide. Some children with disabilities do not have access to digital devices to help them with their learning in school. Their schools might only be granted one or they might only be able to have access to one or two assessments. That needs to change. Every child who needs digital support for learning needs to get that as a priority and it needs to be available to them.  While I do not want to eat into too much more of Deputy Hearne's time, I want to wish everybody on the education committee, the Minister, the Minister of State and those who speak on a regular basis about education a very nice summer. It has been a very difficult year for everybody. It is important to recognise that everybody is trying to work hard. We will keep pushing the Minister and the Department from this side of the Chamber but I hope they have a good break. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion. It is important to have a discussion about the context of education costs and back-to-school costs. Of course, the context is massive inequality in this country. The gap between the haves and the have nots is worsening year after year while we have 11 billionaires in this country who have a combined wealth equal to that of 3.5 million people or two thirds of the population. The top 10% in this country have 50% of all the wealth while half the population own just 10% of the wealth. We see the reality of that on a daily basis. In Ballymun, Finglas and across this country families are struggling to pay for the very basics and one of those is back-to-school costs, the cost of education.  Education should be free. It is a human right. However, what it is actually doing is throwing families into even more stress on top of not being able to pay the basic bills. In my constituency to respond and support families struggling with back-to-school costs, the Finglas voluntary food and family support service, Feed Our Homeless, last year organised help for families with a pop-up shop for school uniforms and shoes. This year families are struggling so much they are reporting they are already dealing with being cut off from electricity and gas. Families and services are asking for support again. Families are finding it extremely challenging. One in five children in this country lives in a family below the poverty line after housing costs. Children and families cannot cover the basics. A second tier of child benefit would lift 55,000 children out of poverty but the Government will not do it. It costs the same as what it has given in tax breaks to developers, investor funds and large fast-food giants.  Childhoods pass quickly. No child should have their future limited by poverty. Every child deserves a fair start in life and a chance to thrive. Child poverty is not inevitable. It is a policy choice. It results from decades of policy choices that have not prioritised child poverty. We need to end child poverty in this country and we can. Part of it is ensuring education is free and school costs are provided for. Ultimately, it is about ensuring families can cover the basics. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  A couple of months ago, I was contacted by a grandfather whose granddaughter was told she needed to have an iPad in school and needed to pay \u20ac500 for an iPad. It is an absolutely crazy situation where we have free education in this country and yet many schools impose this massive burden on families, many of whom simply cannot afford it. I accept the Minister has written to schools saying they cannot make these compulsory but it is not wiping this practice out across the board. The costs are absolutely staggering and are rising each year.  We need to have some analysis on whether it is good for children to be using iPads, laptops and so on. The Department of education has gone all-in on so-called ed tech without much real scrutiny of whether it is beneficial. That is what is driving schools to tell parents that the kids have to have an iPad, tablet or Chromebook. We need independent analysis of whether and when technology is beneficial in the classroom instead of just dancing to the tune of big tech as we do in so many other areas is of policy.  Obviously if the Department is going to insist on ed tech being used, it needs to fully fund it. Instead, it has cut the grant scheme for ICT infrastructure for schools by 30%. It provides no funding for repair and maintenance of digital devices. We have a bit of a cruel joke whereby schoolbooks are being made free, which is great, but on the other hand we are using them less and instead parents are being forced to pay more and more for technology.  The one issue I have with the motion is the idea that there should be a loan scheme for parents to buy laptops or iPads for their children. We are supposed to have free primary and secondary education in this country. I know we are a long way off from it in reality but we should not be legitimising the idea that parents should be forced into debt to fund their children's education. Instead, we should be demanding that the Government fully fund the cost of education for every child in this country. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  I will cut to the chase here. The reason for the digital divide is that the Department of education has introduced a syllabus, particularly in senior cycle in secondary school, which has such a high level of assessment, 40% in many cases, that school principals have decided that students need laptops. It is because of the new syllabus the Department has introduced.  There was a very good article by the RT\u00c9 education correspondent on this in January.  What is happening in schools is that Wriggle and other companies are wooing principals and trying to wine and dine them in order to get contracts. Overnight stays in the K Club and five-star retreats are being offered to principals. I am not saying that principals are going along with this or are doing anything wrong, I am just outlining the facts for the Minister of State.  This should be done by means of public procurement. I absolutely agree with the previous speaker. We need to have an audit to establish whether it is good for children to be on screens. There is loads of scientific evidence that it is not good. Certainly, older children and teenagers need laptops or access to computers in order do assessments and assignments and to have a fair chance, which they do not have, in this education system. The Minister of State needs to make this a public procurement issue as opposed to leaving it up to individual schools. If students need equipment, it should be provided. During the pandemic, I returned to teaching at a school in west Tallaght. At that time, students were on their phones trying to cope because the Department of Education did not provide them with equipment to allow them to engage with remote learning. The addiction that many teenagers developed in respect of their phones during the pandemic is the Department's fault. I do not have time to go into all of the other costs that are being imposed on parents. In the context of the issue to which I refer, however, the Department needs to invest. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Roderic O'Gorman  I thank Deputy Kenny for bringing forward this really important motion, which addresses many of the concerns parents in my constituency are raising with me regarding the increasing back-to-school costs they face each year. I want to hone in on one of the biggest issues with school costs, which is the cost of increasingly mandatory ICT equipment for students. Something I was really pleased to see during the term of office of the previous Government was the roll-out of free schoolbooks. That made a big difference for a lot of families. However, the increasing frequency with which laptops and tablets are being made mandatory for students is seriously undermining that progress. In many cases, the cost of ICT equipment is ending up being greater than the cost of schoolbooks ever was. One parent was in touch with me recently to outline how more than half of her back-to-school costs for this year relate to a mandatory laptop that is going to cost over \u20ac700. Parents have been told by the school in question that these laptops will only be used for five years, which will necessitate another expensive purchase for leaving certificate year. Aside from the cost factor, there is the clear issue of creating additional waste through ICT equipment that cannot be passed on to new students.  There is an expanding frontier of cost increases that the Government has not really got to grips with. The Minister for education needs to give clear and firm guidance around what is and is not acceptable in terms of placing ICT cost demands on parents. There also needs to be serious investment in the grant scheme relating to ICT infrastructure, with a view to ultimately making these devices free for families. This is only one issue we need to address in terms of child poverty and school costs. There are many more. We need additional child benefit, we need to increase the back-to-school allowance to deal with rising uniform costs and we need to boost funding for the school meals scheme in order to maximise quality and nutrition as well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Charles Ward  I thank Deputy Kenny for bringing forward this motion. As a parent, I have seen the costs relating to sending children to school skyrocket over the past ten years. The situation is absolutely out of control. The recent back-to-school survey carried out by the Irish League Of Credit Unions shows that 59% of parents find covering back-to-school costs a major financial burden, with more than one in four getting into debt. I would say that number is rising now in view of the cost-of-living crisis. Technology is emerging as a pressure point, but uniforms remain the main pressure point. Some 15% of parents have had to avail of second-hand uniforms, while 43% of the lower cost options such as supermarket alternatives are not available due to the fact that more schools are introducing expensive branded items such as bags, coats and PE gear. Uniforms are supposed to represent equality, but they have become another financial burden on families who are already struggling with a cost-of-living crisis that has been going on for a very long time.  Families are being squeezed from every angle, but particularly in Donegal where families, already living with a burden of defective concrete, are being forced to face additional hidden costs as a result of situations they had no part in causing. I refer, for example, to additional travel costs in circumstances where families are often forced to leave their crumbling homes and move to completely different areas while their children have to travel back to their own communities to attend school. Commuting costs are adding to the burden people must bear and to the pressure on family life, particularly in Donegal. Those who were previously on particular school bus routes no longer have the option of using those routes. As a result, parents are forced to engage in long commutes and to cover the costs incurred in this regard.  I welcome the motion. However, in the context of the funding model for schools, including DEIS schools, I see examples of instances where schools are struggling. We need to improve this down the line. Families are struggling and their needs are not being met. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  I welcome this comprehensive set of proposals from Deputy Kenny. We are at the time of year again when parents, particularly those in the low- and middle-income brackets, face the annual challenge of covering back-to-school costs. Families are facing a stack of fees and expenses in respect of uniforms, increased school transport costs, school stationery, so-called voluntary contributions, and laptops and IT equipment. In addition, State exam fees are back. Surveys show that the total cost per school year can accumulate to \u20ac1,700 for primary school children and up to \u20ac2,900 for secondary school children. For families with a number of school-going children, this can be a major headache.  While I acknowledge that the free schoolbooks scheme and the book-rental scheme result in savings and are a help, those savings are wiped out by the cost of having to buy IT equipment. Such equipment is now mandated in schools and can cost up to \u20ac500 or more. Then there are all the other costs that the National Parents Council has consistently highlighted. These are the hidden costs such as transition year contributions, payments for school trips, etc. In the struggle to meet these costs, many households turn to moneylenders because there is nowhere else to go. In some cases, they pay penal amounts to illegal moneylenders who charge rates of interest in excess of 50%.  In light of the cost-of-living crisis, there is an onus on us to do all we can to help the low- and middle-income households. We have a reasonably good education system, but we must deal with the issue of costs. In the context of the proposals in the motion regarding the introduction of enforceable guidelines for schools and the fact that some schools have a mandatory requirement in respect of laptops and IT equipment, it is important that these be mandated as opposed to just the subject of a letter that was sent out. We also need to restore the school grant up to an amount of \u20ac50 million in order to cover the cost of ICT infrastructure. We need to restore the \u20ac100 that was cut from the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance and issue a ministerial order to schools in relation to generic uniforms. It is a terrible situation. I remember hearing a conversation between my mother and an aunt years ago regarding the benefit of school uniforms. They said that every child would look the same and there would be no competition for fashion, particularly in girls' schools. However, what has happened is----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh)  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  -----that we have stood that on its head. It is important that we increase the capitation grant for schools as well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh)  Anois, bogfaimid go dt\u00ed an ch\u00e9ad sliot\u00e1n eile agus an Teachta Michael Collins. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  Every parent knows that September has become one of the most expensive months of the year. While free schoolbooks are welcome, many families now face growing costs for other items. Parents are being asked to purchase laptops that cost \u20ac400 or more, make increased payments for school transport and pay charges to cover examination fees. For hardworking families with two, three or four children travelling long distances to school, these costs add up very quickly. At the same time, schools are struggling because the capitation funding no longer covers basic day-to-day expenses. Education must be properly funded by Government. It cannot be left to parents and fundraising committees. The State must not create a two-tier system whereby only wealthier families can afford to fully cover their children's education.  Another huge problem which normally arises in August is that relating to school buses. Parents have no way to get their children to school because of the nearest school rule. The current and previous programmes for Government contain promises that this will be done away with, but nothing has happened. The rule needs to be abolished. That has been promised over many years, but here we are again this year. Parents are on the phone begging me for tickets for school buses. One lady was on to me the other morning to say that her son is going into fifth class. He had a ticket for the past four years and now he does not have a ticket this year. The neighbours are the same situation. That is not good enough. We cannot just grab a ticket from a child who had a ticket before and then find some kind of an excuse as to why that happens. Education should not be measured by means of the distance someone lives from school, and school transport should not be measured on that basis either.  I want to raise a matter that Councillor Bill Clear brought to my attention. It is a very serious issue regarding St. Corban\u2019s National School in Naas in County Kildare.  It stepped up when the Department came calling, faced with a shortage of junior infants places. That left up to 30 children with nowhere to go. The school agreed to open a third junior infants class and take in an extra 25 pupils at the Department's request. Now, after doing the right thing, the school is being told it will not be given the additional teacher needed to staff that class. That leaves two unacceptable choices. Either 25 children are left without a school place this September, or two senior infants classes are merged into one class of 34 children. Does the Minister of State agree that schools should not be punished for helping to solve an enrolment crisis? Will he immediately sanction the additional teaching posts required for St. Corban's before the new school year. I would appreciate if the Minister of State addressed that here. Councillor Bill Clear has raised it as a huge issue. He has been to the school and met the parents. This is a crisis that has popped up in a new school in Bandon, too. It seems to be a crisis that is popping up here and there.  Schools that are doing their best are still being punished. Sometimes, there needs to be a bit of movement because, for example, there could be a teacher short. I was chairperson of a board of management and know the difficulties that schools face just because they are one or two children short. That can be made up as the year goes on but it is a crisis that Councillor Clear finds unacceptable. Schools stepped up to the mark when the Minister asked them to and now they are being punished for doing so.  While I am on the floor, I congratulate Councillors Bill Clear and Ger Dunne from our own Independent Ireland team on becoming mayor and deputy mayor of Naas, respectively. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ken O'Flynn  Like many of the stories the Minister of State has heard today in the House, it is not strange that we have constituents coming to us regularly saying the biggest fear they have is the postman's knock. When they get the criteria for what is needed for their children to start the school year, those include \u20ac700 laptops, \u20ac600 iPads, tablets or something of that format as well as signing up to a Microsoft programme that has been selected. Despite your household perhaps owning a Microsoft programme, you have to buy into another one. I highlighted this in the House over 12 months ago on Leaders' Questions. I am still waiting for a proper reply from the Taoiseach. We have heard the ministerial circular that went around saying that people do not have to use laptops. Every one of us knows from our own constituencies that laptops, iPads and tablets are being used regularly by order of boards of management.  I have to acknowledge the Government's good work and call it out, including the free books scheme and the school meals. However, the Government has made a hames of the school meals. Deputy Collins has produced photographs in the House of food that you would not give to a farm animal, yet it is being produced for children. That is the standard that the Government has come up with. That has to be addressed.  When it comes to education, Deputy Moynihan is a Fianna F\u00e1il Minister of State. I remember the great days of Donogh O'Malley. I would what Donogh O'Malley would think if he saw the education shambles that the Government presided over in this country over the last 20 years. The Government has not addressed school uniform problems or the fact that most parents have to pay \u20ac300 for a PE kit. It has not addressed the problem that parents have to give this voluntary contribution, which is really not voluntary when schools are putting out news bulletins listing the names of families who have contributed and those who have not contributed. That is happening regularly. Parents are suffering, wondering how they will get the money for a school tour and how they will get the money to send their young ones up to the D\u00e1il to tour the House. We have dozens or hundreds of schools that visit this House and many parents in my constituency in Cork have told me that they could not let their young ones go simply because they did not have enough to pay for their lunch or the bus. That is in the wealthiest country in Europe. We should all be inside here hanging our heads in shame about how we are treating people.  Just go outside the gate and the Minister of State will see Cara Darmody outside Leinster House again, highlighting a law that the Government has been breaking for over 20 years. What was the Taoiseach's answer to me yesterday? He said we might have to look at and change the legislation. He does not want to be the lawbreaker. He is happy to have broken the law for the last 20 years and presided over that, but now he has decided that instead of fixing the problem, he will change the law so that he is not culpable. It is unbelievable to even be allowed to give that answer to the representatives in this House.  The Government has failed the country again. It has failed the 22,000 children in terms of assessments of need, it has failed the school meals programme, which is badly thought out, and it is failing again. I commend the Labour Party and the motion to this House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  We are in a cost-of-living crisis. Groceries are up by 40% and diesel is up by 60% over the past five years, yet another bill is landing every August for families who send their children to school. That bill is an ICT bill. It is a bill for a laptop. Incredibly, the Government introduced free books last year but has this year introduced what is effectively mandatory ICT at a cost that is significantly higher than the books ever were. Many families have contacted me and outlined bills of \u20ac1,000 for a laptop. The same families came into my office and showed me second-hand laptops that they already owned but that the school principals and authorities said could not be used, meaning the families had to purchase brand new laptops from one specific supplier.  The Government created this problem and has passed the buck to the principals. The principals are now trying to deliver a curriculum that was never designed in schools because the Department and officials did a solo run to radically change the curriculum. At both junior cycle and senior cycle, the Government introduced a massive amount of continuous assessment without any provision for how that continuous assessment would be delivered, and now principals are scratching their heads, wondering how they deliver all of this continuous assessment in an age where many children do not have personal laptops. They sent out letters to families with \u20ac1,000 or \u20ac1,500 bills for laptops.  I wrote to the Minister and asked if she could make a statement on this, and the Minister said that no child should be required to purchase a laptop, yet the bills and letters are still landing because the principals do not know what else to do. It is very clear to me that the Government has essentially created a problem as a result of lack of consultation, and now the people paying the costs are the hard-pressed families who are struggling with the cost of living. It is a very similar situation to the school uniform, where we had single suppliers for crested uniforms. These suppliers were often charging double what other suppliers were. We have created the very same problem and the Government has learned nothing. It needs to intervene here. I am dealing with families who are afraid to speak up and raise the fact that they do not have the money to afford this, and that their children may be adversely affected by not being on the school team and so on. It is perhaps irrational but this is happening on the ground.  The other question that the House has not addressed is whether it is good for children to be on laptops from 9 o'clock to 4 o'clock during the school day and then to go home and be consumed with social media. The Government has created this with a solo run with the change of curriculum, and now it is up to the Government to address it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an bP\u00e1irt\u00ed an Lucht Oibre. This highlights what many families are experiencing right now. Many people have been in contact with me. Even today, I met parents who were under enormous pressure because of the cost of uniforms, books, transport and school activities. Many families are being told that they must now spend hundreds of euro on a Chromebook, laptop or other digital asset, and it is still not something that they can afford. Over recent weeks, one parent told me that their school insisted that these were essential learning tools for every student because of the new leaving certificate curriculum, yet parliamentary questions that I submitted confirmed that there is no departmental requirement for students to have a personal digital device at either junior or leaving certificate level. That contradiction leaves parents and students whom I represent caught in a middle ground. On one hand, the Department is saying they are not mandatory and, on the other, schools are telling parents that they must purchase one.  I understand that the Minister of State was in north Dublin. I thank him for coming out to those schools, but parents need to be fully consulted about any decision and schools should avoid unnecessary costs where possible. Those are sensible principles. They are not always being reflected in practice.  Parents are also raising legitimate concerns with me and the Department about where schools require students to purchase devices through a single supplier.  They deserve to know how that supplier was selected, whether public procurement guidance has been followed and why students cannot use an equivalent device that they may already own.  Technology undoubtedly has an important role in education. I do not dispute that fact. I came through education while the technology was developing. However, access to education or a curriculum should never depend on a family's ability to spend several hundreds of euro on a particular device. If the Department's position is that personal devices are not mandatory, then policy should be applied consistently across Ireland, as parents deserve clarity and no young people should feel excluded from education because of the cost of a laptop. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gillian Toole","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gillian Toole  I am thankful for the opportunity to discuss this important matter. I acknowledge the massive improvements that have been made. The national broadband plan is almost complete. Massive inroads have been made in my home county of Meath, including in the roll-out and the access it provides. That is most welcome, particularly in the area of assistive technologies for young people and older people with intellectual disabilities. It is the connectivity piece. The cost, however, is paramount.  One part of me is slightly incredulous that we are having the discussing in 2026 because my experience goes back to 2018, 2019 and 2020 in Ratoath, County Meath. A Ratoath report was carried out by Ms Cora Dunne and Dr. Ann Marcus-Quinn. It made a significant contribution to discussions around the introduction of mandatory digital devices in post-primary education. It highlighted parental concerns regarding the cost and compulsory purchase. The roll-out was halted in 2020 with the Covid-19 pandemic and remote learning and having one's own device become an essential. Other than that, the long-term implications of mandated devices was largely paused rather than fully developed.  In 2024, there was another report. Then, there was an OECD report in 2025, which highlighted that Ireland could benefit from a more structured and equity-driven digital education system. The models in France and Estonia provide stronger mechanisms for ensuring universal and consistent access, but they focus on the cost.  Most recently, there was the July 2026 ESRI report, working paper No. 836. I apologise if I am repeating what other Members have gone through. The information is there. The plan and suggestions are effectively worked out for us. What we need now is to expand on the policy. The key finding in all three reports, which span the last seven years if we take into account 2019 when we began that exercise in Ratoath College, is that we risk reproducing and intensifying existing educational inequalities. Family income is the primary determinant, followed by school resources and institutional capacity. Even within that, there is variation between school sectors and governance structures.  In terms of taking the learnings and recommendations from France, Estonia, Malta and Austria, there is a roadmap. Like it or not, it may mean pulling back from the commercial one-to-one contract between the family and the provider and centralising it. That will encompass centralised State procurement, standardised device specifications and collective purchasing arrangements, having guidelines, and having additional targeted financial supports for schools serving socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Other factor can be looked at such as VAT relief, hardware refurbishment schemes and buyback programmes. That is the approach Austria and Malta take. We are rapidly moving to the point where we have to have a centrally led approach to this subject. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  I, too, am glad to be able to speak on this motion today. I compliment P\u00e1irt\u00ed an Lucht Oibre for introducing it. While we often the cost of education in terms of books, uniforms and transport, the reality for many families is that the financial pressures associated with rearing children have never been greater. I acknowledge that the schoolbooks scheme has been a positive development. It has delivered genuine savings and a significant burden has been removed from parents in many households. That support has made a real difference and it is important that we recognise it. However, parents are telling us that the savings are increasingly being swallowed up by a wide range of other costs. The loss of the double child benefit payment and other cost-of-living supports has come at a time when families are facing rising bills across every aspect of daily life. Parents are not just paying for education. They are paying more for food, energy, insurance, childcare and gach rud eile.  One issue that deserves particular attention is the cost of extracurricular activities. Too often, participation in these activities depends not on a child's talent or interest, but on the ability of the parents to pay. This is creating an uneven divide and it has denied opportunities to many children. It is downright wrong. It should not be like that. If parents have enthusiasm for music or something like that, whatever talent the child has, they should be nurtured. \"Mol an \u00f3ige agus tiocfaidh s\u00ed\" used to be the old adage. Music education is a perfect example. Some schools provide excellent music programmes and opportunities for students to learn instruments and participate in assemblies. Other schools offer very little. Where lessons are available privately, parents can be paying up to \u20ac25 a lesson and more before the cost of purchasing and maintaining the instruments. For many families, this is simply beyond their reach. These experiences are highly important to a child's development, confidence, which has never been more important, and well-being, yet too many families are being priced out.  We must recognise the growing cost associated with uniforms. Despite the guidance promoting affordable uniforms, many parents are still required to purchase expensive crested and branded items. Parents also face substantial bills simply because they are required to buy specific items from a specific supplier. That is not fair and is not a balanced market either. There is no good reason that generic uniforms or PE clothing cannot be used in most cases. Parents should have the freedom to shop around and buy affordable items themselves. Competition is the spice of trade. It keeps the price down.  Alongside these pressures, parents are increasingly faced with the expectation that they provide laptops and other digital devices for their children. While technology is important, why should parents be carrying that cost? Families have benefited from the schoolbooks scheme. We should be creative and try to assist families in purchasing this expensive and necessary equipment. The point has been made earlier that they are on their laptops all day in school and then they go home and are on social media all night. It is not good for the holistic development of the children and young adults. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (Deputy Michael Moynihan)  I thank the Labour Party for tabling this motion. The motion before us reflects a concern that many families will recognise, namely, that the costs associated with going back to school can place real pressure on household budgets. Both the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and l, and the wider Government, recognise that concern. Our focus is on practical measures that reduce costs, support schools and ensure every child can participate fully in school life.  The issues raised today are important. I thank all Deputies who raised the issues across the Chamber. They reflect the real and often significant financial pressures that many families face at the start of the school year. Those pressures are felt in very practical ways: through the cost of uniforms, transport, classroom materials and, increasingly in some cases, digital devices. The Government recognises those pressures. More importantly, we are acting to reduce them. Our aim is simple: school costs should never stand in the way of a child taking part fully in school life.  A particular focus of today's debate has been the issue of digital devices in schools. Deputies have raised legitimate concerns about the costs that can arise for families where schools use digital technologies as part of teaching and learning. The Government recognises these concerns. Digital technologies can support high-quality teaching, learning and assessment. They can open new opportunities for students, support learning and help young people develop the skills they need in an increasingly digital world but technology must support inclusion and must not become a new source of inequality. That is why the Minister, Deputy Naughton, wrote directly to all schools on 25 May following concerns raised by parents about the growing costs associated with digital devices. The Minister made it very clear that there is no requirement for a student to have their own personal device for school. This is an important point, and one that bears repeating. There is no national requirement that students must own or purchase a digital device in order to attend school or participate in learning. Where schools are considering the use of digital devices, they are expected to take full account of the financial impact on families and to ensure that no student is disadvantaged because of their circumstances. The guidance issued by the Department asks schools to place affordability, equity and value for money at the centre of their decision-making. Before introducing any expectation that families purchase devices, schools are encouraged to consider whether students' needs can be met through school shared devices. Importantly, schools can use ICT grant funding to purchase and manage such devices.  The guidance also asks schools to consult with parents and students before introducing or reviewing digital device arrangements. It encourages schools to take account of the overall cost of education for families: to provide clear information on device requirements; to avoid exclusive purchasing arrangements; and to consider options such as second-hand, refurbished or reused devices where these can reduce costs. This is the right balance. It respects the role of schools and boards of management in making decisions at local level while making clear that those decisions must be informed by engagement with parents and students and by a clear commitment to affordability and inclusion.  While digital devices have been a strong focus of the debate, the Government also recognises that school costs go much wider. Families can face a range of costs at the start of the school year and those costs can arrive all at once. That is why the Government has taken action across a number of areas. The free books scheme, which was introduced, is a great example. It is one of the most significant measures ever introduced to reduce the cost of education for families. Since September 2025, almost 1 million children and young people have benefited from free books and core classroom resources. That represents an investment of \u20ac160 million and the full delivery of the programme for Government commitment to provide free schoolbooks for every child.  The Government has also increased capitation funding to schools, as the Minister outlined earlier. In budget 2026, \u20ac39 million was secured to increase capitation funding, giving schools greater flexibility to meet running costs and reduce reliance on parental contributions.  Over the past three budgets, there has been a substantial uplift in capitation funding at both primary and post-primary levels. The Government is also maintaining investment in school transport. The school transport scheme has expanded significantly in recent years, with the number of children and young people using the service increasing from just under 120,000 in 2018 to over 180,000 in 2025. There has been an increase of over 145% in investment in the scheme from 2019 to 2025. The scheme expenditure was \u20ac219 million in 2019, rising to \u20ac537 million in the last school year.  The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance continues to provide important support to families. As of this month, payments totalling \u20ac47.8 million issued to over 123,000 families for over 229,000 children. The rate of payment per child is \u20ac160 for children aged between two and 11 and \u20ac285 for children aged 12 years and over. These are practical supports that make a real difference for families.  This has been a valuable debate and I thank all Deputies for the sincerity of the debate and for bringing forward the motion. The concerns raised are real. They reflect the pressures that some families can face at the start of the school year. We are implementing practical measures that make real-world differences to families. We are supporting families through free books, increased capitation funding, investment in school transport, the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance, and the expansion of the hot school meals programme. We are also strengthening guidance on school uniforms and strengthening the voice of parents and students through the Student and Parent Charter Bill.  The Department has issued guidance asking schools to prioritise affordability, equity, consultation and value for money. The Government will continue to work with schools, patrons, students and across the education partners to reduce costs, support inclusion and ensure every child can participate fully and confidently in education. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Duncan Smith  I welcome to the Gallery former councillor Peter Coyle, a great servant to the Labour Party and Fingal local government for 20 years.  I thank Deputy Kenny for bringing forward this motion on behalf of the Labour Party and the majority of Deputies for their contributions to this debate today. I have to qualify that thanks as a couple of the Sinn F\u00e9in contributors chose to take a narrow, decontextualised view of Labour\u2019s own record in education. To focus that lens on Sinn F\u00e9in, which held the education brief in Northern Ireland for 16 years, it was a time of multi-annual budget cuts, multiple fee and state exam increases and, indeed, redundancies of teachers and support staff. The charge made against us was that we have our best ideas in opposition. Maybe the charge against Sinn F\u00e9in is that it has its best ideas in the South because its record in the North in education is nothing short of disastrous. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  What about the Tories? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Duncan Smith  You have had your moment.  We have put this motion down in July 2026, at a time of relative plenty. While over the past number of years things have been brought in to attempt to relieve the burden on parents and families in relation to school costs, this Government has continued, almost by stealth, to squeeze families in relation to the cost of education. State examination fees continue to go up. School transport fees continue to go up under this Government. The cost of ancillary services, energy, insurance and waste services, which all impact on school and education, continue to go up while the supports that parents rely on, like the double child benefit payment or energy credits, are gone. These are all under this Government. Again, it is a squeeze - a stealth tightening - on parents and families in relation to education. If the Government was really serious about education, it would do something to enforce the 2017 circular on affordable uniforms rather than just talk and hope that schools bring it in.  The study published this month by the Irish League of Credit Unions, ILCU, found that 59% of parents said covering back-to-school costs is a financial burden and more than one in four is going into debt. That should be the wake-up call that this Government needs that whatever measures it believes it is taking are nowhere near good enough and that parents and families are struggling. We say we have a free education system when, in fact, we do not. There are huge inequalities. There are haves and have-nots and if you are a have-not in this country, you feel it in many different ways and one way you feel it is in access to and the ability to enjoy education. This Government is not doing enough and this motion sets out ways that it can do more. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Marie Sherlock  I want to thank my colleague, Deputy Kenny, for bringing forward this really important motion and welcome the support across the Opposition. He does appear to be getting to some Deputies in Sinn F\u00e9in.  No one wants to be talking about going back to school but the back-to-education allowance has landed this week and many parents are having to deal with an existing cost-of-living crisis. It beggars belief that after years of budgetary surpluses the at-risk of poverty rate and the deprivation rate continue to go in the wrong direction. It is shameful that with all the money being dished out, we are seeing a rise in the at-risk of deprivation rate among one-parent families. Almost half of all one-parent families are still experiencing deprivation and there is a rise in the at-risk of poverty rate for two-parent families, with one in eight of those families experiencing deprivation. The back-to-education costs are a very big part of the story of child poverty and deprivation in this country and the ILCU survey very powerfully spoke to that this week.  Talking about back to school feels like Groundhog Day with regard to school uniforms.  As my colleague Deputy Smith said, there is a Department circular that the Department has failed to enforce across schools. It is extraordinary to listen to the Minister of State talk about guidance from the Department to schools saying that no family or pupil should be forced to purchase a device. The reality, as we know, is that 30% of schools have mandated their pupils to get devices. Some 17% of those schools are DEIS schools. We know that some tech companies, a huge number of which have their EMEA headquarters here in Ireland, are supporting schools, including some schools in my constituency, but that is not good enough. We need the State to step in. It is frankly appalling that the ICT grant was cut last year and has remained the same this year and that there is no provision for maintenance and repair.  Our key message to the Minister is that there needs to be a proper State policy with regard to ICT use in our schools, there needs to be proper supports to families to access the devices, and we need to end the digital divide and the very blatant inequality emerging to a much greater extent because of access to ICT devices in our schools. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  To finish the debate, I thank all Deputies across the House for their contributions. I am quite surprised by the contributions from some Deputies in Sinn F\u00e9in, which holds the finance Ministry in the North of Ireland, where there is currently a \u20ac700 million shortfall in the Department of Education. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(Interruptions)."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Do not interrupt, please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  Sinn F\u00e9in Deputies come in here and have a go at the Labour Party for something that happened 15 years ago, when I was in primary school and 11 years old. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(Interruptions)."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Through the Chair, please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  It is quite interesting. I am not sure where their priorities lie in providing solutions. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh  Stand for election in the North and see how you get on. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Allow the contribution, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  The priorities lie in this motion. Instead they come in here and have a go off the Labour Party - no problem at all. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  We are only telling you the truth, Eoghan. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  No, not at all. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Deputy Bennett, you are out of order. I ask Deputies to stop interrupting. Allow the closing speech. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  Sinn F\u00e9in should get back to the priorities in this motion.  The Minister in her speech referred on a number of occasions to encouraging schools:  I encourage schools to consider how existing ICT supports and funding could be used to meet students' needs before any expectation was placed on parents ...  Using the words \"encourage schools\" is extremely blas\u00e9 in that it does not pay for digital devices. Saying to schools \"I encourage you to look into not using digital devices\" does not pay for those digital devices that are required.  The Minister referred to a digital learning plan. In our motion we have called for a ring-fenced maintenance fund to be provided by the Department of education for schools. Having been a teacher in two schools, I recognise that these tablets and these laptops that are provided to schools break and that maintenance for them is coming out of capitation grants that cannot be fulfilled by the schools because they are using capitation grants elsewhere. If we had a ring-fenced maintenance fund for these laptops and tablets, it would provide the necessary funding to be able to maintain them. As regards the Minister's reply, guidance to schools is not enforcement to schools. As regards providing guidance and letters to schools that say, \"My Department believes that it is not necessary to have laptops and tablets; I am issuing guidance on this\", without those enforcement mechanisms being put in place, schools can still mandate children to have a personal digital device, which is what they are doing.  In relation to the Minister's comment that \"decisions about digital devices should be grounded in pedagogy, informed by engagement with parents and students and mindful of affordability for families\", her own Department has created a senior cycle reform, leaving certificate reform, and almost 40% of that leaving cert work is project work now that almost includes the use of a digital device consistently.  The Minister said when speaking about school uniforms that Circular 32\/2017 makes it clear that schools should take practical steps to reduce costs for families, including use of generic items where possible, avoiding unnecessary exclusive supplier arrangements. It is just not happening. That circular needs to be revisited and schools need to be issued with further guidance. It is a guidance letter once again, a guidance circular that was produced by the Minister at the time in 2017 that gave absolutely no consequences to the school for having branded school uniforms.  In my opening speech I, as well as my colleagues, welcomed the free books scheme. It was an essential piece that was brought in within the Department of Social Protection and the Department of education that genuinely helped families. However, that free books scheme is now being undermined 100%, unfortunately, by a lot of schools mandating children to have digital devices. That free books scheme was extremely welcome. I welcomed it as a teacher; I welcome it now as a politician. Unfortunately, it is now being undermined by many schools across the country mandating children to have digital devices.  The Minister outlined the cost of school transport. School transport should be free. I do not care if it is \u20ac1.32 for families right across the country. It should be free. We should have free school transport in this country for every single child. No financial barrier should be put before a child who needs access to schools, predominantly children living in rural areas.  In relation to the engagement and consultation charter Bill, of course consultation with parents is essential, but drawn-out consultation right now will not pay for the significant back-to-school costs that parents are sitting around the kitchen table right now wondering how they will be able to afford in the next month or two. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Digital Divide and Back to School Costs: Motion [Private Members]"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_11","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions","counts":{"speechCount":79,"speakerCount":10},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_11","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Before we move on, I ask for all your co-operation with the direction of the Chair to get through the amount of business we have. I welcome all the Members in the Gallery. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  \"We are not going to regain any of the abilities we've lost, but Skyclarys will give us time. Time when you're dealing with our progressive relentless disease is everything. We all deserve time with our loved ones.\" Those are the words of Emily Felix, a 28-year-old trainee solicitor from Kilkenny who is living with Friedreich's ataxia. It is a rare, progressive and life-limiting neurological condition. It gradually takes away mobility, speech and independence. Emily was diagnosed at 12. Since then, she has completed her degree, pursued postgraduate study and begun training as a solicitor. She is doing everything she can to protect her health and her future, but the disease continues to progress.  Yesterday, as the Taoiseach knows, the HSE drugs group met to consider reimbursement of Skyclarys, the first approved treatment that can slow the progression of Friedreich's ataxia. Patients hoped for a positive decision. This process has been ongoing for years. Instead, the drug was referred to a rare disease technical review group for further consideration. This group is not a standing body and must now be convened. This could mean further delays and potentially months before a final decision is made.  For patients, that delay is unbearable. It can mean losing the ability to walk, to speak clearly, to swallow safely or to live independently. Skyclarys is not a cure but it offers something precious: more time with mobility, working, communicating and living independently. Dr. Richard Walsh, consultant neurologist and co-director of the National Ataxia Clinic, has described this drug as a ground-breaking development. He has said that he would prescribe it if it were available in Ireland and that it may reduce the rate of disease progression. Skyclarys has been approved across the European Union since February 2024. It is already publicly funded or accessible in several European countries. Irish patients are watching people with the same condition receive treatment elsewhere while they continue to deteriorate without it. That is cruel.  Yesterday, those living with Friedreich's ataxia gathered at Leinster House waiting for good news. Their hopes were high, but advocates and campaigners were left waiting with no communication. They were left desperately making phone calls, checking for updates, asking journalists and asking politicians if they had heard anything. They were treated appallingly. Then, when the news did eventually filter though, they were left devastated.  Craig Coady from Cork, who has already lost his 13-year-old son, Rory, to Friedreich's ataxia, now watches as his older son, Paudie, deteriorates from the same condition. He took to social media to express his anger. He said:  This is the worst news for my son. The government is kicking the can down the road. We don't have that time because Paudie is getting worse every day. I am so upset and disgusted.  Medicines must be properly assessed, and I get that, but the patient cannot be lost in the process, and that is what happens. In fact, in the programme for Government the Government committed to reviewing that process because it was accepted it does not always work.  The technical review group obviously now needs to be convened and needs to meet urgently.  Emily cannot afford more delays. She is a young woman with a career, ambitions, a family and a future she is fighting to protect. The same is true of every single person living with Friedreich's ataxia in this State. They cannot be left waiting any longer and they deserve better.  Does the Taoiseach accept that those living with Friedreich's ataxia were treated appallingly yesterday, that they deserved to be treated with respect and should have been properly communicated with? Does he recognise that this is a matter of urgency for them and that they cannot continue to wait while time is running out? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  As this is my last Leaders' Questions of this term, I thank the Ceann Comhairle and all Deputies in the House for their co-operation throughout the year. I thank the entire team that works here, the ushers, the staff in catering and so on, for the manner in which they look after all of us on an ongoing basis. We deeply appreciate that. To the Deputies, while we disagree on many issues, this is parliamentary democracy in action and long may it continue. I just wanted to say that.  I thank Deputy Cullinane for raising this issue. I accept this is a matter of urgency for those with the condition of Friedreich's ataxia. I have met with Craig Coady and with others who have the condition. It is extremely worrying for them to say the least. The experiences they and their families are going through while awaiting the assessment of this drug are extremely traumatic. I appreciate the Deputy saying there has to be a process or a scientific input into whether medicines are effective or not, or suitable for reimbursement. It took a length of time. I think the company was slow over the past two years in responding to the HSE. The timeline is there. I know the Deputy has kept in close contact with the Minister on that. The commercial proposal was ultimately received from Biogen on 27 May. It went through a lot of interactions before that, which, in my view, could have been quicker on the part of the company.  That said, there is a process where first a health technology assessment was published in December 2025. That is public and was not that strong in terms of its assessment of Skyclarys at the time. There was a clear recommendation from that. That was then moved on to the HSE drugs group. I accept there are issues in terms of how this gets communicated. However, up to now since the 2013 Act, there has not been a practice whereby there is a parallel political operation while this group is meeting monthly. I think 70 rare disease drugs were approved in the four years between 2021 and 2025. It was not the case that people were waiting every month. That is something we have to be conscious of. I understand it but we need to work on the communication of all that. These are scientists and people with expert knowledge who meet to assess drugs. They are not politicians. We have to protect that process too in terms of their assessment of the efficacy of drugs and so forth with regard to conditions. This year alone, 26 drugs for rare diseases have been approved and many more drugs outside of that.  It is a serious and urgent situation for the families. Our hearts go out to them. It is a disease that progresses and has severe impacts on those with the condition. It has now been referred to the rare diseases technology review committee and the Minister is taking steps to get that established as quickly as possible to assess this. It is my understanding that some of the national expertise and practising consultants in this field would be on that group, and I hope we can get an outcome as quickly as possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  I met many of those patients and people with the illness yesterday. Many of them were here in Leinster House. They told me, as they have in the past, they cannot walk and they cannot swallow and, as the Taoiseach acknowledged, it is also very difficult for their families who have to watch as their condition worsens and the disease progresses. This drug was approved by the European Union in 2024, over two years ago. It is publicly available in many European countries and yet again Ireland lags behind and we are not providing this drug. I see it simply. This is about empowering the clinicians. At the moment clinicians treating those patients do not have the option of prescribing that drug. We should enable them to have that option because this is an issue for clinicians and patients to work out the best treatment for those patients. That is an option available in Italy, Germany and other countries. It is not available in Ireland.  When is that group going to be convened because those people who were here yesterday were really upset? There was no communication. They were making phone calls, and they fear more months of delay before a decision is made. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I accept the devastation for families on receiving that news yesterday. This is not the news they wanted to hear. The previous month a drug was approved and that was welcomed across the House. The very same group made that recommendation in respect of that drug. There is an urgency attached to this and we are prepared to work with Members of the House in terms of the processes. We all accept that, ultimately, there has to be a scientific perspective on this. I accept there is also a role for those at the front line clinically in respect of this condition, and in the neurological field more generally who are treating people with this condition. Many drugs have an evolutionary process. In other words, they can get better as they are refined and improved upon in the research. There is much more in terms of clinical trials and so on that the Minister----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  That concludes the question. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----has published a strategy on. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  I want to take up where we left off yesterday. When explaining why the Government was not going to buy Bessborough the Taoiseach said:  Excavation without evidence of location is neither feasible nor lawful [because] Under the Institutional Burials Act 2022, the Government can only [start an excavation] where it is satisfied that burials have taken place and there is evidence that those burials are manifestly inappropriate.  He then said, \"I am advised that the legal threshold cannot currently be met because the location of many burials remains unknown.\" I cannot have been the only person listening who was stunned. The Government knows that 859 children and 19 women who were incarcerated at Bessborough are missing, presumed dead. It knows the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes said it was highly likely that burials had taken place on this land. It has all the evidence of abuse, suspicious deaths, disappeared women and children and likely burial, and the Taoiseach is telling us he is powerless to act because legislation his previous Government drafted and enacted is preventing him. This really is beneath contempt. I repeat again what he said yesterday. The Government needs evidence that burials were \"manifestly inappropriate\" before it can intervene. Is he actually trying to say that these burials were in any way manifestly appropriate, and discarding the remains of hundreds of children without a scrap of paper recording the burial location is appropriate? He now seems to be using that as an excuse for inaction, when what he should be doing is moving heaven and earth to find these children and 19 women who disappeared.  Two weeks ago, the Taoiseach told me that Cork City Council should have placed a compulsory purchase order on the land. Councillors on Cork City Council have now twice voted unanimously to CPO the land, mostly recently on Monday of this week. The councillors have been told that they cannot do that because the council does not have capital. The Taoiseach holds the purse strings. Quite frequently when I ask him an important question he comes back and speaks about how I do not have a monopoly on caring, about his bona fides and about how much he cares.  Respectfully, it does not matter how much the Taoiseach cares unless that is mirrored some way in his actions. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  Can he please refrain from doing that in his reply today and focus on answering the questions? He is the Taoiseach of this country. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  If he cared about this issue he would act. He could amend the burials Act. He could open the archives. He could negotiate with the developer. He could give money to Cork City Council to secure the land. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Deputy. I call on the Taoiseach to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  Will the Taoiseach do that? His hands are not tied; he is sitting on them. There is a difference. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  A number of years ago, I met with Maureen Considine and some survivors in Bessborough. Deputy Cairns has often said we should talk to survivors. Their perspective is far different from hers in respect of Bessborough. I refer her to an article in today's Irish Examiner by Maureen Considine in respect of this issue. She established the Cork Survivors and Supporters Alliance, CSSA, in respect of this issue - in terms of the burials in Bessborough. The fundamental issue they wanted was to first of all establish where their babies were buried. Their sense was:  The mothers at the heart of our alliance are being overshadowed by an abstract human rights debate. Any demand for further disturbance of remains without their explicit input and consent is not an act of justice; it is a repetition of the original trauma where an institution exerted control over their children's burial. These mothers have inherent rights to privacy and space to grieve in peace.  The Cork Survivors and Supporters Alliance wanted to find out where the mothers' babies were buried. They were involved in legal submissions to a different application and employed experts and so forth. By the way, they do not believe that the current area of lands, which is the subject matter of the current An Bord Plean\u00e1la recommendation, is where the babies are buried. That is following their work with the experts they availed of. There are different perspectives from different survivors, which Deputy Cairns has ignored in all of her presentations. I also refer the Deputy to an article by Ann O'Gorman, based in Limerick, who lost her baby when it died 20 minutes after birth. The Deputy should read that article, which was in the Irish Independent some time ago. The point is Deputy Cairns has an extraordinary habit of distorting things that I say and conflating them. We are talking about 60 acres here. The planning permission for housing is not for the entirety of the 60 acres. It is for a part of it. There are two other lots of land. There are State services on the land. One hundred people are working in different services in Bessborough. There is childcare there, and so forth. It has been an active area of human activity for a long time----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Taoiseach. I call Deputy Cairns. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----long after the home closed. I know a lot about it because I have been around a long time in that area. I live nearby. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The time is up. I thank the Taoiseach. I call Deputy Cairns. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I will come back in a minute. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  At the end of the day, there are a few things that we know and a few things that we do not know. We know the commission of investigation found that it is highly likely there are babies buried on the grounds. We do not know why it made that recommendation. Why? Because the archives are sealed. The Taoiseach took exception to that word yesterday. They are closed. He can call it whatever he wants. That is why we do not know why the commission made that recommendation. We know that archaeologists walked the site. We do not know what they said or recommended because the archive is sealed. We know that there was no ground-penetrating radar used. As far as we know, there were no soil samples and no test excavations. We do not know why. We know that we have this information for Tuam and for Sean Ross Abbey. We do not have it for Bessborough. We do not know why. The Taoiseach's whole argument amounts to \"We simply don't have enough information to meet the threshold for excavation and examination.\" Why do we not? It is by design. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank Deputy Cairns. I call on the Taoiseach to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  It is very clearly by design that we do not have this information. I take it from the Taoiseach's reply that his answer to my questions was \"No\", so I will ask him this: will he simply release the archaeological report? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Taoiseach will respond now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Deputy Cairns has attacked the Institutional Burials Act. She implied it was imposed by this Government. It actually was agreed by the entire D\u00e1il. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  Not by me. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  By the entire D\u00e1il, including Deputy Cairns's party. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  I put forward amendments at every Stage. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Respectfully, it works both ways. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Let us park that for a moment. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  The Taoiseach can check the record. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  It was agreed. When I spoke to Deputy Bacik yesterday, we had a constructive engagement and she asked certain things. Deputy Cairns cannot draw conclusions from yesterday in terms of what the Government's position on this ultimately will be because we said we would reflect on it. That is what I said yesterday and that is what I intend to do. We need to be mindful of all survivors. I think Deputy Cairns has been too dismissive of those I have quoted this morning. I met with them three or four years ago. I was very taken by what they said. They have come to the view that they wanted a proper memorial. They felt their children were within those grounds. By the way, they believe there was a burial ground there and that burials were not ad hoc , scattered all over the 60 acres. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  It is the apartments----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I am sorry, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  There is a very telling phrase in the article. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Taoiseach's time is up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  If I could, I will just finish on this very sensitive issue. Their point is that there was not a blade of grass disturbed on that site. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  It may be, but we are out of time. I call Deputy Bacik. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The way that site was organised, there would have been a burial ground. I accept the point that we have not located it, but there would have been a burial ground there. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I call Deputy Bacik. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  That is the issue. It is not where they----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  The housing crisis continues to cut deep. The numbers in homelessness remain shockingly high. There are over 17,000 people in emergency accommodation, including 5,583 children. That is an appalling statistic and each figure represents an individual human tragedy. While the D\u00e1il is in recess, sadly, many more people are likely to see an eviction notice land in their letterbox, and all of us know of those who are directly affected - like the young man who contacted me this week. He and his neighbours are being evicted at the end of the month with nowhere to go. Or like the young woman I am supporting, who was evicted into homelessness more than a year ago now. She has four children, two with significant disabilities, one of whom requires 24-hour medical care, and she has yet to be housed. She is relying on the goodwill of family and friends to keep a roof over her head. Another mother who is working full time was also evicted into homelessness a year ago. As a result, she has seen a deterioration in her youngest child, who has additional needs. I have supported her as she has been applying to every Government support scheme available but nothing has come good for her. Incredibly, her family has been deemed ineligible for priority treatment on exceptional grounds. Her ordeal should be unthinkable but, sadly, it is no longer a rarity.  All of us know of other families in similar situations because, under the Government, homelessness has sadly been normalised and evictions have continued apace, including mass evictions. The Government's housing policies have failed: policies on shed-sits, on evictions and rent hikes, on vacancy and dereliction but, above all, policies have failed to deliver on homes and social and affordable housing.  Let us take the Irish Glass Bottle site down the road in Poolbeg, where nearly 4,000 homes are set to be provided. At the weekend, letters uncovered by the Irish Independent revealed that the delivery of the social and affordable component of housing there is under threat. The Taoiseach knows there is a long history to this development. He will know it is the subject of a good faith agreement between the Department of housing, the developer, Dublin City Council and local residents. The agreement was to provide for the delivery of 900 social and affordable homes in an area where housing is desperately needed, where people are living in damp, mouldy homes in Pearse House, Markievicz House and other places with stairwells literally falling down. It is an area where market rents are sky high. An apartment on the Glass Bottle site rented privately costs more than \u20ac4,000 per month, yet the Minister for housing has been told that provision of much-needed social and affordable homes may now be delayed. Where will my constituents go?  Mere weeks ago, the Minister, Deputy James Browne, wrote that the most powerful tool we have to tackle homelessness is the delivery of social housing. It is possible, if we are determined enough, to use every single lever at our disposal. Will the Government use every lever at its disposal to tackle the housing crisis? Will the Taoiseach ensure delivery of the social and affordable homes promised at the Irish Glass Bottle site, and indeed across every community where they are so badly needed? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First, we will use every lever. I accept that housing is the social issue of our time. There is no question about that. We are using every lever but from time to time the Opposition objects to many of the levers that we deploy in respect of housing.  Could I pick the Deputy up on social housing? Between 2020 and 2025, we have delivered 60,000 social homes, through build, acquisition and leasing.  Over 9,000 new-build social homes were delivered in last year. That was the highest annual total in the State's history. We have made huge progress on social housing since 2020 in terms of the numbers of homes that are being built. Close to 23,000 social homes were in design or construction at the end of 2025. We are targeting about 72,000 new social homes by 2030. In addition, we are making progress regarding new starter homes. Some 36,000 houses were built last year. We will build more this year, and we need to build more again in 2027. That is the objective.  If we look at planning permission alone, we can see that the momentum is strong. Permission was granted for 34,000 new homes in the 12 months to the end of quarter 1 of 2026. This was up 8% year on year, with 13,000 commencements for the first five months of this year. That was up 161% year on year. The housing infrastructure fund is going to be significant and will unblock about 86,000 units. Real investment in dwellings was up close to 20% in 2025. Construction employment is up 33%, at 195,000, since 2020. Development land deals are up 55%, with quarter 1 of this year being the best quarter in this regard since 2019 being experienced. Home Building Finance Ireland's loan book has grown by 25% and a \u20ac1 billion housing infrastructure investment fund has been announced. The number of first-time buyers mortgage drawdowns in 2025 was 27,500, the highest volume since 2007. In May of this year, first-time buyers accounted for 59% of all mortgage approvals. That is up 44% on 2022. Progress is being made. The issue for us is to get to 50,000 per annum, and to do so on a sustainable basis over a ten-year period in order to meet population growth and demand.  Homelessness is a far more complex issue now than it was four or five years ago. There are many factors in homelessness. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Not least among these is the migration issue, which is having a significant impact. Across the board, we have taken significant initiatives, which have been opposed by the Opposition, to deliver housing. I still think that the Government's programme is more substantive, effective and impactful than any proposals that brought forward by other political parties in the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  The Taoiseach can quote figures, but I have already quoted to him the shocking figure relating to those who are homeless. Let me also quote figures published just this week by the AIB construction purchasing managers index. Those figures show residential building contracting for the third consecutive month. There was a sharp contraction in construction activity in June, down to 45.4% from 50.2%. I use the debacle over the Poolbeg site to illustrate the difficulty the Government is in. The Government's overreliance on the private sector has simply failed to deliver homes at the necessary scale. Construction, including residential construction, is slowing. The private sector has a significant role to play, but the State needs to take on a far more prominent and proactive role. That is at the heart of the Labour Party's proposals and, indeed, the proposals of other Opposition parties. Central to provision is that promises on delivery must be kept. Should the developers of the Irish Glass Bottle site fail to honour the legally binding 15% planning condition, legal action will have to be taken. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you, Deputy. The Taoiseach to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  It is very hard for my constituents and other people around the country who are homeless or facing the threat of eviction to see how little is being done by the Government. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Deputy, please. At the behest of the Chair, the Taoiseach will respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  That is not real. On the Labour Party's proposal, namely the idea of setting up a new State-owned construction company----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  The Land Development Agency. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----would take years and would not have any impact on house building right now or over the next five years for that matter. The Labour Party has produced a couple of pages on it, with nothing fleshed out. That is the bottom line. We already have the Land Development Agency----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  That is what I said. Ramp it up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----and that is delivering well, so why create a new one? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  That is what we said. Ramp up the Land Development Agency. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  It does not work like that, Deputy. Please respect the answer. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  It has been ramped up, for God's sake. Billions are going into the Land Development Agency. That is how thin the Labour Party's proposals are. Genuinely, there is no real substance coming from the Opposition on housing in terms of adding to our stock. We did the exemption for back gardens, but those in opposition just dismissed that. We did rural housing and that was also dismissed. The Department also produced guidelines. The help to buy scheme, was opposed by the Opposition. The first home scheme was also opposed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  It is inflationary. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  That has helped young people and first-time buyers enormously, so much so that the number of first-time buyer mortgages is way ahead now of any other type of mortgage. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you Taoiseach, time is up. I call Deputy Stanley. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  How do we get from 40,000-odd to 50,000? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Deputy Stanley is on his feet. Taoiseach, the time is up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  I want to raise the situation regarding the absence of health cover for a large section of the population. Many middle- and low-income households have either very limited health cover or none at all. Forty-five per cent of the population have some kind of private health insurance. Most people who have such insurance have very limited, partial and restricted cover. A total of 42% have medical cards that provide either full medical cover or just GP care. This breaks down to roughly 30% having full cover and 12% having GP care cover. What these figures show is that 57% of the population have very limited cover. Worst of all, 13% to 14% have absolutely no health cover whatsoever.  These workers and families are typically on low to middle incomes but they live in one of the richest countries in the world. That is a scandal. The facts are that the income thresholds relating to entitlement to a full medical card have not increased in over two decades. The Taoiseach was Minister for Health at the time. The thresholds are of the 1980s variety. The latest figures from this year show that a single person has to be on an income of less than \u20ac184 a week in order to qualify. The threshold for a couple to qualify for a full medical card is \u20ac266.50 per week. If they have two children, the threshold is \u20ac345 per week. For the GP-only card, the threshold is \u20ac373 a week for a single adult and \u20ac607 - which roughly equates to \u20ac30,000 per year - for a couple. This means that many households which cannot afford it have no access to even basic healthcare or GP care. In turn, this gives rise to medical neglect.  I fully support Sl\u00e1intecare. We are making some progress on that, but it is not happening quickly enough. Ten years were allocated in respect of the implementation of Sl\u00e1intecare and universal healthcare. Those ten years will run out in 17 months' time. The process relating to full implementation has to be stepped up.  The position relating to discretionary medical cards needs to be examined and improved. As a start, we need to ensure that cancer patients have full medical card cover. On 6 March 2025, the Minister for Health, who is sitting beside the Taoiseach, in reply to a parliamentary question I tabled, stated:  I can assure the Deputy that my Department keeps medical card issues under review ... Over the course of 2025, we will review the existing eligibility framework to clearly assess what is working well ... This is an important step towards delivering on universal healthcare  I agree with her on that, but it is 105 years since independence and the establishment of this State. Budget 2027 will be introduced in 12 weeks' time. I accept that everything cannot be done at once, but will the Government ensure, as the next step towards implementing Sl\u00e1intecare, that income thresholds will be increased in order to provide medical card cover to the workers and families who do not have any at present? Will it also ensure, very importantly, that cancer patients have full medical card cover? I welcome the fact that the number of training places for GPs has been increased, but will the Government expand the process in this regard further and get the HSE to directly employ GPs in to fill the gap in rural and urban areas where people do not have access to GPs at present? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank Deputy Stanley for raising this issue. He mentioned that Ireland is well over 100 years in existence as an independent State. There is a great book by Mark Henry, In Fact: An Optimist\u2019s Guide to Ireland at 100 . It contains a great chapter on health that I invite Deputy Stanley to read. If he looks at what people were dying of in 1922 and 1923 and the average lifespan at that time and the position today, he will see that there is no comparison. There has been an incredible improvement in the average lifespan. Ultimately, that has to be the measurement of any health service and of a broader societal approach to health and well-being. With a life expectancy of 83 years in 2024, Ireland ranked sixth highest among EU member states. I was Minister for health from 2000 to 2004. We were nowhere near this level of life expectancy at that time. The reason was that we did not have any national strategies on the key killer diseases, namely cancer and cardiovascular disease. We developed national strategies from the late 1990s onwards for cancer and cardiovascular disease. These had very dramatic beneficial impacts.  Those strategies were followed by substantial investment as well. Our mortality rate fell by 16.1% over the decade from 2015 to 2024. Our mortality rate for all circulatory system diseases fell by 28%, with the rate for heart disease and stroke falling by 34% and 42%, respectively. The mortality rate for all cancers dropped by 13.7%, with cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lung and breast cancer dropping by 19.3% and 11.7%, respectively. The mortality rate for respiratory diseases is down by 23%. I just need to make those general points. We are making progress. The investment has been huge. We have invested exponentially now in our health services.  In respect of GP and primary care, we have now had the biggest expansion of access to free GP care in the history of the State. If we take medical cards and GP visit cards, about 2.3 million people are eligible for free GP care, including those with medical cards and GP visit cards. We have reduced the threshold for the drug payment scheme to \u20ac80 per month. We did this progressively over the past number of years. We have funded diagnostic scans now for patients. We have introduced free contraception for women up to the age of 35. We are publicly funding assisted human reproduction, including IVF, and free HRT. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Taoiseach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We have also developed a much-needed revolution in women\u2019s healthcare in terms of see-and-treat gynaecology clinics and----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Taoiseach. You will be coming back in. I call Deputy Stanley. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----fertility hubs and specialist menopause services. All that helps to gain greater access for patients. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Taoiseach. The time is up. I call Deputy Stanley. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  That is all fair and good, and I acknowledge there has been progress. Of course, there has been progress in 105 years. There has been progress in my lifetime, which is a bit less than 105 years. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We can see from the Deputy's demeanour that he is doing very well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  I am hoping to get a bit longer than 83 years out of it.  The fundamental question here concerns people who do not have health cover. Progress is being made towards implementing Sl\u00e1intecare, and I acknowledge, in particular, the stand taken by the Minister in relation to the contracts for consultants. If they are paid to work for the full week by the State, then they cannot do private work during that time. A plumber working for the Office of Public Work, OPW, cannot be off doing nixers during the day for somebody else. We support her in doing that.  Universal healthcare is where we have to get to. We are out of step with other states. The Taoiseach will have to admit, and he has not addressed this, that since he was the Minister for Health, those thresholds have not increased, and I acknowledge all the progress that has been made, although we have a distance to go yet. It is \u20ac184 for a single person, \u20ac266.50 for a couple and \u20ac345.50 per week for a family of four. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Deputy. The Taoiseach has the figures. I call the Taoiseach to respond now, please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I again thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The biggest movement in the past couple of years has been the GP access card, the GP visit card, more than the medical card. I acknowledge that point. We have, however, reduced the drug threshold payment as well. We are also building up the public health system as per Sl\u00e1intecare and Government decisions----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  The Taoiseach himself----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----which I think are, in many respects, extremely important in terms of the diagnostic hubs and the community-based model that has been evolving over the past number of years. It actually gives people very ready access to diagnostics and treatments in terms of not having to access the acute hospital system all the time.  On growing college and training places, which the Deputy referenced earlier, as he knows, there was a big investment in 2026 enabling higher education institutes to deliver over 1,100 new healthcare course places each year over the next three years. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Taoiseach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We have had a particularly significant investment in more GP places in our colleges and clinical placements thereafter. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Taoiseach. I appreciate that there is a lot of information. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_12","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 na Comhalta\u00ed Eile - Other Members\u2019 Questions","counts":{"speechCount":10,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_12","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Lowry","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","memberCode":"Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Lowry","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","memberCode":"Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Lowry  When this Government was formed just over 18 months ago, no one could have predicted the scale of the crisis unfolding in the Middle East, the disruption it would place on global energy markets and its impact on the cost of living in Ireland and across the world. In these times, the value of a capable and stable Government became clear. This coalition must continue to provide certainty for households, protect our living standards and keep our economy on track. Fuel supports introduced to shield families and workers from surging prices at the pumps have been extended into the autumn. The focus must now turn to October\u2019s budget and the decisions needed to protect people from external shocks, sustain our prosperity and strengthen our economy for the years ahead.  Independents supporting the Government helped to shape last year\u2019s budget, with a strong focus on protecting the most vulnerable and securing meaningful, long-term benefits. Earlier this month, the largest-ever increase in the carer's allowance income disregard took effect. That is real progress, and we are committed to phasing out the means test entirely during the lifetime of this Government. The central question now is what budget 2027 will do for working people.  Last year, income tax bands and personal tax credits were left untouched. As wages rise to meet the growing cost of living, workers are being unduly punished by the tax system. The people in the squeezed middle, the workers who keep our economy moving, need a meaningful tax package in October that will allow them to keep more of their hard-earned money. People living with a disability continue to face unavoidable additional costs in areas such as transport and healthcare. I welcome the cross-Government work conducted over the past year that has looked at the possibility of a permanent annual cost-of-disability payment. Budget 2027 should move that commitment in the programme for Government from the discussion phase to delivery and the establishment of this permanent payment.  Inheritance tax must be reviewed. The current inheritance tax regime is penal and is not fair or equitable. Families should be able to pass on a home, farm or business without there being an excess tax burden. We must also look at how people without children can pass on an inheritance to nieces, nephews or close relatives without being disproportionately penalised.  Prudent management of our economy is the cornerstone of good government. While people are struggling with the cost of living, they are further infuriated to see public money wasted. This squandering of taxpayers' money is evident across all Departments, State agencies and local authorities. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Deputy. I call the Taoiseach to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Lowry","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","memberCode":"Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Lowry  The Minister, Deputy Jack Chambers, requires the full support----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I call the Taoiseach to respond, please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Lowry","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","memberCode":"Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Lowry  -----of the Government to implement measures to----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The time is up, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Lowry","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","memberCode":"Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Lowry  -----reduce wasteful expenditure----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank Deputy Lowry for raising a fundamental issue insofar as it affects the livelihoods of our citizens across the country, workers, those on pensions and so on. We rarely get opportunities to discuss the wider economy in this House. I was struck that earlier this week we had a significant investment by Intel of up to \u20ac5 billion in its site in Leixlip, and there was not a whisper in this House about it. It kind of tells us a story about the degree to which this House is divorced from the reality of economics and the economy, and how to sustain the economy and stay competitive. There is rarely a discussion in here on any of that.  If we take trade, for example, the main Opposition party is opposing the trade deal with Canada. Our exports to Canada have gone up fourfold since that trade deal came in provisionally. This has led to many jobs for SME companies in Ireland, as well as multinationals. Yet Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s response is to take it to the courts to try to get rid of it. This is the sort of extraordinarily bizarre take on the economy that we have to listen to in the House sometimes. We do not really have a proper to-and-fro debate on it.  Ultimately, we have a responsibility to try to provide jobs. We are doing that, and the growth in employment has been phenomenal. At the moment, we are at about 2,794,500 people working, as of the first quarter of 2026. We have a growing population. It now stands at over 5.5 million people, which is an increase of 10% between 2020 and 2026. There has been an incredible increase of 53% between 1995 and 2026. Being straight-up about it, there are pressures that have come from that.  We have to have a budget that reflects the need to sustain that level of work in our economy so that people will have access to jobs.  The AI issue is causing a lot of concern. I take heart from the investment announced by Intel this week, which will be AI-propelled, actually. That industry is now looking at an upward curve in the context of semiconductors, sensors and so on.  The Deputy is correct in saying that the conflict in the Middle East has had a huge impact. In the budget, we will endeavour to ease the pressure on families. There will be a package relating to income tax for families. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary, is working on the cost-of-disability payment issue. That will be groundbreaking. It has never happened before. It is complex; it is not simple. There had to be public consultation in respect of it. We will do everything we can in the budget to try to alleviate the pressures on people brought about the Middle East war, the shock to supplies it has caused and the inflationary impact on fuel prices in particular to which it has given rise. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Lowry","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","memberCode":"Michael-Lowry.D.1987-03-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Lowry  There is another group of people who cannot be overlooked, namely the self-employed. These people take risks, create employment and contribute significantly to the economy. The self-employed are at a disadvantage in accessing State supports and social protection. They do not have access to the new My Future Fund pension arrangements available to all employees. The Government should start setting out a clear pathway towards inclusion for the self-employed or an equivalent mechanism that will give them the same opportunity as others to build greater retirement security. Fairness for working people must include those who work for themselves. The self-employed make a huge contribution to our economy. In many cases, they are overlooked. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I appreciate the point. This is a pro-enterprise Government. That matters. I believe in nurturing and supporting companies and people who start their own businesses. Those people take great risks. In many instances, for the first ten years of a new company, they have to work 24-7. An issue we discuss with Enterprise Ireland is how to enable those companies to have capital to scale up. Part of our European Union Presidency programme is around competitiveness and giving a better break to SMEs in particular and giving them greater access to capital. Supporting the self-employed will continue to be a commitment of Government. It is an issue we keep under constant review. There is a cost-of-doing-business forum which comes under the remit of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment and which is looking at what we can do to reduce costs, clarify and simplify regulation for SMEs in particular, which would go a long to helping them, and enhance the research and development tax credit in terms of making it available to and accessible by SMEs. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 na Comhalta\u00ed Eile - Other Members\u2019 Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_13","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Pholasa\u00ed n\u00f3 ar Reachta\u00edocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation","counts":{"speechCount":80,"speakerCount":22},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_13","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Tom Brabazon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Tom-Brabazon.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Tom-Brabazon.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Maxwell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Maxwell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"David-Maxwell.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Mac Lochlainn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-MacLochlainn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-MacLochlainn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Connolly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Connolly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Connolly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  The Government is punishing special needs assistants, SNAs, for exercising their democratic rights. It is tearing up a local pay agreement worth 1.5% and a new special leave arrangement simply because workers rejected a separate workforce plan. There is much uncertainty, anxiety and anger about what is happening. SNAs do not know what the future holds. This move on the part of the Government is yet another insult. Will the Government reverse this reprehensible decision on local bargaining? Will it work in good faith to address the uncertainty and anxiety that exist? Will the Government side get back to the negotiating table as a matter of urgent priority in order to address the identified issues of contention and put a plan together that SNAs can support? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We put a comprehensive plan together in terms of the broader area of special education. We also issued a circular and so on. That was an agreement with the trade union F\u00f3rsa at the time. The matter went to ballot, and the result was not positive. Government always stands ready to engage with the trade union representatives in respect of the broader picture. The investment in SNAs has been huge. It will continue to be significant, as will the investment in special education across the board. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  A hosepipe ban will come into force in a number of counties on the east coast from tomorrow. I completely understand that because we are seeing record temperatures and are in the middle of dealing with the climate crisis and climate change. It is important that we conserve water, but can the Taoiseach understand the frustration of many people being told that they have to conserve water when it appears that there is very little governance or oversight of the amount of water used by data centres, particularly those in the Dublin area? Uisce \u00c9ireann cannot seem to provide proper figures for the amount of water that is being abstracted at the moment. It reckons that about 800 ML, 0.13% of the national average, is being abstracted. However, that is less than what Meta has recorded as abstracting for one of its own plants. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  Uisce \u00c9ireann seems to have plucked its figure from thin air. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Taoiseach, please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  Will the Taoiseach ensure that there is oversight----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Time is up, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  -----of the amount of water that data centres use? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We can, but I am not clear about the direction in which the Deputy is heading on that. Is she saying that we should shut them down or put them out of use----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  We need to know what they are using. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Deputy, it does not work like that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  ------with all the implications that----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  We need to go into this with our eyes wide open. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Deputy, do you want the answer? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  ------would have for users of technology? The hosepipe ban is important but trying to juxtapose, having the big baddie over here and saying we should not have a hosepipe ban because------ "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  We have no idea how much water data centres are using. It is incredible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  No, Deputy Whitmore. Please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I just do not think that is a valid juxtaposition. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  Yesterday evening, I met a group of individuals who have Friedreich\u2019s ataxia and their families here in Leinster House. They are calling for urgent access to Skyclarys, the life-changing drug for those living with this rare, degenerative neurological condition. I offered them my full support and that of the Labour Party. My colleague Deputy Sherlock has already given them her full support. I was with them when the very disappointing news filtered through that the HSE drugs group had deferred its decision on approval of public funding for the drug. The news in this regard was leaked by means of communications with public representatives as opposed to officially. the Taoiseach acknowledged earlier that there has been poor communication with the group. I ask that this be addressed. Clearly, the most substantive issue is the delay in providing approval for reimbursements. Skyclarys is already being reimbursed in other EU countries. We need to work with other EU member states to reduce costs in line with the Irish EU Presidency priority of competitiveness. Can the Taoiseach give the families some indication that the approval----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  -----process will be expedited and that there will be no further delays? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Taoiseach, please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  As the Taoiseach understands, this is a heartbreaking situation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Deputy, please. I call the Taoiseach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I dealt with extensively earlier in reply to Deputy Cullinane. The Minister is doing everything she can to expedite the convening of the rare disease technology group, to which the matter has been referred. This is very serious and urgent for all concerned. Some countries do reimburse it and others do not. The health technology assessment relating to this matter was published. If the Deputy reads that assessment, she will see that it proved challenging. We are not scientists, but we all feel for the families. We understand. We have met people with Friedreich's ataxia. They cannot get this drug fast enough. For all drug approvals unfortunately, there are processes which, unfortunately, have to be gone through. I take the Deputy's point. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Roderic O'Gorman  There has been rightful focus on road safety over the past week in the context of discussions on illegal use of scrambler bikes and the dangerous use of e-scooters. The Taoiseach, the T\u00e1naiste and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, are due to make significant decisions about new laws soon. The Road Safety Authority estimates that about 5% of the adult population uses e-scoters. That is tens of thousands who use these devices, mainly as part of the work commute. We have rightly focused on the bad and dangerous behaviour that is out there, but there are plenty of people who are law abiding and who do their best to drive safely. They use e-scooters because they are more convenient and are cheaper to run in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. In the decision it is about to make on new rules for e-scooters, the Government should keep in mind the position of thousands of adults who use e-scooters responsibly, who need them for their commute and who should not be punished because of the dangerous behaviour of some individuals. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I take the Deputy's point. The Minister for Health has sought a comprehensive report from Children's Health Ireland on one of the issues that concerns me, namely injuries to children arising as a result of e-scooter accidents. I refer, in particular, to head injuries, brain damage and so on. We have to assess that report when we get it as a factor in how we deal with this issue. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, will be bringing proposals to Government. We will have meetings next week in relation to this. We will then be in a position the, perhaps, to engage more widely with Members of the House on the matter. This is a very serious issue for us.  Without question, it probably did not have the regulatory framework it should have had at the outset. That is something we need to look at. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  This matter has been raised twice already this morning, but it is hugely important. I will make a personal appeal to the Taoiseach regarding Skyclarys and the further delay that has now arisen. Yesterday, Emma O'Shea came to Leinster House from west Cork with her mother, father and brother. I am in regular contact with Emma, but seeing her here again yesterday fighting courageously for a medication that could help to slow the progression of this cruel disease had a profound impact on me and my staff. Emma is just 26 years of age and is now confined to a wheelchair. Her family knows all too well the reality of Friedreich's ataxia because Emma's brother died from this disease. Last night when Emma got back to west Cork and learned there would be yet another delay, she sent me a text message. Her words were simple: \"It is a joke. I am heartbroken\". Every day matters for Emma. Every delay means more deterioration, more uncertainty and more fear.  I am not hear to blame the Taoiseach. I am asking the Taoiseach to get personally involved and to put the full weight of his office behind this issue. I hate to be so blunt, but what happened to Emma's brother cannot be allowed to happen to Emma----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  ------because of delays. I urge the Taoiseach to please do everything in his power to get this medication across the line. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Time is up, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  Emma's family and other families like them simply do not have time to wait. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising the situation and how it personally impacts on Emma O'Shea from west Cork. Well over 200 families are impacted by this rare condition. It is particularly high in Ireland in comparison with other locations. I accept fully the impact and trauma on Emma's and other families. The Minister is doing everything possible to progress the issue and get the group established.  There is a broader issue about the assessment of new drugs and how we do that. We have to have a scientific dimension to it and a proper rigorous evaluation of the efficacy of drugs. I think that is accepted. Over 70 drugs for rare diseases have been approved in the last four years, so we do approve drugs for rare diseases----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you, Taoiseach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----as per the exiting process that is laid down in legislation. However, I take the Deputy's overall point. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Tom Brabazon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Tom-Brabazon.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Tom-Brabazon.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Tom Brabazon  I raise the issue of Uisce \u00c9ireann and the lack of meaningful engagement it has with the public and public representatives. I have had a number of dealings with it recently, most notably on James Larkin Road where it is doing an important project. While there has been engagement with public representatives, there has been no meaningful reaction to the problems raised about the traffic chaos on the Howth Road and on the way into Raheny village. A number of suggestions have been put forward to Uisce \u00c9ireann.  In the Mask area of Artane, there is severe discolouration of water in households. Uisce \u00c9ireann sent someone out, but the water appeared discoloured again a number of hours later. When this was raised with Uisce \u00c9ireann, it said that the issue had been resolved. It is extremely frustrating dealing with Uisce \u00c9ireann. It seems to be accountable to no one, in particular public representatives. Something must change. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy very much for raising the issue. He said that there had been engagement but the responses had not been effective or impactful. I will take the matter up with Uisce \u00c9ireann. It has established a unit on the effectiveness of communications with public representatives. I have brought this to the attention of Uisce \u00c9ireann, as has the Minister, and it has undertaken a review of engagement with elected representatives with input from across its entire business. That is due to conclude shortly. That is a general point about how it engages with public representatives, including Members of this House.  On the specifics, I have had engagement in the past on matters of the kind the Deputy raised. I did get a response ultimately. It was quite a few years ago. It was about residential concerns, disruptions and so on that could happen when major works were under way. I will engage with the company to see if we can get an improvement from the Deputy's perspective. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Maxwell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Maxwell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"David-Maxwell.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Maxwell  I will ask about home support services, which are raised in my constituency office time and again by families across Cavan and Monaghan. Many people who have been approved for home support hours are still experiencing delays in receiving the care they have been assessed as needing. This creates understandable worry for older people who wish to remain living independently at home and places additional pressure on family members who often step in to fill the gap. Many people are currently waiting for approved home support hours to be delivered.  I would welcome an update on the measures being taken to recruit and retain home support workers, particularly in rural areas, where staff challenges can be more acute. This issue has persisted for a number of years in Cavan and Monaghan, and in the country as a whole. Many families would appreciate reassurances that progress was being made to improve access to these vital services. The home support service can help with everyday tasks such as dressing, undressing and getting in and out of bed.  What is the Government doing to make sure that staff and resources are in place to allow people who want to stay in their homes do so in Cavan and Monaghan? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Kieran O'Donnell)  I thank Deputy Maxwell. This is an important point for his constituents in Cavan-Monaghan. By way of update, 302 people were on waiting lists for home support at the end of May in Cavan-Monaghan, including 33 new applicants and 269 people already receiving support who require additional hours.  Specifically on the point the Deputy raised, I met the HSE as recently as yesterday. One of the key areas I focused on was Cavan-Monaghan. The HSE gave me an assurance. The last recruitment campaign of home support workers was in April. It has interviews scheduled for tomorrow, 16 July and Friday, 17 July, of 17 candidates to replace ten whole-time equivalents. Furthermore, ten new staff commenced in January 2026. The recruitment of additional staff is under way, with ten staff already in place since January. We want to get a further ten staff in place as quickly as possible and 17 candidates will be interviewed tomorrow and the day after for those posts. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in  This is Groundhog Day in terms of school transport. It is the same as last year. The only thing that has changed in the school transport system is the families affected. We are still inundated with emails from frustrated parents from Rathdrum to Kilmuckridge. Children who have always qualified have suddenly been refused tickets. Others received tickets but no service is available. In other cases, one sibling got a ticket while another sibling attending the same school did not, so the parent drives behind the bus. We submitted 12 names during the year for Castletown National School and 21 for a service from Camolin to the Gorey Educate Together school. Families are still waiting for certainty. Children in Col\u00e1iste Bhr\u00edde, Carnew, who had always received transport were told no service was available, but when we contacted the provider, it said that a service was available. The waiting time to hear back from Bus \u00c9ireann is unacceptable. When will the Government introduce the policy recommendations on eligibility and distance that were outlined previously? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First of all, the school transport scheme is a very extensive scheme. About 180,000 students are now carried on the school bus transport system. Costs have been increasing on a yearly basis, as has investment in the programme. There are limits to what we can do. We cannot do everything in one year. However, we continue to work on it.  The Minister of State with responsibility for special education and school transport, Michael Moynihan, has been engaged on this for the last year and a half. We are making improvements to it and the changes to the eligibility criteria will be implemented on a phased basis. The numbers have increased. There are pilot projects. About 11 were approved for the 2025-26 year where the distance criterion was reduced to 2 km for primary and post-primary schools. The need for a pupil to be attending the nearest school has been removed, as the Deputy will be aware, in those 11 pilots, so we will see how they work out. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Mac Lochlainn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-MacLochlainn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-MacLochlainn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Mac Lochlainn  In recent weeks, the Taoiseach talked about the importance of the Minister of State with responsibility for the marine. However, incredibly, it is the Minister for agriculture who will address the European Parliament's committee on fisheries today. He is having an exchange of views with the members of that committee, not the Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries, Deputy Dooley. There is clearly a row. Letters have been exchanged. I ask the Taoiseach to intervene and make clear that it is the Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries, who has been engaging in widespread consultation with the fishing industry and seafood industry in Ireland and Europe over the last year and a half, who should represent Ireland. He knows what he is talking about. That would give a clear message that the Taoiseach is serious about giving the Department of marine and the Minister of State with responsibility for the marine independence to speak and fight for our people, rather than the Minister for agriculture, who could not possibly know anything about these matters. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Deputy's endorsement of the competence of the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, is duly noted. I hope it will not come back to haunt him some day in subsequent events. The Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, is an effective Minister of State with responsibility for the marine and has a great rapport with the industry.  I appreciate the Deputy saying that. Deputy Heydon, of course, is the senior Minister in the Department and has been working with the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, with regard to fishery interests and other issues. That is the basic position. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Mac Lochlainn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-MacLochlainn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-MacLochlainn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Mac Lochlainn  The Taoiseach is not going to intervene. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert O'Donoghue  There is an issue that has come to me in Dublin Fingal West, although it affects the country at large. I refer to the spiralling cost of summer camps and the financial burden it is placing on households earning lower to middle incomes. One parent told me that they were paying \u20ac160 a week for three hours over four days. If a family has two or three children, that cost may put these opportunities completely out of reach. I raised this last week as a Topical Issue but the response focused on childcare and the national childcare scheme, NCS. With respect, that missed the point I was trying to make. Summer camps are effectively run by the likes of sports clubs. Nobody is asking for camps to be made free. We recognise that providers face genuine costs. They deserve supports for the valuable services they provide. Will the Department examine the introduction of a means-tested summer camp subsidy in budget 2027 so that no child misses out simply because his or her family cannot afford summer camp fees? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Is it that the Deputy wants the State to subsidise general summer camps? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert O'Donoghue  Yes, but on a means-tested basis. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We are providing enormous funding for the summer education programme and so on. There have to be limits to Government expenditure. Local authorities have been supporting summer camps on a local basis. I think that, in Cork city, it has been going on for 40-odd years that we have allocated funding to local summer camps organised by community associations and so on. There are limits to what the State can do in all of these scenarios. We have prioritised education, and special education in particular. Under that programme, there are also supports for particular communities in which there may be high levels of disadvantage. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  I thank the Ceann Comhairle and the staff for being so accommodating this parliamentary term. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  Deputy Sheehan is looking for extra time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  I raise the issue of the community access support team, CAST, in Limerick, which has prevented 133 detentions under section 12 of the Mental Health Act and reduced the number emergency department presentations. It has responded to over 1,000 incidents. There is evidence for this and the University of Limerick published a report last week. It has been extraordinarily successful. It needs a dedicated core budget. It has been transformative in normalising a non-criminalising response to mental health. Will the Government formally establish this team as a national interagency crisis response service in the upcoming budget? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)  I thank the Deputy for his support for CAST. I am extremely proud of this pilot project, which we started working on in 2022. I compliment Superintendent Andrew Lacey, who has done phenomenal work on this for many years. At our initial conference in UL, we heard from police forces from Canada, elsewhere in North America, Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The pilot has been really impressive. As the Deputy has said, it has resulted in 133 people being deflected away from emergency departments. For anyone who does not know, how it works is that, when garda\u00ed respond, a dedicated mental health clinical nurse practitioner travels in the car and intervenes when it is safe to do so.  I spoke with the superintendent last week. I have also spoken with the regional executive officer, Sandra Broderick. They feel that there is a little bit more work to do before the initiative is ready to mainstream. On funding, as the Deputy will know, we now have six regional health areas. Each regional executive officer can mainstream these types of supports. There is a little bit more to do. We will then be able to roll it out. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  Maidir le hUisce \u00c9ireann, cad a dh\u00e9anfaimid feasta gan uisce? The situation in south Tipperary has reached crisis point. Since January, the Ardfinnan regional water scheme has experienced 58 water supply interruptions, affecting 11,000 customers, while almost 28,000 homes and businesses were placed on a boil water notice in a single week. The water is consistently off. Tipperary town has been under a boil water notice since last February. There is no sign of it being lifted.  One constituent summed up the frustration, telling me that there was yet again no water pressure when the house was full of grandchildren. The attic tank was not filling, so there was no water for cooking, showers or washing clothes. All of this was happening before the introduction of a hosepipe ban. They say it would be great to have water to be affected by a hosepipe ban.  Uisce \u00c9ireann is totally out of control. Two weeks ago, the T\u00e1naiste gave me some hope here that the Government might do something. Uisce \u00c9ireann is not acting for anybody. It is committing sabotage on the Ardfinnan regional water scheme and the Glenary plant in Clonmel. It is now going on to the Galtees and causing havoc. The reservoirs have not been full in about two and half years despite Uisce \u00c9ireann getting tens of millions. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I call the Taoiseach to respond. Deputy McGrath's time is up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  Something has to be done with Uisce \u00c9ireann because----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Taoiseach will respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank Deputy McGrath. I acknowledge and accept that there are very serious issues across south Tipperary in respect of water outages and boil water notices. I will raise the issue with Uisce \u00c9ireann. We have allocated very substantial equity and investment to Uisce \u00c9ireann, particularly in the context of the national development plan. I will get an update for the Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  I raise the issue of the lack of a plan for a new public sector pay deal and the lack of engagement on this matter. SIPTU, F\u00f3rsa, Unite and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, are now to ballot their members for industrial action, up to and including strike action. The public sector pay deal expired on 30 June and formal talks have yet to begin on a successor agreement. We are in the final week before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann goes into recess for the summer and trade unions and workers in the public sector are none the wiser about their future income and job security. Despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, looming back to school costs, winter on the horizon, the cost of fuel, third level education costs, and rents being reset to market value, the Government is leaving these workers in limbo. When will workers see the Government at the negotiation table with trade unions to deliver a fair public sector pay deal for workers across this country so that we can stop strike action from happening? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First of all, the Government wants to secure a pay deal with the public sector workers and their representatives. That has been very clear in recent meetings and engagements. In my view, we reached an agreement, which has now expired. What normally happens is that engagement takes place, there are informal soundings and so on, and formal talks then begin. My sense is that there was never an expectation that these talks would happen before September in real terms. I expect talks to develop apace in September. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  Is the Taoiseach concerned about what is happening in our courts as a result of the debacle in handling criminal legal aid reform? We have seen substantial numbers of solicitors withdraw from the scheme. I am told that the solicitors who have withdrawn provided representation in the majority of cases involving the legal aid scheme last year. More important, we have seen thousands of criminal cases adjourned. We have seen victims turning up to court only to be turned away. They are waiting for justice. We have also seen people who should be in custody today being released on bail. At the same time, we have seen remand numbers increase exponentially, putting huge pressure on the already overstretched Prison Service. Will the Taoiseach ensure that there is dialogue with the stakeholders? Sort this out. We cannot allow the chaos in our courts system to continue over the summer months. Will the Taoiseach ensure that there is real dialogue this week to bring an end to this? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  May I first of all say that these are reforms that the Minister for justice has brought in? He sought Government approval for these reforms. I do not know what the Deputy's position is on the reforms per se but it is without question that the system needed reform. I hope the Deputy accepts that. Perhaps he could articulate that at some stage. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I am just asking for engagement. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  There has been engagement. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  No, there has not. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Minister and the Department have engaged with the Law Society. I am concerned because I think people should not be withdrawing their services. I ask those who are doing so to rethink and reflect, and to do what in my view is their obligation, which is to represent people in court. What was going on in many cases was not acceptable either in terms of multiple adjournments and so on. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  Well, there are more now than ever. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The fee structure needed to be reviewed and reformed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  The Taoiseach will not call for dialogue this week. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Connolly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Connolly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Connolly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John Connolly  The decision of the Government to purchase the Hammerson site on O'Connell Street - the site of the old Carlton Cinema - clearly shows the intent and determination of the Government to progress and complete the MetroLink project. Hopefully, the intent and determination are not limited to MetroLink or to other transport projects within the Dublin area. As the Taoiseach will know, I am referring to the Galway city ring road, which has been granted planning permission. However, that grant is subject to judicial review, which could derail the project. The city cannot countenance that, and the region needs this project urgently.  There are also approximately 50 families who are subject to the compulsory purchase order, CPO, process. I ask that there would be an early settlement strategy for those families. They have been aware for over ten years now that their homes and lands are subject to this process and that they will have to move on. It is important that we move on this at the earliest opportunity for those families and for the good of the project. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First of all, I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this issue. He has been a consistently strong advocate for the Galway city ring road. I accept his point that there has to be a similar intensity in terms of getting this project under way as there is in terms of the metro because this is choking Galway. It is extremely difficult for people living in the Galway area to get from A to B. It also has potentially significant negative impacts on industry in the Galway region, particularly for people and families more generally. I have said to the Minister for Transport that I believe very strong engagement should take place. It is not for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, but the councils and so on, but the Deputy's idea of an early settlement strategy is one I would put to the Minister and it is one that should be embarked upon. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aindrias Moynihan  I need to raise with the Taoiseach the straw incorporation measures and the delays from the Department of agriculture in approvals. There is fine weather. Tillage farmers are focusing in on the harvest. There have been no approvals issued by the Department of agriculture for the straw incorporation measure at this point. Farmers have nominated lands that they plan to harvest in the days and weeks ahead. The chopping will be done as part of the harvest. Tillage farmers have seen one difficult year after another and they really do not need the hassle being introduced now by the Department of agriculture not having approvals done yet. It is going to become even more critical as the barley crop ripens. Will the Department of agriculture issue approvals for the straw incorporation measure to give certainty to tillage farmers before the harvesters roll into the field? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this issue. It is an important issue. This year has seen very high levels of applications for this scheme, extending well beyond the \u20ac10 million per year allocation. It is \u20ac50 million from 2023 to 2027. All possible options are now being examined by the Department in respect of the high numbers that have applied. Decisions will be made shortly to allow farmers to plan accordingly. Farmers will be notified as soon as possible by the Department of agriculture about the details of the scheme for 2026. I am aware of the issue and will pursue it as well on behalf of the Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I call Deputy Murphy. We will go over time, so I ask the two remaining Deputies to be brief. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Murphy  I want to briefly amplify what has already been said about Uisce \u00c9ireann. South Tipperary is in crisis, with 38,0000 households on a prolonged boil water notice. Most of the key towns are more often than not without water. Will the Taoiseach request a meeting for the Oireachtas Members with the CEO of Uisce \u00c9ireann, Mr. Gleeson?  There is also the issue of accountability. A public utility in receipt of significant taxpayer funding should be accountable to the D\u00e1il. I cannot table a parliamentary question for this organisation. More importantly, however, it should be accountable to the existing committee structure within the Oireachtas or, even better, we should see the establishment of a dedicated Oireachtas committee for our public utility companies that are in receipt of significant taxpayer funding. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank Deputy Murphy for raising the issue. He raised a number of important points. I will seek to convene a meeting with the CEO of Uisce \u00c9ireann and the Deputies for the area. I will also examine the Deputy's issue around Oireachtas committee structures and things like that. That is a fair issue. I am not suggesting that every semi-State body should be subject to parliamentary questions because with artificial intelligence, AI, now we are seeing a huge generation of parliamentary questions. In other words, we want people sorting out the water problems instead of being consumed by responding. There is a balance here to be struck. Uisce \u00c9ireann needs to get focused on the issues and get it sorted. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  My constituency and others have seen a huge number of childcare providers leaving the core funding scheme because of the fee freeze, which is kind of a financial straitjacket, with staffing taking up 7% and a lot of huge costs. Meanwhile, the newer ones are able to set much higher fee baselines, although in areas like the Adamstown strategic development zone, SDZ, the rents are so high that we do not have as many places opening as there could be. Will this matter be revisited to look at ways of keeping providers and maybe encouraging some to come back into the scheme? Parents are worried about the massive increase in prices this coming autumn. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I will talk to the Minister. I did not get the final point the Deputy made. The issue is that about 93% of all eligible providers have signed up to the current core funding scheme. Some are leaving in certain areas, as was articulated yesterday----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  Yes, the older ones are leaving because they cannot afford it whereas the newer ones find it easier. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I will engage with the Minister for children on this and ask her to talk to the Deputy in respect of the points he made. Our aim is to try to get the fees down and we have made a lot of progress in the last number of years in doing that. I hope that people are not exiting in certain areas because they feel they can get better prices on the market as opposed to the constraints that the core funding scheme puts on people. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna ar Pholasa\u00ed n\u00f3 ar Reachta\u00edocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_14","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2025\/38","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2025\/38\/dail\/motion\/referral","houseCode":"dail","stage":"motion","isBillStage":false,"showAs":"Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025: Referral to Select Committee [Private Members] (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025: Referral to Select Committee [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_14","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move:  That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in accordance with Standing Order 187(2). "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025: Referral to Select Committee [Private Members]"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_15","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_16","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements","counts":{"speechCount":22,"speakerCount":11},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_15","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_16","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Cear\u00fail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Cear\u00fail.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Cear\u00fail.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin Hayes","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brendan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","memberCode":"Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_16.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 14, inclusive, together.  I had a bilateral meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez, on 10 March at which we discussed plans and priorities for Ireland's EU Presidency, international issues, including the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, and bilateral relations, which are excellent. My visit to Madrid was the first in a series of visits to European capitals to meet my counterparts as part of preparations for our EU Presidency. I also visited colleagues in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Finland and Greece.  In my meeting with Prime Minister S\u00e1nchez, we discussed areas where Ireland would work to make progress during our term. I explained our particular focus on competitiveness and we agreed the need to take further action to simplify regulation, deepen the Single Market, embrace the green and digital transitions, widen our trade relations and make energy more affordable for our citizens and enterprises. We also agreed that Europe needed to do more to ensure its future security, including in the context of new cyber and hybrid threats.  We agreed that to achieve its goals, the European Union needed a budget that both protected existing successful policy areas while also providing for new areas of focus, including security and innovation. Advancing negotiations on the multi-annual framework, MFF, budget will be an important task for us in our Presidency and we will work closely with the President of the European Council, Ant\u00f3nio Costa, with a view to securing agreement by the end of the year, if at all possible.  Prime Minister S\u00e1nchez and I also agreed the need to make headway on enlargement. We also discussed global issues, including the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine. Spain and Ireland are very like-minded on the Middle East, including in our support for a two-state solution. We both recognised the Palestinian state together in May 2024 and we have worked together in support of suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in light of egregious breaches of human rights in the Palestinian territories. Prime Minister S\u00e1nchez and I discussed the dire situation in Gaza and, indeed, the West Bank, including the urgent need for humanitarian assistance in Gaza and prospects for a meaningful political process that could deliver peace to both the people of Palestine and of Israel. We agreed to continue our work together at European Union level on the issue. Support for Ukraine is a central focus of our Presidency.  Prime Minister S\u00e1nchez and I agreed that work to achieve a just and lasting peace should continue, including through the work of the coalition of the willing. This aims to ensure that when peace comes, there are robust security guarantees in place to protect Ukraine in the future.  We reflected on the strong bilateral relationship between Ireland and Spain, built on strong historical links as well as a close cultural affinity. We discussed how we could work together to further strengthen these links, including in areas such as trade, investment, energy, education, research and culture.   Additional information not given on the floor of the House   We agreed to develop a joint action plan in this regard.  As Deputies will be aware, our Presidency began on 1 July, with a ceremony in Dublin Castle that day marking the occasion, attended by Presidents Costa and Zelenskyy. On 2 and 3 July, members of the Government met with their counterparts from the European Commission in Cork where we exchanged notes on the important issues we will work on together. On 7 July I presented Ireland\u2019s Presidency priorities to the European Parliament. In our engagements to date, it is clear that colleagues have placed their trust in the Irish Presidency and want to see it succeed. For our part, we have been clear that we will do our utmost to advance the Union\u2019s agenda between now and the end of the year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Based on the number of Deputies present, I propose one minute each and that will give the Taoiseach time to answer. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Martin Daly  The relationship between Ireland and Spain is hugely important with \u20ac15 billion in total in trade, including \u20ac10 billion in goods and services from Ireland to Spain, a country that is in the European Union and has shared our values, culture and history. It was a hugely important meeting and is a hugely important relationship. I ask the Taoiseach to comment in particular on the memorandum of understanding in relation to the electricity interconnector, which will help our energy security and improve our access to a broader supply of renewable energy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Cear\u00fail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Cear\u00fail.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Cear\u00fail.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Naoise \u00d3 Cear\u00fail  While yesterday was Bastille Day, I think in the soccer it was certainly Spain's day. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I should have congratulated them. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Cear\u00fail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Cear\u00fail.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Cear\u00fail.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Naoise \u00d3 Cear\u00fail  It was an excellent evening in the French Embassy last night, particularly with Michel Barnier, the Taoiseach and the ambassador. Notwithstanding that, further to the Taoiseach's meeting with Prime Minister S\u00e1nchez, it is exciting that there will be an Ireland-Spain joint action plan. When does the Taoiseach plan on finalising this? I know he mentioned that it will include trade, investment and education. When can we start acting on an action plan? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin Hayes","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin Hayes  I congratulate the Spanish on their victory last night at the World Cup.  I welcome the Taoiseach's report. In Spain the price per MW hour for electricity is \u20ac14 and in Ireland it is nearly ten times higher, at \u20ac130. Pedro S\u00e1nchez has been more vociferous in his criticism of inaction against Israel than this Government has been. He passed an occupied territories Bill before Ireland did so, including a ban on advertisement of services. He has denied the US access to Spanish territory for operations in the Persian Gulf. My question is simple. What could the Taoiseach learn from the Spanish Premier and from left wing politics? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brendan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","memberCode":"Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brendan Smith  I welcome the Taoiseach's engagement over recent months with his counterparts in relation to Ireland's Presidency of the European Union. I am glad that he discussed with the Spanish Prime Minister the multi-annual financial framework. Within that multi-annual financial framework, the proposal by the European Commission in respect of CAP is totally inadequate. We have to have a properly funded CAP. In my experience, the Spaniards were always good supporters of the Common Agricultural Policy and having it properly funded. The Common Agricultural Policy was the first common policy of the European Union. By and large it has been very successful. Its aim has been to ensure a secure supply of safe food for the citizens of Europe. There are many challenges for our farming sector, for our food sector and also for our rural communities, and there will be huge challenges ahead as well. Under no circumstances can Ireland tolerate or countenance a reduction in CAP funding. It is very important that the Taoiseach enrol the support of all like-minded Heads of Government in relation to the need to ensure that we have a properly and adequately funded CAP post 2027 which is critical for our country. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  More than 1,000 people died in Spain due to heat-related causes in June of this year alone. By early July, Spain had 14 major forest fires and 50,000 ha of land had been burned. Across Europe, more than 10,000 excess deaths associated with the recent heatwave were recorded in a single week. These warnings have to be taken seriously. I am really worried that, rather than using his time at the helm of the EU over the next six months to bring Europe together and really fight against climate and nature breakdown, it would appear that the Taoiseach is either going to ignore the issue or indeed to row back on climate action and sustainability measures. Can he not see the shortsightedness in that? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Malcolm Byrne  The Taoiseach is right that the bilateral relationship between Ireland and Spain is very important, as is our partnership in the EU. Following on from that point, my sister lives in Seville and every summer she travels back. She takes the ferry from Bilbao to Rosslare with my two young nieces. The challenge is because of heat. It is becoming increasingly difficult to live in parts of Spain where temperatures regularly exceed 40\u00b0C during the summer months. I fully expect that more tourists will come to Ireland to escape continental heat. While it is very pleasant here, the impact of climate change has to remain at the top of the EU's agenda. I would like the Taoiseach's assurances that that will be the case. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  I raise the case of Fergie Chambers, an American activist and heir to the Cox family fortune, who has spent millions of euro supporting progressive causes, in particular assisting Palestinian people. On Friday, he was arrested in Ibiza on foot of an extradition request from US authorities. According to the indictment, he has been charged with international money-laundering, riot and conspiracy to riot. It alleges that he transferred approximately \u20ac7.5 million out of the country in order to seek opportunities to provide material support to Hamas. In reality this is money spent on humanitarian projects. It is an example of the long reach of the US Administration and an attempt to crack down on any pro-Palestinian solidarity, for which he potentially faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Will the Taoiseach call on the Spanish authorities to stand up to Trump and refuse to extradite Fergie Chambers? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  Anois sa choiste fuinnimh t\u00e1imid ag caint faoi plug-in solar. In 2024 there was a consultation done by the Department in which Bord G\u00e1is Energy said that plug-in solar systems should be mounted on roofs where possible and hardwired into a dedicated circuit. The whole reason for plug-in solar is for people living in apartments who do not have access to rooftops to be able to install a system that costs \u20ac500 and has a payback period of two years. If there was a Government grant, it could be less. When a semi-State company gives a submission to a consultation process, does the Department send back a reply if it is misleading the Department, as Bord G\u00e1is Energy did in the 2024 consultation? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  It has been quite a good week for Pedro S\u00e1nchez and Spain. Regarding his interactions with the Spanish Prime Minister and others, the Taoiseach mentioned discussions on the EU-Israel Association Agreement. I think we can all agree that the European Union has been disgraceful in facilitating this beneficial deal for Israel at a time when it is engaged in increased illegal settlements, ensuring there is no possibility of a two-state solution. That is before dealing with the genocidal mania over the last number of years. Do we see this as viable? Has there has been enough interaction, enough of a lobby across Europe, to see movement from those that have given far too much support to the Israelis in recent time? I ask the Taoiseach to give an update on that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank all the Deputies for their comments. At the outset, I congratulate Spain on an emphatic win last evening against France, our nearest neighbour in the European Union. I attended the French Embassy last evening and wished them the best. Thankfully there was not a Spanish function afterwards but they did spectacularly well and we eagerly look forward to the final.  Deputy Daly raised the issue of the memorandum of understanding on the electricity interconnector. In my discussions with Prime Minister S\u00e1nchez, we discussed this. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, earlier had discussions with his counterpart. The first interconnector between France and Ireland should land next year and that will be a significant factor in helping our energy situation. Ultimately, given the very strong penetration of renewables in Spain, it makes sense that we would have a connection there. It will cost a lot and there is a lot of work to be done in teasing it out.  Part of our European Presidency is to get approval for the European grids package that has been approved by the Commission. Interconnection across the European Union is absolutely key in reducing dependency on fossil fuels and avoiding the kinds of crises that we have repeatedly seen if there is a war in a given part of the world which then leads to massive inflationary pressures as well as security-of-supply issues.  This is something we are taking seriously and we want to progress with Spain. The Deputy is correct that the economic relationship is very strong and Spain is growing economically as well.  In response to Deputy Naoise \u00d3 Cear\u00fail, the joint action plan will be comprehensive, covering all aspects of our bilateral relations, including trade, energy, cultural and people-to-people relationships. We have an extraordinary historic relationship with Spain, particularly because back in earlier centuries we were Catholic countries and Spain came to our assistance when our neighbours invaded and put their governments in charge, etc. When I was there last, I was struck by the tip of the iceberg that we can explore in terms of that cultural and historic relationship. There is a lot more we can mine in respect of that, and particularly archives and so on that we could access and enable people in Ireland to access more generally. The action plan will be very comprehensive and similar to ones that we have with other countries.  I think Deputy Hayes was being a bit petty, if that is the word I am looking for, in what he said about Spain. Well, using the word \"petty\" might be a bit uncharitable today. It is more a Spain is more vociferous than us kind of thing. We have worked very well together on the Middle East. It is a very serious issue. I have worked well with Pedro S\u00e1nchez. He is a very constructive leader and he is a strong leader at the European Union table as well. He does not pull back from advancing his views across the board. Spain has military bases that the US has used; not in this war but the one prior to it. We have to bear that in mind. Spain is a member of NATO. We are not members of NATO, and I do not think anyone is asking that we would follow Spain or learn lessons from Spain in that regard. I do not think that is what Deputy Hayes meant. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin Hayes","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin Hayes  Certainly not. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Exactly, but we can always learn. I am always open to learning. Every day is a new day.  On the electricity charge, the issue there was the preponderance of renewables in Spain and on the Iberian Peninsula which they did during the Covid crisis because they felt gas was completely distorting their price, given the fact that they were overwhelmingly renewable. They got a carve-out from gas being the determinant price-maker in their situation. They have had challenges with renewables in terms of the grid overall. The Deputy will recall the major outage recently, or some time back, for which there was never a full explanation, but it is important to bear it in mind. We will continue to work with Spain on the Middle East in particular, particularly now in Lebanon when it looks like UNIFIL will expire and that will create serious issues for south Lebanon. We will not be in a position to replenish that unless there are changes to the triple lock. We will not be in a position to send any troops, any CSDP mission from the European Union, for example, which could be used to support the Lebanese armed forces in terms of training and so on, or to keep a monitoring role in south Lebanon. There are discussions under way by other member states in respect of that at the moment.  Regarding Deputy Brendan Smith's question, absolutely there are issues. In our discussions we are the honest broker now, but in all those meetings I have had I would say there is a preponderance of view wanting retention and strengthening of CAP, and also cohesion. A lot of the countries on the eastern flank in particular are strong on cohesion, but they also want defence now in, or protection of the eastern flank because they feel their situation is existential in respect of Russia. In the Baltics, in particular, and Poland and also obviously some of the Nordics, they genuinely believe Russia is coming for them next. The problem will be to try to get agreement on a budget. It is like endeavouring to reconcile the irreconcilable. Even though we are net contributors we are not looking for a cut in the overall budget because we believe Europe has to be ambitious in terms of making sure we can grow our economy, making sure we can avail of the digital transformation of AI and making sure we can do the decarbonisation of European economy and society. That will cost. That will need investment. Some countries want to cut the overall budget. Some want to increase. Some want to reduce the competitiveness funds and try to get more for CAP and cohesion. A lot of people support CAP and cohesion. The challenge at the moment is there is more demand for a limited budget. Our view is that, overall, the European Union budget is about 1% of European GDP. It is not a huge sum in the overall context of output within the European Union. Europe has a lot of ambitions and different member states have a lot of ambitions, but you have to have a budget to realise those ambitions. A lot of people have spoken favourably about the Common Agricultural Policy being a key part of our security architecture in terms of food security for Europe. That came across strongly from quite a number of member states. We have to factor in food security. It was very interesting in the early stages of the Ukraine war, with the whole issue about grain and the Black Sea grain initiative, there was a real fear that would have repercussions across Africa - sub-Saharan Africa in particular - and could cause famine in those locations. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  There are five more questions from Deputies. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brendan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","memberCode":"Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brendan Smith  Food security is very important. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I know that, and I am very hungry. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(Interruptions)."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I did not realise there were five more.  In response to Deputy Whitmore, there will be no retreating or withdrawal from climate change during our Presidency. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is very committed to this. He will be taking a leadership role in respect of Europe's presentation at COP. There have been different perspectives across the European Union. People in some member states want to reform and revise the EU ETS, for example. However, the evidence is overwhelming, as the Deputy very articulately narrated, in terms of what is happening in Spain. It is quite shocking in terms of the number of people dying because of excess heat, the forest fires, the hectares of land burned - all of which, by the way, is having a compounding effect on climate. These are not without consequence in terms of climate.  Deputy Malcolm Byrne was at one with Deputy Whitmore. He said we can enjoy the weather here but it is in Ireland now. The levels of heat we are experiencing are unprecedented. We are breaking heat records in Ireland. We had a terrible fire in Crosshaven in my own constituency on Monday evening. We have to be very vigilant. We need to invest more in adaptation because climate change is here. It is happening. It is having real-life impacts as we speak, and we do have to deal with that. Deputy Byrne illustrated this when he related how his sister leaves Seville in the summer to get out of the heat. It is extremely difficult. We are not retreating from it in terms of the European Presidency. It will be top of the agenda.  In response to Deputy Paul Murphy, I am not familiar with the specific case of Fergie Chambers. We do know the Spanish authorities are resilient. I have no doubt the Spanish Government will take a fair and honourable approach to the case the Deputy has raised. I am not familiar with the background to it, if I am honest, so therefore I cannot comment in any great detail on it.  Deputy Heneghan referred to plug-in solar. He is plugged in himself on that issue; there is no doubt about that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Most of the time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  He has raised it with great consistency. I have raised it with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, who keeps telling me the Department is on the case. There are some issues in respect of making sure of safety and so on in houses. I will check that with Bord G\u00e1is. The Deputy was saying it was misleading. I do not think Bord G\u00e1is would deliberate mislead but I will point out the point he has made to it.  On Deputy \u00d3 Murch\u00fa's question on the Middle East, I think I dealt with this earlier. It is difficult to get unanimity. It is difficult to get agreement even in qualified majority voting, QMV, on this, but we are working on the occupied territories. We would like to see, at Foreign Affairs Council level, an agreement, or a majority at least, to vote in favour of banning trade with the occupied territories as a significant signal to Israel. The economic impact of this is not huge but at least it sends a signal in terms of European member states being very annoyed, frustrated and angry at what is going on in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_17","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Urban Development","counts":{"speechCount":24,"speakerCount":10},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_15","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"S\u00e9amus McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Tom Brabazon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Tom-Brabazon.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Tom-Brabazon.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_17.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 30, inclusive, together.  This will be a long answer because there is one task group and one futures group. In May 2024, the Government appointed a task force to take a holistic view of the measures required to rejuvenate Dublin city centre, north and south, making it a more thriving, attractive, and safe cityscape, and a desirable location to live, work, do business and visit.  Following the task force's report and recommendations, as agreed by Government, the Department of the Taoiseach convened an interdepartmental group to develop the recommendations.  The group produced a report with a ten-year roadmap for delivery and comprehensive implementation plan. Central to this will be: a special purpose vehicle to drive delivery and to support the specific capital developments relevant to the project. Dublin City Council is progressing the establishment of this new legal entity, in line with the timelines laid out in the roadmap; a ten-year integrated area strategy for Dublin city centre to optimise funding and investment and tackle vacancy and dereliction; and accelerated delivery of landmark capital projects in the city centre through additional funding in the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, under the national development plan, NDP, review; and redevelopment of the GPO complex as an ambitious and historic flagship project, which will be managed by the OPW.  The roadmap for delivery of the Dublin city task force also creates an enabling environment designed to build confidence with business, landowners and investors to get involved in achieving a new vision for Dublin city centre and to drive private sector investment.  An oversight board, comprising all of the relevant Departments and agencies, has been established to oversee and provide strategic direction for delivery of the roadmap. It is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach. The board has been meeting regularly since its establishment in July.  The Government recently agreed to the assignment of Mr. Robert Watt as CEO-designate of the SPV being established by Dublin City Council to drive implementation of the roadmap. The newly appointed interim advisory board to the SPV met on 15 June. In line with the roadmap, Dublin City Council has recruited staff for an interim programme management unit, which will drive delivery while work is advancing to set up the SPV.  The Government agreed the process to redevelop Dublin's iconic General Post Office complex last month. Its ownership will transfer to the Office of Public Works from the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. The OPW will prepare design proposals, which will be subject to Government approval. Before that happens, a wide-ranging public consultation process will begin later this year to seek the views of all stakeholders.  The Department of the Taoiseach will chair a steering group which will guide and oversee the non-statutory public consultation and engagement process.  Concurrently, as part of the consultation and engagement process, a temporary meanwhile use proposal will also be developed. Changes to the living city initiative announced as part of budget 2026 will also support regeneration and efforts to tackle vacancy and dereliction in cities: Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick and Waterford, and from 8 April 2026, also in the following towns: Athlone, Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny, and Sligo. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Taoiseach's time is up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Can I talk about Cork at all? Give me one minute on Cork. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  No, that is the end of Cork. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Give me one minute on Cork. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Deputies will, I am sure. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  A dedicated body, to be known as The Cork City Futures Group, will work to unlock the city\u2019s full economic, cultural and academic potential, alongside further investment, innovation and infrastructure. I think people are familiar with the terms of reference. The group is comprised of members representing academia, business, An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, the arts and culture sector, tourism, transport and the community and voluntary sector. Mr. Brendan Tuohy, who is a former secretary general, has been appointed as the independent chair. They have met at least four times and are due to publish an interim report shortly.   Additional information not given on the floor of the House   The programme for Government commits to applying the Dublin city task force model to other cities, towns and regions in need of revitalisation, starting with Cork city. At the beginning of April, the Government approved the establishment of the Cork city futures group to guide development of Cork city for the future.  The following terms of reference were approved: review the Cork City Centre Development and Operations Action Plan 2025-2030 and report back to Government on progress, barriers to progress, and to identify what needs to be done at local or national level to ensure action plan delivery; make recommendations to Government on how Cork city can fully realise its potential for sustained foreign direct investment, domestic business development and innovation, and serve as a regional hub aligning educational and intellectual property assets with local and international enterprise; to maximise Cork city\u2019s potential as a university city given the strength of UCC and MTU; assess how the city can bolster the wider economic and social development of the hinterland, the region and nationally; consideration of how Cork city\u2019s arts and culture offering could be strengthened as part of the national offering.  On 23 June, Government approved the preliminary business case, PBC, for the Cork city docklands enabling infrastructure investment programme. The PBC was reviewed by the major projects advisory group and KPMG, as well as the approving authority, which is the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, as required under the relevant external assurance process. When URDF funding for the project was originally approved in 2021, a construction cost estimate of \u20ac595 million was provided. The programme now has a total estimated cost of \u20ac1.063 billion. The price increase in the meantime has been generated by a combination of tender price inflation and the development of the design of some individual sub-projects, in particular the eastern gateway bridge project. An increased contingency allowance has also been included in the new estimate and another key driver of the increase.  The costs associated with the progression of the programme will be carefully monitored by the approving authority directly as well as through strengthened governance arrangements, such as the addition of additional key stakeholders to the steering group for the project. There will be regular reports to Government on developments in both Dublin city and Cork city initiatives. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I would say Deputy McGrath will do a fair job on Cork. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"S\u00e9amus McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy S\u00e9amus McGrath  I thank the Taoiseach for the update about the Cork city futures group. As he mentioned, transport is a key theme within that reference. As the Taoiseach probably knows, I have been calling for a strategic integrated transportation office to be established in Cork. It is critically important that we have all the State agencies under one roof, such as Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, the National Transport Authority, NTA, Irish Rail, Bus \u00c9ireann and the local authorities, driving the key projects for Cork. As the Taoiseach knows, we have multi-billion euro projects in the pipeline, including BusConnects, Luas Cork, the commuter rail projects, as well as road and sustainable travel projects. We need to see delivery at the earliest possible opportunity. To do that, we need local decision-making in a powerful transportation office established in Cork which can engage with the relevant stakeholders at a local level. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, seems positive about this idea. I ask the Taoiseach to try to support it. I am sure he would, given that it is Cork. An additional point relates to Cork Airport. It has issues with its transportation and connectivity. Having a locally based, integrated transportation office would also assist in ensuring that Cork Airport gets the transport services it deserves. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Tom Brabazon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Tom-Brabazon.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Tom-Brabazon.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Tom Brabazon  I welcome what the Taoiseach said in respect of the Dublin city task force. Us Dubs agree that the city centre certainly requires a lot of TLC. Speaking with many constituents in Dublin Bay North, they have fond memories of travelling into town to go shopping in the Talbot Street area. However, over recent years, they have begun to feel that the area is becoming unwelcoming due to litter, vagrancy, drug-taking and an overall menacing feel to the area. This has a knock-on effect on local businesses and ratepayers where there is reduced footfall. That also reduces passive surveillance in the area. As a northsider, I am very proud of our city, its culture and its history. However, I cannot but agree with the sentiments expressed by many of my constituents. Areas in the north side of the city have seen increased Garda patrols but we need to see much more. We need to see areas like Talbot Street cleaned of litter, antisocial behaviour to be rooted out, and open drug-taking dealt with. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Ward  I thank the Taoiseach for his update on the future of the GPO. As he knows, the GPO is a historic building in the centre of our capital city. It is where our Republic was declared. It was the central location of the Easter Rising. I know the Cabinet committee met to discuss the future plans for this historic building. I welcome that there will be a public consultation on the future use of the GPO but I want to know what the Government will do to make sure that this consultation process is accessible to everybody. Will the Government consider Moore Street and the potential historical quarter that surrounds the GPO and Moore Street as part of that future consultation about the GPO? As the Taoiseach knows, our republican history is important and it simply cannot be paved over. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  In 2024, 1,000 incidents of antisocial behaviour were recorded on Dublin Bus. That was nearly double the figure recorded just a few years earlier. Unfortunately, this is not just limited to Dublin. We are also seeing instances of this in my constituency, Wicklow, on Go-Ahead services. I have constituents who are unable to take some routes because of the antisocial behaviour that is happening, particularly on the top level of some of these buses. There is drug-taking, harassment and fighting. We do not want a situation where people are afraid or uncomfortable to take public transport. I know the Taoiseach plans a transport security force. What is the progress update on that? When will it be rolled out? Will it be for areas outside Dublin such as Wicklow? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  Lonely Planet said recently that----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Who? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  Lonely Planet. It did a review of Dublin and stated, \"Once Dublin\u2019s grand boulevard, O'Connell St has struggled with decline\". It stated that vacant buildings, derelict upper floors and long-stalled redevelopments leave this part looking neglected while retail has shifted elsewhere and been replaced by fast food shops that dilute its character. Moore Street, right beside it, was promised to be redeveloped by 2016, and here we are ten years later. It is a site of drinking, drug-taking, urination and defecation. It is part of the national monuments battlefield sites. Is there a move by the Government to buy Moore Street from Hammerson in a similar fashion to how it bought the Carlton site on O'Connell Street? That is my first question.  My second question is about Cork. Cork is now one of the most congested cities in the world. A global study by TomTom indicated that it is the 38th most congested city globally, behind cities such as London, Toronto and Rome. The task force indicated that the Cork Luas system would be built. That Luas system is in planning and that planning is taking a long while. Can the Taoiseach give an update on when exactly the Cork Luas system will be built so that people can actually get around the city of Cork in a timely fashion? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Shane Moynihan  I thank the Taoiseach for his update, especially with regard to the Dublin city task force. This week, the Garda Commissioner has been in front of two Oireachtas committees, speaking about the issue of e-scooters, and has given his thoughts about the enforcement side of things.  I was pleased to hear this morning that the Garda Commissioner is also of the view that e-scooters are propagating drug supply lines in my constituency and are devastating communities across the country. Whatever course of action the Government takes, and I have views on either a total ban or a registration and licensing system, it is clear to me that garda\u00ed will need training in the enforcement and tactical interventions that they will need to undertake to enforce whatever ban or system being put in place, as in taking someone from a scooter or pursuing that scooter.  The Garda Commissioner also asked us to support any sort of legislative requirements required to back An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na when it needs to make those tactical interventions. If we are to make reports like the Dublin city task force's successful, encouraging Dublin to be a safer place, dealing with e-scooters being used unsafely and illegally has to be at the heart of that. I ask the Taoiseach to support any legislative requirements to back garda\u00ed in doing their job. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  I have often spoken about the need for multi-agency action to be taken in relation to dealing with the issues of security, safety, antisocial behaviour and criminal activity in real terms, whether in Dublin, Dundalk or anywhere else. I agree with what Deputy Moynihan said. We were all taken by Grace Lynch's parents in relation to the issue scramblers. We heard from the Garda Commissioner about the fact An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na would need a framework to operate in, even if it had the training, the drones and all the other pieces. A particular issue needs to be dealt with. Grace's mother, Siobh\u00e1n, spoke about the fact threats had been made to her on TikTok. She spoke about the need for a greater reaction from An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. It is a particular issue that would need to be brought up with the social media companies. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  I refer to the hundreds of vacant spaces over shops in Dublin, the capital city in which I grew up. I welcome the above-the-shop grant but could we re-examine it in terms of microcompanies or SMEs availing of that grant? It can be difficult for them to avail of the above-the-shop grant. The jump between what can be given for the first, the second and the third floors is not acceptable. If we are trying to bring people into the city for passive surveillance and into a liveable city, we need to examine making it easier for people to convert vacant above-the-shop spaces, especially if they are going to do three floors at the same time. It makes more sense. The builder is already there. It is something that should be re-examined. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Deputy S\u00e9amus McGrath raised the issue of the need for a strategic integration transport office in Cork. There are multi-billion euro projects on the go at the moment. The biggest one is the docklands. On 23 June, the Government approved a preliminary business case for the Cork city docklands enabling an infrastructure investment programme. That was reviewed by the major projects advisory group in KPMG, as well as the approving authority, which is the Department of housing. Construction cost estimates, when URDF funding was originally approved in 2021, was about \u20ac595 million. The programme now has a total estimated cost of \u20ac1 billion plus. It is a combination of tender price inflation and development of the design of some individual subprojects, that is, when you get down to designing these projects. That is the eastern gateway bridge project, in particular. An increased contingency allowance has also been included.  We need strategic co-ordination. I would be slightly worried if we set up a new office to run it all. I do not think that is what Deputy McGrath is proposing. We could be there for another couple of years. To be fair, there has been a fair degree of co-ordination in Cork city in the docklands. The LDA and Cork City Council are working well together in terms of housing and residential developments in the city and in the docklands, in particular.  I take Deputy McGrath's point about Cork Airport. There is a need to factor Cork Airport more into some of the proposals in terms of access and egress. There are a lot of queues near the Kinsale roundabout. Different voluntary groups had been formed. We have been asking. The NTA, in particular, should have a presence in Cork with TII and others. Working from the same office would make a lot of sense and a lot of complementarity would be developed in terms of the relationship between BusConnects and Cork Luas and so on.  Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn raised issues in terms of Cork. I would point out that the Cork Luas project is not in planning. It has been in public consultation. There are a lot of issues around that. This is communicating with the public. Sports clubs have articulated real concerns about the proposed route. We have to get the route right first and we have to get it agreed. That public consultation has ended but issues have arisen arising from that consultation. It will be some time before it gets into planning but we are committed to it because it is an important project.  In terms of the congestion of the city, big improvements have been made, in particular in the city centre. A lot of traffic bypasses it. Historically, because of the link road system, we were far ahead of other cities. We have to do a northern area distributor road, a northern ring road and so on. If BusConnects and Cork Luas happen, that will be radical and impactful in terms of the congestion question.  Deputy Brabazon raised the Dublin city task force. He articulated what a lot of people are saying to me that some time ago, people looked forward to shop in the city centre. He said there was a menacing feel about the place. I accept we have to deal with antisocial behaviour on the streets. Open drug taking should not be accepted. It should not be something that is normalised. We need to clean up areas within the city centre. Security and a visible police presence is vital to that.  The transformation of O'Connell Street is key to all of this. The purchase of the Hammerson site will unlock a lot, not just for the metro but the wider possibilities in terms of the redevelopment of O'Connell Street, which is a fantastic boulevard. As Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn said, Lonely Planet described it as such. It has never reached its potential as a major street. Because of the task force, we are on the cusp of doing something significant now, particularly in terms of the GPO.  Deputy Mark Ward raised the issue of the GPO. The Government was always going to do a public consultation. I think that public consultation will be accessible to everyone. It is important because the GPO site is a huge site. It is not just the front building and so on. We need to concentrate on that and get it right. We are also working on Moore Street. A lot of work is under way by the OPW, particularly as it is designated under the National Monuments Act. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  Will the Government buy Moore Street----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Deputy Whitmore has now left the Chamber. I understand she probably has another committee to go to. I take her point on antisocial behaviour on buses, particularly Dublin Bus. That is a serious issue. We do not want situations where people are afraid to go on a bus, or are discouraged from doing so, because of antisocial behaviour. I will talk to the Minister for Transport in respect of where we are in terms of security on our buses and the proposals for that.  Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn raised Lonely Planet and O'Connell Street. I think I have dealt with that. I also mentioned the Moore Street situation. We do not talk about any potential purchases and so on in advance, even if we were considering it, because these are commercially sensitive issues. TII took a big decision in terms of land required for the metro but additional land that will facilitate the construction of the metro and that will ultimately be part of a wider refurbishment and rejuvenation of O'Connell Street.  I take Deputy Shane Moynihan's point about e-scooters. The Deputy stated that he has an open mind regarding between regulation and an outright ban. There is a real issue in respect of how the use of these scooters has evolved and how there was no regulatory framework in place when they arrived some years ago. People did not anticipate the uses that they are now being put to by drug gangs and for other criminal activity. The latter is proving very problematic for An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, as the Garda Commissioner has told the Deputy. There will be legislation to support An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. I do not like garda\u00ed being investigated on the basis of their pursuing someone in the line of duty. There can be issues arising from that, but they should not suffer in their civilian lives subsequently. Do not get me wrong, there are issues around pursuit. It is not the only answer, particularly as it creates its own dangers down the line. Pursuit can lead to death and injury, so we have to be careful of the health and safety of garda\u00ed as well as that of the general public when pursuit operations happen. I will convene a meeting with relevant Ministers on this next week in order to focus on the issue the Deputy has raised.  I fully support what Deputy \u00d3 Murch\u00fa said about inter-agency action. Such action is absolutely essential. I also met Siobh\u00e1n and Martin Lynch. I was appalled by what they have had to endure online. They already suffered the most traumatic of shocks in their lives when they lost their daughter, but then to have very callous people post online about them in the way they have done is beyond human comprehension. What is wrong with people? What is wrong with our society that individuals can do that to a family that has suffered and endured so much? This is something we need to reflect on as a society more generally. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  Also the social media companies. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The social media companies as well, absolutely.  Deputy Heneghan referred to the living city initiative. This initiative, in the context of the changes that have been made to it, is a game-changer. The old living city initiative seemed to be something that civil servants in a certain Department created to make sure that it would not have any impact. They succeeded, because it did not have an impact. In the most recent budget, we dramatically enhanced what is available to people living in city centres. We have extended the initiative to Drogheda, Athlone and elsewhere. I am told there will be significant progress arising out of what we did in the budget last year. I pushed very hard for it. I do not understand the conservatism that has existed in officialdom for far too long on this matter. We need to provide every incentive we can in order to encourage people to live in our cities and towns. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  That was the final Taoiseach\u2019s questions until we come back in September. I thank the Taoiseach for his co-operation with all the Members. I wish him a very successful recess, particularly as he will be very busy with EU Presidency business and his normal business. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Is f\u00e9idir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scr\u00edofa ar www.oireachtas.ie. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar fionra\u00ed ar 2.13 p.m. agus cuireadh t\u00fas leis ar\u00eds ar 3.13 p.m. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Sitting suspended at 2.13 p.m. and resumed at 3.13 p.m. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Urban Development"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_18","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026: Motion","counts":{"speechCount":11,"speakerCount":10},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_18","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Brophy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan)  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann approves the following Order in draft:  Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026,  a copy of which was laid in draft form before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 2nd July, 2026.  I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Deputies for meeting to discuss this motion concerning the order I propose to make, in conjunction with the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, to reduce the monthly financial contribution payable under the accommodation recognition payment, ARP, scheme to \u20ac400 from September 2026. The ARP scheme was introduced in July 2022 to recognise the generosity of members of the public who opened their houses, whether in their entirety or through the provision of a room, at their own expense to provide shelter to people displaced by the Ukraine war. The Department of Social Protection administers the scheme on my behalf. The scheme currently involves a tax-free monthly payment of \u20ac600 to hosts per eligible property used to accommodate people granted temporary protection from Ukraine.  The motion before the House arises on foot of a Government decision of 26 May last in respect of the phased reduction of the ARP from \u20ac600 to \u20ac400 from 1 September next, with a view to ending the scheme entirely at the end of March 2027. As the payment is made monthly in arrears, the first payment at the reduced rate will be made in October.  The ARP scheme is provided for under Part 2 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022. Section 9 of that Act enables me to make an order amending the amount payable under the scheme, with the consent of the Minister for Social Protection and the Minister for public expenditure and reform. I have consulted both Ministers, who have expressed support for the proposed reduction in the rate. The Act of 2022 also provides that the draft order laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas cannot be made law until a resolution approving the order has been passed by each House.  The ARP scheme was introduced as an emergency measure at a time of exceptional need, when the demand for accommodation for those seeking refuge from Ukraine outstripped the availability of accommodation. The scheme has been a lifeline for people from Ukraine displaced by the conflict, given high rental market rates and scarcity of rental accommodation. It has introduced a stream of accommodation that would not otherwise have been available, and it has allowed my Department to move away from a reliance on State-contracted accommodation in the tourism sector. Since July 2022, the scheme has supported more than 29,000 hosts providing accommodation to approximately 66,500 people granted temporary protection. There are currently over 41,000 people with temporary protection accommodated with the support of the scheme. I thank the hosts who have opened their homes, the Irish Red Cross, the International Organization for Migration, their partners and the Irish public, who have shown unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine.  The scheme's payment rate is not, nor has it ever been, linked to the actual cost incurred by the person providing the accommodation. It is a recognition of the valued contribution of those who host. The payment is not intended to substitute rent, nor is it available where a rental agreement is in place. It is also not aligned with market rental rates. The rate has previously been amended twice. It was increased from \u20ac400 to \u20ac800 on 1 December 2022 to coincide with the introduction of the offer a home scheme. This measure was invaluable in generating emergency accommodation from a stock of holiday homes and largely unused vacant properties. The rate was subsequently reduced to \u20ac600 from 1 June last year to address concerns about the scheme's potential impact on the rental market. Other measures were also taken earlier this year to limit eligibility for the scheme to preclude properties registered with the Residential Tenancies Board with a view to safeguarding rental accommodation for tenants.  The draft order before the House would have the effect of revoking the previous order amending the monthly contribution rate and restoring the rate to the original value of \u20ac400 specified in the 2022 Act when it commenced.  I note the amendment Deputy Carthy has tabled. That will be addressed later.  I recognise the concerns raised by Members of this House in previous debates about the equity of the scheme, which is not available to other cohorts. To that end, my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, and I had signalled plans to phase out the scheme when the scheme's extension until 2027 was considered by the Houses in March. This remains our position. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Brophy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Colm Brophy)  The Minister has outlined very clearly our intention in relation to this matter. We have always been very clear that the ARP would be a temporary provision. It was introduced in 2022 as a response to a crisis, always with the view that it would be phased out. That remains the case. The planned closure date for the scheme is March of next year. As the Minister indicated, we have engaged in a number of processes with a view to looking at the longer term situation for Ukrainian people who are in our country, who have made a home for themselves here and who we want to continue to encourage to participate in Ireland in every way.  The measure before the House will enable that. However, we believe the time for the temporary scheme has come to an end. Therefore, March 2027 remains the date for bringing it to an end.  It is important to look at the ARP in the context of what is happening here. We are reducing the payment back to the original rate in order to fulfil the original intention. We thank the people for the generosity they showed in opening their homes to Ukrainians who came to live with us here in Ireland. The latter is part of Ireland's ongoing support for Ukraine as it endures the totally unacceptable war of aggression being waged against it by Russia. We want a situation whereby people will have the ability to share their homes with Ukrainians. Other measures are in place in this regard, including the rent a room scheme. People can continue to have arrangements with Ukrainians if they so wish. What we are bringing to a close is the temporary nature of the ARP. It is important, as the Minister has mentioned, to recognise and thank all of the people who participated in the scheme, and to recognise the work of the Irish Red Cross and the many people who have made the scheme a success. We recognise that there are difficulties with schemes, and that is why this one has been under constant review. It is also why we have taken the decision to see the approval of the D\u00e1il to reduce the payment to \u20ac400 and why we put other measures in place.  It is important to recognise that Ukrainian people play an incredible role at so many levels within our society. They have come here, endeared themselves to the Irish people and made a great contribution to our country in a few short years. What we want to work towards is a solution which recognises that contribution and which examines how, in the longer term, we can work with the Ukrainian people in our country and with the Government of Ukraine in order to ensure that a pathway exists for them to either continue to live here or, if they so choose, to return home. All of the necessary supports in that regard will be put in place by the Government. Deputies' approval for the motion is important, particularly as it will lead to a more equitable and better outcome for everybody, including Ukrainians in our country. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 1:  To insert after \"on 2nd July, 2026\":  \"and:  further calls on the Government to provide that the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) scheme shall apply only to:  \u2014 existing recipients with respect to the beneficiaries of temporary protection currently benefitting from the scheme where those beneficiaries of temporary protection have satisfied a means test similar to those applicable for other housing assistance payments;  \u2014 new applications who propose to host a beneficiary of temporary protection in their property which is also their own primary residence and who have not availed of the Rent-a-Room Scheme in the previous 24 months; ensuring that the ARP does not further distort the rental sector; and  \u2014 recipients who are not in receipt of any additional or 'top-up' payments from a beneficiary of temporary protection.\".  The Minister and Minister of State know that Sinn F\u00e9in and I have been raising serious concerns about the Ukrainian ARP scheme for a long time. It is interesting that the Minister of State suggests that the motion is about returning to the original intention behind the scheme. That is a tacit acknowledgement that there was a move away from the original intention. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the onset of war, there was an enormous and generous response from the Irish people, particularly those who opened their homes and their spare rooms to Ukrainians fleeing the war. Those people absolutely deserve to be commended.  When the ARP scheme was brought before the House, there was absolutely unanimous support for it. However, Government moved away from the original intention behind that scheme, at one stage increasing the payment to \u20ac800 per month. That was a tax-free payment given directly to landlords, with no means test applied. This meant that a person who was on more wages than someone who was in desperate need of housing could benefit from the scheme when the latter could not. The exclusionary nature of the scheme, available to Ukrainians fleeing war but not to anybody from anywhere else in the world, including Irish citizens in this State, led to heightened division in communities all over the country. We in Sinn F\u00e9in repeatedly brought people's concerns to the attention of the Government, but we were repeatedly ignored. Likewise, it ignored the concerns repeatedly brought to its attention regarding the impact this was having on the private rental market in certain areas. For several years, the Government refused point-blank to acknowledge that this was having an impact on the private rental market until the Department of housing's reports highlighted out what was already blatantly obvious. The scheme was being utilised by landlords to receive tax-free payments in respect of which they could demand top-up payments from tenants or residents but with none of the obligations that would apply in respect of other tenants in a dwelling.  It took a huge amount of effort and wherewithal to drag the Government to a place where it finally and reluctantly acknowledged that there were serious problems with this scheme. That is why we have seen the backtracking that has taken place over the past number of months, and the ultimate decision to bring the scheme to an end on 31 March 2027. What we still do not have is clarity as to what impact Government decisions will now have regarding private rental accommodation and the wider situation relating to housing. The truth is that after March of next year, there will be thousands of Ukrainians who will be moved from either ARP accommodation or State accommodation. Once again, in an all too familiar story, we will end up with a belated and, probably, knee-jerk response.  The Government completely ignored the unfairness at the heart of this scheme regarding the putting in place of a housing support for one cohort, the members of which, nobody disputes, were in need of housing, but that was not available to any other cohort. It put in place non-means-tested housing assistance. That was deeply unfair and led to the heightened division which we have seen over the past number of years and which have been exploited by some nasty actors.  Let us imagine a situation where two people on a factory floor whose earnings are the same are in need of housing. One is left to languish on a local authority housing list or, perhaps, does not even for that list and is forced to deal with the private rental market in circumstances where they are extorted. The other person, who earns the same wages and who, perhaps, has the same housing needs, because they were born in a particular place on the planet, has access to a housing support to which no means test applies and for which the landlord is getting a tax-free payment in respect of which a top-up can be paid. That is clearly a roadmap to create division and dissent. It is absolutely unforgivable. Everybody recognises and accepts that there was an emergency situation in 2022 and that there was a need to be nimble and introduce measures quickly. However, to allow that to continue for five years is inexcusable. That is why we have brought forward similar amendments on several occasions suggesting that a means test be introduced in order to ensure fairness. The Government rejected those amendments.  Let us bring it back to the original intention. This payment should be for people who are accommodating, in their own homes, people fleeing war. Everybody accepts that is a good initiative which should be supported. In fact, that type of initiative should be expanded to other people in need of housing. Every time our amendments have been brought forward, the Government has rejected them and denied the existence of any of the issues at the heart of them. To their shame, other Opposition parties have also objected and refused to support the amendments to which I refer and called me all sorts of names for having the audacity to look for a bit of fairness and transparency in respect of all this.  This scheme will end in March next year. We still do not have transparency regarding the number of dwellings that were utilised in the context of this scheme and that should and could have been available on the private rental market. That is the litmus test. In its documentation and reports, the Department of housing has acknowledged that this scheme had an impact on the private rental market, yet Government has consistently refused to divulge exactly how big that impact has been. That points to a fear on the part of the Government that if the figures were divulged, it would be seen to have used taxpayers' money to create a significant distortion, especially in areas where rents in the private rental market would traditionally have been lower. People have been denied housing as a result of this scheme. That is unacceptable.  I say to those Opposition parties that have taken the opportunity to attack Sinn F\u00e9in every time the ARP comes up that they should read the Government's report, namely the regulatory impact analysis relating to the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026.  That set out very clearly what Sinn F\u00e9in has said time and time again in relation to the ARP scheme, namely, that it is having a negative impact on the private rental sector. That is beyond doubt. Dragging this out and then creating another cliff edge in March of next year will affect thousands of people whom we do not yet know how they are going to be housed and whether the Government is going to introduce something else that will further distort the private rental sector or the housing market. I ask the Minister and the Minister of State to learn from their mistakes and engage with all Members of this House and the appropriate committees before the very last minute, as has been standard up until now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Before I call Deputy Gannon, I welcome the Spangle Hill Men's Shed group, who are visiting D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann today with Deputy O'Flynn. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  The Social Democrats will be opposing this motion and the amendment. The motion is not simply an administrative change, but a decision to reduce the accommodation recognition payment from \u20ac600 to \u20ac400 per month. I believe that is the wrong decision, not because this scheme should exist forever, but because reducing the payment now will make an already difficult situation significantly worse for people fleeing war, for hosts, for our housing system, and ultimately for all of us in the State.  I spoke on this issue in the House last year when we debated the extension of the scheme and my view has not changed. This is a scheme that actually does work. It is one of the few parts of our response to the war in Ukraine that has genuinely delivered. It is a rarity for me to come into the Chamber and acknowledge a Government scheme that works, but reducing it has the potential to have an impact that goes very significantly towards creating further hardships for people. Since it was introduced, it has accommodated more than 66,500 people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Today, over 41,000 people are living in more than 23,000 homes supported by this payment. Almost half of those living in Ireland under temporary protection are accommodated through this scheme. That is not a small programme. It is one of the central pillars of Ireland's humanitarian response.  Only a few months ago, I hosted a briefing with the Irish Red Cross and I heard directly from people who have built lives here through hosted accommodation. People who had fled war arrived carrying trauma and they slowly managed to rebuild some sense of normality. I remember one mother telling us that her daughter had arrived here as a toddler and she was now settled in school. She speaks with a little Dublin accent. That is no small thing, because that is what integration looks like. It is homes, communities, friendships and kids speaking with little Dublin accents.  Hosted accommodation gives people something emergency accommodation never can. It gives people stability, continuity and dignity. It also makes financial sense. Hosted accommodation is dramatically cheaper than State-provided accommodation. The Irish Red Cross estimates that this scheme costs the State around \u20ac11 per person per night, compared with approximately \u20ac48 per night for full-board State accommodation or otherwise in private accommodation. That is not only the more humane option, but also the more cost-effective one, yet today we are debating a proposal that risks pulling the rug from underneath thousands of those families.  The Irish Red Cross could not be clearer. It says that reducing this payment is likely to lead to a significant reduction in the number of people willing to continue hosting. In fact, since the Government made this cut, the Red Cross said it had already seen an increase in hosting arrangements coming to an end. This is not theoretical any more. The Irish Red Cross also warns that 86% of hosts say that this payment is important for them to continue their hosting arrangements. If those arrangements collapse, we are potentially talking about 35,000 people looking for somewhere else to live, but any number of them is going to create strain on the system.  We know what will happen next. People do not suddenly find affordable rental homes. They do not suddenly qualify for HAP. They do not suddenly move into social housing. They enter into an accommodation system that is already buckling under the weight of unprecedented demand. A simple question should be asked. Where exactly are those 35,000 people supposed to go? The alternatives very clearly do not exist. People under temporary protection cannot simply access HAP or homeless services in a way that many people assume. Rent supplement remains extremely restrictive. The Irish Red Cross found that only 16% of those who applied for rent supplement were successful and only 20% of people who tried to access the private rental market managed to do so. They are astonishingly low figures, but they tell us something very important: that this is not a transition plan or a displacement plan. The Government cannot reduce one of the only accommodation schemes that is working while pretending that realistic alternatives already exist.  This is a scheme that works. This is a scheme that has people in homes. One of the reasons I will continue to support this scheme is because I do not like to be hypocritical in how I present myself when I come into D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann. This is a scheme that has, at different times, paid \u20ac800, then \u20ac600 and now, potentially, \u20ac400 to people in homes. I have often come in here and lambasted the fact that we monetise poverty and oppression too often in this State. We transfer a huge amount of money to private operators who open up accommodation in office blocks or elsewhere for people in emergency situations. That is not a scenario I want. I believe there has to be a transition plan but I do not believe I can come in here and advocate against this without presenting what I would do differently. This system works. The only analysis we can rely on is from the Irish Red Cross, which has surveyed host families and people who avail of the accommodation recognition payment, and it has found that it works. It works in the communities in which people are placed. It would be grossly hypocritical for me to come in here and present an argument that was not based on available data, albeit from the Irish Red Cross, in the absence of any from the Minister. To end this scheme now risks placing huge strain on an already overstretched emergency accommodation system, the homeless system and a rental market that is in chaos. All of these things are potentially what awaits us here because of the reduction in this payment. We understand the cost of living. People in this country are struggling to pay their ESB bills and to put food on the table. To reduce that fee by another \u20ac200 means we are simply expecting people to continue having people from Ukraine living in their homes. That is an expectation that is going to be too heavy for many. What we are doing here is reckless. I will be voting against the motion. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  This is kind of like a repeat speech from when we previously discussed this issue. The motion is erroneous and mean spirited. The real question for the country is where these people are going to go. The options are not there. It would be one thing to say we would do this if the options were there but we are going to be throwing tens of thousands of people into a situation where there are very few options. In many cases, there will be no options. As we all know, the private rental market is a mess. It is not going to be feasible or possible for these people to be accommodated in it.  We will obviously be voting against the motion as well as the amendment that has been put down. The temporary protection orders have worked. The only data that we have available, as has previously been said, is from the Irish Red Cross. It shows that they have worked. I do not see why, in the spirit of where we are and after everything we have said about the war in Ukraine, we are actually going to go and take this away now. It is downright hypocritical to do this on the one hand and, on the other, to embrace the Ukrainian President and speak in the manner in which we do. Why are we making this change for something that is pretty low - \u20ac600? Why are we deciding that we want to get rid of this and phase it out? We are a non-militarily aligned country. We are a country that does not participate in wars. We are neutral, but we are not neutral when it comes to our views on this war. We have also said quite clearly that we would support the Ukrainian people. In that capacity, surely this is the manner in which we should do it.  We need to embrace the fact that many Ukrainians are participating in Irish life and contributing so much here in Ireland in many various ways - economically, socially, educationally, etc. From the perspective of it being the right thing to do, phasing this out now and doing it in this manner is quite mean spirited. It lacks consistency in terms of what the Government is saying about the war in Ukraine. It certainly goes against all available data that we have at this moment in time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  I oppose this new cut to the accommodation recognition payment. This is the second cut to the payment, which was previously cut from \u20ac800 to \u20ac600, and now the Government wants to cut it further to \u20ac400. The Irish Red Cross has written to all of us outlining the devastating impact this cut will have not only on the 41,072 people who rely on it to keep a roof over their heads but, potentially, on the wider migration and accommodation systems in this country. Already since the Government announced its intention to cut the ARP, an increasing number of hosting arrangements are ending. A Red Cross survey of hosts found that the current rate of \u20ac600 was important for 86% of them to continue hosting. If even a fraction of that 86% stop hosting because they simply cannot afford it any more, what will it mean? It will mean thousands or tens of thousands of newly homeless people, overwhelmingly women, children and families. These people will not have the right to emergency accommodation. Very many of them will have no choice but to go on the streets. This will be the consequence of the decision. Is this what the Government wants? Is it what Sinn F\u00e9in wants? Sinn F\u00e9in's contribution to this debate, not just today but every time we have discussed it, has simply been to say to go after the Ukrainians harder and make it even more difficult for them to access accommodation than the Government wants to make it.  Sinn F\u00e9in's amendment also manufactures a non-existing conflict between the ARP and the rent-a-room scheme by saying that ARP hosts must not have availed of the scheme in the past two years. A landlord can earn \u20ac1,166 a month tax free under the rent-a-room scheme compared to \u20ac600 now and \u20ac400 in the future through the ARP. Nobody who is solely motivated by money would choose the ARP over the rent-a-room scheme. It is not competing with the private rental market. The vast majority of hosts are hosting people in their own homes out of humanitarian concern and humanitarian motivation. With this cut, many of them simply will not be able to do it any more.  The only other option open to many Ukrainians forced out of their homes as a result of this cut will be to apply for international protection. What happens if tens of thousands of people do this? The system will become even more overwhelmed. That is what happened in France when over 11,000 applications for international protection were made by Ukrainians last year. Is this what the Government wants? Is this what Sinn F\u00e9in wants? They might not but they seem prepared to take the risk that this is what is going to happen for the perceived political gain of being seen to be hard on immigration and hard on Ukrainians in particular.  It is a glaring contradiction for the Government in particular, with it hosting President Zelenskyy in Dublin, talking about doing everything we can for the Ukrainian people and praising them on the one hand and, on the other, turfing tens of thousands of Ukrainians out onto the streets. The temporary protection transition scheme, due to open for applications in September, is to be limited to households earning at least \u20ac29,432 a year that somehow manage to pay for accommodation privately out of this. ARP recipients are not eligible. With average rents at \u20ac21,060 a year, this would be some achievement when the median wage of Ukrainian workers according to the Central Statistics Office, CSO, is less than \u20ac30,000. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Roderic O'Gorman  Our relationship with Ukraine is becoming increasingly hot and cold. Government spokespeople continue the line about the country standing resolutely behind Ukraine, yet it looks like we are selling alumina to the Russian war machine. During his recent visit, I was worried that certain Ministers had been physically attached to President Zelenskyy, they were standing so close to him in the pictures, yet we are offering Ukraine our best broken-down armoured cars. Now we have a situation whereby we are systematically cutting the supports for Ukrainian civilians living here.  This is not to say our level of support should not taper. There is a case for tapering but my concern is about making the changes to the accommodation recognition payment to make it less attractive while at the same time ending the remaining State-provided hotel accommodation. We have the cumulation of these two changes at a time when we know there are already wide pressures across the private rental accommodation. It is this combination I am particularly concerned about.  We know that the ARP works. It supports 41,000 of the Ukrainians living in our country, which is about 50% of them. It works with regard to the central goal of providing accommodation to those who need it. It works by providing this accommodation at a far more reasonable price. It is about \u20ac11 per night for a Ukrainian supported using the ARP versus \u20ac48 for those using full State accommodation. It is also effective in promoting integration. The whole idea of the hosting model has enabled Ukrainians living with Irish families to get a better sense of Ireland and be better linked to education, job opportunities, community and sport. It has, as Deputy Murphy has said, kept Ukrainians out of the international protection system. I have argued throughout the time Ukrainians have been here that it would be a huge mistake to direct Ukrainians to the international protection system, which we all know is already under huge strain, because it could not cope with the numbers that would be affected. There is national support for the ARP. The most recent polling done earlier this year showed 68% or 67% of Irish people still agreed with supporting Ukrainians through it.  There is another point that we should bear in mind when we listen to the media. We know that this is an ongoing war and in recent months it has appeared in some elements that Ukraine is doing better, but Ukraine is still a dangerous place for civilians. About 250 civilians were killed in the month of April, with more than 1,000 injured. Ukraine is still a dangerous place and it is not easy for people to bring themselves, vulnerable family members and children back to what is still a war zone. For this reason, at a time when we have a system that works and we are cutting away another part of our State support through direct State accommodation, it is wrong to bring this proposal forward and I will oppose it on behalf of the Green Party. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  The Irish people are a generous and decent people and have been over the past number of years, with the provision of supports to people from Ukraine who are fleeing the war. This is right and just. The war unleashed on Ukraine is absolutely wrong.  Aont\u00fa will support the reduction in the rate of payment under the scheme. The scheme that was created was uneven, unfair and discriminatory for those seeking accommodation or housing. It created a two-tier support system, which is unfair. This two-tier support system has threatened cohesion. It has caused anger and pushback among the general public.  There have been reports of Facebook pages where Ukrainian nationals have posted messages looking for homes where they say they can afford the rent and they can pay an additional tax-free \u20ac600 on top of what the asking price is. Landlords are rational and they will make economic decisions to best suit themselves. Landlords have been more inclined to take on Ukrainian tenants over Irish tenants in recent years. This system is discriminatory. It gives an advantage to guests in the country over the people who have lived here for most of their lives.  The fact that this is not being means tested is extraordinary. That we can have two people living on the same street and on the same wages but one of them is getting a further subsidy from the Government is shocking. The fact that many in this Chamber do not understand this is also shocking. We can have a Ukrainian family on a six-figure salary who can get the subsidy and a neighbour on a five-figure salary who cannot. I am very disappointed to see that the Government, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party, the Green Party and People Before Profit will vote against an amendment that wants to means test the payment, as an amendment also did on the previous occasion, and put it on a level footing with other housing assistance payments.  Most parties will also vote against the proposal to protect rent-a-room tenants from eviction. It has been reported again that some landlords who wanted to take rent from the ARP scheme made way for that scheme by removing certain tenants in the rent-a-room scheme, which was also wrong. There is a disconnect in the Chamber among some of the parties in relation to these supports.  The housing crisis is the Government\u2019s fault. The lack of supply is the Government\u2019s fault. Anyone who sat the leaving certificate economics paper just a few weeks ago will know that demand also has a role. It determines what rents are, the price of houses, etc. It is physics and maths and not ideology. We need to get to a situation where we equalise supply with demand. This means the Government building more homes but it also means making sure demand is not too much. To make sure we do not have a pull factor, it is important the services and the provision in this country are equal to those in other European countries, so there is fair distribution of people from Ukraine who need help. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  We took in the Ukrainians as part of a Europe-wide collective effort. We might have been perceived as being more generous than some countries precisely because of our military neutrality. We are not giving weapons to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, so we did have to go above and beyond. I think that is only right and fair.  A lot of the Ukrainians who have come here have settled. Some of them have got jobs. I do take the point about means-testing in terms of increased contributions within the confines of the ARP payment, for example. There was the original \u20ac800. If people have a job and can contribute \u20ac200, I think it makes a lot of sense. I do not think cutting it, however, sends out the right message. On the one hand, we are inviting President Zelenskyy to Ireland for the European Presidency, with all the pomp and ceremony, and then we are trying to keep Aughinish Alumina on the sidelines. We are saying slava Ukraini and then basically treating them like dirt. We have an obligation and responsibility to help people, so let us live up to that. I do not think this motion is dealing with the particular circumstances. Ukraine is the first step. The next step will be the Baltics, and the step after that will be Poland. We have to show solidarity in that specific geographic context.  I also mention a separate issue in my constituency. A lot of Ukrainians were staying at the Citywest location. A good portion of these people have disabilities. It now seems they are being sent to the four corners of Ireland. This is in a context where kids have been going to the local schools, people have built up links with local communities, learned the language and are making a contribution. I want to read some excerpts from a letter written by the Ukrainians in Citywest. It stated:  Many Ukrainian people in Ireland are now facing a new and deeply worrying stage in their lives. After fleeing war, rebuilding their lives from nothing, finding work, placing children in schools, accessing medical care, and becoming part of local communities, they are now being told that State-provided accommodation is changing.  This issue is not simply about hotels or accommodation centres. It is about whether people who have already integrated into Irish society will be allowed to keep the stability they have worked so hard to build.  Many Ukrainians in Ireland are working, paying taxes, studying, raising children, supporting family members with disabilities, using local services and contributing to Irish society. For these families, [forced] relocation to another county is not just a change of address. It can mean losing access to work, schools, colleges, doctors, disability services, transport links and community support.  The letter continued:  We are not asking for indefinite hotel accommodation. We are asking for a fair, humane, disability-sensitive and employment-sensitive transition.  The current approach risks causing disproportionate harm to working people, families with children in education, people with autism, PTSD, anxiety, disabilities or complex medical needs, and vulnerable adults already connected with HSE and disability services.  For a disability [related] person, shared toilets, shared corridors, noisy communal spaces and high-density accommodation are not minor inconveniences. They are ... real barriers to basic daily life, [like] using the toilet, washing, eating, sleeping, leaving the room, attending appointments or going to work or college.  The letter also stated that, \"Any relocation decision must therefore include an individual assessment of disability-related needs, employment, education, transport, medical care and service continuity.\" We bring people in and then we put them in a difficult position. This is not the right way to go about it. We could ask the average Ukrainian about this. I met a Ukrainian citizen who moved to Adamstown some years before the war. Some Ukrainians have been living and working in Ireland. The vast majority, however, did not ask to come here. They did not ask to have to stay here so long. We do have this attitude that Ukrainians are basically skiving when they could go back to their own big country. This is what is on social media. Ukraine, however, has a war effort it is trying to sustain, and we need to show solidarity and continue to try to help them as best we can. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan)  I thank colleagues for their contributions. What is apparent from them is that there is a divergence of opinion not just between the Government and the Opposition but throughout the House when it comes to how we respond to this issue. In a way, I think this reflects the complexity of the issue. It is sometimes healthy that there are diverging views around this House and issues are not just presented in a binary way.  There are, however, two points on which I think there is general agreement in this House. The first is that the Irish people have been very generous in their response to the plight faced by Ukrainian people since the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022. One of the obligations under the temporary protection directive is that we provide access to the means of accommodation. There was no requirement on Ireland to provide accommodation for people who came to Ireland claiming temporary protection. We decided, however, that we would go beyond what was set out in the temporary protection directive and that we would, in fact, pay for and provide accommodation for people arriving from Ukraine after 2022. I think that was a very generous step to be taken by the Government on behalf of the Irish people. Everybody in this House agreed in respect of that decision.  I also think, however, that we need to be aware that the cost of doing this is very significant. If we look back to 2024, for instance, the cost to the State of temporary protection accommodation was in the region of \u20ac1.16 billion. That was just in one year, in 2024. If we look at the accommodation recognition payment that we are debating here, since that was introduced back in June 2022 and up to June 2026, a period of four years, the cost of this has been \u20ac496 million, which is \u20ac0.5 billion. The point I am making is that the response of the Irish people has been very generous. I think there is agreement on this point.  The second thing I suspect there will be agreement on in this House is that I certainly did not expect in February 2022 - maybe other people here did have the foresight to realise this - that the war would be ongoing four and a half years later. It is very significant in terms of the fact that temporary protection was introduced later in 2022 and it is still ongoing. There is a debate in Europe now as to what will happen in respect of temporary protection. I do think, however, that the length of the war has had an impact. It must have an impact in terms of Government policy. I thank Deputy Gannon for recognising the effectiveness of the Government.  The ARP introduced has been a very effective measure. The last time we debated this topic, there were concerns here regarding moving it from \u20ac800 to \u20ac600 and that this change was going to significantly undermine it. I do not believe it has. I think it has continued effectively. What we are doing now is reducing it back to the originally intended \u20ac400, with notice that come next year, it will be removed completely.  It is important to note that many of the people availing of the ARP are diligent people who are able to work and who are working. They also have very good relationships with the persons providing the accommodation. All those factors together indicate to me that there will be mechanisms for people either to stay in that accommodation with their own private arrangement or to secure accommodation elsewhere. The question that has been put out there is where they are going to get accommodation. It is instructive to note that a lot of people are still coming into Ireland each month under the temporary protection directive. They apply for temporary protection but many of them do not look for accommodation because they have a network here that enables them to receive accommodation.  I will turn to Deputy Carthy\u2019s amendment, which I cannot accept. His amendment, in short, is about the need to introduce means testing. This is a payment, as I said, made to the owner of the property. It is not a payment made to the Ukrainian people. It would be highly unorthodox to means-test the person not receiving the payment. As we have also indicated here, the scheme is going to end next year, so we would expend a lot of bureaucratic and administrative time in setting up a means-testing mechanism that is not necessary and would not be of use next year. I cannot, therefore, accept the amendment.  Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn spoke about an amendment. I do not know if he has an amendment before the House but if he does, and it is as he indicated, I cannot accept it either. I thank everyone very much. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026: Motion"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_27","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/62","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/62\/dail\/3_sub","houseCode":"dail","stage":"3_sub","isBillStage":false,"showAs":"Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Committee Stage","counts":{"speechCount":30,"speakerCount":8},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_27","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul McAuliffe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I welcome our special visitors to the Public Gallery. We are joined by members of the family of the late Jennie Poole, in whose memory this Bill is named: her brother, Jason Poole; her parents, Jackie and Joe; her siblings, David and Clare; and her precious children, Nevaeh and Zack. They are most welcome to sit here for the final stages of Jennie's law. We welcome and thank them. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"SECTION 1"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 1 and 9 to 12, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I move amendment No. 1:  In page 3, line 24, to delete \u201cconvicted on indictment\u201d and substitute \u201cconvicted, whether on indictment or summarily,\u201d.  I welcome Jennie's family. It is an honour for us to have you here. My amendment relates to section 1. This amendment is straightforward but important. As drafted, the Bill excludes convictions dealt with summarily in the District Court yet many domestic violence offences, including the offences of coercive control, assault causing harm and breaching a protection order, can be prosecuted either summarily or on indictment. Whether a case proceeds in one court or another should not determine whether a victim can benefit from the protections of this register. Women's Aid specifically highlighted this issue during pre-legislative scrutiny. This amendment seeks to address that gap. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan)  I too welcome the family of Jennifer Poole. The Ceann Comhairle has identified them individually. I specifically highlight Jason Poole, who has been steadfast in his support for this legislation. That has been hugely important to me in trying to advance this legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas. I also acknowledge the role played by all colleagues in this House. We are all aware of the background to Jennie's law and its origins in the brutal and senseless murder of a young woman. That was outlined during yesterday's debate. I really welcome the fact that Deputies from across the political spectrum support and have welcomed this legislation. I recognise that the role of Committee Stage is to allow colleagues to propose amendments they think would improve the legislation. I would not like Jennifer's family to think that what is happening here is in any way unorthodox. It is part of the legislative process. It is important that colleagues put forward proposals to test me and to see whether the legislation can be improved.  We are looking at a group of amendments, Nos. 1 and 9 to 12, inclusive. Deputy Gannon's amendment, No. 1, asks me to include within the legislation a provision applying the legislation not only to convictions on indictment, that is, convictions in cases heard by the Central Criminal Court or the Circuit Criminal Court, but also to summary convictions. On page 5 of the Bill, the Oireachtas has set out a schedule of offences that should trigger the operation of Jennie's law. It obviously applies in cases of murder, manslaughter, rape, rape under section 4 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, sexual assault or aggravated sexual assault. All of these charges can only arise on indictment. Deputy Gannon's amendment has relevance to the proposed section 40A(11)(g) because some of the offences under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act can be tried summarily. Such offences include those under sections 3, 3A, 5, 10, 13 and 15 of that Act.  Deputy Gannon wants to broaden the ambit of this legislation so that it does not just include convictions on indictment but also includes summary convictions. So that people are aware, summary convictions are convictions of a minor nature that take place in the Circuit Court. With the greatest of respect to Deputy Gannon, I am not going to accept these amendments. The inclusion of summary offences would be problematic. It would lead the District Court, a court of summary jurisdiction, to start delivering judgments in respect of summary convictions that have been put in place. I agree with Deputy Gannon that any form of violence against women or other offence, even if of a minor nature, is a warning signal and something people need to be very concerned about. However, I also have to recognise what I am doing in this legislation and what Jennie's law is about. It represents a new departure insofar as it gives a statutory power to the criminal courts in relation to delivering a judgment to be put on the register. That is not a practice in the courts at present. Sometimes, the sentencing judgment in a sentencing hearing will be printed up by the Central Criminal Court or the Circuit Criminal Court and then made available.  As this is novel legislation, its parameters have been very carefully drawn. It is important for me to be cautious in how I introduce this. Let us see how it develops. It may be the case that I will be back here in a year saying that Deputy Gannon's proposals were a good idea and that the provisions should be extended. I would not rule out expanding the remit of the legislation in the future.  However, I deliberately adopted a measured approach in designing its scope in order to ensure that it can be implemented and can withstand any potential legal challenge. We need to be aware that there will be legal challenges to this because just as there are people who are very strong in supporting this Bill and who want to see it on the Statute Book, there are others who will be vehemently opposed to it, particularly those who are convicted of the offences outlined in the legislation.  Deputy Carthy has a number of amendments in this group by means of which he is seeking to include a section 2 offence, which is a more minor assault offence. I refer to amendments Nos. 9 to 11, inclusive. In amendment No. 10, the Deputy is seeking to include reference to section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act in the context of an offence committed by somebody who contravenes a protection, safety or barring order. I am not going to accept that amendment because I want to start off with convictions on indictment in order that we can bed down the legislation and see how it operates.  Deputy Gannon's amendment No. 12 seeks to include references to section 4 of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 and also section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act. For the reasons already outlined, I do not propose to accept the amendment because I want to limit it to what is there at present, namely convictions on indictment, because that is the safest way to start with this legislation. As already stated, however, I am open to looking at this down the road. The great thing about legislation is that once it is put place, we can come back and improve it in the future. When I am starting off with something novel, however, I have to be cautious. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I vehemently support this Bill, but we cannot ignore the fact that, as matters currently stand, there are cases involving coercive control, assault causing harm and breaches of protection orders that can come before the District Court and that can be prosecuted summarily or upon indictment. The despicable people who engage in such behaviour and who are found guilty in an Irish court will not feature on this register. Therefore, when the Minister talks about the safest way of advancing the legislation, I am obliged to ask for whom is it safest? Women's Aid has already told us that this is an omission from the Bill that will create exceptions whereby violent men will be excluded from appearing on registers. It is incumbent upon us to listen to Women's Aid. It would be safer still for the Minister to accept amendment No. 1, which seeks to add the offences to which I refer. In terms of amendment No. 11, which I neglected to speak to earlier, what we are talking about are behaviours such as stalking and harassment. It would be important for those to be included. I again encourage the Minister to accept amendment No.1 in order to include the offences to which I refer. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  As I mentioned on Second Stage, I welcome the fact that this Bill has progressed as speedily as it has. I have commended the Minister and his officials on prioritising what is a singular piece of legislation. It is a huge testimony to the family of Jennifer Poole, particularly Jason, because they have convinced the entirety of political opinion in this House of the merits of this measure. That is a phenomenal achievement on their part. I want to say to them that they have done Jennifer proud by being able to do so much.  The Minister mentioned that the great thing about legislation is that once it is introduced, it can be amended at a later stage. However, he will know that the process in this regard is not simple. The key is always that when we have got to the point where legislation with such widespread political support has been introduced, we need to get it right.  Amendments Nos. 9 10 and 12 are in my name. Amendment No. 9 proposes the following:  In page 5, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:  \u201c(ai) section 2, where the offence is committed against a spouse, civil partner, cohabitant or person in an intimate relationship;\u201d.  The reason for this amendment is that there is a genuine concern that the ambit of the legislation is too narrow and will not capture the bulk of domestic violence offences. As has been mentioned, Women's Aid has warned that many domestic violence-related offences under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act are prosecuted summarily in the District Court and, therefore, would not be captured by the proposed register. We also know that many domestic charges are reduced to lesser offences through plea bargaining. I refer, for example, to a section 3 offence being reduced to a section 2 assault. This was the situation in one very high-profile case recently. Under the Bill, where a section 2 assault is committed against an intimate partner, it would result in that person not being included on the register when, in fact, we know that the offence is, most likely, part of a pattern of domestic violence and abuse. I again appeal to the Minister, even at this late stage, to accept the amendment and create an offence under section 2 where a crime is committed against a spouse, civil partner, cohabitant or person living in an intimate relationship in order that we might get to the core of this. If the Minister is not willing to accept the amendment, I ask him to provide assurances, insofar as it is possible, that the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, will take into account the fact that any plea bargaining reducing a section 3 charge to a section 2 charge in a case of domestic violence would allow an offender to evade inclusion on the domestic violence register. This should be a caveat for the DPP in his or her consideration of plea bargains that might not have been in place heretofore.  Amendment No. 10 reads, \"In page 5, line 31, after \u201csection 2\u201d to insert \u201cor section 3\u201d.\" Section 3 criminalises recording, sharing or publishing an intimate image without consent where it seriously interferes with a person's privacy or causes alarm, distress or harm to them. For what I consider logical reasons, this should also be added to the list of offences.  Amendment No. 12 states:  In page 5, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:  \u201c(j) an offence under section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018.\u201d.  This amendment adds a breach of a domestic violence order, as the Minister said, to the list of offences that will lead to people being included on the domestic violence register. This makes absolute sense. It will be a real omission if it is not included, particularly if we genuinely want this to be a domestic violence judgment register. One of the fears relating to this legislation, which has been mentioned here and in the Seanad, is that somebody might seek to look at the register. If somebody is going to look at this register, it means that there are concerns. If they look and see that somebody's name is not on it, that might give them a sense of unfounded relief. The Minister was at pains, and rightly so, to say that this is what it is and that it should not be taken as an absolute guarantee of anything. However, if somebody has been convicted of domestic violence offences, either summarily or in the context of a section 3 conviction, and is not included in the register, then the truth of the matter is that the register is not going to be as fulsome as it should be. This is the crucial point. We must bear in mind that the vast majority of domestic violence offences and abuses never make their way to court. Most of them never result in a complaint. When complaints are made, most of them never see a file being sent to the DPP. Even when that happens, most of them never actually make it to court. The vast majority of cases involving sexual or gender-based violence or domestic abuse will never actually come before a court. When they do, even the most minor of offences are generally just the tip of the iceberg. If somebody is the subject of a summary conviction for domestic violence abuse, in the majority of, not all, cases, that is just a small signal of a pattern of abuse.  Margaret Loftus made this point very passionately when she spoke at the justice committee's launch of the report on gender-based violence last week. She made the point that when a woman, in the majority cases we are talking about women, goes to a Garda station to make a complaint about domestic violence you can virtually bet your life that it is not the first instance of domestic violence that she has encountered. It is usually after a prolonged period of abuse that somebody will get the wherewithal, the courage and the support necessary to bring that to the attention of the Garda. When somebody has managed to get to the point where they are making a complaint to the Garda and if the garda\u00ed looking at the evidence see the merit of bringing a charge against the individual and they bring that to court and it results in a conviction, then absolutely there should be no question but that should be recorded in this register.  I again appeal to the Minister. Let us get this right. Let us not depend on a future Minister or a future Oireachtas to fix this at a later stage. Let us actually ensure that we live up to the spirit of this legislation, which has come about from the campaign and work of Jason and the Poole family, by ensuring it is as comprehensive as possible. I again ask the Minister to consider these amendments even at this late stage. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul McAuliffe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul McAuliffe  I echo what the Minister said about the support across the House for the domestic violence register. That is really important because the model that we have landed on has been able to attract support. It is important to say that many people had very significant concerns about the idea of a domestic violence register. In some cases, they were very well-meaning people, including those representing people in domestic violence cases. In other cases, they were people involved in the legal profession and people involved in civil society. I appreciate the unanimity that we have landed on in the House. It took some time to get here. In considering these amendments, it is worth understanding why we have landed on the model that we have.  I take a moment to welcome the Poole family to the Chamber in such large numbers. They are incredibly welcome, particularly Jason who has been the driving force behind this all the way through. When Jason first came to us about this, he always spoke about the most serious crimes. It was important that was the focus of what we were trying to do from the very beginning because, as we know, Jennie was the subject of an offence at the most serious level.  It is important to remember who Jennie was. Jennie was a 24-year-old mother, a wonderful mother to Zach and Nevaeh. She was a healthcare worker in our community. She was a much-loved member of her camogie team in Erin's Isle. In many ways, she represented the very best of our community. We all know what happened on 17 April 2021. I spoke about it yesterday. I certainly do not intend to speak about it today because that man has taken enough from the Poole family without my reliving it here today.  There was so much hurt. The hurt centred on the fact that behind that tragedy, Jennie was not aware that her ex-partner had a previous conviction. Not only was she not aware but she did not even have a mechanism to find out that he had a previous conviction. That tragedy was further compounded because it was not until the court case that Jennie's family realised that conviction was there.  In trying to pursue Jennie's law, as Jason eventually called it, he came to me with a list of ten different areas, some of which the Minister has moved on in terms of access rights for a parent or a partner who's involved in a murder and so on. On this specific issue, the idea of granting access, we always knew there would be problems in establishing a register, similar to the sex offenders register. I acknowledge the work of Senator Fiona O'Loughlin, whose original Bill used that type of model because that is where we first thought we could progress it.  All the other issues around people's privacy and GDPR started to become the blockages as to why this could not be done. I acknowledge that under a different Minister the Department of justice was extremely opposed to this Bill. The replies that come from the Minister, often written by the departmental officials, were extremely opposed to how this Bill could be introduced. The mechanism the Minister has used - it is very simple mechanism - is the reason we have got here. That is why I want to speak to the amendments.  Essentially, the mechanism is that justice should be done in public but because journalists are no longer present in our courts all the time, that can often go unreported. The simplicity of that is that justice should be done in public. As already happens in civil cases, for the very first time the Minister has now found a way for judgments in criminal cases to be reported on the Courts Service website. It has never been done before for other offences. For the first time, that moves us away from all the issues of privacy and it moves us into a very simple sphere that justice should be done in public and, therefore, if a decision of the court is public, it is already a matter of public record and all we are doing is publishing that on the website. When we do that, we are inevitably balancing the independence of the Judiciary. That is why there is some discretion in the legislation because, of course, there is a separation of powers. In striking that balance, the Minister is trying to acknowledge that.  There were also concerns over expanding it beyond the current number of offences, which this group of amendments seeks to do, including murder, manslaughter, rape, strangulation, coercive control and so on. The reason for that was that in some cases those representing victims of domestic violence were fearful that it would put people off seeking a barring order, for example. In the initial stages there was talk about all of that being included in it. The Minister has limited it to the most serious offences, the fatal end of things, for a reason. Some of it is based on the concerns of people who represent people involved in domestic violence.  I just put the details of the process on the record because that is why we landed on this. It is not because we decided to limit certain elements of this. It is because we are juggling that balance between the Judiciary and the powers of this House. For the first time, criminal judgments will be published on a website. It is this model and not the other model of, for example, a sex offender's register which involves a different methodology and process. I say that to the Deputies who tabled these amendments because they might not have been aware of how we landed where we are.  I will not speak again on the other amendments. I acknowledge how far we have come. I acknowledge the Poole family. This law will be transformative in helping people across Ireland who are in a relationship to discover whether their partner had a domestic violence conviction. In her life as a mother, as a care worker and as a club member, Jennie gave so much to the community where she lived. She stood for everything that is so positive about our community. It is fitting that even in the tragedy that she and her family have experienced, she has continued to inspire this House to pass Jennie's law. I commend the Minister on his work and I commend the Bill to the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  Yesterday I thanked the Minister for using the Seanad route to get this legislation through so it could be passed before the summer recess. That confirms the Minister's own acknowledgement of the urgency of getting this legislation passed.  There is a balance between the urgency of getting something passed, but also the urgency of getting something passed that is going to impact as well as it could. That is why I support amendment No. 1 and the other suite of amendments because we are not going far enough. In essence, we need to challenge and push things out. If something needs to be tweaked afterwards, that is the better option rather than being very conservative starting out. If we look at the District Court situation, for example in terms of summary convictions, we are talking about convictions of up to 12 months. If I was a woman or if it was my daughter or any family member, and I found out that someone had a conviction of up to 12 months for violently assaulting someone, giving them a black eye or damaging their eye socket, I would want to know about it. These types of incidents start very incrementally. They start off with one thing. It gradually escalates. The violence becomes the norm. The coercive control is brought into it. It is not usually a situation where someone starts off in a controlling relationship as the essence of extreme violence. It works up to that situation. Therefore, you do have to nip it in the bud, so to speak. I am not a legal expert on this but I have been raising issues on the related in camera rule and the need to remove it, because that is going to act as a chilling effect on people reporting cases in the first place. However, anything that encourages reporting has to be welcomed. If we look at where violations of court orders happen, they happen in the District Courts above and beyond. Regarding the type of domestic violence incidences, the vast majority of them are within the District Court as well. We can move beyond that and say we will start off with the most serious cases but the most serious cases are arising because people go away with the less serious cases. These are often people with multiple, sometimes different, convictions in multiple relationships. We are talking about individuals whose violence is not confined to a single relationship. They always blame their partner at the time but these are people with a propensity for violence and that violence is acted out not just on partners but on other people in society as well. If it is not dealt with it right from the outset it is going to create more problems.  I see there are some issues in relation to, for example, starting with the District Court cases in that there might be a risk of retaliation because people know their name is going to be listed. I acknowledge this is a risk. We are having a different level of argument about the three-year process and the right to have their name removed from the register; that is a later discussion, and I believe five years would be more sufficient. At any stage, if they behave themselves, people will have their names taken off the register. However, the types of offences that should go onto the register in the first place should be violent assaults such as giving a partner a black eye. To me, that is sufficient to show that person cannot be trusted. If a relationship breaks up and there is a new partner, they have an absolute right to know about that because next time it could be a broken eye socket or the use of a weapon. We have to deal with it there and then rather than let someone get away with it. Another point is that in a lot of the convictions in the court people do not serve anywhere near the actual sentence they are given. They are out and about, with no real consequences and then they feel a sense of impunity. We have to nip it in the bud. There will be a lot of legal opposition to various aspects of this legislation in any event, so let us just throw the whole lot in - unless what the Minister is really saying is that there is resourcing issues in terms of the District Court's capacity. That is a valid concern as well, but at some stage we have to draw the line and say this is the sort of offence that is not acceptable in any civilised society. You are not allowed to violently attack your partner. We can have nuances and definitions but whacking your partner violently to me is the line we draw. If that is in the remit of the District Court, so be it. It needs to be put on the record to protect the partner and to protect future people. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  I thank colleagues for their contribution. I believe the legislation I presented is the correct way to go. I know colleagues are well-intentioned in what they are seeking to do but let us recall what was the motivation for this legislation. The motivation was the case of the murder of Jennifer Poole. Had the previous convictions of the person who murdered her been publicly available that would have had an impact upon her. This mechanism, the statutory scheme I am putting in place, would have covered his convictions. His convictions, which were serious convictions, would be covered by this. I do not believe it is appropriate to go down the route of including a whole other variety of convictions from the District Court. If we look at the convictions in this legislation that will trigger the mechanism for disclosure, we see that it includes a vast array of offences. As I said earlier on, obviously it covers murder, manslaughter, rape, rape under section 4 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, sexual assault or aggravated sexual assault, but then it also covers non-fatal strangulation causing harm, non-fatal strangulation causing serious harm, assault causing harm, assault causing serious harm, threats to kill, harassment, endangerment, false imprisonment, coercive control and the spreading of intimate images. There is a whole variety of convictions there that will trigger the statutory scheme under this. I want to be respectful to Deputies Gannon and Carthy but if we go down the route of putting in District Court summary convictions this is going to become unmanageable. It is appropriate to leave this on indictable offences, convictions on indictment and then the discretionary mechanism is available to the court. I say with great respect to Deputies Gannon and Carthy that it is not a good idea to include a vast array of offences. It will undermine the effectiveness of the scheme. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 2 to 4, inclusive, are related and will be discussed together. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 2:  In page 3, line 29, after \u201csubsection (4)\u201d to insert \u201cand (4A)\u201d.  Amendments Nos. 2 and 4 are in my own name and I also record my support for amendment No. 3 in the name of Deputy Gannon. Amendment No. 2 may appear to be technical and inserts \u201cand (4A)\u201d after subsection (4). Amendment No. 4 proposes to insert in page 4, between lines 7 and 8, the following:  \u201c(4A) For the purposes of subsection (2)(d), the court shall be satisfied that\u2014  (a) the consent of the victim is freely and voluntarily given,  (b) the victim has been provided with sufficient information and access to appropriate supports, including from specialist domestic violence services, to enable informed and safe decision-making, and  (c) such consent may be withdrawn at any time prior to the inclusion of the judgment in the Register.\u201d.  To give the logic for these amendments, Safe Ireland has argued for the provisions in amendments Nos. 2 and 4 to be included in this legislation. These amendments are about ensuring victims are properly protected when deciding whether a judgment should be included on the register. We know a conviction does not always bring an end to abuse. Many victims continue to experience intimidation, harassment and coercive control long after court proceedings have been concluded. Therefore, victims should also have the right to withdraw their consent at any point before publication of this register and that decision should be fully respected. The objective is simple. It is to ensure that victims can make fully informed decisions in a way that prioritises their safety and well-being at all times. That is a sentiment that is widely shared. Deputy Gannon's amendment essentially puts in a provision that in the event of somebody being deceased the family should be consulted and I fully support that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I will equally be supporting Deputy Carthy's amendments. My amendment seeks to recognise that, where a victim has tragically died, he or she can no longer express a view on whether a judgment should appear on the register. The Bill currently leaves that decision entirely to the court. Our amendment simply requires the court, where appropriate, to consult the victim's family before reaching that decision. It does not give families a veto, nor does it remove the court's discretion. It simply ensures that, in these most difficult cases, those closest to the victims have an opportunity to be heard before a decision is made. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  I thank Deputies Carthy and Gannon for their amendments. Deputy Gannon's amendment seeks to cover a situation where the victim is deceased, so it is either a case of murder or manslaughter. In that instance, the provision as it is at present, in subsection (4), states, \"In relation to subsection (2)(d), where the victim is deceased, it shall be at the discretion of the court as to whether a judgment is to be included in the Register.\" When it comes to a court case where somebody has been convicted of murder or manslaughter, obviously there will be an opportunity for a victim impact statement for the family members. Family will always be able to express their view. However, putting specifically into statute, as Deputy Gannon has suggested, that there has to be consultation with the family of the victim is difficult from the point of view of a court. The court is the one that is exercising its discretion as to whether the judgment should be published. Deputy Gannon's amendment states, \"the court shall, after consultation with the family\". It is unusual in legislation to talk about a court having consultation with the family. I know the purpose of it but there is a mechanism for the family to be heard. I think it would be inappropriate to include that in the Bill. As well as that, families are not always unified in their approach to a particular issue. We need to be much more specific in respect of what \"family\" means. Where the family of a deceased victim has views on whether a judgment should be included in the register, attention will of course be paid to those views by the judge, and that is something that the judge will be able to consider.  I now turn to Deputy Carthy's amendments Nos. 2 and 4. These relate to the victim's consent, ensuring that it is freely and voluntarily given. They specify that the court must be satisfied that the victim has been provided with sufficient information and access to appropriate supports, including from specialist domestic violence services, to enable them to make that decision. I am not going to accept these amendments either. We all agree that specialist domestic violence services are indispensable, and they are available. Colleagues will be aware that I provide a huge amount of funding to Cuan, which in turn provides it to those agencies. It is important to point out that these organisations make a valuable contribution. However, that recognition does not mean that every aspect of their work should be written into legislation. The amendments proposed raise significant practical concerns. It is simply not clear how a court could determine whether a victim had received \"sufficient information and access to appropriate supports\", nor is there an objective standard for what constitutes informed and safe decision-making. I understand the intentions but I think the language is too vague and subjective and would create uncertainty rather than the clarity that we all want. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I move amendment No. 3:  In page 4, lines 5 to 7, to delete all words from and including \u201cit\u201d in line 5 down to and including line 7 and substitute the following:  \u201cthe court shall, after consultation with the family of the victim where appropriate, determine whether a judgment is to be included in the Register.\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 4:  In page 4, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following:  \u201c(4A) For the purposes of subsection (2)(d), the court shall be satisfied that\u2014  (a) the consent of the victim is freely and voluntarily given,  (b) the victim has been provided with sufficient information and access to appropriate supports, including from specialist domestic violence services, to enable informed and safe decision-making, and  (c) such consent may be withdrawn at any time prior to the inclusion of the judgment in the Register.\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 5 to 8, inclusive, are related, and will be discussed together. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 5:  In page 4, line 33, to delete \u201c3 years\u201d and substitute \u201c5 years\u201d.  All of these amendments are linked and are the critical amendments that we will be discussing this evening. Amendments Nos. 5, 6 and 7 are fairly simple in their wording. They are to substitute the words \"5 years\" where \"3 years\" is currently in place. Amendment No. 8 inserts the following section 9A on page 5:  Notwithstanding subsection (9), the court may, in making an order under subsection (2), specify that a longer period shall apply before an application for removal may be made, having regard to\u2014  (a) the nature and seriousness of the offence, and  (b) the need to protect the safety and wellbeing of the victim and, where relevant, any children or dependents.\".  Amendment No. 8 is the second option for the Minister if he is of a mind to reject amendments Nos. 5, 6 and 7. Bearing in mind that, as a result of the Government's position on the previous amendments, the bar to be included on this register is incredibly high under the Bill as it stands, somebody who is on the register that we are discussing has committed offences of a very serious nature. For all of the reasons I outlined earlier, I believe that the vast majority of abusers will never see their names published on this register. Therefore, to have such a high bar and then to allow a three-year mechanism whereby a person who has reached that bar and ended up on the register can apply to have his or her name removed from it is far too short. When you consider that, to be on the register, the crimes are way beyond what any reasonable person would want any of their loved ones to be exposed to in a relationship, certainly without them knowing.  The key part of this is that being included on the domestic violence register is not actually an additional punishment. We talked about early convictions. If somebody has been convicted of a public order offence at the age of 19, 20, 21 or whatever, depending on the profile of the situation, if he or she happened to be in a local District or Circuit Court and the local newspaper was in place, everybody can find that information out very quickly, because it is going to be googlable forever. There is a right to be forgotten and all of that, but generally speaking, that will be common knowledge forever. It is not an additional punishment to be included on the register. As has been said, this is just about having a mechanism whereby the constitutional diktat that justice should be done in public is actually made available. This is not an additional punishment. It is actually a protection for others. If we agree with that premise, which I think was the central point of the Deputy opposite, Paul McAuliffe, regarding the rationale for the approach that has been taken, then there is no rationale for allowing people to have themselves removed after only three years following a prosecution.  This is the amendment, above all, that I appeal to the Minister to accept because the logic stands. There is an argument that five years is too short, but I table it with regard to the legislation and understanding that this is just an application. Amendment No. 8 is a secondary position that seeks to allow a longer period for removal in some instances. That should be considered with regard to offences at the most serious end of the spectrum, obviously including murder, manslaughter and rape.  People would be surprised to learn - after all the effort that has gone into this and the campaigning by the Poole family with the Minister and his Department - that we would have a situation where there is a register in place, narrow as it is, but after three years, somebody on the register can apply to be taken off it. In my mind, that is far too short. Five years is much more reasonable. Above all, my appeal to the Minister is to accept amendment No. 5. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  I thank Deputy Carthy for putting down this amendment. I will start by disagreeing with him, however. I disagree with him when he says that the bar is incredibly high for the triggering of this statutory scheme. That is not correct. If the Deputy looks at the legislation, he will see 17 offences will trigger the scheme. Seventeen pieces of legislation or 17 convictions that will trigger it. These are convictions that are happening in Circuit Criminal Courts, and, to a lesser extent, Central Criminal Courts, on a continuous basis. It is not correct to say that the bar is incredibly high.  The issue here is that if somebody receives one of these convictions, and the scheme is triggered and the judgment is published on the register, if that person gets a term of imprisonment, they cannot apply for it to be removed. The default position is that the judgment stays on the register. There is nothing in the scheme to remove the judgment from the register. The only way that the scheme affects that is that it allows a person, three years after they have been released from prison, to bring an application to have their name removed. That means that they have to go into open court and bring the application. They have to satisfy a judge that it is appropriate that they be removed. It may be the case that the judge will refuse the relief that they are seeking. In order to do that, they will have to set out some convincing evidence to the court that will satisfy it that it believes this person is no longer the threat that resulted in them being put on the register in the first place.  What Deputy Carthy's amendment proposes is that we say that they cannot bring the application until five years. In practical terms, the court will have to be satisfied in any event, based on evidence that is put before it, that the person is no longer a threat. I know it is not something we are discussing here, and others mentioned this when legislation was mooted, but I have to give consideration to the possibility of rehabilitation. I know that is not something that is relevant in very many cases but I have to give consideration, as Minister, to the possibility of rehabilitation. I have to have regard for proportionality in the context of this Bill. This is new legislation. I have no doubt it will be challenged, and I have to be able to convince a court, if it is being challenged, that this legislation weighs up conflicting interests and recognises there is a mechanism for somebody who has reformed himself to get off the register. It allows that to be done either three years after he is released from prison or, if he is not imprisoned, three years after the conviction.  To be absolutely clear, the expiry of the three-year period does not entitle a person to get off the register. Most people will stay on this indefinitely. The only time a person can get off it is if they bring an application which is successful. What happens at present is that I am allowing them, after three years, to make an application. The final decision, and the responsibility for ensuring it is the right one, rests with the court. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I will make a couple of ripostes. In terms of the bar being set high and the logic behind using that phrase, I am sure the Minister will accept, and he probably knows this better than anybody in the Chamber, that it is an indisputable fact that the vast majority of cases of abuse are never reported. That has been well-documented. The vast majority of reported abuses never result in court cases at all. The majority that result in court cases do not subsequently result in a conviction for one of the 17 offences the Minister has outlined. When I say that the bar is high, it is not to suggest that it is incredibly narrow but it is a high bar. I hope the Minister will take that on board.  In respect of the point around rehabilitation, the aforementioned young fella or young woman who had a public order offence and happened to end up in a court when their local journalist was in attendance are statistically much more likely to have rehabilitated themselves than someone who has committed a sexual offence but they are in the local paper. It is published. They can do nothing about it. That is just the outworkings of justice happening publicly. I understand the Minister's rationale for saying that there has to be a point of appeal or a legal mechanism by which somebody can ask for their name to be withdrawn. I have very little sympathy for them, to be quite frank, and I hope that any court in which such an application comes before it will have very little sympathy but the point is around when that avenue should become available. Three years after such a conviction is far too short. From speaking to campaigners on this issue, this is a position that is held. That is why I would make the argument strongly that five years - arguably too short in itself - is much more reasonable. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I had not intended to speak but I fully support Deputy Carthy's amendment. When the Minister mentioned the possibility of rehabilitation, it raised my antennae because I am somebody who fundamentally believes in rehabilitation. We talk about it in this House all the time. I do not believe going onto this register is the punishment. Going onto this register is to send a warning to any potential partner in the future, which is why the rehabilitation of the perpetrator is not to the fore of my concerns here at all. In fact, more to the point, a person who is seeking to remove themselves after three years and potentially not having a conversation about such horrific past behaviour seems like an attempt to deceive. I think three years is far too short. I do not think rehabilitation comes into this register. It is a completely separate issue and is an allowance for future deception. Five years is too short, to be honest, but three years certainly is. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  I agree with my colleagues. I believe five years is to short, to be honest. I find that no argument has been made for the three years at all. It seems incredibly short. The idea that a person who commits such an offence can apply for this after three years does not sit well with me. I do not think would sit well with the majority of Members in this House. I note the Minister's choice of words regarding rehabilitation. I understand where he is coming from in relation to his position as the Minister for justice but it is a separate discussion. It is not relatable to the time period of three years in any way, shape or form. In this spirit of collegiality, the Minister should consider this amendment and accept it. I know it is very unusual and it would not change anything substantive but it would be a longer timeframe, which would certainly be far more palatable to us all. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul McAuliffe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul McAuliffe  I welcome the clarification that it is three years after the sentence has been served. If someone has served a seven- or eight-year sentence under one of the 17 offences, they would not be able to apply for the removal until they get to year ten or 11. I welcome that clarification. The idea that someone comes off three years after the conviction is not the case; it is three years after the sentence has concluded. It is interesting that the Minister used the word \"rehabilitation\" and that it struck a chord in this House because, if I recall, that was the wording used during pre-legislative scrutiny by the Law Society. That gives us an insight into how a court might assess this legislation if it comes before it.  The Law Society's argument in that discussion was that the sentence was the punishment and that an additional burden being put on the person who had committed the offence could be seen by a court as being unreasonable.  I am with members of the Opposition here. Whether it is ten, 15 or 20 years, I have no problem with the time but what I am concerned about is that, were the Minister to extend it now, we could find ourselves in 18 months' time having no Jennie\u2019s law at all. A court could strike out this law because it did not have regard to a principle that nobody in this House might have sympathy for but that the court assessing the law inevitably would, namely, the balancing of the two rights. Having fought for so long to have this law in place in respect of the 17 offences we are speaking about, we could end up not having it at all. If there is room for it to be extended, I would not oppose that but I want to be very careful that we have something robust that stands up so that we do not end up with no register at all. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  I thank colleagues for their contributions. As Deputies know, I have no difficulty accepting amendments from colleagues in this House if I believe they are correct and beneficial to the legislation. I have done it before and will do it again. I hear what Deputy Kelly says but collegiality does not come into it. We can be very collegial but when it comes to legislation, I cannot just decide that I want to be friendly with people in the House and, so, I will accept the amendment. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  That is not what I meant, to be fair. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  I know, but collegiality is not a reason to accept an amendment. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  I understand that but that is not what I meant. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  Deputy McAuliffe mentioned something. There was a difficult passage between me getting into office and me introducing this legislation into the Houses of the Oireachtas----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  I appreciate that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  -----and it involved getting a lot of different views and advices. I remember a lot of coverage a year ago where lots of groups were opposed to this and it was all about the issues that could arise in respect of it. I have managed to get a balancing area - a landing area - that has the support of the House, which is the most significant thing, and has also enabled me to get advice from the Attorney General telling me that we can proceed with this. As Deputy McAuliffe mentioned a few moments ago, what I do not want to do is find that, when a judge is deciding whether to add somebody\u2019s judgment to the register, they say that the person will not be able to bring an application for five years after their conviction or after they are released. It is a question of balancing it. The most important thing is for us to get this up and running and it to be effective. As Deputy McAuliffe said, it would reduce its effectiveness if it was the case that it was moved out to five years after release from prison. You could have been in prison for ten years and then you would have to wait for five years.  On Deputy Gannon\u2019s comments, the point I was making about rehabilitation was that going on the register was obviously not a form of punishment, but we have to recognise that an individual may be reformed and may have changed from the person they were when they committed the offence that led to them being put on the register. If a court was satisfied that the person had gone through treatment and reformed themselves - maybe there were major addiction issues or other issues in their lives that they had overcome and there was evidence to a court to suggest that the threat that had been there when they were put on the register was no longer there \u2013 that is a factor that I have to give some recognition to - not a huge amount, but some. It is important in terms of balancing the conflicting interests in the legislation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  For the information of Members, the Poole family are in the Public Gallery. The Ceann Comhairle has already extended a welcome to the family, but I want to bring it to the attention of the Chamber, now that there are so many of us here, that they are here. They have achieved a lot. I acknowledge their presence. Thank you for your patience as you watch the debate. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Members rose and applauded. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Committee Stage"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_32","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Teachtaireacht \u00f3n Seanad - Message from Seanad","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_32","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Seanad \u00c9ireann has passed the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026 without amendment. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Teachtaireacht \u00f3n Seanad - Message from Seanad"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_33","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/62","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/62\/dail\/3_sub","houseCode":"dail","stage":"3_sub","isBillStage":false,"showAs":"Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages","counts":{"speechCount":22,"speakerCount":5},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_33","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"SECTION 1"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  I extend a welcome to former councillor Walter Lacey who is in the Public Gallery with visitors, friends and family. They are welcome to Leinster House and I hope they enjoy their evening. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 6:  In page 4, line 37, to delete \u201c3 years\u201d and substitute \u201c5 years\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 7:  In page 5, line 3, to delete \u201c3 years\u201d and substitute \u201c5 years\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 8:  In page 5, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following:  \u201c(9A) Notwithstanding subsection (9), the court may, in making an order under subsection (2), specify that a longer period shall apply before an application for removal may be made, having regard to\u2014  (a) the nature and seriousness of the offence, and  (b) the need to protect the safety and wellbeing of the victim and, where relevant, any children or dependents.\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 9:  In page 5, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:  \u201c(ai) section 2, where the offence is committed against a spouse, civil partner, cohabitant or person in an intimate relationship;\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 10:  In page 5, line 31, after \u201csection 2\u201d to insert \u201cor section 3\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I move amendment No. 11:  In page 5, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:  \u201c(j) an offence under section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997 (harassment and stalking);  (k) an offence under section 4 of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020;  (l) an offence under section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018.\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 12:  In page 5, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:  \u201c(j) an offence under section 33 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018.\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I move amendment No. 13:  In page 6, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following:  \u201c(c) is a dependant, including a child, of a person referred to in paragraph (a) or (b).\u201d.  This amendment recognises a simple reality. Domestic abuse often extends beyond an intimate partner to children and other dependants. As drafted, the Bill only protects victims who are the spouse, former spouse or intimate partner of the offender. Women's Aid identified this as a significant gap during pre-legislative scrutiny, noting that convictions for serious offences against a partner's child could fall outside of the register. This amendment addresses that omission by ensuring dependants, including children, are also covered. It better reflects the reality of domestic abuse and strengthens the protection purposes of the register. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  I thank the Deputy for his amendment. The legislation we are discussing today is proposing to insert a new section into the Domestic Violence Act 2018. This will be the section referred to as the domestic violence register of judgments. That means this part of the legislation has to be consistent with the Domestic Violence Act 2018 in general. That Act already refers to relevant persons in the offence of coercive control and in specifying the circumstances in which a relationship should be treated as an aggravating factor in offending. In both cases, the Oireachtas deliberately confined the definition to a current or former spouse or intimate partner. I have deliberately adopted this language in the provisions in this part of the legislation in order to ensure consistency within the legislation as this definition is now being embedded in case law, operational guidance and front-line practice. If I were to accept Deputy Gannon's amendment, which would introduce a broader definition into the Bill, it would undermine the coherence of existing provisions. It would mean that the same term appearing within the same legislative framework would carry two different meanings in two different areas. That is not good practice and would risk confusion. That is why I think it important that we maintain a single, stable definition of relevant person across the Domestic Violence Act and legislation. I know Deputy Gannon's concern is in respect of children of people who are victims of domestic violence. However, for the purpose of the operation of the 2018 Act as a whole and for this new provision, it is important to limit it as we have in the legislation, which is to intimate partner, spouse or civil partner. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I disagree with the Minister completely. I think perpetrators of domestic violence are callous. If someone seriously assaults or abuses their partner's child, that behaviour is highly relevant to whether future partners should know about their history. Without this amendment, those convictions could fall outside the register simply because the victim was a child rather than an adult partner. The Minister is obviously not going to accept the amendment, but his is a flawed approach because I think this information is highly relevant to the type of register we are talking about here. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I move amendment No. 14:  In page 6, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:  \u201c(14) The Minister shall, not later than 3 years after the commencement of this section, conduct a review of the operation of the Register and lay a report of that review before each House of the Oireachtas, including anonymised information on the operation of the Register, applications for removal and the offences recorded.\u201d.\u201d.  This amendment would introduce a statutory review of the register after three years. The domestic violence judgments register will be a new scheme. It is only right that the Oireachtas should have the opportunity to assess whether it is working as intended. I am looking for a review after three years. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  There will be a post-enactment review after one year under D\u00e1il Standing Orders and the Standing Orders of the Seanad. That will be done. I am conscious people will be raising the issue here with me. I will not accept the amendment but there will be a requirement for me to come back to produce a post-enactment report within 12 months. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment, by leave, withdrawn."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 15:  In page 6, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:  \u201c(14) The Courts Service shall ensure that, when the Register is made available to the public\u2014  (a) a statement is included to the effect that the absence of a person\u2019s name from the Register does not indicate that such person does not pose a risk or has not previously engaged in domestic violence or abuse, and  (b) information is provided directing users to appropriate support services, including national and local domestic violence support services.\u201d.\u201d.  This is to ensure that the register is accompanied by clear safeguards to ensure, as has been discussed by a number of Members from across the House, that those who consult the register do not consider absence from the register as meaning an absence of risk. It is also to ensure that the register does not have the effect of giving people who may be at risk a false sense of safety. It is safe to assume that most people who are consulting this register will have a concern for their well-being or somebody else's. Regardless of whether this amendment becomes standard practice or not, I hope it will be a standard practice that when the register is consulted, clear guidance toward support services will be provided. We have a lot of organisations that do incredible work with victims of domestic violence. They are overwhelmed and need more resources, but they want to help people who need help. In some instances, the number of people who do not know the level of support available to them is phenomenal. This would be an appropriate avenue to which to direct people who might benefit from such support services. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  Deputy Carthy makes a very important point. It is important that people do not assume that someone has no domestic violence convictions simply because their name does not appear on the register of judgments. That is a point that has to be emphasised.  While I cannot accept the amendment, this is because the level of operational detail proposed is not suitable for primary legislation. Embedding such granular requirements in statute could actually limit flexibility and create unnecessary constraints as the system develops. However, in this context, in light of Deputy Carthy's amendment and other concerns, officials in my Department and the Courts Service have already discussed the provision of warnings, explanatory notes and clear signposting to domestic violence support services. I assure Deputies that this information will be prominently displayed for anyone accessing the register. The effect of what Deputy Carthy seeks to do will be embedded in the register when it is up and running in the Courts Service. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Is Deputy Carthy pressing the amendment? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I welcome that statement from the Minister and on that basis I will withdraw the amendment. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment, by leave, withdrawn."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I move amendment No. 16:  In page 6, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:  \u201c(14) In deciding whether to make an order under subsection (2), the court shall have regard to\u2014  (a) the safety and wellbeing of the victim, including any risk of intimidation, retaliation or further harm, and  (b) the safety and welfare of any children or dependents connected to the victim or the convicted person.\u201d.\u201d.  Again, this is just to insert subsection (14) in page 6. It provides that in deciding whether to make an order under subsection (2), the court shall have regard to the safety and well-being of the victim, including any risk of intimidation, retaliation or further harm, as well as the safety and welfare of any children or dependants connected to the victim or the convicted person. The amendment simply seeks to place victim safety at the heart of the court's decision-making, requiring consideration of any risk of intimidation or further harm, as well as the welfare of the affected children and dependants to be at the heart of it. It is certainly at the heart of the rationale for this legislation. I just want to suggest that it be included. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  Again, it is an important point that Deputy Carthy makes but it is also important to note that the court will have discretion to decide whether a judgment should be included in the register. Those factors that are set out in Deputy Carthy's amendment will certainly be given consideration by a judge in exercising that discretion. Any judge exercising that discretion will access all of the circumstances of the case, including the situation of the offender, the victim and any child connected to the matter. Issues of safety and welfare will be central to that assessment. Domestic violence cases often involve ongoing risks and complex dynamics. The court's responsibility is to ensure that victims and children are protected from further harm. In fairness, judges do this on a daily basis. They routinely evaluate risks and the courts are aware of the sensitivities involved in domestic violence cases. The judicial studies committee delivers specialised workshops on topics such as this in order to train judges on how they should exercise their discretion. For these reasons, notwithstanding the point it makes, I do not believe the amendment is necessary. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment, by leave, withdrawn."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 1 agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Sections 2 to 5, inclusive, agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Title agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Bill reported without amendment and received for final consideration."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question proposed: \"That the Bill do now pass.\""},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan)  I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle in the first instance for presiding over these Stages of the legislation. I am very pleased that this legislation has been enacted. I want to thank a few people very briefly. I thank Deputy McAuliffe for introducing me to Jason Poole. I thank Senator O'Loughlin for her work on this issue in the Seanad. I thank colleagues in this House for their support on this legislation. I thank officials in my Department for their tireless work in respect of ensuring that we navigate this legislation through the Houses and get the drafts as appropriately as possible to ensure that they balance all the conflicting rights we have spoken about. I thank Jason Poole and the Poole family and commend them on their resilience and determination in wanting to leave a permanent memorial to their beloved Jennie. That memorial is very evident in this legislation, which will be on our Statute Book for very many years. I commend them on and thank them for their great public service in advocating for this law. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_34","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/53","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/53\/dail\/seanad_amd","houseCode":"dail","stage":"seanad_amd","isBillStage":false,"showAs":"Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026: From the Seanad (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026: From the Seanad","counts":{"speechCount":7,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_34","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The D\u00e1il went into Committee to consider amendments from the Seanad."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 1 to 5 are related and may be discussed together. Is that agreed? Agreed. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 1:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 3: In page 9, line 11, to delete \u201creferences\u201d and substitute \u201ca reference\u201d."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  The first four amendments in this group are minor drafting corrections. They corrected the wording in four places so that the Bill reads consistently. It is changing the word \"references\" to \"a reference\". They make no change to the substance or effect of the Bill.  The fifth amendment was, again, a technical amendment ensuring that we apply the provisions of the 1991 Act relating to the appointment of a guardian ad litem to proceedings heard under the new Part. The only substantive change was that the new drafting ensured that the guardian ad litem can be reappointed both where there is a review of an order, as set out in the order itself, and where a review of the order takes place under the proposed new section 12E. This amendment applies the rules of that service to the new proceedings and makes clear how they work in this context. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  There are a number of amendments coming from the Seanad and I do not oppose any of them. I seek your indulgence, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, to make a number of points at this stage rather than going back and forth. As I outlined on different Stages of the Bill, we fully support the legislation to restrict guardianship rights in a situation where a person has murdered a child's other guardian. I again commend David French, the brother of Valerie, who this law will be named after, on everything he has done to ensure that this legislation is enacted to protect the best interests of children. The interests of children have been paramount to David and his family. This is particularly important when one parent has been killed by another parent. The insights David French gave to the justice committee were invaluable, in particular during the pre-legislative scrutiny process on this legislation and the impact it would have had on his family and the welfare of his nephews if it had been in place previously.  Mr. French shone a light on the reality of what many families face following a killing where children are involved. I know this has been a long and difficult campaign for him and his family. During previous debates on the Bill, the Minister said that such cases are, fortunately, not too common. The truth is, as we have seen with recent violent deaths of women, that they might not be too common but, on the other hand, there are too many of them. The number of women killed in violent circumstances this year has to be a matter of huge concern for these Houses.  I had hoped that the Minister would have accepted some of our amendments, particularly in respect of the application by Tusla to the court for every case following a conviction. A conviction for the murder or manslaughter of a co-guardian should be sufficient grounds for a review, ensuring consistency and prioritising the child's welfare. I had also tabled an amendment to ensure the family of the guardian who has been killed was made a notice party in these proceedings. They should have a clear right, considering their legitimate interest and the child's welfare. This role should be recognised, respected and reflected in the process.  I hope I am proved wrong, but I reiterate that I have concerns regarding the discretion being given to Tusla in dealing with convictions that will happen before the legislation is commenced. We have missed a trick in terms of ensuring that other parties would be able to have their voices heard in these instances.  Many people were astounded to discover that somebody, in most instances it will be a man, who has killed the mother of his children automatically retains guardianship rights. It is quite mind-boggling that this has been the case for so long. The truth of the matter is that it would have remained the case were it not for David French and the campaign he undertook when dealing with what must be unbelievable and unimaginable grief and trauma having lost a loved one in such violent circumstances. The work he has done is a huge credit to him. We have also just seen this with the Poole family and so many other families. In both instances, children were left behind. The families still found within themselves the strength and courage to invest their time in changing the law, not necessarily for their own benefit but for the benefit of others who might be in that position. We are so fortunate as a country that we produce people like this.  We are fortunate that we have a democratic system in which families in this situation can have access to their elected representatives and, ultimately, the Minister. We can then see legislative change being brought forward. It takes longer than we would like but it happens much quicker than it would in other jurisdictions where the same accessibility to the democratic process is not there. We have many what I consider to be bad days in this House, but, for all of the reasons I have outlined reasons, today is a good day. Certainly, when the Bill is finally passed, it will be a good day for Irish democracy and, hopefully, another small step in terms of the measures being taken to protect those families who have lost loved ones through violent deaths and the ongoing work being done to address the scourge of domestic, gender-based and sexual violence, especially against women. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 2:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 3: In page 9, line 12, to delete \"references\" and substitute \"a reference\"."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 3:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 3: In page 9, line 15, to delete \"references\" and substitute \"a reference\"."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 4:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 3: In page 9, line 16, to delete \"references\" and substitute \"a reference\"."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 5:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 3: In page 9, to delete lines 18 to 40 and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\"(c) section 35H of the Act of 1991 shall apply to the cessation of appointment and re-appointment of a guardian ad litem for the child concerned in proceedings under this Part as that section applies to the cessation of appointment and re-appointment of a guardian ad litem under section 35C(1) of that Act pursuant to an order under section 35B(3) of that Act, subject to the following modifications:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) in subsection (2), paragraph (a) shall not apply and a reference in any of paragraphs (b) to (f) of that subsection to the determination by the District Court of an application under that Act shall be construed as a reference to the determination by the court of an application under section 12C, 12D or 12E, as may be appropriate, of this Act, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) in subsection (3), the reference to an order made by a court under section 35B(3) of that Act directing that proceedings in which the order has been made are to be kept under review shall be construed as a reference to a condition for a review of the order concerned imposed by the court in an order made under section 12C or 12D, as the case may be;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) a reference in Part VA of the Act of 1991 to the performance by guardians ad litem of functions conferred on them by or under that Act shall be construed as including a reference to the performance by guardians ad litem of functions conferred on them under this Part or by or under Part VA of the Act of 1991 as applied by this section.\"."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Seanad amendments Nos. 6 to 8, inclusive, are related and will be discussed together. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 6:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 3: In page 10, to delete lines 2 to 5 and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\"12G. (1) The District Court and the Circuit Court, on appeal from the District Court, shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine proceedings under this Part.\"."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  The policy intention behind the new section 12G is that the proceedings to which it refers will be heard primarily in the District Court. When the relevant provisions of the Family Courts Act 2024 are commenced, these proceedings will be heard in the family district court. The intention is the same as in the Bill as initiated, but I am advised that this form of words will better accomplish the goal. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 7:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 3: In page 10, lines 9 to 13, to delete all words from and including \"or,\" in line 9 down to and including line 13."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 8:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 3: In page 10, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\"(3) On and after the commencement of section 73 of the Family Courts Act 2024, a reference in this section to\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the District Court shall be construed as a reference to the Family District Court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the Circuit Court shall be construed as a reference to the Family Circuit Court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) a judge of the District Court shall be construed as a reference to a judge of the Family District Court, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) a District Court district shall be construed as a reference to a Family District Court district.\"."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendments reported."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  I recognise the presence of David French and of Valerie French's family. I commend and thank them and acknowledge the enormous work they did in campaigning for this. This change to the law was recommended in a report on familicide back in 2023. David French absorbed it, ran with it and campaigned for it. I met him in a television studio in January 2025. I gave him a commitment that I would seek to change the law through the Houses of the Oireachtas and now this is done. I commend him and the family of Valerie French for their fortitude and commitment to public service by seeking this change in the law. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  That is well endorsed. I thank the Minister. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026: From the Seanad"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_35","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/1","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/1\/dail\/seanad_amd","houseCode":"dail","stage":"seanad_amd","isBillStage":false,"showAs":"Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: From the Seanad (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: From the Seanad","counts":{"speechCount":37,"speakerCount":6},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_35","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan)  Before we start, a number of typographical errors that have been identified in the Bill, as amended by the Seanad. Pursuant to Standing Order 203, I request the Ceann Comhairle to direct the Clerk to make the following corrections of a typographical nature to the Bill.  In Seanad amendments Nos. 46, 57, 68, 84 and 85, in respect of the inserted subsection (6)(b) of section 68, subsection (1) of section 79, subsection (2) of section 90, item 19 of Schedule 2 and item 1 of Schedule 3, respectively, I ask that the Clerk be directed to change the word \"listed\" to \"specified\" wherever it occurs.  In Seanad amendment No. 46, in respect of the inserted subsection (6) of section 68, I ask that the Clerk be directed to insert a closing bracket after the term \"arrival time\".  In Seanad amendment No. 52, in respect of the inserted subsection (5) of section 74, I ask that the Clerk be directed to insert the word \"shall\" in between the word \"staff\" and the term \"be accountable\". It will now read \"the member of staff shall be accountable\".  In Seanad amendment No. 57, in respect of the inserted subsection (1) of section 79, I ask that the Clerk be directed to remove the comma after the term \"Schedule 4\".  In Seanad amendment No. 68, in respect of the inserted subsection (3)(a)(1) of section 90, I ask that the Clerk be directed to insert the term \"purpose of\" after the term \"necessary for the\". It will now read, \"the transfer of the data to the competent authority is necessary for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating\".  In Seanad amendment No.71, in respect of the inserted subsection (8) of section 93, I ask that the Clerk be directed to change the cross-referenced subsection from \"subsection (4)\" to \"subsection (5)\". It will now read \"where the Independent Authority revokes an authorisation under subsection (5)\" "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I will direct the Clerk to make those changes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  I thank the Ceann Comhairle. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The D\u00e1il went into Committee to consider amendments from the Seanad."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Seanad amendments Nos. 1, 2 and 81 are related and will be discussed together. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 1:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 1: In page 8, line 34, to delete \u201c Part \u201d and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\" subsection (1) and this subsection, sections 4(b)(i) , 43 , 69(b) (insofar as it relates to the Courts Service), 70 and 74 and Parts 3 , 3 and\""},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  Amendments Nos. 1, 2 and 81 have been grouped and I will speak to them together. Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 relate to the commencement of the Bill and amend section 1(4), which provides for said commencement. Currently, provision is made for all provisions to be commenced by ministerial order, with certain listed exceptions which are to come into effect on enactment.  Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 amend section 1(4) to provide for the following provisions of the Bill as passed by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann, to come into effect on enactment: subsections (1) and (4) of section 1, section 4(b)(i), section 43, section 69, insofar as it relates to the Courts Service, section 70, section 74 and Parts 3 and 4, along with the Part to be inserted that amends the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1926.  I will now turn to amendment No. 81. This relates to section 69 of the Bill as passed by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann, which amends Schedule 5 to the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 to add the Courts Service to the Schedule. Other operational criminal justice agencies such as the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service and Forensic Science Ireland, being under the direct aegis of my Department, are already specified bodies under the Schedule. The Legal Aid Board is also a specified body.  Amendment No. 81 proposes to further amend Schedule 5 to the 2005 Act in order to add the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, as a specified body and to remove the current restriction on An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, whereby it is a specified body only in relation to its own members. Critically, this amendment will also facilitate the development of a unique identifier across the criminal justice system. I think this is something that is going to be very beneficial. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  It is quite phenomenal that we are dealing with such a number of amendments from the Seanad. I reiterate a point I have made on every Stage of this Bill. Before the Minister gets overly sensitive, I absolutely accept that miscellaneous Bills have their place, particularly when we are dealing with minor technical matters or matters that are in some way related. There are important provisions in this legislation that I welcome.  The extensive range of unrelated issues dealt with, without what I consider to be appropriate levels of scrutiny ,has done a huge disservice to many of the good aspects being dealt with in the legislation. The truth of the matter is that there are good provisions in this Bill that just did not get the level of scrutiny warranted. When this legislation is made law, major aspects of it will not have been dealt with during pre-legislative scrutiny and were only touched upon on Committee and Report Stages.  A great deal of the debate on this Bill was taken up by the issue of counselling notes. It has been proven by that debate that this issue should have been a stand-alone matter. It rightly consumed most of the discussion on Committee and Report Stages. Yet we still did not have enough time to tease out amendments to improve what the Minister has in this Bill, including the more serious concern that these provisions will allow the practice of the defence of an alleged offender in sexual violence trials to continue to be able to seek the disclosure of counselling notes under the provision of the interests of justice.  It is appropriate that we commend all those victims and survivors who engaged with us throughout the consideration of this Bill and who laid out in stark terms the impact of this practice. We will see in practice how curtailed it becomes as a result, but it has to be said that the manner in which this issue has been dealt with has compounded some of the trauma outlined. I know that many people had hoped that the Minister would, even at a later stage, introduce a full ban on the disclosure of counselling notes. There will be a huge amount of scrutiny. I hope that the Minister is right that, in reality, when it comes to the practice of the courts, we will actually see a fundamental change in their approach in dealing with this matter.  In terms of the legislation, as well as the breadth of the issues covered in the Bill, the other problem is the number of amendments the Minister has introduced on every Stage on new and unrelated matters that just have not been discussed in this House at all and will not get discussed here because of guillotines being applied and the Minister refusing to allow the justice committee to deal with this legislation in an appropriate way. I know the Minister is eager and anxious to get laws passed, and, in one way, that is commendable. I do, however, have a fundamental problem with the whole notion of scrutiny having been thrown out.  I must say that the additions in respect of aid to the civil power remain the most inexplicable, because this is a defence matter. It necessitated a change to the Title of the Bill, never mind anything else. It also necessitated the Minister for Defence appearing before the justice committee. I do not know how the said Minister deals with things in her own sectoral committee, but I have never seen a more ill-prepared Minister in the justice committee, or a Minister unable to answer what should have been basic questions that were put to her. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  The questions put to her on that day at the justice committee still have not been answered. We still do not know the rationale for the changes, the way they were brought about and the urgency with which they were brought about. I just do not think it is appropriate that such new matters were brought into the Bill on every Stage, including during the Stages in the committee and in the D\u00e1il.  I hope the Minister will reflect on all of that over the summer. It is for these reasons that I have opposed the Bill at every stage. It was primarily because of the approach taken to counselling notes, but also the approach taken to the Bill as a whole. This is the reason why I will be voting against the final passage of the legislation. I just want to put that on the record because, notwithstanding that, there are some extremely important legislative changes in this Bill that I do support. Had the Minister taken a different approach, I think he would have had unanimous support in these Houses on every Stage, which should have been the way of doing things when we are dealing with issues that, in many cases, have been long campaigned for. I am thinking of the issue of the retrospective disregarding of convictions for gay men, and other extremely important issues that have come about as a result of decades of campaigning. They should not have been put into a Bill that has become divisive as a result of the political decisions made concerning how this legislation would be pushed through the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  I will not be opposing any amendments. Most of them are very technical, and a few of them are on significant issues.  As I said previously, I believe in miscellaneous Bills. I brought them in myself. I have no issue with them, but this is one of the most mental Bills I have ever seen. The Minister laughed the last time I said that, and he is laughing this time. In fairness to him, I got what he said last time. We are getting to the summer break, so spirits are high and all of that. We could equally be here criticising the Minister for not doing stuff. Here we are on the second-last evening before the recess, and we are going through four different Bills. This is commendable on the part of the Minister, his officials, the Department, and all of that.  This Bill, though, is so mental regarding the number of areas it covers. I have never, in my time in here, nearly 20 years, seen legislation so mental as regards the breadth and depth of issues. It is an A to Z of issues. Many of them could have been Bills on their own, while some of them could have been grouped together. The depth and breadth of issues here, however, is phenomenal. A few more have been thrown into this evening. There is also the matter of the structure by which so many amendments were being brought forward on different Stages. At times, it was actually quite difficult even to follow, which is never good, to be fair. I have said all this before, so I am not going to repeat it. I would not like to see this happening consistently.  Having said all that, however, we will support the Bill. It is commendable that this House has finally dealt with a number of areas in the legislation. I acknowledge what the Minister said about my colleague, Senator Laura Harmon. She came to the Minister in relation to the sex-for-rent issue. I have to acknowledge the fact that the Minister has always commended her on this issue. She has always been a strong campaigner on this issue given her history of involvement in student politics. I also acknowledge the National Women\u2019s Council of Ireland, NWCI, Women\u2019s Aid, the Irish Council for International Students, ICOS, and the Rape Crisis Centre. I must acknowledge Ann Murphy of The Examiner too.  In relation to LGBT and the issue of historical convictions, my colleague, Deputy Ged Nash, has worked on this issue for over a decade, which the Minister has acknowledged as well, along with other colleagues in this House. It is a very important and historic night. It was thought that this would happen later, but so many people I know will be so thankful for and welcoming of this aspect of the legislation.  They will be in with us later tonight.  The issue in relation to counselling notes is one we really had to have so much discussion about. It was a very difficult discussion. It was very intricate and very tricky. The test of time will apply. The jury is out - pardon the pun - in relation to this issue. I hope we have done the public the best service we can in relation to that issue. I am not going to rehash all the components because it came down to one or two words in the end; I just hope we are.  As regards the aid to civil powers, the fact that has come in under this measure and the timing of it is a very strange development as regards how this Bill was brought forward. I would not like to see that again because it made very little sense as regards the timing and how the other Minister participated in a Bill brought forward by the Minister for justice.  In the Labour Party, having gone through all the amendments, most are very technical. We will not oppose the amendments and will support the Bill. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  A couple of weeks back in this Chamber, when discussing the previous Stage of this Bill, I looked up the Gallery. In the Gallery there were campaigners who campaigned for decades, some of whom were friends of mine, for the removal of historical convictions for gay men. In another part of the Gallery were women who had to come before a committee and relive their trauma and ask for change when it comes to the use of counselling notes in rape cases.  I do not believe it is good practice. I understand the concept of a miscellaneous Bill but where there are issues of such unimaginable importance being discussed in the same legislation, it creates confusion. The confusion for us is immaterial but that does not matter. We can catch up but for advocacy groups and campaigners, it leaves them in a very different situation. I do not believe for a second it is good practice.  Within this Bill there are issues pertaining to the use of pepper spray and incapacitant spray in prisons. It is an area I feel deeply passionate about. I did not get any chance to really scrutinise those aspects of this Bill on any of the Stages.  There is the issue of aid to civil powers which was quite bizarre when it was brought to the justice committee with the Minister for Defence there. I appreciate the Minister is in a hurry but his hurry should not disregard parliamentary norms and the idea of scrutiny. There are many great aspects in this Bill, which I will vote for, but we should not do business like this. A lot of things are going on. We are into our third hour discussing issues in relation to District Court and Circuit Court without even mentioning that there is chaos reigning as we speak. I will support this Bill. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 2:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 1: In page 8, line 34, to delete \u201cand section 69 \u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 3 to 8, inclusive, and 87 are related and may be discussed together, by agreement. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 3:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 6: In page 11, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cPART 3"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment of Wireless Telegraphy Act 1926"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Definition (   Part 3   ) "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"6. In this Part, \u201cAct of 1926\u201d means the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1926.\u201d."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  These amendments relate to the authority of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to deploy radio frequency jammers to counteract drones. I am advised that these legislative amendments are necessary to confirm that An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na has the legal powers where necessary and proportionate to deal with dangerous or hostile drone activity through the use of what are called \u201cradio frequency jammers\u201d.  Amendments Nos. 3 and 4 are technical in nature and simply deal with references to the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1926 and the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024.  Amendment No. 5 amends section 3(6) of the 1926 Act to ensure that the general prohibition on the possession of wireless telegraphy apparatus without a licence from ComReg does not apply to a radio frequency jammer kept by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na for the purpose of working or using it in accordance with the proposed new sections 12(1B) and 12B(1B) of the 1926 Act.  Amendments No. 7 and 8 are consequential in nature. At present, sections 12 and 12B of the 1926 Act provide for offences and monetary penalties for the use of wireless telegraphy apparatus to interfere with other such apparatus which would at present apply to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na if it used this equipment.  Amendment No. 87 amends the Long Title of the Bill to reference the amendments to the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1926. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 4:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 6: In page 11, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Amendment of section 2 of Act of 1926"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"7. Section 2 of the Act of 1926 is amended by the insertion of the following definition:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c \u2018Act of 2024\u2019 means the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024;\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 5:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 6: In page 11, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Amendment of section 3(6) of Act of 1926"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"8. Section 3(6) of the Act of 1926 is amended by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (a):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(aa) a radio frequency jammer kept by or in the possession of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na or a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na for the purposes of working or using such radio frequency jammer in accordance with section 12(1B) and 12B(1B),\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 6:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 6: In page 11, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Commission and An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to agree memorandum of understanding on information sharing"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"9. The Act of 1926 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 3:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c 3B. (1) The Commission, having regard to its function under section 10(1)(b) of the Communications Regulation Act 2002, and the Garda Commissioner, having regard to the function of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na referred to in section 9 of the Act of 2024, may agree a memorandum of understanding concerning the sharing between them of information on radio frequency jammers\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) kept by, or in the possession of, An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na or a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) worked or used by a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to interfere with the working of or otherwise injuriously affect any UAS."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the Commission and the Garda Commissioner may agree that the memorandum of understanding referred to in that subsection provide for the sharing between them of information relating to any of the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the procurement, storage, calibration, testing and maintenance of radio frequency jammers by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) standard operating procedures internal to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na relating to the use of radio frequency jammers;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) the types of radio frequency jammers kept or used by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, including the radio frequencies used by the radio frequency jammers and the power limits of the radio frequency jammers;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) instances of the use of radio frequency jammers by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Without prejudice to subsection (1), the Commission and the Garda Commissioner shall agree a memorandum of understanding referred to in that subsection within the period of two months beginning on the date on which this section comes into operation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Where a memorandum of understanding is not agreed in accordance with subsection (3)\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the Commission shall notify the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the Garda Commissioner shall notify the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"of that fact."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) The Commission and the Garda Commissioner shall keep under review the operation of a memorandum of understanding agreed under this section and may agree such amendments to, or revocations of, the memorandum as appear to them to be necessary or desirable.\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 7:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 6: In page 11, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Amendment of section 12 of Act of 1926"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"10. Section 12 of the Act of 1926 is amended\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in subsection (1), by the substitution of \u201cSubject to subsections (1A) and (1B)\u201d for \u201cSubject to subsection (1A)\u201d, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (1A):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(1B) It shall be lawful for a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to work or use a radio frequency jammer to interfere with the working of or otherwise injuriously affect any UAS where the member reasonably believes such work or use to be necessary for the purposes of carrying out the function of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na referred to in section 9 of the Act of 2024.\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 8:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 6: In page 11, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Amendment of section 12B of Act of 1926"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"11. Section 12B of the Act of 1926 is amended\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in subsection (1), by the substitution of \u201cSubject to subsections (1A) and (1B)\u201d for \u201cSubject to subsection (1A)\u201d, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (1A):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(1B) Subsection (1) shall not apply to the use by a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na of a radio frequency jammer for the purpose of interfering with a UAS where that member reasonably believes such use to be necessary for the purposes of carrying out the function of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na referred to in section 9 of the Act of 2024.\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Seanad amendments Nos. 9 to 18, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 9:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 6: In page 11, to delete lines 12 to 31, and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Amendment of section 67 of Courts of Justice Act 1936"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"6. (1) Subject to subsection (2), section 67 of the Act of 1936 is amended\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in subsection (2), by the substitution of \u201c8 nominated members\u201d for \u201c10 nominated members\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in subsection (3)(a), by the deletion of the words \u201cwho shall be the chairperson of the Committee,\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) in subsection (4), by the substitution of the following paragraphs for paragraphs (a) and (aa):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(a) 1 shall be an ordinary judge of the Supreme Court nominated by the Chief Justice;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(aa) 1 shall be an ordinary judge of the Court of Appeal nominated by the President of the Court of Appeal;\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (4):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(4A) The Chief Justice shall be the chairperson of the Committee and\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) shall nominate another judge who is a member of the Committee to act as chairperson during the period a person is acting in his or her place as a member of the Committee under subsection (9), and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) may, at any other time, nominate another member of the Committee to act as chairperson during such period or on such occasion or occasions as are specified in the nomination concerned.\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(e) in subsection (9), by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (a):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(a) in the case of the Chief Justice, an ordinary judge of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal or High Court,\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(f) by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (11):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(12) The Chief Justice may revoke a nomination made by him or her under subsection (4A) at any time and, where that revocation relates to a nomination referred to in paragraph (a) of that subsection, the Chief Justice shall make another nomination under that paragraph if the revocation takes effect during the period referred to in that subsection.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Notwithstanding the amendments to section 67 of the Act of 1936 effected by subsection (1)(a) and (c) , an ordinary judge of the Supreme Court or an ordinary judge of the Court of Appeal who is, immediately prior to the date of coming into operation of this section, a nominated member of the Superior Courts Rules Committee under subsection (4) of that section 67 shall, on and after that date, subject to subsection (5) of that section, remain a nominated member of that Committee."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) It is hereby confirmed that, on the date on which it came into operation, section 20 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008, in amending section 67 of the Act of 1936, had the effect of inserting, after subsection (1) of that section, the relevant subsections in substitution for subsections (4), (7), (8), (9) and (10) of that section as it stood immediately before that date."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) In subsection (3), \u201crelevant subsections\u201d means, in relation to the amendment of section 67 of the Act of 1936 by section 20 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008, the subsections numbered (2) to (11) that are expressed by the said section 20 to be substituted for subsections (2) to (10) of that section of the Act of 1936."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) In this section, \u201cAct of 1936\u201d means the Courts of Justice Act 1936.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  These amendments relate to the non-judicial role of the Chief Justice.  Amendment No. 9 deals with section 6 of the Bill as passed by the D\u00e1il. It amends section 67 of the Courts of Justice Act 1936, which provides for the superior courts rules committee to allow the Chief Justice to nominate an ordinary judge of the Supreme Court. These changes are being introduced to reduce the non-judicial workload of the Chief Justice and the respective courts.  Amendments Nos. 10 to 18, inclusive, amend section 8 of the Bill as passed by the D\u00e1il which amends sections 12 and 44 of the Judicial Council Act 2019 in relation to the membership of the board of the Judicial Council and the judicial conduct committee.  The proposed further amendments provide for the revocation at any time of a nomination to act as chair of the board or the judicial conduct committee and for a cessation of effect of nominations for a judge performing the functions of the Chief Justice. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 10:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 8: In page 12, line 26, to delete \u201cnominate\u201d and substitute \u201cnominate in writing\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 11:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 8: In page 12, line 29, to delete \u201cnominate\u201d and substitute \u201cnominate in writing\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 12:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 8: In page 12, line 31, to delete \u201c\u201d,\u201d and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(2C) The Chief Justice may, at any time, revoke a nomination made under subsection (2B) and, where that revocation relates to a nomination referred to in paragraph (a) of that subsection, the Chief Justice shall make another nomination under that paragraph if the revocation takes effect during the period or on such occasion or occasions referred to in subsection (2A).\u201d,\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 13:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 8: In page 12, to delete line 38 and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(b) in section 13, by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (1):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(1A) A nomination under section 12(2A) shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) cease to have effect upon\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the expiration of the period or the passing of the occasion or occasions, as the case may be, specified in the nomination, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) the revocation of the nomination by the Chief Justice,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) where the Chief Justice ceases to hold judicial office, cease to have effect upon such cessation,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) where the judge in respect of whom the nomination was made ceases to hold judicial office, cease to have effect upon such cessation, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) where the judge, in respect of whom the nomination was made, by notice in writing given or sent to the Chief Justice indicates that he or she does not wish to continue to perform the functions concerned, cease to have effect upon the receipt of that notice by the Chief Justice.\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 14:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 8: In page 13, line 19, to delete \u201cnominate\u201d and substitute \u201cnominate in writing\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 15:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 8: In page 13, line 23, to delete \u201cnominate\u201d and substitute \u201cnominate in writing\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 16:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"In page 13, line 26, to delete \u201c\u201d,\u201d and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(2C) The Chief Justice may, at any time, revoke a nomination made under subsection (2B) and, where that revocation relates to a nomination"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"referred to in paragraph (a) of that subsection, the Chief Justice shall make another nomination under that paragraph if the revocation takes effect during the period or on such occasion or occasions referred to in subsection (2A).\u201d,\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 17:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 8: In page 13, line 33, to delete the period after \u201cbe,\u201d \u201d and substitute a comma."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 18:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"In page 13, after line 33, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cand"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) in section 46, by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (1):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(1A) A nomination under section 44(2A) shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) cease to have effect upon\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the expiration of the period or the passing of the occasion or occasions, as the case may be, specified in the nomination, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) the revocation of the nomination by the Chief Justice,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) where the Chief Justice ceases to hold judicial office, cease to have effect upon such cessation,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) where the judge in respect of whom the nomination was made ceases to hold judicial office, cease to have effect upon such cessation, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) where the judge, in respect of whom the nomination was made, by notice in writing given or sent to the Chief Justice indicates that he or she does not wish to continue to perform the functions concerned, cease to have effect upon the receipt of that notice by the Chief Justice.\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Seanad amendments Nos. 19, 29, 88 and 90 are related and may be discussed together. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 19:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 16: In page 19, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Amendment of section 10 of Misuse of Drugs Act 1984"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"16. Section 10 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1984 is amended\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in subsection (1), by the substitution of \u201cFSI\u201d for \u201cForensic Science Ireland of the Department of Justice\u201d, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) by the insertion of the following subsections after subsection (1):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(2) In any proceedings for an offence under section 3 of the Principal Act, the production of a certificate\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) purporting to be signed by an approved member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) relating to an examination, inspection or test, as the case may be, by way of an approved category of applicable drug test, carried out by the member, of a relevant controlled drug or other substance, product or preparation, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) specifying\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the approved category of applicable drug test concerned, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) the relevant controlled drug or other substance, product or preparation concerned,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"shall, until the contrary is proved, be evidence of any fact thereby stated without proof of any signature thereon or that any such signature is that of the member."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, having consulted with the Director of FSI, may by order prescribe a controlled drug for the purposes of paragraph (d) of the definition of relevant controlled drug in subsection (6) where he or she is satisfied that it is appropriate to do so, having regard to\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the availability of an examination, inspection or test that is capable of being carried out on a substance, product or preparation in a place other than a laboratory with the purpose of ascertaining whether the controlled drug is present in the substance, product or preparation, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the efficacy, accuracy, usability and safety of any such examination, inspection or test."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) The Director of FSI may, where he or she is satisfied that it is appropriate to do so, having regard to the efficacy, accuracy, usability and safety of a category of applicable drug test, certify, in writing, the category as an approved category of applicable drug test for the purposes of subsection (2)."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) The Director of FSI may, where he or she is satisfied that a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) has undertaken appropriate training, provided by FSI, on the administration of applicable drug tests, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) is competent in such administration,certify, in writing, the member as an approved member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na for the purposes of subsection (2)."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) In this section\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2018applicable drug test\u2019 means an examination, inspection or test that is capable of being carried out on a substance, product or preparation in a place other than a laboratory with the purpose of ascertaining whether a relevant controlled drug is present in the substance, product or preparation;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2018approved category of applicable drug test\u2019 means an applicable drug test certified under subsection (4);"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2018approved member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na\u2019 means a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na certified under subsection (5);"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2018Director\u2019, in relation to FSI, has the same meaning as it has in the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2018FSI\u2019 means Forensic Science Ireland of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2018member\u2019, in relation to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, has the same meaning as it has in the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 (other than in Part 6 of that Act);"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2018relevant controlled drug\u2019 means\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) cannabis,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) cannabis resin,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) cocaine, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) any other controlled drug prescribed under subsection (3) for the purposes of this definition.\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  Amendment No. 19 inserts a new section into the Bill to amend section 10 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1984. It inserts new subsections (2) to (6) into section 10 to provide a statutory basis for the admissibility of certificates of results of Garda-administered presumptive drug testing, PDT. It introduces a legal presumption in favour of the evidential value of such certificates subject to rebuttal evidence.  Amendment No. 29 inserts a new section into the Bill to amend section 154 of the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014 to allow the director of Forensic Science Ireland to delegate his or her functions under the amended section 10 of the 1984 Act to appropriate officers of FSI.  Amendments Nos. 88 and 90 amend the Long Title consequential on the addition of these amendments. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 20:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 17: In page 24, to delete lines 1 to 14."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Seanad amendments Nos. 20 to 23, inclusive, and 89 are related and may be discussed together. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  These amendments, in fairness to Deputy Carthy, arise as a result of an amendment he tabled on Committee Stage and Report Stage in the D\u00e1il. I accepted his amendment, which inserts a new section into the Criminal Justice Act 1993 to provide that where a person is convicted of any indictable offence, character evidence for sentencing purposes must be given on oath or by affidavit. That amendment was included as section 17 of the Bill as passed by the D\u00e1il. The purpose of amendments Nos. 20, 21 and 22 is to tighten up the drafting and address a number of drafting and consequential matters arising.  Amendment No. 20 deletes the existing section 23 of the Bill as passed by the D\u00e1il and amendment No. 22 inserts in its place a new stand-alone provision, which is substantively the same, but is more precisely drafted and contains a transitional provision. Amendment No. 21, therefore, repeals that provision to prevent duplication on the Statute Book.  Amendment No. 23 inserts a new Part into the Bill to amend the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 to address a specific public order issue, which is the deliberate use of face coverings for intimidatory purposes in public places, and particularly at protests. I stress that this is not a ban on face coverings, nor a ban on wearing face coverings at protests, nor does it create a general power for An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to require a person wearing a face covering in public to remove it. It is a limited addition to the public order framework, which may be exercised only in specific circumstances. The amendment provides that, where a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na suspects with reasonable cause that a person is acting in circumstances that give rise to a reasonable apprehension about public safety or for the maintenance of public peace and that the person is wearing the face covering with intent to intimidate another person or in a manner likely to intimidate another person, the garda may direct that person to desist from the conduct, remove the face covering and leave the vicinity. An offence only arises where a person \"without lawful authority or reasonable excuse\" fails to comply with that Garda direction. It will still be the case that people will be able to wear face masks for religious and cultural reasons and, even at a protest, people will still be able to wear a face mask. They may not want people to know they are there. The only time this public order offence would be triggered is in circumstances where a person is seeking to intimidate other people or it is likely a person's behaviour will intimidate them.  Amendment No. 89 amends the Long Title. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I thank the Minister for accepting my amendment on character references in trials. Unfortunately, we did not get to the amendment on Committee Stage. Reading back on the report, if I had been eating cornflakes, I would have nearly choked on them, such was my surprise that the Minister had accepted my amendment. I thank him for and commend him on doing so because it is a significant change to the law. It is a simple change, but will be helpful to victims and their families in their pursuit of justice.  The use of character references on sentencing in Irish courts has long been controversial and, in some cases, it has compounded the trauma of victims and their families. There has been an ongoing debate about the weight given to character references. Some judges have argued that they do not carry huge weight in determining the outcome of sentencing. That is debatable and certainly not an excuse for allowing what was a flawed system to continue. I have spoken to many people who were devastated as character references came out. Particularly where guilty pleas apply, as someone pleads guilty the whole details of the case might not be divulged to the court and might not be made public. Then a character reference is read out at a sentencing hearing in public talking about how great the individual might have been.  There have been serious questions about the accuracy of some of the character references given in public. I have also heard about a case - this was particularly concerning - where people supplied character references but did not realise that they were for a court case, or knew it was for a court case but did not know what crimes applied. Then there were questions around the veracity because they were written documents.  An important and welcome change was introduced in respect of sexual offences cases. In such cases, in recent years, references have had to be given on oath or under affidavit and, crucially, can be cross-examined in court. It made sense that this be the case for all indictable offences. It made little sense to have a higher standard in respect of character references in some cases than in others, particularly when they can relate to very serious crimes, including unlawful killings.  I was clear. My impetus for tabling this amendment came from dealing with people who had been in a court that was dealing with the unlawful killing of their loved one and, at the end of the case, someone said this individual was a great person. The sense those families had was that the character references played a role in downplaying the seriousness of the offence or the impact on the victim because they focused on the offender's reputation.  I met one victim in respect of whom a sentence for coercive control had been secured. The conviction was welcome and difficult, as can be imagined, and then an employer talked about how great the convicted person was at showing up to work on time, always left the place tidy and got on well with all their colleagues. None of that could possibly have had any implication in whether a person was engaged in coercively controlling their partner behind closed doors. I do not know. In fairness, the sentence in that case was reflective of the seriousness of the crime, but at the same time, it was difficult for the victim to hear that being read out. It transpired in that case - it was one of the cases I mentioned, as I contacted the employer involved - that the employer had no idea what the charge being dealt with was and the employer was subsequently embarrassed about it. In that instance, if people know that they are providing a reference they have to give under oath or by affidavit and that they could be cross-examined, we can be damn sure that employers would make sure they knew what they were giving a reference for beforehand.  I am pleased that will now change as a result of the Minister accepting this amendment. I support the Seanad amendment. It is set out in a clear way how this will apply. It is a major step forward for fairness and accountability in our courts and for victims who have been traumatised by the existing system, so I thank the Minister. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  I will deal with two of the amendments in a moment, but first I add my voice to those who have already made the point about the modus operandi of how this Bill was developed and evolved with the adding of extra issues again and again. The last night, on the counselling notes issue, every Opposition party recognised it should have been dealt with as a separate issue because of its importance to survivors and because it was the Minister's first Bill on court processes. He has introduced other legislation, including Jennie's law and the law about the children of victims of femicide or murder, which I welcome. However, the way survivors were treated needs to be raised again. The last night we were here, we had approximately 40 minutes for the entire debate and, because we worked together, we at least maximised that time. However, survivors left here upset that night. They continued and followed the Bill to the Seanad, which was a slightly more positive experience because they at least heard the arguments we had been articulating, which probably got more time there. That made them feel somewhat better. However, particularly that night, they saw that one amendment was voted on and that they were just not listened to. This should not happen again, particularly with an issue of such importance.  I will raise two issues. The first is face coverings at protests. I have been at protests where people wore face coverings.  During the Covid pandemic, that was obviously a normal thing to do. The Debenhams workers were on strike throughout the pandemic, having been sacked by a multinational. We always encouraged people to wear face coverings, even when outside. However, there are people who wear face coverings not just for religious or cultural reasons, but for medical reasons. I know disabled activists who will not attend any event unless they can wear a mask. The Minister may say they will be protected in that but he knows that things like this can be abused. I am just not sure why he has included this provision in relation to protests. It may need a bit more explanation but here we are on the second last night of the D\u00e1il term. I do not support what the Minister has included. It is something that needs a lot more debate. We all know that some people can cover their faces to intimidate others. I accept that but this is being introduced with 50 other issues in this Bill.  I will make a point about character references. I obviously support the amendment but we do have to return to this whole issue of character references in trials. On the one hand, I know the Minister would say that people have a right to a fair trial and that this is part of the very important constitutional right to a fair trial. That is a bit ironic because we also have non-jury courts. How do those things balance each other or even match? We say that the use of counselling notes and character references must be allowed and yet we can have non-jury trials. This is something that should be examined.  The upcoming Oireachtas committee may be able to examine it in more detail because these references are a real problem with regard to gender-based violence, given particular dynamics that pertain to gender-based and sexual violence. Most people who are given these references are not experts. A constituent contacted me who was the victim of sexual assault. Their brother was convicted of this but got a suspended sentence. This constituent believes that is because references were read out as the very last word in that trial. This man was convicted but then, all of a sudden, these references were read out. The references were from the father of the wife of the perpetrator. How is this person an expert in the dynamics of child sexual abuse? My constituent believes that this had an impact on the judge. We also know from several studies that men - women can obviously also commit gender-based violence but male violence is mainly the issue - who perpetrate domestic violence, coercive control or sexual violence are arch-manipulators. They are exceptionally skilled at deceiving people. They put one face on in public and another face on in private. There is a real problem with character references in these cases. It really is something that needs to be looked at. It has caused huge offence.  There is another thing the Minister could clear up. We were told that the Government had already changed the law so that a person had to be in court and ready to give, under oath----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  That is for sexual offences. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  That did not happen in the recently reported case involving a former Fianna F\u00e1il TD. He was not called up to testify. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  It predated the legislation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Minister will have an opportunity to come back in. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  I am just asking why it did not happen in that case. Was it because it was about parole? Is there a difference in that case? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I ask the Deputy to stick to the amendment. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  It does not seem to have been fully applied. We definitely need to discuss this topic again. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  I presume that was because the offence in that case predated the new legislation brought in requiring oral evidence in respect of references in cases of sexual offences. As a result of the amendment, this provision will now cover all indictable offences. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 21:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 19: In page 24, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cRepeal of Chapter 3 of Part 2 of Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024 and transitional provision "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"19. (1) Chapter 3 of Part 2 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024 is repealed."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Notwithstanding the repeal effected by subsection (1), the said Chapter 3 shall continue to have effect in respect of a person convicted of a specified offence referred to in that Chapter where the conviction occurred before the date of the coming into operation of this section.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 22:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 19: In page 24, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cVouching of character of persons convicted of certain offences "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"20. (1) Subject to subsection (2) , where a person is convicted of an indictable offence and he or she intends to adduce evidence of his or her character for the purpose of the determination by the court of the sentence to be imposed on him or her for the offence, such evidence shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) where the evidence is to be given orally before the court, be given on oath, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) otherwise be given by affidavit."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Subsection (1) shall apply only in respect of a person who is convicted of an offence referred to in that subsection on or after the date of the coming into operation of this section.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 23:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 19: In page 24, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cPART 8"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"AMENDMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE (PUBLIC ORDER) ACT 1994"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Amendment of Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"21. The Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 is amended\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) by the insertion of the following section after section 8B:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cFailure to comply with direction of member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to remove face covering "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"8C. (1) Where a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na finds a person in a public place wearing a face covering on his or her face and suspects, with reasonable cause, that such person is\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, acting in a manner which consists of loitering in a public place in circumstances, which may include the company of other persons, that give rise to a reasonable apprehension for the safety of persons or the safety of property or for the maintenance of public peace, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) wearing the face covering on his or her face\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) with intent to intimidate another person, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) in a manner that is likely to intimidate another person,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the member may direct the person wearing the face covering so suspected to do any or all of the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(I) desist from acting in such a manner;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(II) remove the face covering from his or her face;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(III) leave immediately the vicinity of the place concerned in a peaceable or orderly manner."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) It shall be an offence for any person, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, to fail to comply with a direction given by a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na under this section."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) A person who is guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding \u20ac1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) In this section, \u2018face covering\u2019 means an article of any type, which, when worn by a person, covers the person\u2019s face or part of the person\u2019s face.\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in section 24(5), by the substitution of \u201c8, 8C, 9A\u201d for \u201c8, 9A\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Seanad amendments Nos. 24 to 27, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 24:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 34: In page 31, line 9, to delete \u201csubsection (1A)\u201d and substitute \u201csubsection (1B)\u201d."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  Amendments Nos. 24 to 27, inclusive, have been grouped. They relate to Part 11 of the Bill, which concerns the International Criminal Court. They are of a minor and very technical nature. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 25:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 34: In page 31, line 13, to delete \u201cthe crime\u201d and substitute \u201csubject to subsection (1A), the crime\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 26:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 34: In page 31, to delete lines 20 to 26 and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(b) by the insertion of the following subsections after subsection (1):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(1A) For the purposes of paragraph (d) of the definition of crime within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, the reference to Article 8 bis in the definition of crime of aggression shall not be construed as a reference to that Article as amended by a relevant amendment."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(1B) In this Act, a reference to a crime within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court shall be construed as including any act in respect of which a person who commits such an act is by virtue of Article 25, 27 or 28 criminally responsible for any of the acts referred to in paragraphs (a) to (f) of the definition of crime within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in subsection (1).\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 27:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 40: In page 33, line 9, to delete \u201cproceedings\u201d and substitute \u201cproceedings for an offence\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 28:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 44: In page 35, to delete lines 17 to 22."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 29:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 45: In page 35, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cAmendment of section 154 of Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014 "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" 45. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 154 of the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014 is amended\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in subsection (1), by the substitution of \u201cunder this Act or under section 10 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1984\u201d for \u201cunder this Act\u201d, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in subsection (4), by the substitution of \u201cunder a provision of this Act or under section 10 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1984\u201d for \u201cunder a provision of this Act\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 30 to 42, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 30:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 57: In page 48, line 10, to delete \u201cproposes\u201d and substitute \u201chas decided\u201d."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  These are the amendments in respect of the disregard section of the Bill, which is Part 15. Amendments Nos. 30 to 36, inclusive, and 39 to 41, inclusive, are minor textual amendments to make certain terms and references clearer and more precise. The purpose of the remaining amendments is to make the provisions relating to the revocation of a disregard clearer and more robust, including certain procedural steps that could otherwise be regarded as implicit.  Amendment No. 37 inserts a new section obliging a relevant public body to make the Minister aware if it becomes aware of information indicating that a disregard may have been granted on foot of false or misleading information.  Amendment No. 38 amends section 60 of the Bill as passed by the D\u00e1il to broaden the matters to which the Minister must have regard before forming an initial view that a disregard should be revoked.  Amendment No. 42 inserts a new subsection into section 61 in order to make express provision for the Minister to proceed with revoking a disregard where the applicant has not requested a review of the proposed revocation within the allotted timeframe or the Minister reasonably considers such a request to be frivolous, vexatious or otherwise unfounded. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 31:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 57: In page 48, line 13, to delete \u201cproposed refusal\u201d and substitute \u201cdecision\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 32:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 59: In page 50, line 18, to delete \u201cin accordance with\u201d and substitute \u201cmade under\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 33:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 59: In page 50, line 19, to delete \u201ca proposed refusal under section \u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 34:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 59: In page 50, line 33, after \u201cdecision\u201d to insert \u201cmade\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 35:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 59: In page 50, line 36, to delete \u201cproposed refusal\u201d and substitute \u201cdecision made\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 36:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 59: In page 51, line 4, to delete \u201cproposed refusal to issue a certificate of disregard\u201d and substitute \u201cdecision made\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 37:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 60: In page 51, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cPublic body obligation to bring certain information to attention of Minister "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"60. Where, having been notified of the issuance of a certificate of disregard in respect of a relevant person under section 63(3)(a) , a public body subsequently becomes aware of information which might reasonably be grounds for a belief that the application upon which the certificate of disregard was granted included, or was supported by, false or misleading information or documentation, the public body shall, as soon as practicable, bring such information to the attention of the Minister.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 38:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 60: In page 51, to delete lines 26 to 28 and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(a) having received information, under section 60 or otherwise, which causes him or her to reasonably believe\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) that an application upon which the certificate of disregard was granted included, or was supported by, false or misleading information or documentation, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) that, in all the circumstances, it is likely that the independent person would not have recommended that a certificate of disregard be issued in respect of the relevant conviction or other determination concerned had the application not included, or had it not been supported by, such false or misleading information or documentation,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 39:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 60: In page 52, line 37, to delete \u201cshould\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 40:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 60: In page 52, line 39, after \u201chad\u201d to insert \u201cit\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 41:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 61: In page 53, line 21, after \u201capplicant a notice\u201d to insert \u201crevoking the certificate\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 42:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 61: In page 53, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(2) Where, in relation to a notification made under section 60(1) , the Minister has not received a request in accordance with section 60(3) , or where he or she has received such a request but reasonably considers it to be frivolous, vexatious or otherwise manifestly unfounded, the Minister shall issue to the applicant a notice of revocation and any such notice shall be accompanied by reasons in writing for the decision to revoke the certificate of disregard concerned.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 43 to 80, inclusive, 84 to 86, inclusive, and 91 are related and may be discussed together. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 43:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cPART 16"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"USE OF ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY IN CERTAIN COURT PROCEEDINGS"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Definitions (   Part 16   ) "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"65. In this Part\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201ccriminal proceedings\u201d means proceedings against a person for an offence and includes any appeal proceedings related to the offence;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201crelevant proceedings\u201d means proceedings under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the Extradition Act 1965,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Act 1995,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) Part II of the International War Crimes Tribunals Act 1998,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) the European Arrest Warrant Act 2003,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(e) the Transfer of Execution of Sentences Act 2005,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(f) Part 3 of the International Criminal Court Act 2006, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(g) Part 3 of the Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Act 2023,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and includes any appeal proceedings related to such proceedings.\u201d."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  These amendments concern the use of electronic means. The main body of the amendments relate to passenger name records. I will briefly deal with amendments Nos. 43 to 45. These put in a new Part 17 relating to electronic technology in certain proceedings. Amendment No. 43 inserts a new section defining the types of proceedings in question. Amendments 44 and 45 insert two new sections to provide respectively that court rules may, in relation to such proceedings, make provision for the electronic transmission of documents. These amendments are modelled on equivalent legislation that is already in place in respect of civil proceedings.  I will now turn to amendments Nos. 46 to 80, inclusive, 84 to 86, inclusive, and 91. These relate to passenger name record data. They propose the insertion of a new Part 17. Passenger name record data, PNR data, consists of booking information provided by passengers, which is collected by and held in the airlines\u2019 reservation and departure control systems. This provision is already in place a result of Ireland's transposition of the PNR directive by way of the 2018 EU PNR data regulations, which established a unit within the Department of justice.  The regulations apply the regime only to what are referred to as extra-EU flights, which is required by the directive. The purpose here is to apply them to internal EU flights as well.  Amendments Nos. 46 to 50, inclusive, insert Chapter 1 of Part 17. They are standard legislative provisions that refer to a definition sections and such other matters.  Amendment Nos. 51 to 56, inclusive, insert Chapter 2. This chapter relates to the Irish passenger information unit, its director, its data protection officer, other staff and its obligations as regards processing and reporting activities.  Amendments Nos. 57 to 59, inclusive, insert Chapter 3. Amendment No. 57 provides for the competent authorities designated under the 2018 regulations to remain so designated. Amendment No. 58 provides that the Minister may designate a person as the \u201cIndependent Authority\u201d for the purposes of the State\u2019s PNR regime. Amendment No. 59 sets out the Data Protection Commission\u2019s oversight function as regards this legislation.  Amendments 60 to 62, inclusive, inserts new Chapter 4 of Part 17. The chapter provides for the designation by the PIU of individual intra-EU flights that will be encompassed by the State\u2019s PNR regime. Amendment No. 62 provides for designation of all-intra EU flights unilaterally when the State is faced with a genuine and present or foreseeable terrorist threat, but only on approval by the High Court.  Amendments Nos. 63 to 71, inclusive, deal with the transfer and exchange of PNR data. Amendment No. 63 refers to airlines\u2019 obligations to transfer PNR data to the PIU a day before take-off. Amendments Nos. 64 and 65 refer to the process undertaken by the PIU of assessing the transferred PNR data against serious crime or terrorism watchlists and pre-determined criteria to identify persons of interest due to take the flight or on-board.  Amendments Nos. 66 to 71, inclusive, deal with requests for PNR data held by the PIU from competent authorities in the State, PIUs in other EU countries, Europol and third countries, as well requests by the Irish PIU and other authorities.  Amendments Nos. 72 and 73 deal with the retention periods for PNR data and maintenance of documentation by the PIU.  Amendments Nos. 74 to 80, inclusive, insert chapter 7 of Part 17. It deals with transitional provisions.  Amendments Nos. 84, 85 and 86 insert Schedules 2, 3 and 4 into the Bill. Schedule 2 defines the data categories that make up the PNR data. Schedule 3 lists the competent authorities in the State that can request PNR data.  Amendment No. 91 amends the Long Title consequential on these amendments. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 44:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cUse of electronic means in criminal proceedings and relevant proceedings "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"66. (1) Notwithstanding any other enactment or rule of law, and without prejudice to any such provision in any enactment or rules of court, rules of court may, in relation to criminal proceedings or relevant proceedings, make provision for\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the lodgement or filing of a document with, and the making of an application to, a court by transmitting the document or application by electronic means to the court office concerned,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the issue by or on behalf of a court or court office, by transmitting the document concerned by electronic means, of any of the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) a summons;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) a judgment, decree or other order or determination of a court (including any judgment, decree or other order or determination entered in or issuing from a court office);"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(iii) a warrant;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(iv) any other document required under any enactment or rule of law to be issued by or on behalf of a court or court office,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) the transmission by or on behalf of a court or court office by electronic means of any other document or information required under any enactment or rule of law to be transmitted by or on behalf of a court or court office."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Where rules of court referred to in subsection (1) provide for the transmission of a document by electronic means, such rules may, in addition\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) provide that such transmission be subject to such conditions and exceptions as may be specified in the rules,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in relation to the transmission of a document referred to in subsection (1)(a) , require that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) such a document be authenticated, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) the identity of the person transmitting such a document be verified, including by the provision of the personal public service number issued to the person,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"in such manner as may be specified in the rules,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) in relation to the transmission of a document referred to in paragraph (b) or (c) of subsection (1) , require that the identity of the person receiving such a document be verified, including by the provision of the personal public service number issued to the person, in such manner as may be specified in the rules, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) specify whether such transmission is in place of, or is an alternative to, any other method by which such document could be filed, lodged, issued or transmitted, or such application could be made, as the case may be."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Rules of court may provide that, where a document that is required under any enactment or rule of law to be furnished to, or lodged or filed with, a court, is, in accordance with rules of court referred to in subsection (1) , furnished to, or lodged or filed with, the court by electronic means\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) a copy of that document transmitted by electronic means and displayed in readable form, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) a printed version of such a copy,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"shall be treated as the original of the document."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) References, howsoever expressed, in any enactment or rule of law to\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the furnishing of a document to a court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the lodgement or filing of a document with a court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) the making of an application to a court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) the transmission of a document to or by a court, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(e) the issue of a document by a court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"shall be construed as including references to the performance of such action by electronic means, where this is provided for in rules of court referred to in subsection (1) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) In this section\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201ccourt office\u201d means\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) an office of, or attached to\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the Supreme Court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) the Court of Appeal,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(iii) the High Court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(iv) the President of the High Court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(v) the Circuit Court, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(vi) the District Court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) an office of the Courts Service designated by the Courts Service for the purpose of receiving documents or applications, or issuing documents, by electronic means for the purposes of any enactment or rule of law;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cpersonal public service number\u201d has the same meaning as it has in section 262 of the [ ]Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 45:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cStatement of truth in criminal proceedings and relevant proceedings "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"67. (1) Subject to subsection (2) , where, in criminal proceedings or relevant proceedings, evidence is to be given on, or a document or information is to be verified by, affidavit or statutory declaration, rules of court may, notwithstanding any other enactment or rule of law, make provision for a statement, which shall be known as a section 67 statement of truth, to be made and transmitted by electronic means in place of the affidavit or statutory declaration concerned and subject to such conditions and exceptions as may be specified by such rules."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) A section 67 statement of truth\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) may be in electronic form,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) shall contain a statement that the person making the statement of truth has an honest belief that the facts stated therein are true,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) may be signed by the person making it by that person entering his or her name in an electronic format or otherwise electronically as may be permitted by rules of court, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) shall comply with any other requirements as to its content, verification, authentication or form as may be prescribed by rules of court."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Where rules of court have made provision for the matters referred to in subsection (1) , any reference in any enactment to an affidavit or a statutory declaration shall be construed as including a reference to a section 67 statement of truth which may be made in place of such affidavit or statutory declaration by virtue of that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Without prejudice to the law as to contempt of court, a person who makes, or causes to be made, a statement in a section 67 statement of truth without an honest belief as to the truth of that statement shall be guilty of an offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (4) shall be liable\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) on summary conviction, to a class A fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or both, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding \u20ac250,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years, or both.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 46:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cPART 17"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Passenger Name Record Data "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Chapter 1 "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Preliminary and General "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Interpretation (   Part 17   ) "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"68. (1) In this Part\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cair carrier\u201d means an air transport provider with a valid operating licence or equivalent permitting it to carry out carriage of passengers by air;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cAPI data\u201d means advance passenger information and includes the type, number, country of issuance and expiry date of any identity document, nationality, family name, given name, gender, date of birth, airline, flight number, departure date, arrival date, departure port, arrival port, departure time and arrival time;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201ccompetent authority\u201d means an authority\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) referred to in section 79(1) , or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) designated under section 79(2) ,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"that is competent for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of a terrorist offence or serious crime;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201ccompetent authority of another Member State\u201d means an authority of another Member State that is competent for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) a terrorist offence (within the meaning of paragraph (b) of the definition of that term), or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) a serious crime (within the meaning of paragraph (b) of the definition of that term);"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201ccompetent authority of a third country\u201d means an authority of a third country that is competent for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of a terrorist offence or serious crime under the law of that third country;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cdata protection officer\u201d shall be construed in accordance with section 76(1) ;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cdesignated intra-EU flight\u201d shall be construed in accordance with section 69 ;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cDirective\u201d means Directive (EU) 2016\/681 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the use of passenger name record (PNR) data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cDirector\u201d means the Director of the PIU;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cextra-EU flight\u201d means a scheduled or non-scheduled flight by an air carrier flying\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) from a third country and planned to land in the State, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) from the State and planned to land in a third country,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"including a flight with any stop-overs in another Member State or in a third country;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cIndependent Authority\u201d has the meaning assigned to it by section 80(1) ;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cintra-EU flight\u201d means a scheduled or non-scheduled flight by an air carrier flying\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) from a Member State and planned to land in the State, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) from the State and planned to land in one or more than one Member State,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"without any stop-overs in the territory of a third country;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cMinister\u201d means the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cnotify\u201d means notify in writing;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cPIU\u201d means the Passenger Information Unit continued in being under section 73;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cPIU of another Member State\u201d means the Passenger Information Unit established or designated by that other Member State in accordance with Article 4(1), and cognate words shall be construed accordingly;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cPNR data\u201d means, subject to subsections (2) to (6) , the passenger name record data specified in Schedule 2 collected by an air carrier;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cPNR database\u201d means the database maintained by the PIU for the storage of PNR data;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cprescribed\u201d means prescribed by regulations made by the Minister;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cpush method\u201d means the method whereby PNR data is transferred by an air carrier into the PNR database;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cRegulations of 2018\u201d means the European Union (Passenger Name Record Data) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 177 of 2018);"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cserious crime\u201d\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in sections 82(2) , 88(1) , 88(2) , 90(1) , 90(3) , 90(4) and 94(7) , means\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) an offence specified in Schedule 3 that is punishable by a custodial sentence or a detention order of a maximum period of at least 3 years, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) such other offence, within the meaning of Article 3(9), as may be prescribed by the Minister,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in sections 85(9) , 89(1) , 89(5) , 89(8) and 91(1) , has the same meaning as it has in Article 3(9), and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) in sections 69 , 86(1) and 94(1) , means an offence referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) , or both;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cterrorist offence\u201d\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in sections 82(2) , 88(1) , 88(2) , 90(1) 0, 90(3) , 90(4) and 94(7) means\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) an offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(I) section 21 or 21A of the Offences against the State Act 1939 (where committed by a terrorist group within the meaning of section 5(1) of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005),"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(II) section 6 of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 (where committed by a terrorist group within the meaning of section 5(1) of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005), or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(III) section 6 or 13 of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) such other offence, within the meaning of Article 3(8), as may be prescribed by the Minister,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in sections 85(9) , 89(1) , 89(5) , 89(8) and 91(1) has the same meaning as it has in Article 3(8), and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) in sections 69  84(1) , 86(1) and 94(1) , means an offence referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) , or both."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) A reference in paragraph 5 of Schedule 2 to address and contact information (telephone number, email address) shall be taken to be a reference to the postal address, telephone number and email address of the air passenger on behalf of whom a reservation for a flight is made."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) A reference in paragraph 6 of Schedule 2 to all forms of payment information, including billing address shall be taken to be a reference to information relating to the payment methods for, and billing of, an air ticket, to the exclusion of any other information not directly related to a flight."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) A reference in paragraph 8 of Schedule 2 to frequent flyer information shall be taken to be a reference only to data relating to the status of the passenger concerned in the context of a customer loyalty programme of a given airline or a given group of airlines as well as the number identifying that passenger as a frequent flyer."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) A reference in paragraph 12 of Schedule 2 to general remarks (including all available information on unaccompanied minors under 18 years, such as name and gender of the minor, age, language(s) spoken, name and contact details of guardian on departure and relationship to the minor, name and contact details of guardian on arrival and relationship to the minor, departure and arrival agent) shall be taken to be a reference to the following information only:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the name, gender and age of, and the languages spoken by, unaccompanied minor air passengers under 18 years,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the name and contact details of the guardian on departure and his or her relationship to the minor,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) the name and contact details of the guardian on arrival and his or her relationship to the minor, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) the departure and arrival agent."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) A reference in paragraph 18 of Schedule 2 to any advance passenger information (API) data collected (including the type, number, country of issuance and expiry date of any identity document, nationality, family name, given name, gender, date of birth, airline, flight number, departure date, arrival date, departure port, arrival port, departure time and arrival time shall be taken to be a reference to the following information only:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) API data (the type, number, country of issuance and expiry date of any identity document, nationality, family name, given name, gender, date of birth, airline, flight number, departure date, arrival date, departure port, arrival port, departure time and arrival time), and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) API data listed in Regulation 3(2) of the European Communities (Communication of Passenger Data) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 597 of 2011)."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) Unless the context otherwise requires\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) a word or expression that is used in this Part and that is also used in the Directive has the same meaning in this Part that it has in the Directive, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) a reference in this Part to a numbered Article is a reference to the Article so numbered of that Directive.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 47:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cApplication (   Part 17)  "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"69. This Part applies to the use, for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of a terrorist offence or a serious crime, of PNR data of a passenger of\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) an extra-EU flight, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) an intra-EU flight that is designated under section 82 or 84 (in this Part referred to as a \u201cdesignated intra-EU flight\u201d).\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 48:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cOrders and regulations "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"70. (1) The Minister may by regulations provide for any matter referred to in this Part as prescribed or to be prescribed."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) An order or regulation under this Part may contain such incidental, supplementary and consequential provisions as appear to the Minister to be necessary or expedient for the purposes of the order or regulation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Every order and regulation made by the Minister under this Part shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the order or regulation is passed by either such House within the next 21 days on which that House sits after the order or regulation is laid before it, the order or regulation shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 49:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: Subject to sections 73(1 ), 74(2) , 75(1) , 75(2) , 75(3) , 76(2) , 79(1) , 86(3) and Chapter 7 , the Regulations of 2018 are revoked.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 50:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cService of notices and documents "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"72. A notice or other document that is required to be served on or given to a person under this Part shall be served on or given to the person in one of the following ways:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) by electronic means, in a case in which the person has given notice in writing to the person serving or giving the notice or document concerned of his or her consent to the notice or document (or notices or documents of a class to which the notice or document belongs) being served on, or given to, him or her in that manner;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) by delivering it to the person;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) by addressing it to the person and leaving it at the address where the person ordinarily resides or, in a case in which an address for service has been furnished, at that address;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) by sending it to the person by post in a prepaid registered letter to the address at which the person ordinarily resides or, in a case in which an address for service has been furnished, to that address."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"CHAPTER 2"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Passenger Information Unit \u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 51:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Continuation and functions of Passenger Information Unit"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"73. (1) Notwithstanding the coming into operation of section 71 , the unit established under Regulation 4(1) of the Regulations of 2018 and known as the Passenger Information Unit (in this Part referred to as the \u201cPIU\u201d) shall continue in being as a unit in the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, in accordance with the provisions of this Part."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) The functions of the PIU shall include:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the collection of PNR data from air carriers, and the storage and processing of such data;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the designation of intra-EU flights in accordance with section 82 ;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) the transfer of PNR data, and the result of any processing of such data under paragraph (a) , to a competent authority, the PIU or competent authority of another Member State, a competent authority of a third country or Europol;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) the receipt of PNR data, and the result of any processing of such data, from the PIU of another Member State.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 52:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cDirector of PIU "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"74. (1) The Minister shall, subject to subsection (2) , appoint a person to be the Director of the PIU (in this Part referred to as the \u201cDirector\u201d)."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) A person who, immediately before the coming into operation of section 71 , stands appointed as Director under Regulation 4(2) of the Regulations of 2018, shall, on such coming into operation, continue to be the Director."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) The Director shall manage and control generally the staff, administration and business of the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) The Minister shall nominate a person to perform the functions of the Director during any absence, incapacity or suspension from duty of the Director or during any vacancy in the office of Director."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) The Director may delegate in writing any of his or her functions to a member of staff of the PIU and the member of staff be accountable to the Director for the performance of the function so delegated."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) The Director may revoke a delegation made by him or her under subsection (5) .\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 53:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cStaff of PIU "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"75. (1) A person who, immediately before the coming into operation of section 71 , was a member of staff of the PIU shall, on such coming into operation, continue to be a member of staff of the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) A person who, immediately before the coming into operation of section 71, stands seconded to the PIU under an arrangement entered into under Regulation 4(3) of the Regulations of 2018 shall, on such coming into operation, remain seconded to the PIU for the remainder of the period of such secondment, subject to the same terms and conditions as applied to the secondment immediately before such coming into operation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) A person who, immediately before the coming into operation of section 71 , stands engaged by the PIU under Regulation 4(4) of the Regulations of 2018 for a period of temporary service with the PIU shall, on such coming into operation, continue to be engaged by the PIU for the remainder of that period, subject to the same terms and conditions as applied to the engagement immediately before such coming into operation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) The Director may enter into an arrangement with a competent authority for the secondment of a member of staff of the competent authority to the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) The Director may enter into an arrangement to engage one or more than one person (on contract or otherwise) for a period of temporary service with the PIU.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 54:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cData protection officer "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"76. (1) Subject to subsection (2) , the Director shall appoint a person (in this Part referred to as the \u201cdata protection officer\u201d) who shall be responsible for monitoring the processing of PNR data under this Part and for implementing data protection safeguards."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) A person who, immediately before the coming into operation of section 71 , stands appointed as data protection officer under Regulation 14(1) of the Regulations of 2018 shall, on such coming into operation, continue as data protection officer as if he or she had been appointed under this section."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) The functions of the data protection officer shall include the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) informing the Director and staff of the PIU of their obligations in relation to the processing of PNR data under this Part and advising them in relation to those obligations;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) monitoring compliance by the Director and staff of the PIU with\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) their obligations under this Part in relation to the processing of PNR data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) the policies of the PIU as data controller in relation to the protection of personal data, including audit activity;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) providing advice to the Director and staff of the PIU on awareness-raising activities, staff training and the allocation of responsibilities in relation to data protection;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) advising the Director and staff of the PIU in relation to, and monitoring the carrying out of, data protection impact assessments;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(e) acting as a contact point for persons both within and outside the PIU in respect of issues relating to the processing of PNR data by the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) The PIU shall notify the data protection officer of\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) a transfer of PNR data under section 88(5) , 89(4) , 89(11) , 91(4) , 92(5) or 93(1) in advance of such transfer taking place, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) a transfer notified to the PIU in accordance with section 92(8) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where the data protection officer is informed by the PIU under subsection (4)(a) of a transfer of PNR data, the data protection officer shall, after the transfer has taken place, carry out a review of the transfer for the purpose of monitoring compliance by the PIU with the provisions of this Part concerning the processing of PNR data."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) The Director shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) ensure that the data protection officer is involved in an appropriate and timely manner in all matters relating to the protection of personal data,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) support the data protection officer in performing the functions referred to in subsection (3) by providing him or her with access to processing operations and the resources necessary to carry out those functions, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) assist the data protection officer in maintaining his or her expert knowledge in relation to data protection.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 55:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65:  In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cDirector to report statistical information to Minister "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"77. (1) Subject to subsection (3) , the Director shall, on a yearly basis, and not later than 31 May in each year, submit to the Minister a report containing statistical information on PNR data provided to the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) The statistics referred to in subsection (1) shall, at a minimum, cover\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the total number of passengers whose PNR data have been collected and exchanged by the PIU, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the number of passengers identified for further examination by a competent authority or a competent authority of another Member State."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) The statistics provided under this Part shall not contain any personal data.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 56:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Processing of PNR data by PIU "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"78. (1) The PIU shall process PNR data for the purpose of the performance of its functions under this Part\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) to the extent necessary and proportionate for that purpose, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in a manner that does not discriminate against a person on any grounds."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) PNR data shall not be processed by the PIU in such a manner as to reveal the race, ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, sexual life or sexual orientation of a person."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Where PNR data revealing the information referred to in subsection (2) are received by the PIU from an air carrier, they shall be deleted immediately."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Where PNR data collected by the PIU include data other than those specified in Schedule 2 , such data shall be deleted immediately and permanently upon receipt."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) The storage, processing and analysis of PNR data by the PIU shall be carried out exclusively within a secure location or locations within the State."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) The PIU shall put in place and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures and procedures to ensure a high level of security for the PNR data appropriate to the risks represented by the processing and nature of such data."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 57:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cCompetent authorities "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"79. (1) Notwithstanding the coming into operation of section 71 , a competent authority referred to in Regulation 9 of the Regulations of 2018 and listed in Schedule 4 , shall continue to be a competent authority for the purposes of this Part and the Directive."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Subject to subsection (3) , the Minister may by order designate a body as a competent authority for the purposes of this Part."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) The Minister shall not make an order under subsection (2) in respect of a body for which a Minister of the Government other than the Minister has responsibility and in whom functions, whether statutory or otherwise, in respect of the body are vested, other than with the consent of that Minister of the Government.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 58:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Designation and functions of Independent Authority "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"80. (1) The Minister may by order designate a person (in this Part referred to as the \u201cIndependent Authority\u201d) as the national authority for the purposes of the performance of the functions conferred on it by this Part."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) The functions of the Independent Authority shall include\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the review of\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) in accordance with section 83 , the process for designation by the PIU of an intra-EU flight under section 82 , and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) an authorisation for the transfer of PNR data under section 93 , and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the approval of\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) an application for the transfer of PNR data under section 88 , 89 , 91 or 92 , and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) a request for PNR data under subsection (1) of section 90 to which subsection (5) of that section applies."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) The Independent Authority shall have all powers necessary or expedient for the performance of its functions under this Part."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) The Independent Authority shall be independent in the performance of its functions.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 59:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cData Protection Commission 81. The Data Protection Commission shall be responsible for advising on and monitoring the application of this Part within the State with a view to protecting fundamental rights in relation to the processing of personal data under this Part."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"CHAPTER 4"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Designation of intra-EU flights by PIU and Minister\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 60:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Designation by PIU of intra-EU flight "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"82. (1) Subject to subsection (2) , the PIU may designate in writing an intra-EU flight for the purposes of this Part for a period not exceeding 6 months from the date of designation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) A designation under subsection (1) may only be made where the PIU carries out an assessment and determines, having due regard to the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects which may result from the designation, that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the designation is necessary and proportionate for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime and the carriage of passengers by air."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) The PIU shall, before the expiry of the period of 6 months following the designation of an intra-EU flight under subsection (1) , carry out an assessment for the purpose of determining whether the designation of the designated intra-EU flight concerned is, having due regard to the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects which may result from the designation, necessary and proportionate for the purpose referred to in subsection (2) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Where, on the basis of an assessment under subsection (3) , the PIU determines that the continued designation of an intra-EU flight is necessary and proportionate for the purpose referred to in that subsection, the PIU may extend the designation of the intra-EU flight concerned for a further period not exceeding 6 months."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where, on the basis of an assessment under subsection (3) , the PIU determines that the continued designation of an intra-EU flight is not necessary and proportionate for the purpose referred to in that subsection, the PIU shall not extend the designation of the intra-EU flight concerned."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) Without prejudice to subsection (3) , the PIU may, at any time, where it consider it appropriate to do so, carry out an assessment of a designation in force under this section for the purpose referred to in that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) Where, on the basis of an assessment carried out under subsection (6) , the PIU determines that the designation of an intra-EU flight is no longer necessary and proportionate for the purposes for which it was so designated, the PIU shall revoke the designation.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 61:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cReview by Independent Authority "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"83. (1) Subject to subsection (5) , the Independent Authority shall conduct a review of the process for designation of an intra-EU flight under section 82 in order to determine whether the PIU, in carrying out an assessment of an intra-EU flight under subsection (2) , (3) and, where applicable, (6) of that section (in this section referred to as a \u201crelevant assessment\u201d), complied with those provisions."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) In conducting a review under subsection (1) , the Independent Authority may\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) consider the criteria applied by the PIU in determining whether the designation of an intra-EU flight is necessary and proportionate for the purpose referred to in section 82(2), and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) examine a relevant assessment carried out in respect of one, or more than one, intra-EU flight designated under section 82 , whether or not the designation is in force at the time of the review."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Without prejudice to subsection (4) , a review under subsection (1) shall be conducted\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in respect of the first review, not later than 12 months from the date on which the first intra-EU flight is designated under section 82 following the coming into operation of this Part, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) once in every 12 month period thereafter."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) The Independent Authority may, at any time, conduct a review under subsection (1) where it has reasonable grounds for believing that a relevant assessment was not carried out by the PIU in accordance with section 82."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Before commencing a review under subsection (1) , the Independent Authority shall notify the Director of its proposal to conduct the review, which notice shall specify\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the matters referred to in subsection (2) to which the review shall relate,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the date on which the review shall commence, which shall not be earlier than 10 working days from the date on which the notice is given, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) any documents, records or other information within the possession or control of the PIU that are relevant to, or required for, the conduct of the review, including details of the criteria referred to at subsection (2)(a) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) The Independent Authority shall, as soon as practicable after the completion of a review under subsection (1) , notify the PIU of the outcome of the review."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) Where the Independent Authority, having carried out a review under subsection (1) , determines that the PIU, in carrying out a relevant assessment, did not comply with the requirements of section 82 , the Independent Authority may issue a direction in writing to the Director specifying\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the measures which the PIU is required to take in order to comply with the requirements of section 82 in the carrying out of a relevant assessment under that section, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the timeframe within which such measures are to be completed."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(8) The Director shall comply with a direction issued under subsection (7) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(9) The Director shall, within the timeframe specified in the direction, notify the Independent Authority of the measures taken by the PIU to comply with the direction."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(10) The Independent Authority may, where it is not satisfied that the Director has complied with a direction under subsection (7) , issue such further direction under that subsection as it considers appropriate."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(11) A direction issued under subsection (7) may, where the Independent Authority considers it appropriate, require the PIU to revoke a designation of an intra-EU flight that is in force under section 82 at the time of the issuing of the direction."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(12) The Independent Authority may communicate with the Minister on any matter concerning a review under this section, including where it considers that the PIU has failed to comply with a direction under subsection (7) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(13) The Minister may, where he or she receives a communication under subsection (12) , direct the PIU to comply with a direction issued under subsection (7) within such timeframe as the Minister may specify.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 62:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cApplication to relevant judge by Minister for designation of all intra-EU flights "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"84. (1) The Minister may, where he or she is satisfied, on the basis of an assessment conducted in accordance with subsection (2) , that there exists a genuine and present or foreseeable threat related to a terrorist offence, make an application to a relevant judge for an order requiring the PIU to designate all intra-EU flights as designated intra-EU flights for such period as may be specified in the order."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Before making an application under subsection (1) , the Minister shall assess whether the threat referred to in that subsection exists and, for that purpose, shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) have regard to the necessity and proportionality of the designation of all intra-EU flights for the purpose of the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of the terrorist offence, taking into account the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects which may result from the designation, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) be satisfied of the existence of an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence and the carriage of passengers by air."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) An application under subsection (1) shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) be made ex parte ,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) be upon information on oath specifying the grounds on which the order is sought, which information shall include the results of the assessment conducted under subsection (2) ,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) specify the period of time, being a period not exceeding 12 months, for which the designation referred to in subsection (1) is, in the view of the Minister, necessary and proportionate for the purposes referred to in subsection (2) , and (d) be heard otherwise than in public."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) A relevant judge, as respects an application under subsection (1) , may make an order directing the PIU to designate all intra-EU flights as designated intra-EU flights only if satisfied that the making of the order is necessary for, and proportionate to, the purposes referred to in subsection (2) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where a relevant judge makes an order under subsection (4) , that order shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) require the PIU to designate all intra-EU flights as designated intra-EU flights for such period as is specified in the order, and (b) specify\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the period for which the order shall have effect, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) any conditions and directions to which the designation is subject."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) Where an order is made under subsection (4) , the Minister shall, without delay, arrange for\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) service of the order on the PIU, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) publication of\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the order in the national media, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) a notice of the making of the order in Iris Oifigi\u00fail ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) The President of the High Court shall, at the request of the Minister, designate one or more than one judge of the High Court to perform the functions of a relevant judge under this section, and a reference in this section to a \u201crelevant judge\u201d shall be construed as a reference to a judge so designated."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"CHAPTER 5"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Transfer and exchange of PNR data \u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 63:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cObligations of air carriers regarding transfer of PNR data "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"85. (1) An air carrier shall, in accordance with this section, transfer by the push method to the PNR database all PNR data which it has collected in the normal course of business in respect of passengers to be carried by the air carrier on an extra-EU flight or on a designated intra-EU flight."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Where a flight referred to in subsection (1) is code-shared between one or more air carriers, the air carrier which operates the flight shall transfer the PNR data of all passengers on the flight to the PIU in accordance with that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) An air carrier shall, where an extra-EU flight has one or more stop-overs at airports of Member States, transfer the PNR data of all passengers, including those who disembark at the time of a stop-over, to the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) An air carrier shall, where a designated intra-EU flight has one or more stop-overs at airports of Member States, transfer the PNR data of all passengers, including those who disembark at the time of a stop-over, to the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where an air carrier collects API data in respect of passengers on an extra-EU flight or a designated intra-EU flight, the air carrier shall, whether or not it retains those data by the same technical means as for other PNR data, transfer that API data to the PIU by the push method and such data shall be considered as PNR data for the purposes of this Part."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) Subject to subsections (7) and (8) , an air carrier shall transfer the PNR data referred to in subsection (1) to the PNR database\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) 24 to 48 hours before a scheduled flight departure time, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) immediately after flight closure, that is once the passengers have boarded the aircraft in preparation for departure and it is no longer possible for passengers to board or leave the flight."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) An air carrier shall transfer the PNR data referred to in subsection (1) to the PNR database\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) by electronic means using the common protocols and supported data formats adopted in accordance with Article 16(2), or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in the event of technical failure or difficulty, by any other appropriate means ensuring the same level of technical and organisational security."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(8) An air carrier may limit PNR data transferred under paragraph (b) of subsection (6) to an update of the PNR data already transferred under paragraph (a) of that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(9) An air carrier shall, on a case-by-case basis, where requested by the PIU under section 89(11)(a) , transfer PNR data to the PIU at times other than those provided for in subsection (6) \u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) where access to that data is necessary in order to respond to a specific and actual threat related to a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the PIU has determined, in accordance with section 89(8) , there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime referred to in paragraph (a) and the carriage of passengers by air."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(10) An air carrier shall use its best endeavours to ensure that any data collected by it that is not PNR data is not transferred to the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(11) An air carrier that fails to comply with a requirement under this section, other than the requirement under subsection (10) , shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) on summary conviction, to a class A fine, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding \u20ac250,000."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(12) It shall be a defence for an air carrier charged with an offence under subsection (11) to show that it took all reasonable steps to ensure compliance with this section."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(13) Proceedings for an offence under this section may be brought and prosecuted summarily by the Director."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(14) Where an offence under subsection (11) is committed by a body corporate and is proved to have been so committed with the consent or connivance of any person, being a director, manager, secretary or other officer of the body corporate, or a person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, that person shall, as well as the body corporate, be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished as if he or she were guilty of the first-mentioned offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(15) Where the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, subsection (14) applies in relation to the acts and defaults of a member in connection with his or her functions of management as if he or she were a director or manager of the body corporate.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 64:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cAssessment of passengers by PIU "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"86. (1) The PIU shall carry out an assessment of PNR data in respect of passengers on\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) an extra-EU flight, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) a designated intra-EU flight, prior to their scheduled arrival in, or departure from, the State for the purpose of identifying persons who require further examination by a competent authority or a competent authority in another Member State and, where relevant, by Europol, to determine whether such persons may be, or may have been, involved in a terrorist offence or serious crime, in respect of which there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, with the carriage of passengers by air."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Subject to subsection (3) , the PIU may determine criteria (in this section referred to as \u201cpre-determined criteria\u201d) to be used in processing PNR data for the purpose of conducting an assessment under subsection (1) and, where such criteria are determined, they shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) be targeted, proportionate and specific in nature,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) be regularly reviewed in consultation with the competent authorities, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) not, in any circumstance, be based on the race, ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, sexual life or sexual orientation of a person."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Notwithstanding the coming into operation of section 71 , where immediately before the coming into operation of that section, pre-determined criteria referred to in Regulation 5 of the Regulations of 2018 are in use in conducting assessments under that Regulation, those criteria shall be considered to be pre-determined criteria for the purposes of this section until new criteria are established under subsection (5) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) When carrying out an assessment under subsection (1) , the PIU may\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) compare PNR data against databases relevant for the purpose referred to in that subsection, only where such databases are databases containing data on persons or objects sought or under alert, in accordance with European Union, international and national law and the laws of the State applicable to such databases, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) process PNR data against pre-determined criteria."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) The PIU may establish pre-determined criteria and may, from time to time, update those criteria.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 65:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cTransfer of PNR data to another Member State and to competent authority "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"87. (1) Where the PIU carries out an assessment under section 86(1) and identifies a person who requires further examination by a competent authority in another Member State, the PIU shall, subject to subsection (4) , transfer the PNR data relating to that person and, where applicable, the result of the processing of such data by it, to the PIU of the Member State concerned for onward transfer to the competent authority in the Member State concerned."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Where the PIU carries out an assessment under section 86(1) and identifies a person who requires further examination by a competent authority, the PIU shall, subject to subsection (4) , transfer the PNR data relating to that person and, where applicable, the result of the processing of such data by it, to the competent authority concerned."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Where the PIU of another Member State transfers PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, or both, to the PIU for onward transfer by the PIU to a competent authority, the PIU shall, subject to subsection (4) , transfer the data and, where applicable, the result of the processing of such data, to the competent authority that is to carry out further examination of the data."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Where a person referred to in subsection (1) or (2) has been identified by the automated processing of PNR data, the PIU shall only transfer the PNR data relating to that person, in accordance with those subsections, where the PIU has carried out a review of the identification by non-automated means and has verified the identification of the person concerned.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 66:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Request by competent authority for PNR data"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"88. (1) A competent authority is entitled\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) to request, under subsection (2) , and receive, under section 87(2 ), PNR data, and the result of the processing of such data by the PIU, from the PIU, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) to request, under section 90(3) , PNR data, and the result of the processing of such data by the PIU of another Member State, from that PIU,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"in order to examine that data and take appropriate action for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting a terrorist offence or serious crime."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Where a request is received by the PIU from a competent authority for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data by the PIU, or both, the PIU shall, subject to section 93 , make an application to the Independent Authority for approval to transfer the data requested to the competent authority concerned where on the basis of the request\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the PIU considers there are reasonable grounds for believing that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the transfer of the data requested is necessary for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime and the carriage of passengers by air,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the PIU\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a serious crime, has a reasonable suspicion that a person, to whom the PNR data, the subject of the request, relates, is involved in any way with the crime, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a terrorist offence, infers that the PNR data, the subject of the request, could contribute effectively to the combatting of the offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) An application under subsection (2) shall be in writing, submitted by electronic means, and shall contain a copy of the request referred to in that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Following receipt of an application under subsection (2) , the Independent Authority shall review the application and, as soon as practicable and in any event not later than 96 hours after receiving the application, shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) decide, on the basis of the application, whether to approve the transfer of the PNR data, and, where applicable, the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) notify the PIU of the decision of the Independent Authority and the reasons for that decision."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where, under subsection (4) , the Independent Authority approves the transfer of the data requested, the PIU shall, as soon as practicable after receipt of the notification under paragraph (b) of that subsection, transfer the data to the competent authority concerned."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) Subject to subsection (7) , PNR data, and the result of the processing of such data by the PIU, transferred to a competent authority under subsection (5) , may be processed by the competent authority only for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting a terrorist offence or serious crime."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) Where evidence of an offence, other than the one referred to in subsection (6) , is detected during the processing of data referred to in that subsection, that subsection shall not affect law enforcement or judicial powers to process that data for purposes relating to that other offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(8) A competent authority shall not take any decision that produces an adverse legal effect on a person or significantly affects the person\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) only by reason of the automated processing of PNR data, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on the basis of the race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, sexual life or sexual orientation of the person.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 67:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cRequest from other Member State for PNR data "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"89. (1) Where a request is received by the PIU from the PIU of another Member State for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data by the PIU, or both, the PIU shall, subject to section 93 , make an application to the Independent Authority for approval to transfer the data requested, to the PIU of the other Member State where, on the basis of the request\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the PIU considers there are reasonable grounds for believing that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the transfer of the data requested is necessary for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime and the carriage of passengers by air,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the PIU\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a serious crime, has a reasonable suspicion that a person, to whom the PNR data, the subject of the request, relates, is involved in any way with the crime, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a terrorist offence, infers that the PNR data, the subject of the request, could contribute effectively to the combatting of the offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) An application under subsection (1) shall be in writing, submitted by electronic means, and shall contain a copy of the request referred to in that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Following receipt of an application under subsection (1) , the Independent Authority shall review the application and, as soon as practicable and in any event not later than 96 hours after receiving the application, shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) decide, on the basis of the application, whether to approve the transfer of the PNR data and, where applicable, the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) notify the PIU of the decision of the Independent Authority and the reasons for that decision."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Where, under subsection (3) , the Independent Authority approves the transfer of the data requested, the PIU shall, as soon as practicable after receipt of the notification under paragraph (b) of that subsection, transfer the data to the PIU of the other Member State."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where, in the case of an emergency, a competent authority of another Member State submits to the PIU a direct request for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data by the PIU, or both, the PIU shall, subject to section 93 , make an application to the Independent Authority for approval to transfer the data requested to the competent authority of the other Member State where, on the basis of the request\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the PIU considers there are reasonable grounds for believing that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the circumstances set out in the request constitute an emergency and the transfer of the data requested is necessary for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime and the carriage of passengers by air,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the PIU\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a serious crime, has a reasonable suspicion that a person, to whom the PNR data, the subject of the request, relates, is involved in any way with the crime, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a terrorist offence, infers that the PNR data, the subject of the request, could contribute effectively to the combatting of the offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) An application under subsection (5) shall be in writing, submitted by electronic means, and shall contain a copy of the request referred to in that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) Subsections (3) and (4) shall apply to an application under subsection (5) as they apply to an application under subsection (1) , subject to the modification that a reference in subsections (3) and (4) to subsection (1) shall be construed as a reference to subsection (5) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(8) Where, in exceptional circumstances, a request is received by the PIU from the PIU of another Member State to obtain PNR data from an air carrier at a time other than that provided for in section 85(6) , the PIU shall, subject to section 93 , make an application to the Independent Authority for approval to transfer the PNR data to the PIU of the Member State concerned where, on the basis of the request\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the PIU considers there are reasonable grounds for believing that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the transfer of the PNR data requested is necessary for the purpose of responding to a specific and actual threat related to a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime and the carriage of passengers by air,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the PIU\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a serious crime, has a reasonable suspicion that a person to whom the PNR data, the subject of the request, relates, is involved in any way with the crime, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a terrorist offence, infers that the PNR data, the subject of the request, could contribute effectively to the combatting of the offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(9) An application under subsection (8) shall be in writing, submitted by electronic means, and shall contain a copy of the request referred to in that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(10) Following receipt of an application under subsection (8) , the Independent Authority shall review the application and, as soon as practicable and in any event not later than 96 hours after receiving the application, shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) decide, on the basis of the application, whether to approve the transfer of the PNR data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) notify the PIU of the decision of the Independent Authority and the reasons for that decision."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(11) Where, under subsection (10) , the Independent Authority approves the transfer of the PNR data requested, the PIU shall as soon as practicable after receipt of the notification under paragraph (b) of that subsection\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) request the air carrier to transfer the PNR data to the PIU in accordance with section 85(7) , and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) provide the PNR data to the PIU of the Member State concerned.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 68:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Requests by PIU or competent authority to PIU of another Member State for PNR data"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"90. (1) Subject to subsection (5) , the PIU may make a request for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data by the PIU of another Member State, or both, to that PIU where the PIU considers\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) there are reasonable grounds for believing that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the transfer of the data to the PIU, is necessary for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature between the offence or crime and the carriage of passengers by air,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the PIU\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a serious crime, has a reasonable suspicion that a person, to whom the PNR data, the subject of the request, relates, is involved in any way with the crime, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a terrorist offence, infers that the PNR data, the subject of the request, could contribute effectively to the combatting of the offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) A request under subsection (1) may be for one or more of the PNR data elements listed in Schedule 2 , as are considered necessary by the PIU for the purpose referred to in that subsection, and shall include the reasons for the request."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) In cases of emergency, a competent authority may make a request for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data by the PIU of another Member State, or both, directly to that PIU, where the competent authority considers\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) there are reasonable grounds for believing that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the circumstances set out in the request constitute an emergency and the transfer of the data to the competent authority is necessary for the preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime and the carriage of passengers by air,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the competent authority\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a serious crime, has a reasonable suspicion that a person, to whom the PNR data, the subject of the request, relates, is involved in any way with the crime, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a terrorist offence, infers that the PNR data, the subject of the request, could contribute effectively to the combatting of the offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) In exceptional circumstances, the PIU may request the PIU of another Member State to request an air carrier to transfer PNR data to the PIU of that Member State at a time other than the time the air carrier normally transfers PNR data to the PIU of the other Member State concerned, and transmit the data to the PIU, where the PIU considers\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) there are reasonable grounds for believing that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the transfer of the data to the PIU is necessary for the purpose of responding to a specific and actual threat related to a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime and the carriage of passengers by air,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the PIU\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a serious crime, has a reasonable suspicion that a person, to whom the PNR data, the subject of the request, relates, is involved in any way with the crime, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a terrorist offence, infers that the PNR data, the subject of the request, could contribute effectively to the combatting of the offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where, in the case of a request referred to in subsection (1) , it is a requirement in the Member State to which the request referred to in that subsection is made that, before such a request is made to the PIU in that Member State, a court or other independent authority in the requesting Member State provide approval for the transfer of the PNR data, and, where applicable, the result of the processing of such data, the PIU shall make an application to the Independent Authority for approval to have the data transferred to it by the PIU of the other Member State."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) An application under subsection (5) shall be in writing, submitted by electronic means, and shall contain a copy of the request which the PIU proposes to make to the PIU of the other Member State."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) Following receipt of an application under subsection (5) , the Independent Authority shall review the application and, as soon as practicable and in any event not later than 96 hours after receiving the application, shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) decide, on the basis of the application, whether to approve the transfer of the PNR data and, where applicable, the result of the processing of such data, to the PIU, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) notify the PIU of the decision of the Independent Authority and the reasons for that decision."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(8) Where, under subsection (7) , the Independent Authority approves the transfer of data by the PIU of the other Member State, the PIU shall, when making a request under subsection (1) to which subsection (5) applies, notify the PIU of that other Member State of the decision of the Independent Authority.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 69:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cRequest by Europol to PIU for PNR data "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"91. (1) Where a request for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data by the PIU, or both, is received by the PIU from Europol, having been submitted by Europol to the PIU in accordance with Article 10, the PIU shall, subject to section 93 , make an application to the Independent Authority for approval to transfer the data to Europol where, on the basis of the request\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the PIU considers there are reasonable grounds for believing that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the transfer of the data requested will substantially contribute to the prevention, detection or investigation of a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime and the carriage of passengers by air,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the PIU\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a serious crime, has a reasonable suspicion that a person, to whom the PNR data, the subject of the request, relates, is involved in any way with the crime, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a terrorist offence, infers that the PNR data, the subject of the request, could contribute effectively to the combatting of the offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) An application under subsection (1) shall be in writing, submitted by electronic means, and shall contain a copy of the request referred to in that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Following receipt of an application under subsection (1) , the Independent Authority shall review the application and, as soon as practicable and in any event not later than 96 hours after receiving the application, shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) decide, on the basis of the application, whether to approve the transfer of the PNR data and, where applicable, the result of the processing of such data, to Europol, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) notify the PIU of the decision of the Independent Authority and the reasons for that decision."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Where, under subsection (3) , the Independent Authority approves the transfer of the data requested, the PIU shall, as soon as practicable after receipt of the notification under paragraph (b) of that subsection, transfer the data to Europol in accordance with Article 10(4).\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 70:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" \u201cTransfer of data to competent authority of third country "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"92. (1) Where a request is received by the PIU from a competent authority of a third country for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data by the PIU, or both, the PIU may, subject to section 93 , make an application to the Independent Authority for approval to transfer the data to the competent authority of the third country concerned, where, on the basis of the request\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the PIU considers there are reasonable grounds for believing that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the transfer of the data requested is necessary for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting a terrorist offence or serious crime in a Member State or the third country making the request, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime and the carriage of passengers by air,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the PIU is satisfied that the circumstances referred to in subsection (2) apply, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) the PIU\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a serious crime, has a reasonable suspicion that a person, to whom the PNR data, the subject of the request, relates, is involved in any way with the crime, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) where the request relates to a request for PNR data relating to a terrorist offence, infers that the PNR data, the subject of the request, could contribute effectively to the combatting of the offence."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) The circumstances referred to in subsection (1) are that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the transfer is consistent with the law of the State in relation to data protection,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) subject to subsection (6) , where the data that are sought in the request under subsection (1) were obtained by the PIU from the PIU of another Member State, the other Member State has given its prior consent to the transfer."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) the third country concerned agrees that it will only transfer the PNR data that is the subject of the request to another third country where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) such transfer is strictly necessary for the purpose of the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of a terrorist offence or serious crime in a Member State or the third country making the request, in respect of which offence or crime there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, with the carriage of passengers by air, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) having received the express written authorisation of the Director."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) An application under subsection (1) shall be in writing, submitted by electronic means, and shall contain a copy of the request referred to in that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Following receipt of an application under subsection (1) , the Independent Authority shall review the application and, as soon as practicable and in any event not later than 96 hours after receiving the application, shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) decide, on the basis of the application, whether to approve the transfer of the PNR data and, where applicable the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) notify the PIU of the decision of the Independent Authority and the reasons for that decision."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where, under subsection (4) , the Independent Authority, approves the transfer of the data requested, the PIU shall, as soon as practicable after receipt of the notification under paragraph (b) of that subsection, transfer the data to the competent authority of the third country."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) For the purposes of subsection (2)(b) , in exceptional circumstances, the PIU may, where PNR data is obtained by it from another Member State, permit the transfer of that data to a competent authority of a third country without the prior consent of the other Member State from which the PNR data were obtained, only if\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the transfer is essential in order to respond to a specific and actual threat related to a terrorist offence or serious crime in a Member State or third country, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the prior consent of the Member State concerned cannot be obtained in good time."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) Where subsection (6) applies in respect of a transfer of data under subsection (5) , the PIU shall, without delay, notify the PIU of the Member State from which the PNR data were originally obtained and make a record of the notification."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(8) Where the PIU is notified by a PIU of another Member State that there has been a transfer, by that PIU, to a third country of PNR data\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) that was originally obtained from the PIU, and (b) without the prior consent of the PIU, the PIU shall make a record of the notification and shall notify the data protection Officer for the purposes of section 76(5) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(9) PNR data shall be transferred under this section by the PIU to the competent authority of a third country only in accordance with the provisions of this Part and upon ascertaining that the use the recipients intend to make of the PNR data is consistent with the conditions and safeguards contained in this Part."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(10) In this section\u2014 \u201cserious crime\u201d means\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) where it relates to an offence in a Member State, an offence referred to in paragraph (b) of the definition of \u201cserious crime\u201d, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) where it relates to an offence in a third country, an offence in the third country equivalent to that referred to in paragraph (a) ;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cterrorist offence\u201d means\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) where it relates to an offence in a Member State, an offence referred to in paragraph (b) of the definition of \u201cterrorist offence\u201d, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) where it relates to an offence in a third country, an offence in the third country equivalent to that referred to in paragraph (a) .\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 71:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Disclosure of PNR data in case of duly justified urgency"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"93. (1) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) but for this section, the PIU would, in respect of a request under section 88(2) , 89(1) , 89(5) , 89(8) , 91(1) or 92(1) , otherwise be satisfied to bring an application to the Independent Authority under the subsection concerned for approval to transfer data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) where the circumstances specified in subsection (2) apply in respect of the request,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the Director shall authorise the transfer of the data, or the result of the processing of such data, or both, which is the subject of that request, in accordance with this section."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) The circumstances referred to in subsection (1) are that the Director is satisfied, on the basis of the request, that it is likely that, before approval for the transfer of the data concerned could be obtained from the Independent Authority under the subsection concerned, the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of a terrorist offence or serious crime, to which the request relates, would be impeded."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Where the Director authorises the transfer of PNR data under subsection (1) , he or she shall, as soon as practicable, and in any event not later than 24 hours after he or she issues the authorisation, apply to the Independent Authority for review of the authorisation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) An application under subsection (3) shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) be made in writing, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) specify the grounds on which the authorisation under subsection (1) was issued."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Following receipt of an application under subsection (3) , the Independent Authority, as soon as practicable, and in any event not later than 72 hours after receiving the application shall\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) review the grounds for the authorisation issued under subsection (1) for the purpose of determining whether it was necessary for, and proportionate to, the purposes for which it was issued,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) determine, on the basis of the review carried out under paragraph (a) , whether to affirm or revoke the authorisation, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) notify the PIU of its decision and the reasons for that decision."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) Where the Independent Authority revokes an authorisation under subsection (5) , the notice referred to in paragraph (c) of that subsection shall direct the Director to, without delay, notify the person specified in subsection (7) that\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the data transferred pursuant to the authorisation should be deleted, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) that the use or further use of that data by the person is prohibited."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) The person referred to in subsection (6) is\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in the case of a transfer of data to a competent authority pursuant to a request under section 88(2) , the competent authority concerned,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in the case of a transfer of data to the PIU of another Member State pursuant to a request under section 89(1) or (8) , or a competent authority of another Member State pursuant to a request under section 89(5) , the PIU of the Member State or competent authority of the Member State concerned,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) in the case of a transfer of data to Europol pursuant to a request under section 91(1) , Europol, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) in the case of a transfer of data to a competent authority of a third country pursuant to a request under section 92 , the competent authority of the third country that made the request under that section."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(8) Where the Independent Authority revokes an authorisation under subsection (4) , the Authority may, where it considers it appropriate to do so, refer the matter to the Data Protection Commission."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Chapter 6 "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Retention of PNR data and documentation \u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 72:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Period of data retention and depersonalisation"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"94. (1) PNR data transferred by an air carrier or by the PIU of another Member State to the PIU may be retained in the PNR database\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) for an initial period of 6 months from the date of the transfer, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) after the expiration of the period referred to in paragraph (a) , for a further period not exceeding 4 years and 6 months, where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the PIU has determined, having processed the PNR data in accordance with this Part during that initial period of 6 months\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(I) that there exists, in respect of the data, objective evidence of a risk related to a terrorist offence or serious crime, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(II) there is an objective link, whether of a direct or an indirect nature, between the offence or crime referred to in clause (I) and the carriage of passengers by air,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) the data are depersonalised in accordance with subsection (3) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Where the PIU does not make a determination referred to in subsection (1)(b)(i) during the period referred to in that provision in respect of PNR data, the PNR data concerned shall be deleted permanently."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) PNR data shall be depersonalised through masking out the following data elements which could serve to identify directly a passenger to whom the PNR data relates:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) passenger name or names, including the\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) names of other passengers on the passenger name record, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) number of passengers on the passenger name record travelling together;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) address and contact information;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) all forms of payment information, including billing address, to the extent that it contains any information which could serve to identify directly the passenger to whom the PNR data relate or any other persons;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(d) frequent flyer information;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(e) any general remarks relating to the PNR data to the extent that they contain any information which could serve to identify directly the passenger to whom the PNR data relate;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(f) any API data that have been collected."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Where an assessment is carried out under section 86(1) and the result of that assessment is the identification of a person who requires further examination by a competent authority or a competent authority in another Member State (in this section referred to as a \u201cpositive match\u201d), that result shall only be retained by the PIU for as long as is necessary to\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) transfer the PNR data relating to that person and, where applicable, the result of the processing of such data by the PIU, to the PIU of the Member State concerned under section 87(1) , or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) transfer the PNR data relating to that person and, where applicable, the result of the processing of such data by the PIU, to the competent authority concerned under section 87(2) ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where an assessment is carried out under section 86(1) by automated processing and results in a positive match, which, following an individual review by non-automated means in accordance with section 87(4) , is proven not to be a positive match (in this section referred to as a \u201cfalse positive match\u201d), the result of the automated processing and the result of the review by non-automated means may be retained by the PIU, for the purpose of avoiding future false positive matches in respect of the person, for a period not exceeding 6 months from when the PNR data were received by the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) PNR data retained in accordance with subsection (1) shall be deleted permanently upon the expiration of the period of 5 years from the date they were transferred to the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, or both, that have been transferred to a competent authority by the PIU shall be deleted permanently by the competent authority\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) upon the expiration of a period of 5 years from the date they were transferred to the competent authority, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) where the data were retained by the competent authority for the purpose of the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of a terrorist offence or serious crime and proceedings for such offence are brought against any person, on the day on which final judgment is given in the proceedings,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"whichever occurs later."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(8) The Director shall ensure that all PNR data retained by the PIU in accordance with this section are kept securely and that only such persons as are authorised in writing by him or her shall be permitted to have access to such data.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 73:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Maintenance of documentation and retention of records"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"95. (1) The PIU shall maintain documentation relating to all of its systems and procedures relating to the processing of personal data under this Part, which documentation shall contain at a minimum\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the name and contact details of members of staff of the PIU authorised to process PNR data and, where applicable, levels of access authorised to that data;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) details of the requests made to the PIU by competent authorities and PIUs of other Member States under this Part;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) details of all requests from, and transfers to, a competent authority of a third country of PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data by the PIU."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) The PIU shall keep records of the processing operations involving the collection, consultation, disclosure and erasure of PNR data."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Records kept under subsection (2) in relation to the consultation and disclosure of PNR data shall include, in particular, details of\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the purpose, date and time of the processing operation concerned, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in so far as is possible\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the identity of the staff member of the PIU who consulted or disclosed the PNR data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) in the case of data that is disclosed, the identity of the recipients of such data."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Records kept under subsection (2) shall be\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) used by the PIU solely for the purposes of verification, self-monitoring, ensuring data integrity and security and auditing, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) subject to subsection (5) , kept for a period of 5 years."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where records kept under subsection (2) contain PNR data, that PNR data shall be retained in accordance with section 94 ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) The PIU shall, on request of the Data Protection Commission, make available to the Commission all documentation and records required to be maintained under this section."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) The Director shall ensure that all documentation created by or on behalf of, and maintained by, the PIU in relation to processing systems and procedures, and all records kept by the PIU in accordance with this section, are kept securely and that only such persons as are authorised in writing by him or her shall be permitted to have access to such documentation or records."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Chapter 7 "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Transitional provisions: Regulations of 2018\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 74:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Interpretation ( Part 17 , Chapter 7 )"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"96. A reference in this Chapter to a numbered Regulation is a reference to that Regulation so numbered in the Regulations of 2018.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 75:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Transitional arrangements in relation to assessment of PNR data by PIU"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"97. (1) Where, before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , the PIU has commenced but not completed an assessment referred to in Regulation 5(1)(a), the assessment shall, on or after that date, be completed under section 86 and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly to that assessment."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the coming into operation of section 71 , the PIU has carried out an assessment referred to in Regulation 5(1)(a) and has identified a person who requires further examination, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the PIU has not transmitted the PNR data or the result of the processing of such data in accordance with Regulation 6(1) or (2),"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the assessment shall, on and after that date, be taken to be an assessment carried out under section 86(1) and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 76:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Transitional provisions: transfers of PNR data to the PIU"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"98. (1) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , an air carrier has transferred to the PIU\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) PNR data, in accordance with Regulation 10(1) or (2), or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) API data, in accordance with Regulation 10(3),"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, an assessment referred to in Regulation 5(1)(a) has not been commenced by the PIU, or has been commenced but has not been completed,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the transfer of the data by the air carrier to the PIU shall, on and after that date, be taken to be a transfer\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) in the case of PNR data referred to in subsection (1)(a)(i) , section 85(1) , and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) in the case of API data referred to in subsection (1)(a)(ii) , section 85(5) ,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , PNR data relating to a person, or the result of the processing of those data, have been transmitted to the PIU by the PIU of another Member State under Regulation 6(3), and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the data have not been transmitted by the PIU to the relevant competent authority (within the meaning of the Regulations of 2018),"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the data shall, on and after that date, be taken to be data received by the PIU under section 87(3) and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 77:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Transitional provisions: requests to PIU for PNR data"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"99. (1) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is received by the PIU for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, from\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) the PIU of another Member State, under paragraph (1) of Regulation 7, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) a competent authority of another Member State under paragraph (4) of that Regulation,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, have not been transmitted to the PIU of the other Member State, or the competent authority of the other Member State, as the case may be, on foot of the request,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the request shall, on and after that date, be taken to be\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) in the case of a request referred to in paragraph (a)(i) , a request received under section 89(1) , and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) in the case of a request referred to in paragraph (a)(ii) , a request submitted under section 89(5) ,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is received by the PIU for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, from\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) a PIU of another Member State, under paragraph (2) of Regulation 7, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) a competent authority of another Member State, under paragraph (5) of that Regulation,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, an application has not been made to the District Court under paragraph (2) or paragraph (5), as the case may be, of that Regulation,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the request shall, on and after that date, be taken to be\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) in the case of a request referred to in paragraph (a)(i) , a request received under section 89(1) , and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) in the case of a request referred to in paragraph (a)(ii) , a request submitted under section 89(5) ,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Where before the date of coming into operation of section 71 \u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) a request is received by the PIU for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, from\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) a PIU of another Member State, under paragraph (2) of Regulation 7, or"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) a competent authority of another Member State, under paragraph (5) of that Regulation,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) an application has been made to the District Court under paragraph (2) or paragraph (5), as the case may be, of that Regulation, but has not been determined by that Court that date,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"then on or after that date, that application shall be determined by the District Court in accordance with the Regulations of 2018 and, where the District Court approves the transmission of the data concerned, the PIU shall transfer the full data to the PIU of the other Member State, or the competent authority of the other Member State, as the case may be, in accordance with that Regulation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , the transmission of data has been approved by the District Court under paragraph (2) or (5) of Regulation 7, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the data have not been transferred under the paragraph concerned following such approval,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"then on or after that date, the PIU shall transfer the full data to the PIU of the other Member State, or the competent authority of the other Member State, as the case may be, in accordance with that Regulation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(5) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is received under paragraph (7) of Regulation 7 by the PIU from the PIU of another Member State to obtain PNR data from an air carrier, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the PIU has not requested the air carrier concerned to transfer the requested data to the PIU,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the request shall be taken to be a request under section 89(8) and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(6) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is received under Regulation 8(1) by the PIU from Europol for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the data have not been transferred to Europol,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the request shall, on and after that date, be taken to be a request received by the PIU under section 91(1) , and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(7) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is received under paragraph (2) of Regulation 8 by the PIU from Europol for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, an application has not been made to the District Court under that Regulation,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the request shall, on and after that date, be taken to be a request received by the PIU under section 91(1) and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(8) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is received under paragraph (2) of Regulation 8 by the PIU from Europol for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, an application has been made to the District Court under that Regulation but has not been determined by that Court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"then, on or after that date, that application shall be determined by the District Court in accordance with the Regulations of 2018, and where the District Court approves the transmission of the data concerned, the PIU shall transmit the full data to Europol in accordance with that Regulation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(9) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , the transmission of data has been approved by the District Court under paragraph (2) of Regulation 8, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the data have not been transmitted under that provision following such approval,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"then, on or after that date, the PIU shall transmit the full data to Europol in accordance with that Regulation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(10) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is received under paragraph (2) of Regulation 9 by the PIU from a competent authority for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, an application has not been made to the District Court under that Regulation,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the request shall, on and after that date, be taken to be a request made under section 88(2) and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(11) Where before the coming into operation of section 71 \u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) a request is received under paragraph (2) of Regulation 9 by the PIU from a competent authority for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) an application has been made to the District Court under that Regulation but has not been determined by that Court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"then, on or after that date, that application shall be determined by the District Court in accordance with the Regulations of 2018, and where the District Court approves the transmission of the data concerned, disclosure of the full PNR data may be made in accordance with that Regulation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(12) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , the transmission of data has been approved by the District Court under paragraph (2) of Regulation 9, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the data have not been disclosed under that provision following such approval,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"then, on or after that date, disclosure of the full PNR data may be made in accordance with that Regulation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(13) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request has been received by the PIU under paragraph (1) of Regulation 16 from a third country for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, have not been transmitted to the third country,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the request shall, on and after that date, be taken to be a request received by the PIU under section 92(1) and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(14) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is received by the PIU under paragraph (2) of Regulation 16 from a third country for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, an application has not been made to the District Court under that Regulation,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the request shall, on and after that date, be taken to be a request received by the PIU under section 92(1) and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(15) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is received by the PIU under paragraph (2) of Regulation 16 from a third country for PNR data, or the result of the processing of such data, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, an application has been made to the District Court under that Regulation but has not been determined by that Court,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"then, on or after that date, that application shall be determined by the District Court in accordance with the Regulations of 2018, and where the District Court approves the transmission of the data concerned, the PIU shall transmit the full data to the third country concerned in accordance with that Regulation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(16) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , the transmission of data has been approved by the District Court under paragraph (2) of Regulation 16, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the data have not been transmitted under that provision following such approval,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"then, on or after that date, the PIU shall transmit the full data to the third country concerned in accordance with that Regulation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(17) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a transfer of PNR data to a third country has taken place pursuant to paragraph (3) of Regulation 16 without the prior consent of the Member State from which the PNR data were obtained, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the PIU has not informed the PIU of the Member State concerned of the transfer,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the PNR data shall, on and after that date, be taken to have been transferred in accordance with section 92(6) , and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 78:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Transitional provisions: requests by PIU for PNR data"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"100. (1) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is made by the PIU to the PIU of another Member State under paragraph (8) or (10) of Regulation 7, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the data requested have not been transferred to the PIU by the PIU of the other Member State concerned,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the request shall, on and after that date, be taken to be\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) in the case of a request under paragraph (8) of that Regulation, a request under section 90(1) , and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) in the case of a request under paragraph (10) of that Regulation, a request under section 90(4) ,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Where\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , a request is made by a competent authority to the PIU of another Member State under paragraph (9) of Regulation 7, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) on that date, the PNR data requested have not been transferred to the competent authority by the PIU of the Member State concerned,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the request shall, on and after that date, be taken to be a request under section 90(3) , and the provisions of this Part shall apply accordingly.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 79:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Transitional provisions: retention of PNR data"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"101. (1) PNR data that is, immediately before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , lawfully retained in a database of the PIU, may, on the coming into operation of that section, continue to be retained under section 94 , subject to the modifications that, in the case of data continued to be retained pursuant to this section\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) a reference in section 94(1)(a) to an initial period of 6 months from the date of the transfer shall be taken to be a reference to the balance of an initial period of 6 months from the date of the transfer of the PNR data concerned to the PIU under the Regulations of 2018, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) a reference in section 94(1)(b) to a further period not exceeding 4 years and 6 months shall be taken to be a reference to the balance of a period, not exceeding 4 years and 6 months commencing on the date of the expiration of the initial period of 6 months from the date of the transfer of the PNR data under the Regulations of 2018."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) PNR data that is, immediately before the date of coming into operation of section 71 , lawfully retained by a competent authority, in accordance with Regulation 11 shall, on the coming into operation of that section, continue to be retained by that competent authority under subsection (7) of section 94 , subject to the modification that, in the case of data continued to be retained pursuant to this section, a reference in paragraph (a) of that subsection to a period of 5 years shall be taken to be a reference to the balance of the period of 5 years referred to in Regulation 11(3)(a)."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(3) Where immediately before the date of coming into operation of section 71 the result of an assessment of passengers under Regulation 5(1)(a) has been retained for the purpose referred to in that provision, the PIU may, on and after that date, continue to retain that result under subsection (4) of section 94 for as long as is necessary for the purpose referred to in paragraphs (a) or (b) , as the case may be, of that subsection."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(4) Where the result of automated processing has been proven to be negative as referred to in Regulation 11(6) and that result is, immediately before the coming into operation of section 71 , retained by the PIU in accordance with that provision for a period of less than 6 months, that result may, on the coming into operation of that section, continue to be retained by the PIU under section 94(5) \u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) for the balance of that 6 month period, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) for the purposes referred to in that subsection.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 80:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 55, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c Transitional provisions: retention of documentation and records"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"102. (1) Documentation maintained by the PIU under paragraph (1) of Regulation 12 immediately prior to the date of coming into operation of section 71 shall, on and after that date, continue to be maintained by the PIU in accordance with section 95 ."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(2) Records that are lawfully kept by the PIU under paragraph (2) of Regulation 12 immediately prior to the date of coming into operation of section 71 shall, on and after that date, be kept for the balance of the period of 5 years referred to in paragraph (4)(b) of that Regulation in accordance with section 95 , subject to the modification that, in the case of records continued to be kept pursuant to this section, a reference in section 95(4) to a period of 5 years shall be taken to be a reference to the balance of the period of 5 years referred to in paragraph (4)(b) of Regulation 12.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 81:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 69: In page 56, to delete lines 13 and 14 and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c69. Schedule 5 to the [ ]Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 is amended in paragraph 1(4) by\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) the substitution of \u201cAn Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na,\u201d for \u201cAn Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the Defence Forces in respect of their own members,\u201d, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) the insertion, after \u201cthe Companies Registration Office,\u201d, of the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cthe Courts Service,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the Defence Forces in respect of its own members,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"the Director of Public Prosecutions,\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Amendment No. 82 is to be discussed with amendments Nos. 83 and 92. They are related and will be discussed together. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 82:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 65: In page 56, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cAmendment of [ ] Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"72. The [ ]Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 is amended\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in section 11, by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (3):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(3) A direction under subsection (1) or (2) may include such ancillary or consequential directions as the court concerned considers appropriate.\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in section 20(2)\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) in paragraph (b), by the substitution of \u201cin such manner as may be specified in the rules,\u201d for \u201cin such manner as may be specified in the rules, and\u201d, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (b):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(ba) in relation to the transmission of a document referred to in paragraph (b) or (c) of subsection (1), require that the identity of the person receiving such a document be verified, including by the provision of the personal public service number (also within the said meaning) issued to the person, in such manner as may be specified in the rules, and\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) in section 26, by the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (3):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(3) A direction under subsection (1) or (2) may include such ancillary or consequential directions as the court concerned considers appropriate.\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jim O'Callaghan  Amendment No. 82 makes a number of technical amendments to the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020. It also repeals two redundant provisions of the 2020 Act.  Amendment No. 83  amends the Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act 2021. It is a purely consequential amendment to take account of the proposed insertion in this Bill of a provision for statements of truth in criminal and international co-operation proceedings.   Amendment No. 92 amends the long title consequential on amendments Nos. 82 and 83. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 83:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 72: In page 56, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cAmendment of [ ] Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act 2021"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"73. The [ ]Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act 2021 is amended\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(a) in section 1\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) in subsection (1), by the insertion of the following definitions:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c \u2018Act of 2026\u2019 means the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 ;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2018 section 67 statement of truth\u2019 has the same meaning as it has in section 67 of the Act of 2026;\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) in subsection (2), by the substitution of \u201cSection 21(3) of the Act of 2020 and section 67(3) of the Act of 2026\u201d for \u201cSection 21(3) of the Act of 2020\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(b) in section 2\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(i) in subsection (1)\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(I) in paragraph (b), by the deletion of \u201cor\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(II) in paragraph (c), by the substitution of \u201csection 21 of the Act of 2020, or\u201d for \u201csection 21 of the Act of 2020\u201d, and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(III) by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (c):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(d) in a section 67 statement of truth made in place of an affidavit in accordance with section 67 of the Act of 2026,\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(ii) in subsection (2), by the substitution of \u201cparagraph (a), (b), (c) or (d)\u201d for \u201cparagraph (a), (b) or (c)\u201d,"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(c) in section 6(1), by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (b):"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201c(ba) a section 67 statement of truth made in place of a statutory declaration in accordance with section 67 of the Act of 2026;\u201d.\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 84:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Schedule: In page 62, after line 20, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cSCHEDULE 2"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Passenger Name Record (PNR) data "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"1. PNR record locator"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"2. Date of reservation\/issue of ticket"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"3. Date(s) of intended travel"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"4. Name(s)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"5. Address and contact information (telephone number, email address"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"6. All forms of payment information, including billing address"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"7. Complete travel itinerary for specific PNR"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"8. Frequent flyer information"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"9. Travel agency\/travel agent"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"10. Travel status of passenger, including confirmations, check in status, no-show or go-show information"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"11. Split\/divided PNR information"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"12. General remarks (including all available information on unaccompanied minors under 18 years, such as name and gender of the minor, age, language(s) spoken, name and contact details of guardian on departure and relationship to the minor, name and contact details of guardian on arrival and relationship to the minor, departure and arrival agent"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"13. Ticketing field information, including ticket number, date of ticket, issuance and one-way tickets, automated ticket fare quote fields"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"14. Seat number and other seat information"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"15. Code share information"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"16. All baggage information"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"17. Number and other names of travellers on the PNR"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"18. Any advance passenger information (API) data collected (including the type, number, country of issuance and expiry date of any identity document, nationality, family name, given name, gender, date of birth, airline, flight number, departure date, arrival date, departure port, arrival port, departure time and arrival time)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"19. All historical changes to the PNR data listed in numbers 1 to 18 .\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 85:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Schedule: In page 62, after line 20, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cSCHEDULE 3"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Serious crime "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"1. General"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"sections 2(1), (2), (3), (4) and (6) of the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act 1976 (No. 14 of 1976) to the extent that the offence in the Schedule of that Act related to the alleged offence is one listed in Schedule 3 of this Act"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 11 of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 (No. 2 of 2005) to the extent that the offence in Part 1 or Part 2 of Schedule 6 of that Act related to the alleged offence is one listed in Schedule 3 of this Act"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 71 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 (No. 26 of 2006) to the extent that it relates to the alleged offence of conspiracy to commit an offence listed in Schedule 3 of this Act and the offence is one for which a person may be punished by imprisonment for a term of 3 years or more"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"2. Participation in a criminal organisation"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 21 or 21A of the Offences against the State Act 1939 (No. 13 of 1939)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 6 of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 (No. 39 of 1998)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 72 or 73 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 (No. 26 of 2006)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"3. Trafficking in human beings"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 9 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 (No. 20 of 1993)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 3 of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 (No. 22 of 1998)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2, 4 or 5 of the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 (No. 8 of 2008)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 5 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 2011 (No. 5 of 2011)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 38 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 (No. 6 of 2018)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 6, 7, 8 or 14 (other than subsection (8)(c) of that section) of the Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Act 2021 (No. 42 of 2021)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"4. Sexual exploitation of children and child pornography"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 6 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 (No. 20 of 1993)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2, 3, 4 or 5 of the Sexual Offences (Jurisdiction) Act 1996 (No. 38 of 1996) in so far as it relates to any offence specified in the Schedule of that Act that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 3 years"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 3, 4, 4A, 5, 5A or 6 of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 (No. 22 of 1998)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 249(1) of the Children Act 2001 (No. 24 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 176(2) of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 (No. 26 of 2006)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2, 3 or 3A of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006 (No. 15 of 2006)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 42 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 (No. 2 of 2017)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"5. Illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 3 (other than in the case of a first or second offence as provided for by section 27(1)), 15, 15A, 15B, 17, 19 or 21 (in so far as it relates to any offence specified in section 27 of that Act that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 3 years) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (No. 12 of 1977)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 34 of the Criminal Justice Act 1994 (No. 15 of 1994)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 3(1), 3(2), 4, 5(1), 8(6) or 10(8) of the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010 (No. 22 of 2010)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 14 of the Customs Act 2015 (No. 18 of 2015)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"6. Illicit trafficking in weapons, munitions and explosives"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 4, 5, 31, 40, 43 or 81 of the Explosives Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict.) c. 17"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2, 3, 4(1) or 5 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883 (46 & 47 Vict.) c. 3"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2, 15, 16 or 17 of the Firearms Act 1925 (No. 17 of 1925)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 27A or 27B of the Firearms Act 1964 (No. 1 of 1964)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 4 of the Firearms (Proofing) Act 1968 (No. 20 of 1968)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 7, 8 or 12 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990 (No. 12 of 1990)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 3 of the Chemical Weapons Act 1997 (No. 28 of 1997)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 6 or 9 of the Cluster Munitions and Anti-Personnel Mines Act 2008 (No. 20 of 2008)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 14 of the Customs Act 2015 (No. 18 of 2015)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"7. Corruption"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 5, 6, 7, 9 or 10 of the Criminal Justice (Corruption Offences) Act 2018 (No. 9 of 2018)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 42A of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (No. 50 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"8. Fraud, including that against the financial interests of the European Union"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Conspiracy to defraud"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 119 of the Registration of Title Act 1964 (No. 16 of 1964)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2 of the Criminal Damage Act 1991 (No. 31 of 1991)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 1078 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 102 (other than subsections (1) and (2) of that section) of the Finance Act 1999 (No. 2 of 1999)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 42, 42A, 42B(3), 45 (in so far as it relates to an offence under section 42, 42A or 42B(3)) or 51 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (No. 50 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 119 of the Finance Act 2001 (No. 7 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 6 of the Competition Act 2002 (No. 14 of 2002) being an offence involving an agreement, decision or concerted practice to which section 8(1) applies"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"subsection (3) or (4) of section 78 and section 78A of the Finance Act 2005 (No. 5 of 2005)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 251, 252 (other than an offence under section 252(1)(d)), 253, 254, 255, 262 or 262A of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (No. 26 of 2005)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 17 or 19 of the Criminal Justice Act 2011 (No. 22 of 2011)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 82, 87(5), 101, 102(3), 102(5), 286, 294, 324, 330, 387, 388, 389, 406, 507, 716, 717, 718, 719, 720(1), 721, 722, 767(4), 776, 876, 877, 878, 1148, 1200 or 1260 of the Companies Act 2014 (No. 38 of 2014)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 14 of the Customs Act 2015 (No. 18 of 2015)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 15A of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (No. 64 of 2015)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 5 of the Markets in Financial Instruments Act 2018 (No. 25 of 2018)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 26(1) of the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na (Compensation) Act 2022 (No. 33 of 2022)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"9. Laundering of the proceeds of crime and counterfeiting of currency, including the euro"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 or 38 (in so far as it relates to an offence under section 33, 34, 35, 36 or 37) of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (No. 50 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 7, 8, 9, 10, 30A, 30B, 33A(3), 36A, 38, 38A, 39, 40C, 54, 57, 57A, 59, 108A or 109A of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 (No. 6 of 2010)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"10. Computer-related crime \/ cybercrime"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2, 3 or 4 of the Criminal Damage Act 1991 (No. 31 of 1991)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 9 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (No. 50 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 of the Criminal Justice (Offences Relating to Information Systems) Act 2017 (No. 11 of 2017)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 8 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 (No. 2 of 2017)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"11. Environmental crime, including illicit trafficking in endangered animal species and in endangered plant species and varieties"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 3 or 4 of the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act 1977 (No. 1 of 1977)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 32 (other than an offence under subsection (6) where the offence consists of a contravention of regulations under subsection (4) of that section) of the Waste Management Act 1996 (No. 10 of 1996)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 71B of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 (No. 15 of 2013)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"12. Facilitation of unauthorised entry and residence"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 6, 7, 8 or 14 (other than subsection (8)(c) of that section) of the Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Act 2021 (No. 42 of 2021)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"13. Murder, grievous bodily injury"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Murder"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Manslaughter"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 4, in relation to conspiracy to murder, of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict.) c.100"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 53 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (No. 24 of 1961) where the alleged contravention of subsection (1) causes death or serious bodily harm to another person"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 4(a) and (b) of the Criminal Justice Act 1990 (No. 16 of 1990)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 3A, 4, 4A, 5, 6, 7(1), 8, 12, 13, 13A or 14 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997 (No. 26 of 1997)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2 or 3 of the Criminal Justice (United Nations Convention Against Torture) Act 2000 (No. 11 of 2000)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2, 3 or 4 of the Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012 (No. 11 of 2012)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"14. Illicit trade in human organs and tissue"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under section 2 or 4 of the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 (No. 8 of 2008)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"15. Kidnapping, illegal restraint and hostage-taking"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 15, 16 or 17 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997 (No. 26 of 1997)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 9 of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 (No. 2 of 2005)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 38 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 (No. 6 of 2018)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"16. Organised and armed robbery"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 26 of the Firearms Act 1964 (No. 1 of 1964)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 4, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 or 18 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (No. 50 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 71A, 72 or 73 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 (No. 26 of 2006)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"17. Illicit trafficking in cultural goods, including antiques and works of art"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under section 4, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 or 18 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (No. 50 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"18. Counterfeiting and piracy of products"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 92 of the Trade Marks Act 1996 (No. 6 of 1996)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 140 or 141 of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 (No. 28 of 2000)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 or 38 (in so far as it relates to an offence under section 33, 34, 35, 36 or 37) of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (No. 50 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"19. Forgery of administrative documents and trafficking therein"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under section 25, 26, 27, 28 or 29 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (No. 50 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"20. Illicit trafficking in hormonal substances and other growth promoters"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Regulation 34 of the European Communities (Control of Animal Remedies and their Residues) Regulations 2009 (S. I. No. 183 of 2009)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"21. Illicit trafficking in nuclear or radioactive materials"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 38 of the Radiological Protection Act 1991 (No. 9 of 1991)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2 of the Biological Weapons Act 2011 (No. 13 of 2011)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"22. Rape"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2, 3 or 4 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990 (No. 32 of 1990)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 22 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001 (No. 18 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 21 or 22 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 (No. 2 of 2017)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"23. Crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under section 7, 8 or 11 of the International Criminal Court Act 2006 (No. 30 of 2006)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"24. Unlawful seizure of aircraft\/ships"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 11 of the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1973 (No. 29 of 1973)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 3 of the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1975 (No. 9 of 1975)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 10 of the [ ]Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act 1976 (No. 14 of 1976)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2 of the Maritime Security Act 2004 (No. 29 of 2004)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"25. Sabotage"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 1 of the Treason Act 1939 (No. 10 of 1939)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2 of the Criminal Damage Act 1991 (No. 31 of 1991)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 166, 167 or 168 of the Electoral Reform Act 2022 (No. 30 of 2022)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 24, 25(8), 26(2) or 29(6) of the Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Act 2023 (No. 4 of 2023)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"26. Trafficking in stolen vehicles"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 112(2) (inserted by section 3 of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act [ 1984 ] (No. 16 of 1984)) of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (No. 24 of 1961)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 10 of the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act 1976 (No. 14 of 1976)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 4, 14, 17 or 18 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (No. 50 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"27. Industrial espionage"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An offence under\u2014"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 4, 9, or 15 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (No. 50 of 2001)"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"section 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 of the [ ]Criminal Justice (Offences Relating to Information Systems) Act 2017 (No. 11 of 2017)\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 86:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Schedule: In page 62, after line 20, to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cSCHEDULE 4"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Section 78(1) "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Competent Authorities "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Office of the Revenue Commissioners"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Minister for Social Protection"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Permanent Defence Force\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 87:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Title: In page 7, line 10, after \u201cpeace;\u201d to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cto amend the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1926 to enable members of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to use certain apparatus for wireless telegraphy to interfere with unmanned aircraft systems for the purposes of carrying out the function of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na;\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 88:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Title: In page 7, line 20, after \u201camend\u201d to insert \u201cthe Misuse of Drugs Act 1984,\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 89:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Title: In page 7, line 21, after \u201cproceedings;\u201d to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cto repeal Chapter 3 of Part 2 of the [ ][ ][ ]Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024 and to make provision in relation to evidence regarding the vouching of character of persons convicted of certain offences; to confer a power on members of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to direct a person wearing a face covering to engage, or refrain from engaging, in certain matters in certain circumstances, to provide for an offence for failure to comply with such a direction and for those purposes to amend the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994;\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 90:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Title: In page 8, line 4, after \u201cthat\u201d to insert \u201cand another\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 91:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Title: In page 8, line 13, after \u201cactivity;\u201d to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cto make provision for the use of electronic means, and the making of statements of truth, in certain proceedings; to give further effect to Directive (EU) 2016\/681 on the use of passenger name record (\u201cPNR\u201d) data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime; to provide for the continuation of the Passenger Information Unit and for the processing, including retention, of passenger name record data by that Unit and by competent authorities; to provide for the continued designation of intra-EU flights, and the designation of all extra-EU flights, for the purpose of the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crimes; to provide for the designation of an Independent Authority and the conferral of certain functions on that Authority, including the conduct of reviews of the process for the designation of intra-EU flights and the approval of applications for the transfer, to other Member States and third countries, of passenger name record data and for those purposes to provide for the revocation of the European Union (Passenger Name Record Data) Regulations 2018;\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment No. 92:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Title: In page 8, line 18, after \u201c2015,\u201d to insert the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u201cthe [ ]Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020, the [ ]Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act 2021,\u201d."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Seanad amendments reported."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The agreement to the Seanad amendments is reported to the House and a message will be sent to Seanad \u00c9ireann acquainting it accordingly. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: From the Seanad"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_36","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/74","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/74\/dail\/3_sub","houseCode":"dail","stage":"3_sub","isBillStage":false,"showAs":"Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages","counts":{"speechCount":22,"speakerCount":5},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_36","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"SECTION 1"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 are related will be discussed together. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Marie Sherlock  I move amendment No. 1:  In page 3, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following:  \u201c(a) by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (1):  \u201c(1A) The Minister shall, not later than 12 months after the coming into operation of this subsection, and every year thereafter, prepare and lay before each House of the Oireachtas a report on progress towards making contraception services available without charge to all women which shall include\u2014  (a) the number of women who availed of contraception services in the preceding year, by reference to age,  (b) an assessment of the case for prescribing a further age or class or classes of ages under subsection (5),  (c) an assessment of the case for making available under this section the contraception services referred to in subsections (1) and (4) by reference to an age that is under the age of 17 years,  (d) an assessment of the barriers to accessing contraception services experienced by women who are unable to readily demonstrate that they are ordinarily resident in the State or to furnish a personal public service number, including women who are undocumented, women who are applicants for international protection, women experiencing homelessness and women who have experienced domestic, sexual or gender-based violence, and the measures taken or proposed to be taken to remove those barriers, and  (e) the implementation of such commitments relating to contraception as are contained in any strategy or action plan relating to sexual health published by the Minister and for the time being in force.\u201d,\u201d.  Amendment No. 1 seeks to ensure a report is prepared not later than 12 months after the coming into operation of the subsection and every year thereafter. It is effectively a report on the performance, of the provisions that we are currently legislating for. Last week, I warmly welcomed this Bill and talked about the huge benefit it will have for women. I also wanted to highlight that there were significant issues with access to our health services for certain women.  A National Women's Council survey found that there are barriers particularly for women who do not have a PPS number, disabled women, Traveller women and LGBTQ+ women. There are cultural prejudices that they do not need contraception and of course geographical barriers. My call is to maintain data on the number of women who are availing of the services, understanding the profile of who is actually accessing the services and also understanding the barriers as set out in that survey and indeed those that we have picked up anecdotally. Many of us who have an interest in women's health have come to understand that in terms of dealing with any marginalised group. I appeal to the Minister to make sure that we have proper data collection to ensure that we get the most out of this legislation.  Pointing to something else, we know there is a big gap in the uptake of the medical card and we have to understand why. The big issue we are trying to highlight here is that while it is fantastic that the legislation will provide for access to contraception via our pharmacies, we need to make sure that we look at who else should be able to access it.  Effectively amendment No. 2 does not change anything but it gives the Minister the power to legislate to lower the age of access to the contraception scheme. It does two things. The scheme currently covers those aged 17 to 36. We in the Labour Party have spoken about the need to increase that upper age. We know that the Minister can do that by ministerial regulation. We know that women are fertile far beyond their 36th year. If they are able to access services such as termination services regardless of age, we do not see why there should be an age applied. It would cost relatively little. It would cost \u20ac5 million per year to increase the age threshold with regard to contraception services. We believe the Minister can do that by ministerial regulation.  However, section 67E of the Health Act 1970 precludes the Minister from legislating for access to contraception services for those under the age of 17. The age of medical consent is 16 and we believe that the contraception scheme should be standardised to 16. Effectively we want to empower the Minister to be able to reduce the age to 16 for the contraception scheme. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Health (Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)  I thank the Deputy for the amendments and the spirit in which they have been put forward. It is important to be able to have these discussions. I will deal with second one. The Deputy is quite right that ages of consent vary. Medical consent is 16, sexual activity is 17, consent under GDPR is 18, and that can lead to some complexity. It can lead to confusion on the part of young people seeking care and risk aversion on the part of the clinicians treating them. The HSE clinical experts recommend that healthcare professionals need a clear regulatory and legal framework to manage the complex needs of those aged under 17 who present independently away from parents or anything else. There is strong concern about the child protection elements of that.  Though that framework should include training and education as well as child protection and legal protections, it should also provide access to contraception and sexual health services where clinically appropriate in line with international guidance on the rights of the child. However, they do not recommend lowering the age of consent, which I acknowledge is not necessarily what the Deputy is suggesting. They are suggesting that the linking of the two things is problematic and that it does not necessarily increase child protection. They are worried about different behaviours being adopted at earlier and earlier ages and having negative impacts for children. There was a very important piece of research done into sexual activity between children aged 15 to 17. It shows about 25% of 15- to 17-year-olds have had sex but the majority of those were 17 and therefore eligible for the free contraception scheme. I appreciate the point the Deputy is making.  I will go with the clinical guidance on this because I do not want to rush something like that in legislation on this occasion with this amendment. I appreciate the importance of the point the Deputy is making but I also hear the case in relation to child protection more broadly and the protection of those more particularly vulnerable cases who may be presenting independent of parents. I am not in a position and I do not have research that enables me to take a position beyond the clinical expertise at this point in relation to it. I cannot put it any further than that at this time.  On amendment No. 1, I understand exactly why the Deputy is raising it. I am not sure it is necessary in legislation. We can do so much of that through parliamentary questions, the health committee and other things, and we want to do that. It is very important that both the Deputy and the National Women's Council identify the particular barriers that exist for women in certain groups, whether it is, as the Deputy said, to do with PPS numbers, or Traveller, Roma or migrant groups. There are groups that have particular barriers to accessing health. That is one of the reasons we created the women's health task force, which has a funding stream specifically and additionally for that.  When it came to funding the Health Research Board, HRB, this year, I asked it specifically to support women's research with a \u20ac2 million dedicated fund. This was in four areas: menstrual health, endometriosis, the mental health issues postpartum in traumatic birth cases, but in particular the issues around access to health generally for those much more marginalised groups. I say this as a measure of attempted reassurance about our concern for and awareness of those groups in trying to index as many different ways as possible to try to support those groups because I recognise the barriers they face in so many different ways whether it is language, culture, PPS numbers or customs and habits. There are so many different things and we want to provide healthcare for all. I am glad to have the opportunity to discuss it but I am not sure it is necessary for legislation. However, in any other context I will give the Deputy whatever information I can in relation to how we are doing with it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Marie Sherlock  I thank the Minister. I feel very strongly that in bringing forward amendment No. 2, and I have listened carefully to the Minister's response, that judgment should not be passed on why a 16-year-old girl might present to a pharmacy seeking contraception. It would be very worrying if the message were to go out that we are trying to control or dissuade behaviours. The history of our State has been trying to control and dissuade behaviours when we know that behaviours are happening. The intent behind this amendment in particular is for vulnerable girls out there who are in a situation where they do not have a supportive family environment but perhaps are being exploited in some other context and need access. I hear what the Minister is saying about child protection but at the end of the day we need to look at the health separate to child protection. It is part of child protection but it also has to be considered separately because it is an immediate need for a young woman who legally remains a child but who may be involved in sexual behaviour at the age of 16.  Of course, we know there are other girls who access contraception not because of needing it for the original use but for other health conditions. We need to be very mindful that we want to create a health service that can afford access to those who are in difficult situations. The vast majority of those under the age of 18 will be going with the consent or knowledge of their parents, but there are definitely females out there, particularly in marginalised communities, who need to access contraception and who do not have the means to be making a doctor's appointment. We believe being able to access it through the caring environment of a pharmacy would be really appropriate.  I ask the Minister to reconsider amendment No. 2. As I say, it does not change anything. It merely empowers the Minister to make a decision armed with greater research and evidence at a future date to legislate to lower the age. It is to standardise with the age of consent of 16 and it is important that the Minister should have that power because she is currently precluded from it as we read the 1970 Act. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  I welcome the Bill. We spend a lot of time inside these Houses talking about other parts of reproductive healthcare and not enough about contraception, so it is really welcome that we are having a focus and discussion on it and are moving forward with changes.  On the point in relation to the eligibility piece, it is important that we expand eligibility as much as possible, and at the older age groups as well. In a reply to a parliamentary question last month, the Minister said that expanding access for 36- for 40-year-olds only costs \u20ac5 million per year and that is something that should be considered in terms of increasing the age group upwards as well. The National Women's Council report found that 31% of women experienced barriers in accessing free contraception and age limit was one of the most cited barriers there as well. It is certainly something that should be considered. It is not a huge amount of money. It would increase access and we need to expand the eligibility more broadly. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  If I had all of the money in the world, of course I would simply do these different things but I have to make choices between different things that the Oireachtas wants to spend money on. There are so many requests to spend money. There are never requests to find other things to do with them. Yes, if I had the money, of course, but that would also mean having to make choices around assisted human reproduction or putting more money into menopause clinics. There are so many different things for which we need more money and more positions. I do recognise the calls from the National Women's Council in relation to that. It really is a question of how much money we have for everything.  I am struck by Deputy Sherlock's comments in relation to protection. I am trying to distinguish child protection from all other issues. I hope there would be no girl at this point in the Irish healthcare system who would experience any judgment for presenting to any healthcare professional. That is not the message we are trying to send in any sense whatsoever. I also recognise there are some girls who are in extremely vulnerable situations but those are exactly the girls who also need a child protection response to what is happening to them. Seventeen is the age of consent as legislated by the Oireachtas. It is the age of sexual consent. We have spent a long time with that and there is no proposal to revise that as such. It is not the case that a 15- or 16-year-old girl will be able to go into the pharmacy in the first instance. This Bill provides that the follow-up care and appointments would be in the pharmacy for the additional four and a half years but that she would still have to go to a GP in the first instance.  If a 15-year-old presented to a GP for contraception that raises questions. Is it to manage a different condition, for example, for which there is evidence or concern? We have discussed endometriosis, for example. I do not know. I am not a clinician. I do not want to misrepresent that, but I can see scenarios as the Deputy describes in which that may be relevant. However, if there are broader child protection concerns that doctor also needs to be able to see and spend time with that girl. I am not happy to go against the clinical advice I have on this. The clinical advice I have is that earlier sexual debut is associated with adverse outcomes. It is not just about unplanned pregnancy; it is about other concerns and other protections. That is why we have chosen 17 and not 16. I was here for that debate some time ago. It is logical and aligned to have sexual activity consent age aligned with the age for accessing free contraception. Those things are logical. The Deputy might conversely say that it is logical around medical consent as well and I appreciate that point also. However, on the basis that I have the clinical advice, I do not have a reason to go against that at this point. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Marie Sherlock  I move amendment No. 2:  In page 3, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following:  \u201c(b) in subsection (6), by the substitution of \u201c16 years\u201d for \u201c17 years\u201d,\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 1 agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"SECTION 2"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 3 to 7, inclusive, and amendment No. 10 are related and may be discussed together. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I move amendment No. 3:  In page 4, lines 26 and 27, to delete \u201cor medical device\u201d.  We have a number of Government amendments to the Bill which collectively remove a reference to a medical device or devices from the Bill. Our pharmacy regulators, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, have been able to confirm to me that none of the contraceptives to be included in the pharmacy scheme are classified as medical devices.  Amendments Nos. 3 to 5, inclusive, essentially look to remove the reference to medical devices. Amendment No. 4 removes references to medical devices from the proposed amendments to the Pharmacy Act 2007. To recap, sections 2 and 3 amend the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995 and the Pharmacy Act 2007 in order to support the clinical service and associated training requirements that must be fulfilled to provide the contraception-prescribing service. Those sections ensure that the scheme is clearly enabled and cross-referenced through a refreshed legislative framework supporting pharmacy prescription of contraception.  Amendments Nos. 6 and 7 are to delete the references to medical devices within the Long Title. As I said, both of our regulators have asked that references to medical devices be removed. As stated last week, the current forms of contraception that will be included in the pharmacy prescription services are the contraceptive pill, the patch and the ring. Those are medicinal products and not medical devices. I hope the House is happy with those changes, which are largely technical in nature. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I move amendment No. 4:  In page 4, line 27, to delete \u201cor medical devices\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I move amendment No. 5:  In page 4, line 32, to delete \u201cor device or devices\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 2, as amended, agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"SECTION 3"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I move amendment No. 6:  In page 5, lines 8 to 10, to delete all words from and including \u201csubsection (3A)\u2014\u201d in line 8 down to and including in line 10, and substitute \u201csubsection (3A),\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I move amendment No. 7:  In page 5, lines 15 to 17, to delete all words from and including \u201csubsection (3B)(a)\u2014\u201d in line 15 down to and including line 17, and substitute \u201csubsection (3B)(a),\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 3, as amended, agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"NEW SECTION"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  I move amendment No. 8:  In page 5, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following:   \u201cReport on prescription-free oral contraceptives   4. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann a report on a proposal to allow registered pharmacists to dispense prescription-free oral contraceptives.\u201d.  This is an amendment looking for a report on the provision of prescription-free oral contraceptives. It calls on the Minister, within six months of the passing of the Act, to lay before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann a report on the proposal to allow registered pharmacists to dispense prescription-free oral contraception. While the Bill as printed allows pharmacists to represcribe certain contraceptives, we believe that oral contraceptives should be available prescription-free. The oral contraceptive pill has been around for well over half a century and is one of the safest and most well-studied medicines available. In 2019, the World Health Organization publicly stated that oral contraception should be available without needing prescription. In 2023, the Irish Pharmacy Union, IPU, told the Oireachtas health committee that there is no clinical reason for oral contraceptives to be supplied only on foot of prescription, with proper protocols in place for a very safe and effective healthcare intervention. In 2023, the health committee endorsed the IPU's call and wrote to the previous Minister for Health urging him to allow direct access to oral contraceptives through community pharmacists. Community pharmacists had been providing emergency contraception prescription-free since 2011. There is no clinical reason this should not be extended to oral contraceptives.  Pharmacists are highly trained healthcare professionals. They should be allowed to operate at the top of their licence. They are available in every community and are very accessible. They have private consulting rooms, already used for emergency contraception. If we find that a patient would benefit more from long-acting, reversible contraceptives, the patient can be referred to the GP by the pharmacist. Accepting this amendment would further alleviate pressures on already overstretched GPs. We know that the report published by the National Women's Council in April found that the survey respondents cited access to GPs as a significant barrier in accessing the free contraceptive scheme, particularly for migrants, people from rural areas and Travellers. It would also be particularly beneficial for those not eligible for the free contraception scheme. It would reduce the cost since they would not have to go to the GP. We are looking for the Minister to consider that issue and produce a report for the D\u00e1il within six months. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I thank the Deputy. I confess that we were not exactly clear on the nature of the contraceptives overall. Can I just clarify whether the Deputy is referring to progesterone only or combined, or simply the initial access in the pharmacy? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  We are talking about the prescription of oral contraceptives as called for by the World Health Organization, as set out by the Irish Pharmacy Union and as endorsed by the previous health committee. We are looking for a report on that with the detail of the various elements, if more detail is required. It was from that call from the IPU, endorsed by the health committee. The committee previously wrote to the Minister about access to oral contraceptives. There is a letter in the Department from the previous health committee, in 2023, setting out the detail on this. That is the call as endorsed by the IPU. Beyond that, the Minister may consider the report. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I have better clarity on that now. This Bill is the culmination of a couple of years of work begun by my predecessor on the provision of contraception through pharmacies. That work commenced with consideration of the matter by the expert clinical committee on contraception, which was convened by the HSE. The crucial thing about the recommendations is that we are so pleased to be able to extend the follow-up service to pharmacies but we are not in a position to remove it from the clinical judgment of the GP in the first instance. That initial prescription has to come from a GP because there are so many contraindications for contraception for so many different types of women. I am aware that in some other countries, some contraceptives are given out over the counter, such as a progesterone-only pill. Combined hormonal contraception is recognised as being much more effective than that but it carries additional risk, for example for women with a personal or strong family history of certain conditions like blood clotting, cardiovascular disease and cancer, those who have significantly high blood pressure, those who smoke, or those who are aged over 35. There is a link with a higher risk of adverse effects. There are other contraindications too.  The clinical advice in the draft protocols, which was constructed with advice from our expert clinicians and pharmacy regulators, is looking to see that measurements such as blood pressure and other risk factors are evaluated in person and in the privacy of a consulting room. That is obviously initially with the GP but the follow-up is with the pharmacist. The more structured approach that we are trying to give is about making sure that those protections are in place, that there is the clinical judgment of the GP in the first instance, followed up by the pharmacist, and also that it is not a simple over-the-counter service and there is a consultation or appointment for it.  I do not think this is the case, but the Deputy can imagine a situation where a person is asking for something over the counter and there is a stigma. I am not sure that is the case at all because people have the ability to ask for things in private in pharmacies generally. Having the consultation room set-up, which I know the Deputy is not suggesting we do not have, is important. It is important that we have constructed a scheme which is more dedicated to that privacy and confidentiality structure.  We are not in a position to accept the amendment, again based on the substantial clinical advice which has gone into this from the HSE and the pharmacy regulator. I am and we are trying to expand so much of what our pharmacies can do. The Deputy has great belief in pharmacists and their technical expertise. Obviously, we have established the common condition service. We are now giving them this power too and we would very much like to extend that. When it comes to contraception, that first prescription-based structure followed by a structure that monitors how women are over time, recognising that their health may change in a five-year period, is a clinical structure that is important to maintain. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  It is important that we allow pharmacists to operate at the top of their licence and give them as much power as possible, and alleviate pressures on GPs. As I said, this is recommended by the World Health Organization and endorsed by the previous health committee and the IPU. That is the background to this amendment. Many pharmacists have private spaces where they do consultations about emergency contraception. Those spaces exist. It is one that we can maybe think about and have dialogue and engagement about in future. We can think about how we make the most of pharmacists and take pressure off GPs, while doing so with the best health outcomes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  Like everything, it is better to start something and develop it rather than wait for something else. We are trying to start so much with pharmacists. It is important to remind everyone about the national condom distribution scheme too, which we are expanding to pharmacies on a phased basis. Obviously condoms are not prescription items and do not have to be covered by this legislation. Pharmacists do not have to prescribe them as such. Free condoms are being made available in pharmacy consulting rooms. Access is being phased into pharmacies in different regions.  By the time we launch that scheme, participating pharmacies will be able to access a free condom supply for their consulting room so they can offer them to people who might need them, which is a good thing. For reasons of patient safety, it is better to begin a scheme like this in a structured way. The scheme expands access more broadly and it achieves the goal of trying to get pharmacies to do more while making life easier for women generally, which I am a big fan of. Let us start this and see how and where it goes. If the clinical advice changes on the operation of this scheme, we can come back to it. Let us start this well and move forward with it. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Amendment No. 9, in the name of Deputy Rice, has been ruled out of order. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment No. 9 not moved."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Section 4 agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"TITLE"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I move amendment No. 10:  In page 3, lines 8 and 9, to delete \u201cmedicines, products and devices\u201d and substitute \u201cmedicines and products\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Title, as amended, agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Pursuant to Standing Order 194(3), I report specifically to the D\u00e1il that the committee has amended the Title of the Bill. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Bill reported with amendments, received for final consideration and passed."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_37","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Double Taxation Relief Orders 2026: Motions","counts":{"speechCount":2,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_37","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Deputy Robert Troy)  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann approves the following Order in draft:  Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income and on Capital) (the Principality of Liechtenstein) Order 2026,  a copy of which was laid before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 25th June, 2026 "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Deputy Robert Troy)  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann approves the following Order in draft:  Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income and Capital Gains) (Sweden) Order 2026,  a copy of which was laid before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 25th June, 2026. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Double Taxation Relief Orders 2026: Motions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_38","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Planning and Development Regulations 2026: Motions","counts":{"speechCount":2,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_38","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy John Cummins)  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann approves the following Regulations in draft:  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026,  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 2) Regulations 2026,  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 3) Regulations 2026,  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 4) Regulations 2026,  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 5) Regulations 2026,  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 6) Regulations 2026, and  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 7) Regulations 2026,  copies of which were laid in draft form before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 2nd July and 14th July, 2026. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy John Cummins)  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann approves the following Regulations in draft:  Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026,  a copy of which was laid in draft form before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 2nd July, 2026. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Planning and Development Regulations 2026: Motions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-15\/debate\/dbsect_39","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/16","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/16\/dail\/2","houseCode":"dail","stage":"2","isBillStage":true,"showAs":"Social Housing Passport Bill 2026: Second Stage [Private Members] (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Social Housing Passport Bill 2026: Second Stage [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_39","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The following motion was moved by Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin on 9 July 2026: \"That the Bill be now read a Second Time.\""},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"To delete all words after \"That\" and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann resolves that the Social Housing Passport Bill 2026 be deemed to be read a second time this day twelve months, to allow for further consideration of the proposals in the Bill.\""},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"- (Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan)"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the Social Housing Passport Bill 2026, taken on Thursday, 9 July 2026. On amendment No. 1, a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Motion, as amended, agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar athl\u00f3 ar 7.51 p.m. go dt\u00ed 8.47 a.m., D\u00e9ardaoin, an 16 I\u00fail 2026."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The D\u00e1il adjourned at 7.51 p.m. until 8.47 a.m. on Thursday, 16 July 2026."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Social Housing Passport Bill 2026: Second Stage [Private Members]"}]}}]},"contextDate":"2026-07-15"},{"debateRecord":{"house":{"showAs":"34th D\u00e1il","committeeCode":"","houseCode":"dail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/house\/dail\/34","chamberType":"house","houseNo":"34"},"chamber":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/def\/house\/dail","showAs":"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann"},"lastUpdated":"2026-07-16T11:14:58+00:00","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/main","formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/main.xml"},"pdf":null},"date":"2026-07-14","counts":{"contributorCount":160,"divisionCount":1,"debateSectionCount":35,"questionCount":13,"billCount":1},"debateType":"debate","debateSections":[{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_2","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions","counts":{"speechCount":14,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Good afternoon and welcome to all our guests in the Gallery. I call Deputy McDonald on Leaders' Questions under Standing Order 38. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  Sandra Deans is living a nightmare. Three weeks ago, her 14-year-old son Jayden was knocked down by a speeding scrambler in a hit-and-run incident. Jayden was on his way to the shops and he was hit as he crossed the road at the Five Lamps in the inner city. When his mother Sandra got the call and hurried to the scene, she arrived not knowing whether her son was alive or dead. Jayden has suffered a very serious injury to his leg. He has been left with a broken mangled leg and incredible trauma. He is now confined to his home and needs constant care while he recovers. Sandra is understandably very distraught but she is also very angry.  People in the north inner city of Dublin and beyond, across our suburbs in Finglas and Cabra and all across the country, are sick to the back teeth of gangs on high-speed e-scooters and scramblers literally bringing havoc and real danger to our neighbourhoods. They speed through our communities with absolutely no regard for anybody's safety not to mind the law. These vehicles are being used to deliver drugs. They are also involved in open intimidation and create a real sense of menace and a sense of fear in our neighbourhoods.  When Grace Lynch, who was only 16, died when she was hit by a scrambler in January, the Taoiseach said at the time that everything would be done. He said, and I believe he told Grace's parents, that this death was enough, that Grace was enough, and that we were not going to tolerate this situation any longer. Grace's Law was supposed to mark a real turning point for us. We are months on from its enactment and we see the plague of all of this getting worse and not better. Grace's parents, Siobh\u00e1n and Martin Lynch, are here with us today in the Public Gallery and I welcome them. Later today they will appear at the justice committee. They say and they know that certainly not enough is being done to face down this scourge. They say correctly that unless the law is enforced, then it essentially means nothing. Martin, her dad, has told how his blood boils when he sees scramblers and e-scooters moving at high speed across our city with no consequences for the people on them.  Lives have been lost. We know of the loss of lives in Carlow and in Galway. We know there are children on life-support machines in Temple Street hospital and beyond. Real harm and real damage is being done. The question has to be asked today: what is the Government doing about it?  How is it possible that it is so easy for anybody to walk into a toy store and walk out with an e-scooter? In many cases, these e-scooters are being bought and they are moving way beyond 25 km\/h. They are moving at 60 km\/h and 70 km\/h. We know that the scrambler bikes, in reality, in many cases, are motorbikes. We know there is not the requirement to have these vehicles registered and to have those using them licensed and to have tax and insurance - all of the standard things that we expect of anybody else using the roads. I want to know what the Taoiseach is going to do. When is this going to change? When will the Garda be resourced? When will garda\u00ed have the training? When will they have the equipment to get on top of this and to make our communities safe? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputies  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  What the Deputy has described is horrific for Sandra - I did not get her surname - and her son Jayden. It is something that we are going to deal with very robustly. The legislation in terms of Grace\u2019s law was enacted on 3 April. We are now in the middle of July. I know the Garda Commissioner is speaking to the Oireachtas committee as well.  There has been very proactive seizure of scramblers and, indeed, of e-scooters. About 2,000 e-scooters have been seized since 2024 and about 418 scramblers have been seized since 2024. The impact of these scramblers is horrific, as we know in the context of the appalling killing of Grace Lynch. I met Siobh\u00e1n and Martin and I know how committed and dedicated they are to ridding society of this scourge. We will use every lever at our disposal to do this.  The Minister for Transport will be working with the Minister for justice to bring in legislation to ensure that garda\u00ed are protected while in pursuit of anyone on a scrambler or e-scooter. The Minister for Health has sought a full and comprehensive report from CHI in respect of injuries to children as a result of e-scooter accidents. The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Se\u00e1n Canney, is looking at all options in respect of e-scooters, including a full ban if necessary. There are options open to the House in terms of regulation or a full ban. The expectation is that the report from CHI will be of profound consequence in terms of what will be detailed in respect of the impact of e-scooters. In respect of scramblers, they are now explicitly banned for any use in any public place.  The Minister for justice and the Garda Commissioner are continuing to examine any further actions they can do to clamp down on the illegal use of scramblers and e-scooters. There has been some progress in terms of Operation Meac\u00e1n and operations of that kind. The Commissioner will give a presentation today to the committee in this regard. Operation Meac\u00e1n looks, in particular, at the use of electric vehicles for criminal activity across the Dublin metropolitan area. Significant days of action have been carried out as a result of that, with e-scooters and e-bikes seized during the operation of Operation Meac\u00e1n.  I refer to the resources, the equipment and the legislation. It is not just about legislation. It is now about enforcement and it is also about ensuring that garda\u00ed are protected as they enforce this law and this regulation. Irrespective of new laws, garda\u00ed obviously have to weigh up and balance their interventions at given times in terms of the pursuit of some of these people, particularly those on scramblers. People are fed are up of it, however, and people have had enough of this. We are determined, with An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, to do everything we possibly can to rid scramblers from public places.  If that does not transpire in terms of their continued frequency, we may have to look more at what would ordinarily be seen as extreme action in respect of scramblers more generally and what they are purported to be originally used for. I think we will have to look at every option in respect of this issue. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  It certainly is about enforcement. Scramblers might be banned from public roads in theory but that is far from the reality. I would invite the Taoiseach to come to my neighbourhood of Cabra, Finglas or the north inner city and he will see the reality. They are an absolute scourge and a source of immediate danger to people's lives. So much more has to be done. People on the ground do not see a Government action that is determined to get on top of this. They see a very lacklustre, half-hearted response. The GRA has stated that not one garda has the training in respect of pursuit of people on these vehicles. The policy of non-pursuit is hugely problematic. These gangs on bikes and e-scooters know full well they will not be pursued. They have to be pursued. The training has to be provided for the garda\u00ed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Taoiseach to respond now, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  Taoiseach, riddle me this: how is it these vehicles have no requirement to be registered? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Taoiseach to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  Every single one of them, e-scooters as well as bikes, should be registered, taxed and insured. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Taoiseach will respond now, Deputy. Thank you. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  Why is that not already the case? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  As I said, vehicles are being pursued on an ongoing basis. This idea that there is not pursuit----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  They are not. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(Interruptions)."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I am talking about generally. The idea that garda\u00ed do not pursue criminals or activities is wrong. Yes, there have been cases, unfortunately, taken against garda\u00ed. That is why the Ministers are bringing in additional legislation to protect garda\u00ed while in pursuit. Even with that legislation, we all know judgment has to applied in given situations because pursuits are dangerous in themselves. It could be potentially dangerous to innocent bystanders or pedestrians. We had similar situations in different times which ultimately we got control of. It was not scramblers then; it was joyriding and all of that. We got control of that through various mechanisms working together. We have to do the same now in pursuing this issue. The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Canney, will be back to the House in terms of regulations for e-scooters or a ban on e-scooters, which I must say I am leaning towards myself. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_3","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Visit of French Delegation","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Before our next question, as colleagues can see, we have a number of guests in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. I hope you will all join with me in giving them a hearty c\u00e9ad m\u00edle f\u00e1ilte. First, I am delighted, especially on Bastille Day, to welcome Mr. Michel Barnier, member of the National Assembly of France, former prime minister, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator and great friend of the Irish.  I also welcome the ambassador to Ireland, H.E. C\u00e9line Place. You are most welcome. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Visit of French Delegation"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_4","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Visit of Canadian Delegation","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_4","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Just behind them is a delegation from Canada led by Mr. James Maloney, MP, president of the Canada-Ireland Interparliamentary Group, and accompanied by H.E. Dennis King, the ambassador to Ireland from Canada. You are most welcome. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Visit of Canadian Delegation"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_5","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed (At\u00f3g\u00e1il) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed)","counts":{"speechCount":62,"speakerCount":9},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_5","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":" A Deputy","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  In a break from tradition but as we are doing the welcomes - we have a lot of people in the Public Gallery - I wish to especially welcome Siobh\u00e1n and Martin Lynch whom some have mentioned already. They are the parents of Grace Lynch who was killed in a tragic accident in January. They are in the Gallery today. They will be making an appearance at a meeting of the justice committee. You are most welcome today.  I call Deputy Cairns. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  I also welcome Grace's parents, who are in the Public Gallery, and Michel Barnier, the ambassadors and others who are in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery.  On behalf of the Social Democrats, I extend our sincere best wishes to the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, and his family. Everyone in this House wishes him a full and speedy recovery. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" A Deputy","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" A Deputy  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  The decision by An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la to grant planning permission for apartments at Bessborough is disgusting. This represents yet another failure, a betrayal by the State of the thousands of women and children who were incarcerated and abused there and of the 859 children and 19 women who remain unaccounted for and are presumed dead. I read An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la's decision in detail and I cannot get over it. It states, \"from the information available, there is no evidence that there are unrecorded burials\" on the development site. Yet, the report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes said it was highly likely that burials took place on the grounds. What happened after that conclusion was reached? Was there a comprehensive survey of the grounds? Was ground-penetrating radar used? Were test excavations conducted? No. Instead, planning permission was granted to build apartments over the unmarked graves of disappeared children.  Unlike those done in Tuam and at Sean Ross Abbey, the so-called archeological assessment carried out by the commission has never been published. It remains sealed, along with the entire archive of documents relating to Bessborough. No one can access those documents, not even An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la. The fact the latter can grant planning permission and simultaneously conclude that the history of burials on the grounds is incomplete is just appalling. The trauma this has caused survivors is immeasurable. One survivor Terry Meyer told the Irish Examiner it was like \"a stab in my heart and soul\" because it showed \"the inhumanity, and the callousness\".  Two weeks ago when I asked the Taoiseach to purchase the site using a compulsory purchase order, CPO, he told me he was waiting for the outcome of the appeal before deciding how to respond. He has it now, so what is he going to do? Will he unseal all records about burials from the archive of the mother and baby homes commission? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Sorry, I----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  Will he ask the Attorney General to order an inquest into the deaths of children and women in Bessborough, as he has the power to do under section 4 of the Coroner's Act 1962? Critically, will the Government CPO the land? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Deputy's presentation as to archives being sealed is somewhat disingenuous and totally inaccurate. My understanding is that the action the State took - well I know, because it was dealt with by means of legislation introduced by the previous Government - was to protect those archives. If we had not introduced that legislation, they would not be extant now. They would have been destroyed by the commission. We need honesty in this debate, and we need to stop name-calling everyone and saying people are doing this and sealing that. We are not. The actions of the previous Government in respect of this issue were comprehensive. For the first time, we overcame certain constitutional issues in order to ensure that everyone who was adopted had access to their full birth records. That was always the most consistent demand made by people. That is what happened then.  During the term of office of the previous Government, there was a huge campaign to try to block the legislation. If that legislation had not been passed by he Houses, the archives would have been destroyed. It was a dishonest and outrageous campaign that was organised by people who should have known better. Thanks be to God the then Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, brought the legislation through because it has protected the archives. As the Deputy will be aware, we will have a national archive centre for all material relating to all industrial schools, mother and baby homes and other institutions, for its preservation, conservation and, ultimately, to allow people who wish to do so to access it.  In respect of Bessborough, it must be stated that An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la is independent. I hope the Deputy accepts that. It is independent of the Government and the Oireachtas. People may describe its actions as disgusting and so on, but it is independent in its planning functions.  If we ever reached a day when politicians felt they could intervene in various issues on an ongoing basis, that would become problematic for society over time.  In respect of the Bessborough site and the decision, there is no evidence yet that there were any burials on the specific site on which an application has been made to build housing. The Bessborough site was originally 200 acres. It is now 60 acres. An element of the land was bought. I am on record as saying that I would have preferred for the State to have bought that land back in 2018 or 2019 via the local authority. That did not happen. It is my understanding that it was bought in different lots. There have been State buildings, buildings that provide services to the State, on the Bessborough site for quite a long time. There has been lots of activity on that site for a long time, since long before the commission of inquiry.  The commission of inquiry examined the Bessborough site extensively. This included cartographic and archival research, site surveys and public appeals for information. I apologise. I do not have time to go through this. I will come back in on it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  I take it from the Taoiseach's reply and his talk about respecting An Bord Plean\u00e1la's decision that the answer is that the Government will not be issuing a CPO for the land. The Taoiseach may correct me if I am wrong because I hope the Government is going to make moves to compulsorily purchase the land. However, I believe this will go down as the most callous decision by this Government. A commission of investigation said that it is highly likely that children whose deaths went uninvestigated are buried in these grounds but the Taoiseach is saying to go ahead and build apartments on the site. He underestimates the strength of feeling on this issue. Crucially, he underestimates the strength of survivors. This is fundamentally wrong. Not only do the survivors know it but the general public do as well. I do not believe this build will go ahead. I know people will chain themselves to the gates before diggers can roll in there to build and to concrete over land where potentially hundreds of children are buried. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Deputy and call on the Taoiseach to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  Will the Taoiseach clarify whether the Government is going to compulsorily purchase the land? He can call it what he wants. The Taoiseach says the records are not sealed but the archives are closed. Even An Bord Plean\u00e1la could not access them. Will the Taoiseach open them? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Deputy has now said that a decision of An Bord Plean\u00e1la is the most callous decision of this Government. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  I said that the Government's decision not to compulsorily purchase----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I am sorry; I did not interrupt you. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  With respect, you are misrepresenting what I said. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I did not interrupt the Deputy. She does not have a monopoly on empathy or anger on this issue. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  No one cares about what you think about a monopoly on caring. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I did not heckle you. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  This is about people who are buried in the ground. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Hang on a second---- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  Save us the spiel about how much you care. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Am I not allowed to speak? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert Troy  Why is her microphone on? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Are you going to shout me down all of the time? Do you not believe in freedom of expression for everyone in the House? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  Answer the question. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  It is wrong for the Deputy to misrepresent me and to misrepresent the Government's position on this. We were not involved in An Bord Plean\u00e1la's decision. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  There was a----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Deputy, please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  By the way, while I have not had the opportunity to go through this, the Deputy knows that because of the planning protections in the laws we have passed, if any human remains are found there, work has to stop immediately. There has to be a forensic archaeological strategy involved. That is mandatory. A forensic archaeologist must be present throughout the entirety of the excavation works. All works must cease immediately if human remains are discovered. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Time is up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Having said that, in terms of your basic question on a compulsory purchase----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Taoiseach, the time is up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I was heckled again. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I am afraid you were----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I am not being given the opportunity----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  -----not afforded the opportunity. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  There has been a lot of misrepresentation. The Ceann Comhairle allowed the Deputy to speak. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The problem is that the Deputy----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Butler  Deputy Cairns took 30 seconds. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Chief Whip but I am in the Chair. I call on Deputy Ivana Bacik. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We need a bit of balance here. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Let this be a lesson to other Members to listen to the answer. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Butler  This is so unfair. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  It is not unfair. Time is time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Butler  It is completely unfair. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  Last Thursday's decision granting permission for development to proceed on the site of the former Bessborough mother and baby home is indeed deeply disappointing. It has caused immense distress and concern to survivors and many other people across the country. I have been listening carefully to what the Taoiseach has said but it is extremely distressing for everyone to hear the conditionality attached to the permission that works must stop if human remains are found on the grounds. That alone should be a cause of immense concern to anyone who has read anything of the history of Bessborough. Ten days ago, I visited the site myself. It is in the Taoiseach's own constituency and I know he has been there himself. I was there with survivor advocate Carmel Cantwell, Labour Senator Laura Harmon and our councillors, Ciara O'Connor and Peter Horgan. We saw at first hand the very poignant memorial bearing the names of just some of those women and children who lived and died at Bessborough.  Survivors in the local community had to assemble this memorial themselves because there is so little to mark the suffering of the thousands of mothers and babies who passed through that institution over many decades. Of the 923 babies died there, just 64 are accounted for. Over 800 babies are missing.  Standing at the site, the weight of suffering is palpable. We owe those who suffered there - the mothers, the babies and their descendants and families - a proper memorial and a duty of preservation. Bessborough should be a site of conscience. There is huge cross-party agreement on that. Last Thursday\u2019s decision has understandably caused this outpouring of distress. The decision was made without access to relevant records. That has already been debated that to and fro, but I think we can all agree that it was made without access to all relevant records and without the benefit of modern technology being used to survey the grounds extensively.  Often when we talk about institutional abuse, it is in circumstances where the Government is trying to make amends for terrible wrongs that have already happened in the past. I am thinking of the Bill Kenneally case, which we are going to be discussing this afternoon. This time, we have an opportunity to prevent a wrong from happening because there are babies unaccounted for and living survivors, like Terry Meyer in today's edition of the Irish Examiner , telling us that they witnessed burials on the grounds of Bessborough. This is a live issue, and we still have time to do the right thing. Imagine if we had concreted over the site at Tuam before Catherine Corless had carried out her incredible work there. Imagine what would have been lost. We cannot allow that to happen at Bessborough.  Two weeks ago, the Taoiseach conceded in this House that Cork City Council should have compulsorily purchased the site years ago. Let us approach this debate with honesty. The Taoiseach said that. I agree with him. However, Cork City Council did not acquire the site under CPO, so what now? If the Taoiseach genuinely believes, and I think he does, that the site should have been acquired, then there is a moral imperative on the Government to act now. The State should secure Bessborough through compulsory purchase, if necessary, or by negotiating with the developer. It is not too late to do this. No building work has started yet. Bessborough must be brought into State ownership, properly investigated, preserved as a site of conscience----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Taoiseach will respond now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  -----and made home to a fitting memorial for survivors. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Deputy. The Taoiseach, please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  How can we work with the Taoiseach to facilitate that? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Deputy's time is up. The Taoiseach to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I appreciate the constructive manner in which the Deputy has raised the questions, particularly in the context of her question as to how she can work with us. I appreciate that response. She has not attempted to name-call anybody or misrepresent people. I appreciate that.  What I was endeavouring to say is that the commission did examine the site extensively, including in the context of cartographic and archival research and site surveys. It concluded that while it is likely that some children are buried on the grounds, that is, somewhere within the 60 acres, it found no physical or documentary evidence locating burial sites. When I spoke to survivors early on - not this year but, certainly, two to three years ago - there were differing perspectives in terms of how we deal with the 60 acres and with the site itself. It is not just on this specific one that An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la has made an adjudication.  One of the difficulties is, I am advised, that excavation without evidence of location is neither feasible nor lawful. That is a problem. Under the Institutional Burials Act 2022, the Government can only appoint a director of authorised intervention where it is satisfied that burials have taken place and there is evidence that those burials are manifestly inappropriate. In the case of Bessborough, I am advised that the legal threshold cannot currently be met because the location of many burials remains unknown. However, there are significant and meaningful planning protections in respect of the specific application at Bessborough, namely: a forensic archaeological monitoring strategy is mandatory; a forensic archaeologist must be present throughout excavation works; and, as the Deputy said, all works must cease immediately if human remains are discovered. That is obviously designed to ensure dignity, protection and accountability.  CPOs just do not happen automatically even if people apply for them. There are huge legal thresholds to be overcome in respect of a CPO of a site like this, particularly given that the council has designated it as appropriate for housing in its city development plan and, in the context of its executive functions, gave planning permission to the development of housing there. That has now been endorsed by An Bord Plean\u00e1la. Therefore, a CPO is not a straightforward, simplistic thing the Government can do by just pressing a button. That also needs to be acknowledged.  This matter does need reflection and examination. I fully accept the disquiet that is out there.  We have done everything we possibly can over the last number of years in fulfilling the action plan that was outlined by the last Government in all of the areas that were covered at that time, in relation, as I said, to access to records, in terms of a redress scheme and much more than just that. We passed the Institutional Burials Act, which is now operational in Tuam and yielding an outcome there. Up to now, to be blunt about it, there was no real push or pressure to excavate the entire 60 acres at Bessborough. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  I have listened carefully to the Taoiseach's response and I thank him for his considered engagement. I welcome his saying that there should be a period of reflection and examination. It is not too late to look at other options beyond the CPO option. It is possible now for the Government to engage with the developer, and I ask that it would consider doing that. It would have the support of the public. Nearly 10,000 people have signed the petition calling for a CPO. However, it does not have to be by CPO that the site comes into State ownership so that it can become and be preserved as a site of conscience.  Last night, Cork City Council unanimously agreed that the site should be acquired by CPO. There is huge support for this. I walked to the site with Carmel Cantwell. I know the issues and the scale of the site. However, we overcame those issues at Tuam through working together constructively. Where there is a will, there is a way on this. With the right political will, the objections can be overcome and the difficulties can be overcome. We can use modern methods of technology to geomap sites to look at identifying potential burial grounds. I think the Taoiseach will agree with me it is deeply chilling to read that the conditions include that the construction will stop if human remains are found. That is not acceptable on a site like this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We can say it is deeply chilling, but it is with a view to protecting human remains. That is important as well. I think that is something that should be in the planning condition. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  We can pre-empt that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  If it was not in the planning condition, the developer could do what the developer might want to do if it came upon human remains. That is one of the issues here. We are dealing with a 60-acre site here. I know the site very well. I have known it all my life. Buildings have been put on that site over the years. There are services on that site, funded by the State, in new buildings and so on. I mean social services and so forth. Certainly, I will engage with the Deputy and I will take on board some of the suggestions that she made in her contribution, but we also have to examine the possibility that there are no burials in that site at all. What if there is none? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  So why----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  Establish that. Jesus. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  It is my firm belief now that we are lax on crime and lax on the causes of crime. A year ago this month before the recess, I raised the issue of my constituents being attacked willy-nilly by under-18s with no apparent consequences. I am talking about lads going around on scooters, intimidating people, bottles being thrown, stones being thrown, young lads and girls being beaten up. I raised it again in my Private Members' business in September. Although we had a good debate and the Government did not oppose the motion, we have not seen any meaningful actions or consequences. It is happening again. I have had reports again of teenagers and young children getting beaten up and left bloodied by random attacks from teenagers.  Obviously, we have to take a two-pronged approach. We do not want to criminalise young adults and bring them into that system. Where the juvenile liaison has been funded, it has been shown to work. However, there are no short, sharp, shock consequences to deter people from doing it. As I mentioned last year, people could have 13 or 14 offences before they are eventually caught up with. The interaction of the parents is not being looked at. Even with quad bikes and scooters, confiscation is the number one option at the moment and then the threat perhaps of a juvenile liaison officer, JLO, caution and maybe Tusla being involved with the family. That does not scare any parents who might have bought these items for their kids. We need to remember that it is parents buying the scooters and quad bikes, not the kids going out and getting them.  I am talking about the wider issue of kids who do not have adequate parental oversight and who are going out and attacking people. There is no law of reasonable defence in this country. A person who is retreating might be able to stop someone, but what if someone is throwing stones at them?  A couple of constituents have reported to me of where three or four people have thrown stones at them, including at a mother with a buggy and a man with her. What is that man supposed to do in that case? If it is two women, how are they supposed to defend themselves in a situation like that? They cannot stop the people throwing stones because it has to be a criminal offence worthy of five years' imprisonment before you can get away with that defence argument. We need more tools to help people defend themselves when they are being attacked.  Equally, going back to what I said last year, we need meaningful consequences. If you do X, Y and Z, it is dealt with locally and there are consequences for the children in terms of curfews and withdrawal of certain privileges and for the parents in terms of fines. That is what we need because, right now, the system is not working; it remains as broken as it was last year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Government is not lax on crime and has allocated significant additional resources this year and last year, and will continue to do so.  Fundamentally, we are recruiting more garda\u00ed which is important. In 2026, we funded the recruitment of a further 1,000 new garda\u00ed and 200 more Garda staff and additional Garda reserve this year. At the end of April, the overall Garda workforce was over 18,000, particularly in the Dublin metropolitan region, where it was close to 4,000 garda\u00ed assigned on the same date. We have equipped garda\u00ed in that three divisions are now the site of proof of concept for body-worn cameras and the trial of deployment of conductive energy devices, CEDs, to train front-line garda\u00ed. We are continuing to work on the resourcing of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na.  We also now have youth diversion programmes in every part of the country. Children must engage with youth diversion programmes or else they will be dealt with through the criminal justice system. We need a wider societal approach to this. Young people throwing stones at a woman with a buggy is shocking and appalling behaviour, and parents, families and communities in society also have to take responsibility here. However, there are many positive things happening across society, with many volunteers doing extraordinary work with young people, in sporting clubs and in a variety of social and youth clubs and cultural organisations. All that must be equally affirmed and acknowledged, and we resource and support that.  It is our view that greater visibility of garda\u00ed on the street will deter actions of the kind the Deputy has outlined. Where extra garda\u00ed have been deployed, that has been the experience. Garda\u00ed are also reporting significant progress in respect of certain crimes and criminal activity which also needs to be acknowledged. In certain communities, we need something on the model, which the Minister, Deputy Calleary has now developed in respect of the Department of community and rural development with Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer. The whole idea of having particular, co-ordinated resources in certain communities will give a broad-based approach, somewhat like the RAPID programme of a previous era, which can deal on multiple fronts with this phenomenon the Deputy has described. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  I have given credit where it is due before with Government initiatives, and the body-worn cameras is one positive response. However, even with the addition of garda\u00ed, the numbers per head of population are still at 2008 levels. People want an Operation Irene all year round, where they have that visible Garda deterrence but they are not actually seeing it. The juvenile resources work; there are many projects around the country doing fantastic work. However, it is about trying to stop kids getting to that stage in the first place. As I said, 13 or 14 offences before they are brought into the system is too many.  I take the Taoiseach's point on the societal approach; there has to be something that will deter and get the parents involved. If they are working, that might be deducting tax, or if they are on social welfare, it is deducting social welfare. Anything that will hit people will make them think twice about the way their kids are behaving. There is obviously deprivation-related issues and parents need support, so we have to take a holistic approach to this. However, as the Taoiseach said, as a society, we are not dealing with it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I take the Deputy's point in respect of multiple offences. We will discuss that further, as well as the Deputy's issue of monetary penalties in respect of people's incomes.  There has been a general reluctance on that front because you could create unintended consequences for others in the family, including other children in the family who are not breaking the law, but I take the Deputy's point more generally that there have to be consequences for crime, particularly where people are committing multiple offences. I know that the Minister for justice, along with other Ministers, will certainly continue to work on that. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed (At\u00f3g\u00e1il) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed)"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_6","debateType":"orderofBusiness","bill":null,"showAs":"An tOrd Gn\u00f3 - Order of Business","counts":{"speechCount":75,"speakerCount":22},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_6","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Joe Neville","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joe-Neville.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joe-Neville.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"S\u00e9amus McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Geoghegan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Geoghegan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"James-Geoghegan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Claire Kerrane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Lahart","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Mary Butler)  I move:  Tuesday's business shall be:  - Motion re Appointment of Ordinary Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission ( without debate and any division claimed shall be taken immediately )  - Motion re Fourteenth Report of the Standing Committee of Selection ( without debate and any division claimed shall be taken immediately )  - Motion re Report of the Committee on Standing Orders and D\u00e1il Reform Establishing Special Committee on Preventing and Responding to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence ( without debate and any division claimed shall be taken immediately )  - Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026 and Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026 ( without debate and any division claimed shall be taken immediately )  - Statement of Apology following the publication of the Report of the South East Commission of Investigation ( not to exceed 2 hours and 20 minutes )  - Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad] (Second Stage) (to conclude after the first round, not to exceed 1 hour and 52 minutes and any division claimed to be taken immediately prior to Committee Stage on Wednesday)  Tuesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Protecting the Copyright of Irish Artists in the era of Artificial Intelligence, selected by Sinn F\u00e9in.  Wednesday's business shall be:  - Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026 ( to be taken immediately following the SOS and to conclude within 1 hour, and any division claimed shall be taken immediately )  - Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad] (Committee and remaining Stages) ( to conclude within 1 hour and 30 minutes )  - Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026 (Amendments from the Seanad) ( to conclude within 1 hour )  - Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 (Amendments from the Seanad) ( to conclude within 3 hours )  - Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026 (Committee and remaining Stages) ( to conclude within 30 minutes )  - Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income and on Capital) (the Principality of Liechtenstein) Order 2026 ( without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately )  - Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income and Capital Gains) (Sweden) Order 2026 ( without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately )  - Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026 ( without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately )  - Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026 ( without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately )  Wednesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Digital Divide and Back to School Costs, selected by Labour Party.  Thursday's business shall be:  - Statements on the Fiscal Implications of a United Ireland ( to conclude within 3 hours and 32 minutes )  Thursday evening business shall be the Waste Management (Single Household Waste Collection Service) Bill 2026 (Second Stage), sponsored by Deputy Marie Sherlock.    Proposed Arrangements for this week\u2019s business:    In relation to Tuesday\u2019s business, it is proposed that:  1. notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders:  ( a ) the time allocated to Government business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business and the D\u00e1il may sit later than 10.48 p.m.; and  ( b ) Parliamentary Questions to the Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Order 47(1) shall not be taken, and Government business shall commence at the time when Parliamentary Questions to the Taoiseach would normally be taken  ( c ) the Order of the D\u00e1il of 7th July 2026 referring the Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026 and Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026 is hereby discharged  2. the proceedings on the Motion re Appointment of Ordinary Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission shall be taken without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately;  3. the proceedings on the Motion re Fourteenth Report of the Standing Committee of Selection shall be taken without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately;  4. the proceedings on the Motion re Report of the Committee on Standing Orders and D\u00e1il Reform Establishing Special Committee on Preventing and Responding to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence shall be taken without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately;  5. the revised Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026 and Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026 shall be taken without debate and any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately;  6. the Statements of Apology following the publication of the Report of the South East Commission of Investigation shall not exceed 2 hours and 20 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply:  ( a ) the statements, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the sequence contained in the table immediately below (to be read across);  ( b ) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make statements in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and  ( c ) members may share time; and          Gov      SF      SD      Gov      SF       Mins    30    15    10    8    3           Lab      Gov      SF      IPTG      Gov       Mins    10    8    3    9    7           SF      ITG      Gov      SF      OM       Mins    3    9    7    3    5       Total: 2 hours 10 mins                          7. the proceedings on the Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 Second Stage shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at the end of the first speaking round and the following arrangements shall apply:  ( a ) the first-round speeches, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the table below (to be read across);  ( b ) on conclusion of the first speaking round, or where speeches conclude before the 1 hour and 42 minutes have elapsed and no other member is offering, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, whereupon proceedings shall be brought to a conclusion; Provided that any division claimed on the Second Stage proceedings shall be taken immediately prior to Committee Stage on Wednesday, 15 July 2026; and  ( c ) members may share time;          Gov      SF      SD      Gov      SF       Mins    10    10    10    6    2           Lab      Gov      SF      IPTG      Gov       Mins    10    6    2    10    6           SF      ITG      Gov      SF      OM       Mins    2    10    6    2    10       Total: 1 hour 42 mins                          In relation to Wednesday's business, it is proposed that:  1. notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders:  ( a ) the time allotted for Government Business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business and the D\u00e1il may sit later than 9.30 p.m.;  ( b ) Oral Questions to the Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Order 47(1) which were to be taken on Tuesday, shall be taken after Questions on Policy or Promised Legislation;  ( c ) the SOS pursuant to Standing Order 25(1) shall be taken immediately following Taoiseach\u2019s Oral Parliamentary Questions, which shall be taken at the time when the SOS would normally be taken;  ( d ) the Motion re Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026, shall be taken immediately following the SOS; and  ( e ) the weekly division time shall be taken on the conclusion of proceedings on any motions without debate;  2. the proceedings on the Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply:  ( a ) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:-  \u2014 opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State \u2013 10 minutes;  \u2014 speeches by representatives of Sinn F\u00e9in, Social Democrats, the Labour Party, Independent and Parties Technical Group, and Independent Technical Group \u2013 7.5 minutes per party or group;  \u2014 speeches by Other Members \u2013 7.5 minutes in total; and  \u2014 a speech in response by the Minister \u2013 5 minutes; and  ( b ) members may share time;  3. the proceedings on Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 Committee and remaining Stages shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 90 minutes by one question, which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration;  4. the proceedings on the Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026 amendments from the Seanad shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 1 hour, and any amendments from the Seanad not disposed of shall be decided by one question which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments to the Seanad amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration;  5. the proceedings on the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 amendments from the Seanad shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 3 hours, and any amendments from the Seanad not disposed of shall be decided by one question which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments to the Seanad amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration;  6. the proceedings on Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026 Committee and remaining Stages shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 30 minutes by one question which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Health;  7. the proceedings on the Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income and on Capital) (the Principality of Liechtenstein) Order 2026 shall be taken without debate and any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately;  8. the proceedings on the Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income and Capital Gains) (Sweden) Order 2026 shall be taken without debate and any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately;  9. the proceedings on the Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026 shall be taken without debate and any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately; and  10. the proceedings on the Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann of the Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026 shall be taken without debate and any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately.  In relation to Thursday's business, it is proposed that:  1. notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders:  ( a ) topical issues may be taken earlier than 7.24 p.m. with consequential effect on the commencement time for Second Stage of the Waste Management (Single Household Waste Collection Service) Bill 2026, and on the time for the adjournment of the D\u00e1il; and  ( b ) the D\u00e1il on its rising shall adjourn until 2 p.m. on Wednesday, 16th September, 2026; and  2. the Statements on the Fiscal Implications of a United Ireland shall not exceed 3 hours and 32 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply:  ( a ) the statements, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the sequence contained in the table immediately below (to be read across, not down);  ( b ) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and  ( c ) members may share time.          Gov      SF      SD      Gov      SF       Mins    35    25    15    15    5           Lab      Gov      SF      IPTG      Gov       Mins    15    15    5    12    15           SF      ITG      Gov      SF      OM       Mins    5    12    15    5    8       Total: 3 hours 22 mins                          "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire  Not agreed. I was horrified by the decision of An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la on Thursday, but if I was horrified, I can only imagine the level of distress, trauma and anger that survivors and their relatives felt. There is an enormous appetite to debate this. It is important that we have a debate. The Taoiseach has talked about and defended the independence of An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la. That is not disputed. The reality is that the State still retains the ability to acquire the site voluntarily or through compulsory purchase order. It is important that we have a debate. I am asking for statements and questions and answers on Bessborough. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  The Government is ramming through planning legislation this week that will exempt sheds out the back without proper scrutiny. It is satisfied with handing our young people to vulture landlords. The Government is now offering a future of renting a shed out the back with no rights whatsoever. Threshold has requested that the legislation be paused. It is seriously concerned that the Government will create a new class of renters, insecure without proper regulations. Will the Government pause this legislation, not bring it forward, and give time for proper scrutiny, or is it afraid of real scrutiny and captured by lobbyists? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I call Deputy Sheehan. Thirty seconds. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  Do not worry. We need to have a debate this week before the House rises about the imminent report on Aughinish Alumina. There are up to 2,000 direct and indirect jobs at stake in Limerick. We cannot have a situation where the State is inadvertently complicit in the export of alumina to Russia. Where there is a will, there is a way. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  As somebody who was born in a mother and baby home, I find it pretty despicable that the Government has not stated its intention to stop a private, profit-driven developer from building on a site where the mother and baby home commission has said there are likely burials and where 19 mothers and 859 infants remain missing. The Government can overcome the obstacles if it wants to. It must demand that the site be taken into public ownership. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  Emma O'Shea and others living with Friedreich's ataxia are in the Public Gallery and outside the gates of Leinster House for a peaceful protest. Can we have a debate on the current status of Skyclarys reimbursement and will these sufferers have positive news? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Butler  As Deputies know, at the Business Committee last Thursday morning at 11 a.m., which the Ceann Comhairle chaired, two requests were made. One related to statements on the fiscal implications of a united Ireland. A request was made for additional time, and that was facilitated. Requests were also made for statements on Bessborough. I checked with the Minister. She is away on Government duty and it is not possible to have those statements this week. We have a huge amount of legislation to get through this week before the recess. It is really important, so the Order of Business stands. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  People living with Friedreich's ataxia are once again outside the gates of the D\u00e1il. They are, as the Taoiseach knows, waiting and waiting for confirmation that they will have access to Skyclarys, a drug that has the potential to be life-transforming for them. In the absence of it, however, far too many of them see disimprovement in their physical experience, and their symptoms and conditions are accelerating. We have a number of them in the Public Gallery. I acknowledge David, Ois\u00edn, Emma, Cherie, Joe, Erica and Isabella. Emily Felix, whose specific case I raised with the Taoiseach a couple of weeks ago, is outside, at the gates.  We need a decision from the HSE on access to this drug. I raised it with the Taoiseach last month. It was not on the HSE committee agenda. We need it to be on the agenda----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Taoiseach to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  -----and we need a positive decision for these people before we rise for the summer. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  We stick to our time, Deputy, and that is that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I think all of us have met with families and young people who have Friedreich's ataxia as a condition and who are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the drug approval process, and there is a process. It is science led, primarily. It is not politically led, primarily. We had an outcome at the last meeting in respect of another drug. All of us want a positive outcome in terms of the deliberations that are ongoing but I think we need to be mindful of the fact, and I mean this is in the best of ways, that we have to allow the meetings to happen and people to take decisions, and then----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  They are waiting two years. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  They are not waiting two years specifically. I am not going into the details. It then has to move on----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  It is 700 days. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Taoiseach, time is up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  It then has to move on to the senior clinical team in the HSE----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you, Taoiseach. I call Deputy Ennis. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----and we want the right outcome here. I just make that point. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  On Saturday night I witnessed a pack of eight scramblers and motorbikes taking over Dublin city centre. I went to Store Street police station because I saw the lack of Garda presence. This was going on for hours. The garda on the desk told me they had not got the resources to deal with this on a Saturday night in Dublin city centre, the capital of our country. One of those scramblers narrowly missed crashing into me. I do not know how he did not. He lost control after going up on a wheely. I thought that would be the end of it but they continued for hours after that, moving from street to street from O'Connell Street, Parnell Street, Portland Row, Sean McDermott Street and the North Strand road. I raised this with the Taoiseach two weeks ago, after a kid with additional needs, Jayden Deans, was knocked down at the Five Lamps, a stone's throw from O'Connell Street. When are we going to see emergency and immediate action on this? When are we going to give the garda\u00ed the resources and protections they need to address this? How many people are going to be seriously injured or killed like poor Grace? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Taoiseach to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  We need action, and we need action now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Many Deputies in the House have raised this issue long before two weeks ago. Deputy McAuliffe and others have been active on this front. Laws have been passed, additional garda\u00ed have been recruited and enormous resources are being allocated to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  It is not enough. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I do not think it is a good enough response. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  It does not happen in his community. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Will the Deputy let me answer the question? I will make a point. It is not a good enough response. If someone goes to a Garda station and is told they are not going anything about it because they do not have resources, I do not think that is an adequate response. It just should not be thrown out----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  Are they nearly crashing into him in his private car? I do not think so. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you, Taoiseach. I call Deputy Bacik. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I am simply saying that it is not an adequate response. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  It is not good enough. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Deputy, please. The direction of the Chair is final. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  A deepening crisis is developing in the criminal justice system. More cases face delays due to the absence of solicitors. More solicitors are resigning from the criminal legal aid panel. This is a mess of the Government's own making. The justice Minister needs to intervene to end the crisis arising from the way in which he has introduced criminal legal aid fees' reforms. He should release the data on the reasons for adjournments, and he should engage urgently in dialogue with the Law Society to resolve this. The Minister said yesterday that he reserves the right to make, in his words, tweaks to his reforms. In one obvious tweak, he could look at section 32 of his SI 303 of 2026, which specifies that the fee will be payable upon the issuing of the final order by the court concerned. It might be possible to negotiate to change it to put in an interim payment method. There must be a sensible way to resolve this. The Taoiseach needs to get the justice Minister to engage to resolve this dispute before any more criminal cases are impacted----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you, Deputy. The Taoiseach to respond now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I am sure the Deputy will agree that for a long time we have been seeking to reform the criminal justice system. There have been many calls for the elimination of inefficiencies. The objective of these reforms is to make the system more effective and efficient. The Minister has introduced a fee of \u20ac520 for District Court criminal cases under the criminal legal aid scheme. This figure represents the current fee paid for five appearances in the District Court, plus an 8% increase. The Deputy has said there should be a sensible resolution of this but there has to be reform. We cannot just keep doing the same old thing. In some cases, you can have up to 15 appearances where people are being paid for every separate appearance. That is not on either. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  I am not disputing that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I note the Opposition keeps saying they are for reforming but there comes a time when the Opposition seems to only respond and be reactive in support of every campaign group that develops on any particular issue.  Governments will ruffle feathers from time to time as they bid to bring in reform. The Minister has engaged with the Law Society and will continue to engage with it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  St. Joseph's Centre in Shankill is the largest care home dedicated solely to dementia care in the country. SIPTU members feel compelled to take industrial action tomorrow because of the failure of St. John of God's to recognise the work and duties that they do. They are employed at a domestic grade, but, in reality, they do jobs way beyond that. They feed people, drive people around and do care duties, but St. John of God's is refusing to acknowledge that in terms of their grading and their pay structure. Nothing was offered when the case went to the Workplace Relations Commission, so the workers feel compelled to take industrial action tomorrow. Many of them have been working there for ten , 15 or 20 years. One person has been there for 37 years. These workers deserve to be recognised for the duties they do. Will the Taoiseach intervene with St. John of God's so they do not have to continue with their justified industrial action? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising an important issue. Those around me are saying it is an excellent centre that provides great care. The industrial relations machinery should be used. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  It is not working. It has been done. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  St. John of God's should engage with the industrial relations machinery to resolve this issue. That is the most effective way of doing it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  It has been done. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  It has rained for 77 days across Ireland so far this year. At the start of the year, there were 54 consecutive days of rain. We have been blessed with a couple of weeks of fine weather, but already we have a six-week hosepipe ban in a number of counties. There are towns and villages in my county that have not had a proper water supply for weeks. Uisce \u00c9ireann is spending \u20ac250,000 a year to tanker water to Ballivor. The local school had to close as a result of not having a supply of water. Uisce \u00c9ireann was fined \u20ac20 million for not reaching its targets in terms of fixing the 36% of water supplies that are leaking from the pipes. It has admitted that it will take until 2050 to fill the gaps that are blocking the building of homes in this country. Even in developing countries, it is government's responsibility to keep water in the taps. The Government here is failing in that regard. Will it commit to fixing Uisce \u00c9ireann? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  On the hosepipe ban, there are certain precautions the State and Irish Water should take in light of the unprecedented heat that we have experienced this summer, particularly in the past number of weeks. That would make sense. The hot weather could continue. We have seen what has happened across Europe and the horrific consequences for communities in Spain, France and elsewhere. We have also seen the excess deaths that have occurred on the Continent because of excessive heat. We do need to be cautious in respect of water. That said, I do think we can do far more to conserve water when it is raining. All of us can. I would argue that the amount of rainfall amounts are increasing in volume. We need to capture that water, and conserve and preserve it----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  Uisce \u00c9ireann----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I call Deputy Malcolm Byrne. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We have worked very hard to improve and enhance Uisce \u00c9ireann. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I thank the Taoiseach. The time is up. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We have allocated huge resources to it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Time is time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Malcolm Byrne  While we have a very strong economy and, in overall terms, full employment, I am concerned about the fact that youth unemployment has now hit a rate of 10.8%. That is in the region of 37,000 young people. We are also seeing a situation now where graduate unemployment is higher than the national unemployment rate. Some of this is obviously because there is reduced hiring in consumer-facing sectors. There is a concern about ensuring that work pays, but we are living in a time where we are seeing more access to education and training than before. It is a concern that if young people feel they are alienated from society because they do not have employment opportunities, it could have long-term repercussions. What approach is the Government taking to tackling this issue? I know it is not just confined to Ireland, but it is something that the Government needs to address. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Youth unemployment is a seasonal and volatile issue.  One of the areas we need to examine more closely is the cost involved for SMEs generally and whether young people are being taken on, even on a part-time. There has been a cumulative increase in costs over quite a while. We will do everything we can to support young people's progression into employment. In June, the youth unemployment rate was 10.8%, up from 9.8% in May and down from 11.6% in June of last year. It is always traditionally higher than the overall unemployment rate. We have to keep an eye on the graduate unemployment issue as well. There are changes occurring. It was interesting yesterday to hear about the additional \u20ac5 billion investment by Intel. The company is putting that down to AI having a huge impact on the semiconductor sector. There will be gains and potential reductions as well in various sectors of the economy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Joe Neville","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joe-Neville.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joe-Neville.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Joe Neville  With the pyrite mediation scheme closing in just four months' time, on 30 November, some people in my constituency have real concerns. Yesterday, I met two constituents who highlighted the fact that their neighbours had been impacted by pyrite in the past and they are concerned about how it might impact them in future. With the deadline looming, they feel the screw is being turned and that they might at risk in future. The scope of the scheme has been widened, which is a real positive. At the same time, however, what supports or transparency can the Government provide to ensure that these constituents will not be left in limbo when the scheme closes in November? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  That scheme has been running for a long time. I will revert to the Minister for housing on the matter and come back to the Deputy with a more detailed reply. Schemes cannot go on forever, and there are limits to what the State can do on an ongoing basis. I will come back to Deputy Neville on the matter. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Martin Kenny  As the Taoiseach is aware, for many years people with mental health issues have been attending emergency departments in our hospitals. Many of them get very poor outcomes. They experience long delays and end up on trolleys. Sometimes they are referred for short-term stays or to community services, which offer little or no service. Recently, the Government has decided to put special mental health nursing teams in place in a number of hospitals. That is very welcome. However, a lot of the hospitals have been left out, including Sligo hospital in the north west, where large numbers of people with mental health issues attend the emergency department on a regular basis. These individuals can be in a very distressed state and do not get an adequate service. When will this be rectified? When will this service be extended to all hospitals, including Sligo University Hospital? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)  As part of budget 2026, \u20ac15 million in additional funding was provided for a crisis response. We are starting with ten hospitals, namely nine model 4 hospitals and one model 3 hospital. The model 3 hospital is the Mercy hospital in Cork, which had 1,200 presentations last year. Teams of nurses will be put in place to help non-consultant hospital doctors during out-of-hours periods. What I hope to do, with the help of the Minister, in budget 2027 is expand it to the model 3 hospitals. Sligo is very lucky because it has one of the six crisis resolution teams in the country. It also has the crisis cafe. I visited the hospital recently. It has a state-of-the-art department of psychiatry. My intention is to roll this out to model 3 hospitals next year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"S\u00e9amus McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy S\u00e9amus McGrath  Budget preparations will be intensifying over the summer period. With that in mind, I want to take this opportunity to raise the issue of stamp duty and first-time buyers. As the Taoiseach knows, first-time buyers have to pay 1% in stamp duty when they are purchasing a new or second-hand home. This is unfair and unjustifiable, and I ask that it be reviewed. There was waiver in place previously. At a time when house prices are so high and when it is such a challenge for first-time buyers to secure home ownership, we should not be charging them extra in the form of stamp duty. I ask the Taoiseach to please take up this matter in preparation for budget 2027. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this matter. In fairness, he has raised it on a consistent basis. I understand the motivation behind it. Obviously, we undertook tax measures last year in respect of housing. We are anxious that the market has a certain solidity and certainty about it and that we maintain momentum in terms of housebuilding. I have taken note of the Deputy's advocacy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Colm Burke  There has been a substantial delay in issuing Irish residency permit, IRP, cards. Quite a number of my constituents have been let go from employment because they did not get their cards within the 12-week period. I know substantial changes have been made in the past few days, but the word is still not getting out to employers about their being able to take back employees who were let go two or three weeks ago and who now have no income. One person with whom I am familiar started the process in January and has still not got his IRP card. I ask that a clear message be sent to employers that they can take these people back until 31 August. Hopefully, the IRP card issue will have been resolved by then. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Minister is aware of the issue. There are moves afoot to accelerate the process as quickly as possible. Deputy Burke's general point that employers may still employ people is worth making. I will contact the Minister for enterprise in terms of a communication campaign. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Colm Burke  There needs to be clarification to employers. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thought the Deputy said communication. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Geoghegan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Geoghegan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"James-Geoghegan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Geoghegan  In 21 of the 27 EU member states, there are cities that charge a visitor accommodation levy. Dublin is an outlier because we do not do that. In Dublin right now, we have the highest performing hotel market in Europe, which is a good thing and which demonstrates the strength of our tourism industry. The Dublin city task force is already making great progress and has acquired the Carlton site. The long-term funding of Dublin city could be supported by the introduction of a modest tourist accommodation levy. The Dublin city task force sits in the Taoiseach's Department, and there is an oversight committee. What can he tell us about the progress that has been made in looking at this issue and with regard to the prospect of local authorities such as Dublin City Council being given the capacity to raise a tourist accommodation levy? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  This is a hot topic at the moment. Deputy McAuliffe of my party presented a paper on it recently. My understanding is that one route is that it will be a matter for local authorities in the first instance. In other words, we would enable local authorities to raise this tax if they wish or if they feel it is something they want to do. There is a lot of merit in it. In major cities like Dublin, it would provide significant revenue to the city council to allow it to deal with a lot of issues in its jurisdiction. Dublin and other cities may wish to avail of raising this levy and may need to do so. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ken O'Flynn  I am sure the Taoiseach will join me in welcoming Christy Hussey and Conor Burke to the Public Gallery. Since this morning, a 15-year-old child has been sitting in protest outside the gates of Leinster House. Cara Darmody is highlighting the fact that the State breaking its own law. I refer to the law which states children's needs must be assessed within six months. The law has been broken for 20 years. On the Taoiseach's watch, the number of children involved has gone from 15,000 to 22,000 children. How can people who write the laws of this country in this House break them outside the gates? The Taoiseach has accused the recent fuel protesters, the Irish men and Irish women fighting for their livelihoods, of committing national sabotage. Surely it is sabotage to have 22,000 children waiting for assessments of need. Their education, their future and their rights are being sabotaged. How can the lawmakers in the House be lawbreakers? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Government is taking very strong action on disability generally. Some \u20ac600 million extra was allocated in the most recent budget and there have been major increases in expenditure on education. The general scheme of the disability (amendment) Bill 2026 will be published shortly. That deals with the assessment of need process. The proposed amendments will make that process more child-centred, enabling proportionate assessments with more intensive clinical input only where required. Alongside those legislative changes, a programme of operational and non-legislative reforms is being implemented, including: a new single point of access; a dedicated autism diagnostic assessment panel; the launch of a new autism assessment intervention protocol in May; the removal of the requirement for a professional report to access special classes and school placements; the introduction of 11 new in-reach clinical teams to provide additional clinical guidance and support to assessment staff; and the roll-out of the education therapy service across 45 special schools, with plans to roll out to all schools. The focus is on early identification of need and making sure that children get access to therapy services in the first instance. That is the direction of travel. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Claire Kerrane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Claire Kerrane  For carers and the loved ones they care for, respite is really important. It should not be beyond us to ensure that respite is guaranteed and consistent rather than having a situation where service providers go year to year looking at lists of people in terms of who they can and cannot give respite to due to funding implications. In County Roscommon alone, we have 120 people on waiting list for day and overnight respite. Ahead of the budget, I request that respite be looked at.  It is not only about the break for the loved one and the carer but should avoid the need for long-term residential care sooner than perhaps would otherwise be the case. I ask, therefore, that respite would be looked at and perhaps also on a more multi-annual basis in terms of funding. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and I agree that respite needs to be enhanced. In the last budget, an extra \u20ac600 million was given to disability services, which has at least helped to consolidate a lot of the section 38 providers and providers more generally. The Minister for housing has met with the Minister for disability. They have agreed a protocol that local authorities now have to prioritise people with disabilities for housing, that a quota of all social housing would be reserved for people with disabilities and that they would have a priority on housing lists so that from respite to residential, we will see a far more proactive approach. I agree with the Deputy on that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Lahart","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"John-Lahart.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John Lahart  I thought we had left these days behind us because we have made huge strides in the provision of affordable childcare under this Government. In my constituency, however, this progress is being seriously jeopardised by the fact that some providers are being forced to withdraw from the scheme because of the unviability of their businesses. If no alternative providers are available locally and when a provider withdraws from core funding, parents are then left with the equivalent of a second mortgage cost for their childcare when a provider withdraws from the core funding system. Providers are saying they are withdrawing and maintaining they cannot cope with the increased costs in food, energy and wages. I know the Taoiseach will agree with me that when it comes to the cost of childcare and its affordability, equality must mean equality. What steps can the Government commit to taking in addressing this issue? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. There has been an increase in funding and so forth, as well as new funding to help services meet the fee management conditions attached to core funding. Most services will see their core funding rise to help to maintain the fee freeze. However, about 10% will be required to reduce their fees. I do not know whether this is the case in the specific experience the Deputy has spoken of but I will raise this issue with the Minister for children and disability. We are anxious to fulfil the Government programme in terms of reducing the costs of childcare very significantly, and we are going to take action in the forthcoming budget to further reduce the cost of childcare for families. The Deputy\u2019s issue is more one of maintaining people within the core funding system and what happens if certain providers pull out. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  In the aftermath of the violent death of Jamey Carney in Kerry last week, and while I wish to express my sympathy to her family, especially to her daughter, and compliment the community in Killarney that rallied around her and the services there too, we have to acknowledge that violence against women is a crisis and mostly perpetuated by men from all races, cultures and ethnicities and all religions and none. I saw this when I worked in the courts for many years. However, I was disgusted last week to see practically unregulated and unmonitored social media content and abuse directed towards her, even on her own social media platforms. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Who was this directed at? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  It was at her, even on her own social media platforms. Has the Taoiseach any comment to make on this being allowed to happen? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising the appalling and horrific murder of Jamey Carney. It does speak to a very significant crisis in our modern-day society where such violence against women is excessive. I think the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, articulated this in plain language last week. This is something we will again be considering in Government, notwithstanding all the measures that have been taken, legislative and so on, and the establishment of Cuan.  This has been compounded and exacerbated by the filthy and horrific material that the Deputy has described on social media. The social media platforms have obligations here and should act very quickly to withdraw such material. It is unacceptable and there has to be a zero-tolerance approach to that type of social media content. One can only imagine the suffering that family is going through, and then they have had to experience this afterwards. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"An tOrd Gn\u00f3 - Order of Business"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_11","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Appointment of Ordinary Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission: Motion","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_11","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Mary Butler)  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann, in accordance with section 8(3)( a ) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003, as amended, appoints Deputy Ged Nash to be an ordinary member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in place of Deputy Jennifer Whitmore who has resigned her office in accordance with the aforementioned section 8. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Appointment of Ordinary Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission: Motion"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_12","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Fourteenth Report of the Standing Committee of Selection: Motion","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_12","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Mary Butler)  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann, pursuant to Standing Order 33, and with effect from 15th July, 2026, approves the Fourteenth Report of the Standing Committee of Selection, copies of which were laid before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 9th July, 2026. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Fourteenth Report of the Standing Committee of Selection: Motion"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_13","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Special Committee on Preventing and Responding to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: Motion","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_13","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Mary Butler)  I move:  That, in accordance with the recommendation of the Committee on Standing Orders and D\u00e1il Reform pursuant to Standing Order 128(2)( b ), a Special Committee on Preventing and Responding to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence is hereby established, with Orders of Reference as contained in the report of the Committee on Standing Orders and D\u00e1il Reform entitled \" Establishing Special Committee on Preventing and Responding to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence \", a copy of which was laid before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 9th July, 2026. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Special Committee on Preventing and Responding to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: Motion"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_14","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026 and Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026: Referral to Joint Committee","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_14","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy John Cummins)  I move:  (i) That, notwithstanding anything in the Standing Orders, the Order of the D\u00e1il of 7th July is hereby discharged.  (ii) That the proposal that D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann approves the following Orders in draft:  (I) Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026,  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 2) Regulations 2026,  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 3) Regulations 2026,  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 4) Regulations 2026,  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 5) Regulations 2026,  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 6) Regulations 2026, and  Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 7) Regulations 2026, and  (II) Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026,  copies of which have been laid in draft form before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 2nd July and 14th July, 2026, be referred to the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in accordance with Standing Order 103(5), which, not later than 15th July, 2026, shall send a message to the D\u00e1il in the manner prescribed in Standing Order 110, and Standing Order 109(2) shall accordingly apply. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026 and Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026: Referral to Joint Committee"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_15","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Apology following the publication of the Report of the South East Commission of Investigation: Statements","counts":{"speechCount":22,"speakerCount":21},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Murnane O'Connor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Murnane-O'Connor.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Jennifer-Murnane-O'Connor.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Emer Higgins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Emer-Higgins.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Emer-Higgins.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I wish to welcome the survivors to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. Their family and friends and legal representatives are in the Gallery. I thank them all for being here today. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Members applauded. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The statement of apology following the publication of the Report of the South East Commission of Investigation now begins. I call the Taoiseach to make a statement under Standing Order 56. The Taoiseach is sharing time with the T\u00e1naiste. They have 15 minutes each. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The terrible crimes of Bill Kenneally were those of a predator who, for decades, abused young boys in Waterford city and its surrounding areas. Kenneally was ultimately convicted of some of these appalling sexual crimes. He received total sentences of nearly 19 years and died in prison last month, just over half-way through his term. The report of Mr. Justice Michael White arising from the south east commission of investigation has been presented to the Government and the Oireachtas, and published in full. It makes for harrowing reading. It tells a story of betrayal, manipulation, abuse, failure and pain.  Kenneally\u2019s criminal trial concerned the period 1979 to 1990. However, others made statements to the Garda and gave evidence to the commission about allegations of abuse that did not go to trial and that covered the period from 1970 to 1993. As Mr. Justice White records, due to this time span of nearly 25 years, generations of boys were abused and traumatised. During the period of his criminal activity, any young boy who came under his influence was at risk. It has been shown that in late 1987 details of some of his activities became known in Waterford to two senior Garda officers, and some other garda\u00ed, the principal of a secondary school, a retired politician, a senior clergyman, a psychiatrist and to some parents of victims. The contact with the Garda in 1987 did not stop the sexual abuse. Bill Kenneally was not brought to justice until a formal complaint was made by one of his victims, Jason Clancy, in December 2012.  The crimes of Bill Kenneally were cruel and exploitative. As Mr. Justice White records, he was intelligent, manipulative and an expert at grooming children by developing trust and affection but also by using fear. He photographed many of the boys with a Polaroid camera which could instantly develop photographs of them in compromising positions - using these to blackmail the boys into keeping silent. He regularly used restraints on children, and employed alcohol, money and gifts to assist in grooming and in the commission of his awful offences.  One of the tasks that Mr. Justice White was asked to complete was to report on the adequacy or appropriateness of the response from the Garda when the force was first informed in the mid-1980s of Bill Kenneally\u2019s activities. The commission heard evidence from retired members of the Garda who were active in 1987 and from those who commenced the successful Garda investigation in 2012.  The commission examined the quality of the Garda investigation in 1987 by applying the standards and guidelines applicable at that time. It is vital to emphasise that the behaviour of Bill Kenneally was common knowledge among many young people in the area. When the parents of one of the victims contacted the Garda in 1987, the likelihood that these allegations were \"only the tip of an iceberg\", as Mr. Justice White put it, should have been acknowledged and should have prompted a much more active and committed response. As the judge recounts, when senior garda\u00ed left the victim's home on St. Stephen's Day in 1987, \"... they could have been in no doubt that a 14 year old boy \u2026 had been sexually assaulted, that restraint had been used and there was a probability that one other boy had been sexually assaulted ... \" and it was possible there was a third young victim. The report makes clear that Bill Kenneally could have been arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and indecent assault. This would have enabled a search of his residence and his car and it is highly likely that the compromising photos he had taken would have been uncovered but this did not happen. Instead, the victims had to deal with the grim reality of an investigation that was, in the words of this report, \"unprofessional, rushed and inappropriate\".  It took another 25 years for Bill Kenneally\u2019s behaviour to come under serious scrutiny when a Garda investigation commenced in 2012. It was totally improper for senior garda\u00ed to contact relatives of Bill Kenneally, namely his uncles Billy, a former TD, and Monsignor Shine. The commission makes clear that exposure of Bill Kenneally was not an \"attractive prospect to them\" and they sought to downplay the gravity of his offences through the \"smokescreen\" of a referral to a psychiatrist. Based on the very clear evidence, Mr. Justice White states that the failure of acting chief superintendent Cashman and to a lesser extent acting superintendent P.J. Hayes after December 1987 to conduct a proper investigation into the activities of Bill Kenneally was a clear and serious dereliction of duty even by the standards of the time in 1987. This has been a major failing by an organ of the State that cannot be downplayed.  No words from Government can make up for the theft of childhood from so many young boys, for the appalling abuse they suffered and the enormous trauma they have experienced in their lives as a result. We must, however, acknowledge the failings that led to these awful outcomes in recognition of the horrific experiences, the bravery of his victims and also to ensure it can never happen again.  As Taoiseach, I apologise unreservedly on behalf of the State to the victims of Bill Kenneally for what was a clear and serious dereliction of duty. Many of those victims whom I have had the honour of meeting on a number of occasions are here today with their families. You waived your anonymity in order to ensure that the heinous crimes of Bill Kenneally were exposed and that other young boys were protected. I want to apologise to those men - Jason Clancy, Paul Walsh, Kevin Keating, Colin Power, Barry Murphy, Simon O'Toole and Gerard Mullane. There were also many other victims of Bill Kenneally who were witnesses before the commission of investigation and wished to remain anonymous. Mr. Justice White records that there were 22 such witnesses. I want to say that we fully understand and respect their wishes and to emphasise that we apologise to each of them. I also regret to say that there are no doubt victims who decided silently and understandably that they did not wish to give evidence about how they were abused. To those unknown men, I also extend a deep and sincere apology. I want to acknowledge all of these victims.  I want to recognise that we would not have this report, we would not have the truth and there would not be this State apology without the remarkable bravery and strength of Kenneally's victims. Their fight to ensure that there was a public inquiry has been fully vindicated. There is a very real public benefit in recording what happened in Waterford. This report is a warning to all of what can happen when people in positions of authority do not do their job.  Mr. Justice White has also made a serious finding against former Members of this House. The commission addresses the knowledge of Billy Kenneally Snr., who was a former TD when he was informed of the activities of his nephew in 1987. Mr. Justice White also concludes that the subsequent actions of his son, Brendan Kenneally TD, in 2001 at the very least fell substantially below the standards the commission would expect from a TD of Mr. Kenneally\u2019s experience. He notes that Brendan Kenneally had one obvious option - to report this matter to the child protection services of the South Eastern Health Board in Waterford and to ask that service to carry out a risk assessment. The actions of three influential relatives - former TD Billy Kenneally Snr., Monsignor Shine and then TD Brendan Kenneally - constituted a failure to bring the matter into the public domain or to report the matter to the relevant statutory agencies; a failure, in short, to protect children.  There is no question about the duty public representatives have to put the safety of others first. I repeat the fact that two TDs, Billy Kenneally Snr. and Brendan Kenneally, failed in that duty to the victims of Bill Kenneally. They failed the victims by putting their own relative first. I am profoundly sorry that two former public representatives from my party so comprehensively failed to defend and protect young children from their nephew and cousin.  If there is any solace to be taken from this harrowing report, it is that Mr. Justice White acknowledges that the change in legislation and services and understanding of child sexual exploitation since 1987 has been profound and the approach of the statutory services has changed beyond recognition. An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na now has a more modern and professional approach to dealing with complaints of sexual exploitation of children, including investigation of historical child abuse.  Bitter experience has taught Irish society that sexual exploitation of children can come from all sources. Mr. Justice White\u2019s report reminds us of the importance of listening, empathy and engagement when victims of sexual abuse do come forward. Victims may have tried to raise their plight in the past and not been dealt with in a sensitive manner. This burden can weigh heavily upon them and lead to suspicion and mistrust if contact is not sustained once allegations are received. I urge all public officials to be aware of this and strive to keep victims fully informed on an ongoing basis.  Another issue Mr. Justice White asked to be addressed is the absence of a criminal offence of misconduct in public office. He finds that there is no such offence of serious dereliction of duty by a public official which falls short of deliberate perversion of the course of justice. He recommended that this issue be referred to the Law Reform Commission for urgent consideration and this has already been done. Last week, at the request of the Minister for justice, the Attorney General formally referred this issue to the Law Reform Commission. It is entirely proper that public officials are held to the very highest standards and are seen to uphold them. If we fall short, as public officials did so clearly in this case, then we must be held to account and dealt with by exacting laws. Otherwise, trust in the institutions and basic functioning of our State will be undermined. I am also aware that some of the victims of Bill Kenneally have instituted proceedings against An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na for its dereliction of duty. I would like to see those and any future proceedings resolved as quickly and as fairly as possible. For those victims who spoke to the commission, including those who wish to remain anonymous, officials in the Department of justice are considering a means of providing redress outside of the legal process and will engage with victims directly in relation to this process.  Finally, I want to thank Mr. Justice White for producing this thorough and accessible report. The best that an inquiry can do is produce a report that hopefully provides answers. I believe this report does provide answers for the victims of Bill Kenneally and is a testament to their bravery and resilience.  To each of those victims here today or listening from home, I hope that the apology I have issued on behalf of the State reassures you that the State acknowledges the harm that was done to you, the dereliction of duty that contributed to that harm, and our determination to do everything we can to ensure that no other child has to go through what you went through.  Ar deireadh, is drochsc\u00e9al ar fad \u00e9 seo. D'fhulaing \u00edospartaigh Bill Kenneally go m\u00f3r. Rinne s\u00e9 dochar uaf\u00e1sach. D\u00e9anaim mar Thaoiseach comhbhr\u00f3n gan choinn\u00edoll ar son an St\u00e1it le h\u00edospartaigh Bill Kenneally. Gan aon dabht, is l\u00e9ir go ndearna an St\u00e1t faill\u00ed shoil\u00e9ir agus thromch\u00faiseach ina dhualgas "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Finance (Deputy Simon Harris)  I join the Taoiseach in the State apology to the survivors of the abuser Bill Kenneally. This moment has come about because of their bravery, their tenacity, their motivation to protect others from the horrors they endured, and their willingness to relive the trauma of the horrendous abuse inflicted upon them to ensure that justice was finally done.  I acknowledge the work of Mr. Justice Michael White in bringing this arduous process to a conclusion and the way he went about his work. The commission report is a detailed and thorough assessment of the justified and serious public concern raised by the grievous crimes that were committed. Whether named or unnamed, the extraordinary testimony of witnesses to the commission of investigation was an act of great courage. In their young lives, they were the victims of monstrous evil and their vulnerability was increased by the impunity with which Kenneally perpetrated his atrocities. Too many warning signs were missed. Too many opportunities to intervene were lost. Too many people who should have been protected were instead left vulnerable. The systems of church, State and society that should have safeguarded children failed in their most basic and profound duty and the consequence of that failure was that abuse continued, victims suffered and justice was delayed for far too long. Regardless of any standards of the time, they were children who should have been protected, not abandoned to depravity and despair.  In 1985, a 14-year-old boy walked all alone into Waterford Garda station and reported he had been abused by Kenneally. The garda spoke to him at the counter and told him he needed to have a parent present, as he was too young. The garda did not speak to him in private, did not attempt to contact his parents, did not even offer to bring him home. Despite Kenneally being named as an abuser in a Garda station, no effort was made to investigate.  The commission's report tells us that 11 of the 25 adult complainants were being abused in 1985. I recognise that includes survivors who are with us in D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann today. This underlines the grave significance of this missed opportunity, which was, most regrettably, a repeated pattern. The report tells us that the pattern of activity by Kenneally was becoming much more noticeable from 1985 on, yet he was not brought to justice prior to a formal complaint by Jason Clancy in November 2012, who was the first incredibly brave victim to come forward. I have heard Jason tell a story about a photograph of his under-11 soccer team. In this picture are 13 boys from all over Waterford who are only connected by playing soccer for Bohemians Football Club. Six of them were abused by Kenneally. That simple innocent photograph demonstrates just how prolific the activities of this abuser were, while multiple systems failed to protect children and bring him to justice.  Even after Kenneally made admissions of his terrible crimes, he was not brought to justice. He was allowed to continue to abuse children. The truth emerged, not because systems worked as they should have, but because survivors refused to give up. Faced with disbelief, silence, intimidation and enormous personal trauma, they persisted. They carried a burden that never should have been theirs to carry and the apology today is simply a testament to their courage, resilience and determination. They forced institutions to confront uncomfortable truths and ensured that future generations would know what happened. This led to the report the Minister for justice published last month, which has shone a light on the clear and serious dereliction of duty that allowed the prolonged grooming and abuse of many boys, on many occasions, in many locations with unimaginable levels of depravity. The commission's words are stark. It said:  During the period of his activity any young boy who came under his influence was at risk.  As reflected in the sentence of 18 years and eight months imposed, and upheld on appeal, these were serious offences which have had a lifelong impact on the victims and their families.  His crimes were cruel and exploitative. He was intelligent and manipulative and an expert at grooming children by developing trust and affection but also using fear.... He used alcohol, money and gifts to assist in grooming and in the commission of the offences. Many of these boys had never consumed alcohol before being introduced to it by Bill Kenneally.  The harrowing victim impact statements republished in the commission report clearly communicate the pain and suffering of the abuse as it happened and its lasting effects throughout the later lives of the survivors. The words of Judge Eugene O'Kelly at the sentencing hearing in 2016 are striking.  The abuse has had a profound and long-lasting effect on all of you. Some of you have suffered and some continue to suffer from alcohol dependency and other addictions. Many of you have disclosed depression and one has contemplated suicide. Family life and relationships have suffered, education and consequently advancement in life has been hampered.... All of you have been made to suffer from feelings of fear, shame and guilt, emotions that none of you should have had to endure. You have all been robbed of the innocence of a carefree adolescence for no better reason than to satisfy a paedophile predator's actions.  I know through those victim impact statements, and some of your public comments, the support of loved ones through all the consequences of the abuse you suffered has been of enormous importance to you and were acts of great love. This is their day, too.  The commission report illustrates that the Irish State, through its laws, services for children, sex education and awareness, and the operation and insight of its front-line services, such as An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and health boards, were historically blind to sexual abuse operating beneath the surface. While there may not have been outright collusion, this at the very least institutional blind eye, combined with those who shielded and covered up for paedophiles, allowed abuse to persist in the shadows. The report tells us that children were silenced by the shame of it, but also by their inability to articulate the horrible things that were happening to them. On occasions when it was articulated, people refused to listen.  From an analysis of the complaints made to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na from 2012 on, Kenneally's targeting of young boys for abuse was intense during the period from 1978 to 1987. This involved activity that was observable. By late 1987, many people, including those in responsible positions, were aware that he had sexually abused children, but nothing appropriate was done in all of that time. When a complaint was made by the father of a victim in 1987, the most serious of information was now in the possession of the Garda, but a decision was made that Kenneally would be given a warning and referred for psychiatric treatment or counselling. Many survivors feel this was a moment of further empowerment and led to a sense of invincibility. The commission report identifies a litany of deficiencies that arose from this approach, and this is the clear and serious dereliction of duty that occurred and cannot be explained away by the passage of time or the standards of the time.  How much pain and suffering might have been avoided had justice been served when it should have been? The commission report observes that Irish society, from bitter experience, now knows that sexual exploitation of children can come from all sources. We owe it to children to maintain our vigilance and these words must ring in our ears always. I know that for all the survivors of Kenneally, in all that they have endured in their long fight for justice, this would be among their greatest wishes.  There is a powerful symbolism in the fact that those who were once vulnerable young boys in Waterford, failed by the State and its institutions, are here today to hear the State acknowledge its failures.  Children who were abandoned by systems that should have protected them now stand with dignity and strength at the heart of our national Parliament. Your presence is a reminder not only of the wrongs that were done, but of the extraordinary resilience of those who endured them. Today, it is certainly not the institutions that command our respect; it is the survivors. Their courage has brought us to this moment. Their voices have ensured that the truth can no longer be ignored or hidden. For all that you suffered at the hands of your brutal abuser, for all the years he was not brought to justice and for all that was done to impede and delay that justice, we are truly sorry. Like the commission, we hope this apology can bring some peace of mind. Today, I join with others in saluting your courage and resilience. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  \"It has impacted every part of our lives. Personal lives, work, relationships, mental health, every single part of our lives. It\u2019s always there\". Those are the words of Colin Power, one of the survivors of Bill Kenneally. I will begin by paying tribute to those sitting in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery, who suffered so much as young boys, and to all of their families, who join them in being here with us today. No words spoken in this Chamber will erase the profound hurt done to you by this man or make up for the failures of the State to protect you. You fought so hard for so long to force the authorities just to listen, to investigate and to finally bring Bill Kenneally to justice. It is a testament to each one of you that you never gave up or gave in and that you gave everything to see this day. It was a long road that you should not have had to walk and a fight you should never have had to fight, but you did so with courage, dignity and compassion, supporting one another along the way, leaning on one another in very tough times, and sticking together no matter what. You were up against it all, including the terrible pain and injustice when State authorities that should have done everything to protect you from this monster let you down catastrophically, leaving you in harm's way. Those with the power to stop Kenneally had countless opportunities to do just that, but they failed again and again.  To understand the gravity of that failure, we must understand the gravity of Kenneally's evil crimes. He was a predatory sexual abuser of young boys in Waterford during the seventies and eighties, targeting boys between the ages of 11 and 17. For years, this was an open secret in Waterford. Local sporting clubs were his stalking ground, using his position in basketball, tennis and soccer clubs to lure young boys. He was an incredibly dangerous man, a predator who perfected an ability to groom, exploit and blackmail his young victims. Not only did he sexually abuse these boys, but he also tortured them psychologically. The level of depravity, perverse calculation, and heartless and soulless evil that this man perpetrated is beyond words. It was repulsive sexual abuse. He manipulated, intoxicated, isolated and blackmailed innocent boys. Kenneally was insidious. He exploited the pure innocence of these boys.  Jason Clancy and Colin Power tell how Kenneally gifted them brand new Liverpool and Manchester United jerseys. To Kevin Keating, it was American football magazines. To Paul Walsh, it was Nike runners. To other boys, it was chipper food, cans of beer or lifts in his car. He repeated this modus operandi again and again. It was all cynically and demonically calculated to get close to young boys. That was the depth of Kenneally's depravity.  He was allowed to run rampant throughout Waterford for years. The scale of failure documented in the report of the commission is breathtaking. The report outlines in harrowing and shocking detail how garda\u00ed, senior church figures, school leaders, members of Kenneally's wider and very powerful family, and the South-Eastern Health Board all had opportunities to stop him but failed to take them. Each and every time, Kenneally was set free and allowed to continue abusing young boys. While the commission found no evidence of collusion or cover-up, Jason Clancy hit the nail on the head when he said, \"They enabled him to run rampant through this city for four decades ... the worst paedophile in the history of the state.\"  The repeated failures to stop Kenneally happened in an era in which failure to protect children was hardwired into how this State operated. In recent times, we have heard the trauma of the Dunderrow women and the Creagh Lane men recited again as they continue to campaign for justice. We have witnessed survivors of abuse in industrial and reformatory schools stage a 51-day hunger strike outside Leinster House just to get the Government to listen, never mind act.  It was not until 2012 that Kenneally would face any form of accountability, when Jason Clancy, then a grown man, made a formal complaint against Kenneally, bravely waiving his anonymity in order to pursue full justice. He was followed by others. A brave step broke decades of State inaction but it was only the start of a long and gruelling fight for the survivors. They endured another four years of an investigation before Kenneally was finally convicted in a court of law in 2016. He was convicted of further crimes in 2023. Of course, it took many years for the commission of investigation to be established in 2018. It was another eight years before the landmark investigative report of the commission was published last month. It has been 14 years from the time Jason Clancy made his complaint to this day.  Of course, the State apology today is welcome but the Government's response cannot end there. The Government must act on all of the recommendations of the commission. Crucially, it must now deliver on its promise to provide survivors with redress and compensation. It is very wrong that no steps have been taken yet to fulfil that commitment. The lip service must stop from today. Urgent steps must now be taken with survivors to appoint a mediator without any further delay. This process must be expedited to ensure full justice and redress.  Baineadh amach an leithsc\u00e9al seo \u00f3n St\u00e1t de bharr neart na marthan\u00f3ir\u00ed f\u00edorchr\u00f3ga a d'fhulaing m\u00ed-\u00fas\u00e1id uaf\u00e1sach \u00f3 Bill Kenneally agus iad ina mbuachaill\u00ed \u00f3ga. Ba mh\u00ed-\u00fas\u00e1id ghn\u00e9is lean\u00fanach \u00e9 agus theip ar na h\u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e9 a stopadh. Ba iad na marthan\u00f3ir\u00ed a th\u00f3g \u00e9 chun ceartais. N\u00edor cheart dearmad a dh\u00e9anamh air sin riamh.  On 18 June, Bill Kenneally died where he belonged - behind bars. Today, we name his evil crimes and the lifelong pain he inflicted on his victims. However, we cannot allow that horror to fully dominate the entirety of this story. The bravery, courage, resilience and refusal to give up of the men in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery today and of every victim of Bill Kenneally, including those who broke anonymity and those who did not and those who came forward and those who have not, have brought us here today. You exposed the truth. You brought Kenneally to justice. You stopped him. The State apology was not offered; it was hard-won by you for every victim of Bill Kenneally. Today, your strength, dignity and compassion shine brightly and powerfully above this darkness.  To the young people in each of your lives - your sons, your daughters and your grandchildren - let me say this: I hope that, when you look at your dad's face, you see a hero, a man who faced unspeakable trauma and still found it within himself to seek truth and justice and to overcome.  He did all of this not just for himself but for you too, so that you would know the lengths to which he would go to protect you - to protect any child - and to comfort and heal the young boy that still lives within him and to right a terrible wrong. That is the measure of your father. Every time he laughs or smiles, every time he holds you in his gaze, I hope you see this incredible courage, this honour and this unbreakable character. Know this too - Bill Kenneally did not win. The horror of his abuse did not win. Love won. The young boys of Waterford won. Your dad won. The past will always be there but the rest of this life belongs to him, to you and to your families because that is the future your father has made possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  Today must belong first and foremost to the survivors of the horrific abuse perpetrated by Bill Kenneally. To Jason Clancy, Paul Walsh, Colin Power, Kevin Keating, Barry Murphy and every survivor, those who have spoken publicly and those who have carried their pain privately, I want to say this: our hearts are with you every day, but today especially. I recognise the enormous courage you have shown and the terrible wrongs that were done to you, not only by the man who abused you but by the institutions and individuals who should have protected you and failed to do so, those who knew young boys were being abused by a monster and who did worse than nothing by preventing justice for decades and allowing the conditions for horrific abuse to happen and to continue. I want to acknowledge all of you - those of you who have waived your anonymity and spoken publicly, those of you who have spoken privately, those of you who have carried this silently with you and those of you who have never spoken and are no doubt still unknown. You have had to carry the consequences of that abuse through your lives ever since.  The damage did not end when the abuse ended. It has followed survivors into their relationships, their family lives, their working lives and their mental and, no doubt, physical health. It affected confidence, trust and the ability to feel safe. It also affected parents, partners, children, brothers, sisters and friends. Entire families have lived with the consequences of what happened. It was extremely difficult, yet you persisted. You told your stories again and again to garda\u00ed, lawyers, journalists, politicians and the commission. Every retelling came at a personal cost. Every interview made you revisit some of the darkest and most painful experiences of your lives.  Today's apology would not be happening without your courage and determination, and it is important to acknowledge that survivors did not travel this long and difficult road entirely alone. Their families and friends stood beside them through extraordinarily difficult times. They listened when others did not. They believed when institutions failed. They supported survivors through investigations, court cases, media coverage, setbacks and years of delay. Without the love, strength and support of those families and friends, many of whom are in the Public Gallery, this apology would never have happened.  We must also acknowledge the support of the wider public in Waterford and, indeed, across the country. People heard the survivors' testimony, understood the injustice that had taken place and stood behind the demand for truth and accountability. I want to recognise the exceptional work of Phoenix Law and, in particular, Darragh Mackin. Darragh and his colleagues have represented the survivors with determination, professionalism and compassion. They understood that this was about far more than a legal case; it was about human dignity. It was about ensuring that survivors were heard and the power of the State was finally confronted with the truth. I want to acknowledge two journalists, namely, Damien Tiernan and Saoirse McGarrigle. For years, they supported the survivors and shone a spotlight on the failures of State organisations and others in positions of authority. They kept asking difficult questions when some would have preferred silence. Their journalism helped ensure that this story could not be ignored, minimised or allowed to disappear.  The commission's report found a serious dereliction of duty in the Garda response. It documented failures by institutions and individuals who had responsibilities to protect children but did not act as they should have. A 14-year-old boy walked alone into Waterford Garda station in 1985 and reported that he had been abused. His complaint should have been investigated. Had that happened, other children might not have been harmed. This fact must weigh heavily on the State today.  An apology cannot give survivors back their livelihoods and it cannot remove the trauma they have carried, but an apology matters. It matters because the State is finally acknowledging that survivors were failed. It matters because responsibility is being accepted. To these survivors, I hope today brings some recognition of the truth you fought so hard to establish. I hope it brings some measure of peace to you and your families. Nothing said in this Chamber today can ever adequately reflect what you endured but, today, on behalf of the people I represent in Waterford, I want to say your courage forced the truth into light, your determination made this State apology unavoidable and your courage will never be forgotten. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Holly Cairns","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Holly-Cairns.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Holly Cairns  I welcome the survivors in the Gallery today. Today is a momentous day for you all, for everyone who suffered at the hands of Bill Kenneally and who fought bravely for decades to be believed and to be supported. This apology should have happened years ago because the horrific abuse inflicted on young boys was not solely the work of one predatory monster. It was the consequence of institutional failure by the State. Bill Kenneally's abuse was cruel beyond belief. He was calculated. He used alcohol, gifts and money to groom boys. He used intimidation, restraint and degrading photographs to control them. His crimes were among the most serious imaginable and their effects have lasted a lifetime, and State failure allowed him to keep doing it. Senior garda\u00ed were aware of allegations against him. The principal of De La Salle secondary school knew. The South-Eastern Health Board knew. Billy Kenneally senior knew. Brendan Kenneally knew. Monsignor John Shine knew. Parents had raised concerns. Boys themselves tried. They reached out to figures of authority who should have helped them. They gave statements and handed in photographic evidence, but the people who were supposed to protect them did not.  The handling of the case by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the South-Eastern Health Board was a horrific dereliction of duty. The commission of investigation was very clear in that. It found that Bill Kenneally could have been arrested. His home could have been searched. Evidence could have been secured. Other victims could have been identified. Child protection measures could have been put in place. Instead, the local institutions of the State in Waterford circled the wagons. They protected a powerful man who came from a powerful family, with no regard to the safety of the children who were suffering at his hands. Those are failures that changed lives irreparably because after garda\u00ed interviewed Bill Kenneally in December 1987, he walked out of Waterford Garda station and continued to abuse children up until 1993 - children who could and should have been protected.  The extraordinary courage shown by survivors is what brought us here today. They forced the truth into the open and fought against institutions that did not want to listen. They relived unimaginable trauma in the pursuit of justice so that future generations of children might be safer. That should never have been necessary to receive justice, but it is a path this State forces survivors down time and time again. Ireland has become far too comfortable with empty apologies. The survivors of the mother and baby homes received an apology yet, today, families are still pleading with the Government not to permit apartments to be built on the grounds of Bessborough, where hundreds of children remain unaccounted for. Survivors of child sexual abuse in our schools received apologies yet women abused in Dunderrow National School are still being denied redress and forced through the courts.  The remaining thalidomide survivors are still waiting for a State apology - still waiting for justice.  The point of a State apology is not whether it is moving; it is whether it results in change, whether every recommendation of the commission is implemented, whether survivors receive justice without having to spend another decade fighting for it, whether this Government will finally get its head around the fact that accountability does not end with saying \"Sorry\" but, rather, begins there. These men deserve more than words. I sincerely hope the Government delivers action. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  Today belongs to the survivors, to those remarkable people sitting in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery and to those who simply could not or chose not to be here today. This apology belongs to all of you. It is impossible not to reflect on the enormity of what you had to endure, not just as children but also as adults. The abuse stole your childhood but the pursuit of justice took decades of your adult lives. You should never have had to become investigators of the crimes that were committed against you in the past. You should never have had to become campaigners for the dignity that should have been afforded to you from the moment you stepped forward. You should never have had to persuade the State to investigate the crimes that were committed against you by the evil paedophile, Bill Kenneally. That was the State's responsibility; it was not yours.  I have sat through and watched many State apologies from this Chamber and afar. Every commission of inquiry and every report into institutional failure begin with the same uncomfortable truth: someone, oftentimes many people, in the architecture of this State knew enough to act and chose not to. The failures in this case were not inevitable. The courage of children brought the opportunity to intervene, the opportunity to investigate and the opportunity to protect other children. Those opportunities were purposely discarded and the wrongs you suffered at the hands of an evil man were compounded by the complicity of this State in the indifference to his crimes.  The greatest failure revealed by this report is that too often institutions appeared more concerned with protecting the authority of this vile person than with protecting children. I have often spoken in this House about restorative justice, but the absolute antithesis of restorative justice is the re-traumatisation of victims. Every time survivors had to tell their story again, every delay you have experienced, every door that was closed upon you and every year spent fighting for an investigation that should have happened decades earlier was not justice; it was the opposite of it. It was another injury inflicted upon you. Today's apology is the State's acknowledgement that when you needed it most, it failed you.  I note some survivors have said today's apology should not be the only one. Their voices deserve to be heard because if today teaches us anything, it is that when survivors tell us what justice looks like, our first instinct must be to listen and act. The measure of today will not be in the words spoken in this Chamber; it will be in whether another child, another family or another survivor receives a different response from the institutions of this State when they come forward to tell their story.  To every survivor I say, \"Thank you\". You carried the burden of truth while institutions and individuals within this State chose to burden themselves with protecting the reputation of a vile paedophile instead. History will remember which burden required the greater courage. Thank you to all of you. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  I acknowledge the survivors of Bill Kenneally's abuse, who were then boys and are now men, who carried this alone for decades and found the courage and strength to force this State to look honestly at how it failed them. This is not an isolated failure. It is our country's oldest and most shameful pattern - the industrial schools, the Magdalen laundries, the mother and baby homes. Through case after case, cover-up after cover-up, decade after decade, elements of this State have known that children were being harmed and abused but have chosen to protect the abuser over the abused because the men doing the harming were trusted, connected or useful to someone more powerful than the poor children themselves.  This report shows that pattern again in living memory - not in some distant past that we can console ourselves is behind us. Senior garda\u00ed knew about this in the late 1980s. They knew a boy had been abused but they did not act. A health board received complaints and did not follow through. A political and community network allowed access to children for years after the first warning signs were known. This was not ignorance. It was a choice repeated by people who had the power to stop it but just gave a vile creature like Bill Kenneally continued and protected access to innocent children. I see the same instinct at work today, not the same crime but the same reflex to manage a problem quietly rather than confront it. I have raised concerns about Tusla's use of unregulated emergency arrangements for children in State care. The mechanism changes; the instinct to look away does not.  An apology means nothing if this is the State's way of closing the file. The referral to the Law Reform Commission on misconduct in public office is a step forward but we need a timeline because survivors have already waited since 2017. I want the State to say plainly what structurally will stop this from happening again, not what apology we will give when it is already too late.  To the survivors I say, you have forced this reckoning against a system built to protect itself and the abusers first, a State that values position and power over people and the protection of the innocence of children. This State owes every child, past and future, a promise that we have finally stopped looking away. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy John Cummins)  I acknowledge the survivors and their families who are with us today in both Galleries and those who may be watching from home. This day belongs to you. Your courage in coming forward, your determination to pursue the truth and your perseverance in seeking justice deserve our deepest respect and admiration. For many years you fought for what should never have been so difficult to obtain. You fought to be heard, you fought to be believed and you fought for accountability. Above all, you fought for justice. That burden should never have rested on your shoulders. The authorities responsible for protecting you should have acted long before you were forced to carry that responsibility yourselves. What you suffered was abhorrent. It was a profound betrayal of trust and a devastating violation of your childhood. It is impossible to fully comprehend the pain and trauma that you have endured or the lifelong impact it has had on you and your families. While none of us can truly understand your experiences, we can acknowledge the enormity of what you have lived through and the extraordinary resilience you have shown in the aftermath.  The findings of the south-east commission of investigation make for deeply disturbing reading. They remind us that not only were there countless instances of horrific forms of abuse, there were also multiple examples of profound institutional failure. Time and again, opportunities to intervene were missed. Time and again, systems that existed to protect these men failed in that most fundamental responsibility. The commission found that there were clear failings in the manner in which allegations were handled, failings that fell below the standards expected even of the time. That is a sobering conclusion. These failures cannot simply be explained away as a product of a bygone era. They represented serious shortcomings that allowed abuse to continue and denied the survivors the protection to which they were entitled.  It is difficult to comprehend how something so horrific could occur within the Waterford community that I know and love, and that it could continue for so long without Bill Kenneally being brought to justice. It is equally difficult to accept that he was able to evade accountability for so many years while more young men suffered. The survivors were failed by those who should have stood beside them. Institutions that should have listened did not. Authorities that should have acted failed to do so. The hurt caused by the abuse itself was compounded by the failures that followed and that is why today's apology is both warranted and long overdue.  While no apology can undo the harm that was inflicted or restore what was taken from you, I hope it affirms what you have known all along: that you were wronged, that your voices matter and that the failures identified by the commission are now recognised by the State. To every survivor I want to say, \"Thank you\". I thank you for your courage, I thank you for your resilience and I thank you for refusing to allow the truth to remain hidden despite the immense personal cost.  I particularly thank those men who sat in the living room of my house and shared their horrendous experiences with me back when I was mayor of Waterford. Those private conversations made me absolutely determined to support your request for the establishment of this commission with former justice Ministers Frances Fitzgerald and Charlie Flanagan. It is my genuine and sincere hope that today's State apology provides some measure of acknowledgement and, in time, some degree of closure.  It cannot erase the past, but it can recognise the profound wrong that was done to you and the failures that allowed it to happen. We owe it to you not only to remember these failures but also to learn from them. Ultimately, that is a responsibility each of us in this House shares. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Murnane O'Connor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Murnane-O'Connor.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Jennifer-Murnane-O'Connor.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor)  Today is a profoundly important and solemn day. I want to add my voice to the full and formal State apology and to acknowledge the courage, dignity and perseverance of those survivors who fought for truth and accountability for so many years.  The Report of the South East Commission of Investigation, which was published last month, lays bare not only the horrific crimes committed by the paedophile Bill Kenneally but also the failures of individuals and institutions to act when children should have been protected. As the commission's report spells out, there were opportunities to stop his most horrible abuse years earlier. The failures to investigate and respond appropriately had devastating consequences for victims and survivors. There is nothing any of us in this House can say that can undo the pain, harm and loss experienced by those young boys, their families and the communities in which they lived, played basketball and worked. They have had to endure a lifetime of harm, many of them carrying their suffering in silence. They bravely persisted in pursuing justice, and now the truth has been fully exposed. As a TD for Carlow and as Minister of State with responsibility for public health, well-being and the national drugs strategy, I am acutely aware that childhood harm can have lifelong impacts on physical and mental health, relationships, education and well-being. We must never lose sight of the human consequences of these failures.  I want to say to the victims and survivors that this is more than an apology. We are listening to you, we are learning and we are acting. All of us in this House have a responsibility to ensure that our child safeguarding systems are robust. We must ensure that if concerns are raised today, they are acted on without delay. We must continue to strengthen our child protection structures and ensure accountability wherever failure occurs. We must ensure that survivors have access to the supports and services they need while acknowledging the State's failure to adequately provide them to these boys and young men.  May today serve as an acknowledgement of the past and as a renewed commitment that children will always come first, that safeguarding will never be compromised and that such failures will never be allowed to happen again. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Today is a very important day because the State has finally and formally apologised to the survivors of Bill Kenneally's abuse. Those who should have been protected were instead failed in the most profound and devastating way. No apology can undo the harm that was done. I pay tribute to the extraordinary courage of the survivors and their families, whose determination made this day possible. You do not need me to tell you, but today is a day of vindication for those abused by this vile, calculating, predatory paedophile who was protected by people who knew better and by institutions whose duty it was to protect children. Instead, they acted to shield a predator and a political dynasty.  This full and formal State apology to the survivors of Bill Kenneally has been a long time coming. It is a recognition of the persistence and bravery of you men who are here in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery and those who are not here today. Those of you who refused to give up in your pursuit of truth and justice, I thank you for what you have done. I thank you for your courage and for your power. I also want to acknowledge your families and those who have supported you on this journey.  We must ensure, as legislators in this place and as a society more broadly, that no individual or institution is ever regarded as untouchable again and that no child or vulnerable person will ever be failed in this way again. I particularly welcome the acknowledgement in the State apology that the response in terms of the investigation by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na was wholly inadequate.  It has been a long and difficult road for the men who fought for justice. Their bravery and determination deserves to be recognised by this House today. Their families and friends also deserve enormous credit for standing beside them throughout this search for justice. Bill Kenneally died in prison, where he belonged, last month, serving a 19-year sentence for his crimes against children in Waterford. However, he lived a long life free from the consequences of his crimes before the walls finally closed in on him. I encourage anyone who has suffered abuse to come forward. You deserve to be heard; you deserve justice.  No longer can this State or our society allow perpetrators to hide in the shadows. The days of deference to the powerful and well-connected must be over. The days of impunity, silence and cover-up must never be allowed to return. I really hope that today's apology and this recognition and acknowledgement bring some measure of light after decades of trauma and anguish. I hope it brings vindication, and that you can begin to leave this long fight behind and look forward to the future "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  I am glad to speak for the Labour Party in today's important debate. I welcome our guests in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. I pay tribute to all of the survivors whose courage has made this report and the State apology happen. I pay tribute to Jason Clancy, Paul Walsh, Kevin Keating, Colin Power, Barry Murphy, Simon O'Toole, Gerard Mullane and all those who were abused by Bill Kenneally. My thoughts are with those watching at home, as well as those here in the Gallery. For decades, you and they have had to carry a deep trauma. While there is nothing that can make amends for the terrible abuse inflicted upon you as children, I hope that the State apology will be of some solace.  I welcome the Taoiseach's apology. I also welcome the report. The South East Commission of Investigation submitted its final 419-page report to the Minister on 8 June. I commend Mr. Justice Michael White and his team on this significant piece of important work. It is a report that documents the depraved and systematic sexual abuse of children by the paedophile, Bill Kenneally. It also sets out the chronology and detail of the subsequent mishandling of allegations against Kenneally. The details are nothing short of horrendous. So many young lives were destroyed by Kenneally's heinous crimes. It was such an abuse of power. The report states, \"Bill Kenneally held a trusted voluntary position as a basketball coach and also a privileged place in society as part of an extended highly regarded family in Waterford.\" This chilling phrase reminds us of just how Kenneally was able to get away with this abuse of power, how he tortured young boys over many years in horrific ways, how he exploited his position of authority and his privilege to abuse boys and how he silenced boys and young men by means of blackmail and intimidation.  The report also reminds us that when some of his young victims found the courage to report him, their bravery was met with inertia or worse by garda\u00ed. The report is unequivocal in that regard. I welcome its clear finding that for far too long there was a clear dereliction of duty on the part of senior garda\u00ed in dealing with Kenneally's despicable crimes. The consequences were grave. Had proper procedures been followed in the 1980s, we know many children could have been protected from suffering at Kenneally's hands. Contact was made with garda\u00ed in 1987, and the commission has found that clearly that garda\u00ed at that point had the power to arrest Kenneally, search his dwelling and car and detain him pursuant to section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. That Act, which had been commenced, permitted arrest and, crucially, detention for interrogation. However, that did not transpire. Instead, Sean Cashman, the acting chief superintendent in Waterford, contacted Bill Kenneally's uncles who were, in the words of the report, \"prominent public figures\". Mr. Justice White is highly critical of the decision to contact retired TD Billy Kenneally and Monsignor John Shine. Mr. Justice White notes that a scandal involving their nephew being made public was not \"an attractive prospect\" to them. A chilling phrase again. As a result, this sadistic perpetrator was left to circulate in the community and given continued access to other children. Cashman deviated from humane or proper procedure, giving Bill Kenneally a mere warning and referring him for psychiatric treatment.  The report documents how in 2001, some 14 years later, contact was again made, this time with then TD Brendan Kenneally. The former Deputy did not formally report this to the relevant agencies. Instead, he too sought counsel from Billy Kenneally and Monsignor John Shine. Again, the only substantive step taken was to arrange further psychiatric treatment. At that point, three influential members of the Kenneally family were on notice of Bill Kenneally's crimes, namely a serving public representative, a former public representative and a senior member of the clergy. This was a microcosm of the church-State collusion we now know caused and delivered some deep hurt and trauma to women and children in particular in Ireland's recent past.  A full Garda investigation into Bill Kenneally began in 2012. I pay tribute to all those journalists, garda\u00ed, and legal teams who took this on and ensured in the end, along with courageous survivors, that this investigation would commence and that Bill Kenneally would be convicted and jailed in 2016. As we know, he died last month.  With this report, we finally have a fuller picture not just of his crimes but of the failures of the State. No institution comes out of the report well, not the garda\u00ed, not the health authorities, not the sporting bodies, and certainly not representatives of Fianna F\u00e1il or the Catholic Church. I welcome this State apology and the Taoiseach's words on behalf of his party. That was very meaningful. What comes next? The State's response and all of our responses as legislators must be to ensure that survivors' interests are at the fore of all considerations and that responses are survivor-led.  The report makes several very important recommendations. It recommends an urgent review of the need to introduce a criminal offence of misconduct in public office. We are told that the Law Reform Commission is now considering that measure, which is very welcome. We must proceed with this. Placing such an offence on the Statute Book would help to undo what we now know is a dangerous say nothing culture that prevailed through much of the 20th century. Putting such an offence into law would show that no one is above reproach, whatever their position of privilege, and that where anyone puts others in harm's way or fails to take steps to remove them from harm's way, they will be responsible.  I reiterate Labour\u2019s strong support for the introduction of that crucial new offence and for the implementation of other recommendations of the report. I welcome the Taoiseach's commitment to see legal proceedings that are still in being against the garda\u00ed resolved swiftly, and indeed the commitment that alternative means of redress outside the legal process will be examined by the State. This is very important. Clearly, the State cannot turn back the clock to undo failings or even complicity but the State can and must do better now. We have learned over recent decades about failings in previous redress schemes. We learned from those.  The State must also look at taking measures that are being proposed, for example, to ensure that redress will be forthcoming from religious orders because there has been that aspect, in that it has been very difficult for survivors to recover redress where religious orders have been involved. Just last week, the Government voted to delay the Labour redress Bill by six months, a redress Bill which would ensure that survivors could pursue religious orders or other unincorporated bodies for redress where they have acted to enable or facilitate sexual abuse of children. I reiterate my call on the Government to ensure that work can be done quickly to pass that Bill into law.  In conclusion, Taoiseach, T\u00e1naiste, members of Government, and, in particular, survivors, today is a very important day. We mark the wrong that was done to you as survivors and to the other survivors who continue to suffer in silence and who have not or who have not yet come forward. It is for survivors to be the arbiter of whether the State gets its response today and over the coming weeks and months right. We know the report points us in the direction that we must go but we also need to hear and learn from you what we can do better as we go forward. I thank survivors again. I pay tribute to you and acknowledge all of you who are not here today who have not yet come forward publicly. Today is for you. It is for all survivors of abuse. We are thinking of you and we stand with you. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ged Nash  As my colleague, Deputy Bacik, said, today is for you and about you. I hope that today marks an important milestone for you and a step on the road to a form of healing that has been denied to you all for far too long. If survivors in the Gallery will indulge me for a moment, it is serendipitous that on the day on which an apology is formally made to you in the D\u00e1il for the wrongs the State has done to you, a report has gone to Cabinet in respect of a scoping exercise into the conduct of Michael Shine. It is important that today is about the process we are dealing with but I acknowledge the intensive work the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health have done in supporting the survivors and victims of Michael Shine, and that we will see progress, as I expect we will, at some point in the future.  It is a good thing that we are finally coming to terms with the challenges of our past in this country. Nothing will change the experience of the survivors of Kenneally or indeed anybody else but it is crucially important the State institutes processes that acknowledge wrong, that ensure, insofar as we can, that the State acknowledges that and works towards a better future, and that we learn from how the State and institutions that were involved in the form of abuse that was experienced in Waterford and elsewhere. We all need to acknowledge that and do better on behalf of all the citizens in this country. It is important that we do that and move on from that. I pay tribute on behalf of the Labour Party to all of you for your engagement in this process. I hope, as I said earlier, that some form of healing can emerge from this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Health (Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)  I acknowledge the survivors here, both in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery and those who have joined us as a community in other ways. The apology offered today by the Taoiseach is an important acknowledgement by the State of the wrong done to young boys and young men within this State and not acknowledged or handled correctly in any way by the institutions of this State. For the survivors gathered here and those potentially listening beyond these walls, of course this moment is about something much more important than words. It is about taking this time to recognise that lives were forever changed. It is about acknowledging that childhoods that should have been marked by safety and possibility were instead scarred by the worst form of abuse possible. It is about sitting with those who were children, now grown, and understanding the shock of abuse that occurred to them, the confusion and difficulty in articulating it, and nevertheless finding space for some people to be able to articulate it who were not heard and not respected by the State. It is about honouring today the extraordinary courage of those who have carried these burdens, often in silence, for many decades.  To the survivors of the predator, Bill Kenneally, I want to say that we recognise the pain that you have endured. We recognise and say loudly the profound impact this abuse has had on you throughout your lives and your families. It has cast a long shadow across years that should have been filled with other things.  As Minister for Health, I am particularly conscious of the ongoing impact that childhood trauma can have. We know that harm caused by sexual abuse does not end when the abuse ends. It can travel through a lifetime, leaving wounds that are deeply felt. Today, we acknowledge not only the terrible crimes committed by Bill Kenneally but also the failures of institutions that should have protected children when warning signs emerged.  The South East Independent Commission - and I thank Michael White in particular for his excellent work on this - found that when all of the evidence, expert opinion, guidelines and protocols at the time were considered, the South Eastern Health Board should have acted on the report prepared by Dr. Geraldine Nolan on 6 March 1989. That should have happened. That finding weighs heavily on me. It will weigh heavily on my predecessors and all those in the health system because that failure involved real people and real lives. The failure of the South Eastern Health Board to act on child protection concerns was not simply a procedural failure. It was a lost opportunity to stop the continuing criminal abuse of children. It was a lost opportunity to intervene, to protect, and to bring accountability many years earlier than it eventually occurred. As Deputy Bacik said, the legal environment already existed. For survivors, that failure came at a human cost and today, we must confront that truth, as the commission has done.  No words can return those stolen childhoods or change or ease the suffering that was endured but we can do better and we can learn. The report illustrates clearly that the Irish State, through its laws, its services for children and its sex education and awareness but, more than anything else, its combined culture of protecting the powerful, was blind to child sexual abuse operating under the surface in far too many places. Children were silenced by shame and by their natural inability to articulate what was happening to them as children, and by the shock and confusion of abuse. I note that the report also recognises that changes in legislation, services, and understanding of child exploitation have been profound.  The approach of statutory services has changed beyond recognition. I also want to say that those changes came many decades later and did not come easily. I recall when I came into this House as an adviser first and being presented with the Cloyne report, which detailed abuse in the diocese of Cloyne up to 2007. It was published in 2011. That was a report where the bishops, the church leaders, exploited what had been voluntary child protection guidelines to choose not to report abusers to garda\u00ed. With some difficulty, Frances Fitzgerald and Alan Shatter at the time introduced significant legislative change to require mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse, which was challenged by the church at the time as being potentially in breach of the seal of the confession, if you recall. It was an astonishing response to a fundamentally important change, taking the child protection guidelines, which were then voluntary, and putting them on a statutory basis. It took some four years for the Children First Act to be enacted by this House. That Act is important because it has changed the landscape and legal obligation of mandated people, including teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers and childcare staff, who are now legally obliged to notify and assist Tusla where there is a risk of significant harm to the child. That is not offered by any measure of defence of any kind but simply to acknowledge how fundamentally the child protection landscape has changed and needed to change, and yet how difficult it was to ultimately make those changes in the face of a strong interest in continuing to protect the powerful from the accountability that was necessary.  Child protection is never somebody else's responsibility. Concerns must be acted upon, not deferred. Information must be shared. Professional warnings must be heeded. Children must always come first. This report has clearly shown the health system's failure as part of that. Where a child is at risk, inaction has serious consequences. The legacy of this report is more than remembrance and recognition. It is another imperative for all of us as legislators to be vigilant and continually vigilant about our commitment across health and social care and all other services where children are in contact, to place the safety and well-being of children at the very centre of everything that we do.  To the survivors, your courage told truths that other people chose to ignore and sought to ignore, the abuse that you suffered, the opportunities to protect you that were missed, the bravery it took to articulate those things at a time when you would not heard, the failure of the State, both in its health services and An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, to act when it should have acted, and the hurt that flowed for so many people from all of those failures. I hope that today will stand as a recognition of your truth and a tribute to your courage. I hope that it will stand for us as legislators and for those who will follow us here as a promise that the lessons of the past will never be forgotten. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Emer Higgins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Emer-Higgins.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Emer-Higgins.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (Deputy Emer Higgins)  I join the Taoiseach, the T\u00e1naiste, the Minister for justice and many other Ministers in offering a sincere apology to the survivors of Bill Kenneally's abuse. Today, above all else, my thoughts are with the victims and survivors. Many of them are with us in the Gallery today. Thank you for being here. I can only imagine the strength it must take to sit in this Chamber and to hear one of the darkest chapters of your lives spoken about publicly. Your presence matters. It is because of the courage, resilience and determination of people that we are at this moment. I also acknowledge the survivors who are not with us today. This apology is every bit as much for them. The truth came to light because survivors refused to let it remain hidden. They came forward, often at enormous personal cost, and continued to seek answers and accountability when the very systems that should have protected them had failed.  For many survivors of child sexual abuse, the abuse does not end when it stops. Its impact can last a lifetime and can affect every aspect of a person's life - their mental health, their relationships, their sense of safety, their confidence and their ability to trust others. It can shape childhood, adulthood and family life in ways that are difficult to put into words. Many survivors have carried that burden in silence. We know they have felt isolated, disbelieved in some instances and forgotten in others because they have told us that. Some have spent decades searching not only for justice but simply for an acknowledgement of what happened to them. No apology can undo that harm or give back what was taken from anyone who has suffered. It cannot erase the years of pain, nor can it change the failures that allowed abuse to continue. However, it can acknowledge those failures. It can recognise the profound wrong that was done. It can say clearly and without reservation that those children were let down by the very people and institutions meant to protect them. That is why today's apology matters. It is about recognising the truth, taking responsibility and making it clear that children must always come first.  I welcome the publication of the final report of the south east independent commission of investigation and acknowledge the significant work involved in bringing this difficult process to a conclusion. I thank Judge Barry Hickson and Mr. Justice Michael White for their significant work and acknowledge how deeply distressing the findings are. They reveal repeated missed opportunities, ignored warning signs and systemic failures that allowed abuse to occur over many years. Children who should have been protected were instead left vulnerable. The institutions entrusted with keeping children safe failed in that duty. Concerns were not acted upon, children were not listened to and opportunities to intervene were missed. The consequences of those failures have been profound.  Reading the report, it is impossible not to think about what could have been different if action was taken sooner - how much suffering may have been prevented and how many lives might have been spared years of trauma. Ireland has learned painful lessons from its past. We now have a much greater understanding of child sexual abuse, of the lasting harm it causes and the importance of systems that listen to children, that support survivors and that act quickly when concerns arise. Significant progress has been made in child protection, safeguarding and public awareness. Those changes matter. They cannot undo what has happened, nor can they lessen our responsibility to ensure that every child is safe and heard and every concern is taken seriously.  Today is not about institutions, however. It is about people and the people who were failed by them. To every survivor, for the abuse that you suffered and the failures that left you without the protection that you deserved, and for the years it took for your voices to be heard, we are deeply sorry. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  Today is not a day for politics. It is not a day for point scoring or trying to win an argument; it is a day for listening, humility and acknowledging the profound suffering endured by those who were failed by the people and institutions that should have protected them. To every survivor who found the courage to come forward, we believe you, we hear you and we are deeply sorry for the vile crimes you endured at the hands of the paedophile Bill Kenneally and for the length of time it took us all entrusted with public office to see your truth vindicated. Nothing said in this Chamber today can undo what happened. No speech can restore a stolen childhood. No apology can erase decades of pain, fear, shame or silence but we still owe that apology because for far too long, the voices of victims were ignored while the reputation of the institutions mattered more than the protection of the children.  The south east independent commission of investigation paints a deeply disturbing picture. It describes a predatory offender who abused children over many years. It tells us that warning signs, suspicions and opportunities existed to stop that abuse much earlier. It also shows us that while the standards and understanding of child protection in the 1970s and 1980s were very different from today, they were still serious failures of judgment and failures to act, even by the standards of that time. For many years, children carried burdens that adults should have carried for them. Children were expected to speak when they were frightened. They were expected to overcome shame that has been deliberately forced upon them. Children were expected to carry secrets that no child should ever have to carry.  When some did try to speak, too often they found adults who were unwilling or unable to hear them. That is one of the hardest truths contained in this report. As parents and grandparents, as public representatives and simply as decent human beings, we cannot read these accounts without asking ourselves one question: what if it had been our own son, our own brother, our own grandson? That is the measure by which we should judge every child\u2019s protection system.  The report also reminds us of something uncomfortable - evil rarely succeeds on its own. It succeeds where there is silence and hesitation, where difficult questions are avoided, and where institutions become more concerned with protecting themselves than protecting vulnerable people. That lesson extends far beyond Waterford. It belongs to the whole country.  Ireland has learned painful lessons through commission after commission. We have apologised before. We have promised reform before. Some important changes have undoubtedly been made - child protection laws are stronger, Garda procedures have improved and awareness is far greater than it once was - but today\u2019s report reminds us that reform is never finished. The challenge for every generation is to make sure that children are never expected to carry the consequences of adult failures. That means ensuring that agencies work together, concerns are acted upon quickly and a child is never dismissed because the evidence is difficult or uncomfortable, and understanding that every delay, missed opportunity and failure to communicate can have lifelong consequences for an innocent child.  I also want to acknowledge the extraordinary courage shown by the survivors throughout this process. Some are here in the Gallery. Many carried these experiences for decades. Many built lives while carrying wounds that nobody else could see. Many came forward not because it was easy but because they wanted to make sure that no other child would suffer what they suffered. That courage deserves not only our respect but our gratitude. To the families who stood beside them through years of trauma, uncertainty and legal proceedings, we acknowledge your strengths, too.  I have to say this, though \u2013 an apology only has meaning if it is accompanied by action. The greatest tribute we can pay to those who suffered is not another headline or another report gathering dust on a shelf. It is ensuring that every recommendation is examined carefully, implemented where appropriate and followed through in practice. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  I, too, want to commend many of the victims and survivors of Bill Kenneally, some of whom are joining us in the Gallery today. In any situation, it takes incredible bravery and courage to be able to come forward and tell your story, and more so when many of the organs of the State ignore you, do not listen to you and in some cases undermine you as well. These victims and survivors have not only taken on an evil predictor, but they have also taken on many of the powers of the State. We are also thinking today of the dozens of other victims who for different reasons have not been able to come forward publicly.  I welcome the State apology by the Government. This apology is a culmination of decades of campaigning by people who have been providing information. It is a long time coming but it will bring closure to many people. I also welcome the report that has been done on this issue but the process for these reports is incredibly slow. We need a permanent office of public investigation in this country, one that retains the skills and experience needed to undertake these types of investigation in a speedy fashion. The slow process of investigations is damaging. Long and winding investigations mean that those who have suffered have to suffer for longer and some people never achieve justice.  The vile crimes of Bill Kenneally have done much harm. These crimes have damaged and destroyed lives and have consumed the lives of many others for decades. In this specific case, truth and justice were prevented by some of the most powerful organisations in the State. It is shocking that senior garda\u00ed who had been informed of these crimes in the 1980s did not act on them. The garda\u00ed failed these victims and survivors. The South-Eastern Health Board also failed to follow through on these complaints. In his report, Mr. Justice Michael White said that Bill Kenneally was surrounded by the influential in Waterford society, including his uncle, Billy Kenneally Snr., and his cousin Brendan Kenneally, who were both Fianna F\u00e1il TDs for Waterford, and his uncle Monsignor John Shine, who was influential in the church. These actions may seem like they were from a bygone time but, in truth, that instinct is still in organisations to defend themselves. Organisations still often put their own interests ahead of the interests of survivors.  On the question of children being at risk today, there are dozens of children in the charge of Tusla who are missing as we speak. Many are exposed to shocking levels of abuse. My worry is that some of those children will be in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery in 20 or 30 years\u2019 time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  I, too, welcome this belated apology after the final report of the investigation. I pay tribute to the survivors, whose immense personal bravery and persistence finally forced the truth out. It sounds like a platitude because successive Governments and we as a society have treated people with contempt. People were dealing with their own trauma and suffering. Complaints were made in the mid-to-late-eighties, yet the Garda, other agencies, the political elites and others chose to protect this well-connected predator over innocent children. The evidence was sat on for so long until another formal complaint was made in 2012.  This is the modern era. We thought we were over this and that we had dealt with historic abuses in residential institutions and were getting on with stuff. It is shocking it took so long before and after. It was a conscious, systematic cover up. Even now, we have to ask if we have learned everything we need to have learned. The Minister for Health mentioned, we have robust laws like the Children First Act now, but the system is still only as good as the culture and the resourcing. Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn just mentioned Tusla. It is an agency that lurches from crisis to crisis, leaving vulnerable children in unregulated and unsafe emergency hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation and so on. There have been recent reports in the news that there is movement on that, which I welcome, but there are thousands more on waiting lists without a proper social worker and there are a lot of kids who have come to this country through the asylum process who have gone missing.  We need to urgently reform the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 to end what I believe is the forced silencing of survivors under section 11, which criminally gags them from speaking out about their own testimony. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Mary Butler)  To the survivors of Bill Kenneally\u2019s horrific abuse, to your families and your loved ones, and to those joining us in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery and the Gallery upstairs, I want to begin by acknowledging your courage. For decades, you carried a burden that should never have been yours to bear. Today is about you, about your experiences and about the failures that allowed you to be so grievously let down. I have listened intently to the survivors\u2019 testimonies in recent weeks in the wake of the report\u2019s publication. You have spoken about vindication, closure, moving on with your lives and healing. It is my sincere hope that today\u2019s State apology will help you on that journey.  I want to acknowledge the work of Mr. Justice White, his team and the former chair, Judge Barry Hickson, for the comprehensiveness of the investigation, which fully vindicates all those who were subject to the most appalling abuse by Bill Kenneally. The report makes clear that opportunities existed to stop the abuse sooner, especially in 1987 and 2001. Individuals and institutions who should have acted failed to do so. The report found that two senior garda\u00ed in Waterford, Sean Cashman and PJ Hayes, a school principal, the South-Eastern Health Board, Monsignor Shine and two former Waterford Fianna F\u00e1il TDs, Billy Kenneally Snr. and Brendan Kenneally, failed the victims.  Whether they stayed silent, failed to act or actively sought to conceal the truth, their conduct was inexcusable and unacceptable by any standard then and now. Children were not protected when they should have been. Those failures compounded the harms suffered. As a Waterford TD, as a Minister of State in this Government, as a mother, I am profoundly sorry for what happened to you. I am sorry that you as children were not protected. I am sorry that warnings were not acted upon. I am sorry for the years you spent seeking answers, seeking recognition and seeking justice.  I wish to thank An Taoiseach for the State apology. An apology must be accompanied by actions.  As survivors, you must have access to counselling, mental health supports and practical assistance for as long as you need them. The Government will engage constructively and compassionately on the recommendations arising from the commission's work, including any measures necessary to provide meaningful recognition and redress. Mediation should now be the next step. The ordeal you have endured is incomprehensible. You have been to hell and back, but your courage forced the truth into the open. Your persistence ensured that the failures could no longer be ignored. The State cannot change what happened but it can acknowledge the truth. It can accept responsibility for its failures and commit itself to standing with you now and in the future. Today, and every day, our focus must be on you, the victims and the survivors. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan)  I echo the remarks of the Taoiseach and every Deputy who has spoken in this debate this afternoon in acknowledging, first and foremost, the courage of the victims who have brought these failures of the State into the light. This report stands testament to the perseverance of both those who join us in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery this afternoon and those who have chosen to maintain their anonymity. The bravery of all the victims represents the foundations on which Mr. Justice White's report is built. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet some of the victims in recent weeks, following the publication of the report. I apologised that day to the victims, and I repeat that apology today for the D\u00e1il record and, indeed, extend it to all those victims who chose, understandably, to maintain their privacy and anonymity.  While I do not intend to repeat what has already been said, the Taoiseach has very clearly set down on the record of this House the litany of failures that occurred in the State's engagement with Bill Kenneally. As Minister for justice, however, the failures pertaining to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na weigh particularly heavily on me as I am politically responsible for the Garda.  The failure in 1987 to investigate properly Bill Kenneally's crimes, the failure to arrest him and the failure to search his house for evidence that would certainly have seen him prosecuted are a stain on the history of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. Standard Garda practices and protocols of the time were not followed, and attempts to deal with the matter informally through a psychiatric referral and by engaging with Billy Kenneally Snr. and Monsignor Shine go beyond simple naivety and were an abject failure to do the job which the State had entrusted to those garda\u00ed to do. In my recent meeting with the victims I acknowledged, and I accept fully, as Minister for justice, the finding in the report that action taken by the chief superintendent in Waterford was a clear and serious dereliction of duty, even by the standards applicable at that time. That misjudgment about Bill Kenneally's risk of reoffending undoubtedly led to further despicable, and preventable, abuse.  We know, as the Taoiseach outlined, from evidence provided to the commission and statements made to the Garda that the allegations against Bill Kenneally span a much broader timeframe than those he was ultimately convicted for - almost a quarter of a century, in fact, in which children within his significant sphere of influence were at grave risk. While the criminal justice system belatedly caught up with Bill Kenneally, following an investigation that began only when Jason Clancy had the fearlessness to come forward in December 2012, he evaded justice for far too long and his death in prison does little to undo that failure.  As the Taoiseach noted, one issue Mr. Justice White asked to be addressed is the absence of a criminal offence of \"misconduct in public office\". Chapter 12 of the report outlines the legal confusion about whether there is a common-law offence of that nature that was carried over into law after the enactment of the Constitution in 1937. The finding of the commission is that there is no such offence of serious dereliction of duty. I have accepted the recommendation of Mr. Justice White and wrote to the Attorney General a number of weeks ago to begin the process of reviewing the matter. The Attorney General has confirmed to me that he has written to the Law Reform Commission under section 4 of the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 and has requested that the Law Reform Commission examine and research this matter further. The Attorney General has specifically requested that the Law Reform Commission examine the current state of the pre-1937 common-law offence in Irish law; whether a new criminal offence of \"misconduct in public office\" or \"misconduct in public office by omission\" could be provided for by statute, and what the ingredients of that offence would be; and what the advantages and disadvantages of the enactment of any such criminal offence would be. The Attorney General has encouraged the Law Reform Commission to engage with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na on this matter and has asked them to revert to him within nine months.  Separate to the findings of the report, and acknowledging that there is nothing that can right the wrongs perpetrated by Bill Kenneally, I have instructed officials in my Department to begin the process to secure compensation for those who have suffered as a result of the failures outlined in the report. The exact details will be worked out with engagement from the victims themselves but, on a personal level, I do not want to see those of you who have been through so much put through any further lengthy legal processes. I would like to see a mediated solution that brings much-needed closure to all parties.  As a final thought, I thank again, as has already been done, Mr. Justice White and his predecessor, Judge Hickson, for the tireless and painstaking work of compiling the report. I was struck in my recent meeting with some of the victims by their gratitude for the work of, and their engagement with, Mr. Justice White and their belief that he had managed very difficult subject matter even-handedly and with great sensitivity. He is, indeed, a very fine person. The report is a reminder to all of us gathered in this Chamber, and those whose role it is to protect the vulnerable in our society, that we must hold ourselves to the highest standards. Mr. Justice White has clearly outlined to us the terrible consequences that result from our failure to do so. While nothing will ever take away what happened to Bill Kenneally's victims, I hope it is some comfort to them that their efforts will have made the world a little safer for the most vulnerable, including our children, who come after them.  In concluding his report, Mr. Justice White expressed hope that the report has brought some peace of mind to the victims of Bill Kenneally. I also hope it has done. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  I join the Ceann Comhairle in extending the welcome to you. You have come through a harrowing journey to this day and you have exposed the State, as has been recorded by the Taoiseach, the Minister and others, in terms of the most awful failings, which have had terrible consequences on your lives and the lives of your families. If we are to take action on this, we should examine some of the submissions made to other investigations where this was spoken about by officials within the HSE. I hope that opportunity might be given to us at some stage in the future. We owe it to you and we owe it to your families, and to all others whom the State has failed, to continue our efforts to address the issues of the past and ensure they do not happen again. Actions are in our hands in this House. Thank you again. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Apology following the publication of the Report of the South East Commission of Investigation: Statements"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_16","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Teachtaireacht \u00f3n Seanad - Message from Seanad","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_16","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Seanad \u00c9ireann has accepted the Postal and Telecommunications Services (Amendment) Bill 2026 without recommendation. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Teachtaireacht \u00f3n Seanad - Message from Seanad"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_17","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/62","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/62\/dail\/2","houseCode":"dail","stage":"2","isBillStage":true,"showAs":"Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Second Stage (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Second Stage","counts":{"speechCount":22,"speakerCount":20},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul McAuliffe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Natasha Newsome Drennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Joanna Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan)  I move: \"That the Bill be now read a Second Time.\"  I welcome the opportunity to present the Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 to D\u00e1il Eireann. The genesis of this legislation is in October 2025, when the drafting of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences, Domestic Violence and International Instruments) Bill was approved by Government. In May this year, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration published its report on pre-legislative scrutiny of that general scheme. Last month, I secured Cabinet approval to progress the provisions in relation to the domestic violence judgments register as a stand-alone Bill. I was determined to expedite that legislation as this is a key commitment for me. It is something I really believe will bring about positive change in our ongoing battle against domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.  This legislation, as Deputies will be aware, has its origins in an appalling crime. In 2021 Jennifer Poole, an innocent young woman, was brutally murdered by her former partner. Jennifer's murderer had a history of violence against women and in the past had spent time in prison for these crimes. Jennifer did not know this. The Poole family, in particular Jennifer\u2019s brother Jason, have campaigned tirelessly for this legislation. In doing so, their aim is to protect women like Jennie from violent predators. I have previously stated that this legislation will be known as Jennie\u2019s law, and I want to reiterate it again here in this House. It will stand as a tribute to their beloved sister, daughter and mother and to their own steadfast determination to achieve lasting change in her memory. I commend Jason Poole and all the Poole family for their work in this regard.  The purpose of this legislation is to provide for the publication of judgments relating to serious domestic violence offences. It is a straightforward aim yet it is something that is not routinely done at present. Currently, media representatives report on cases from our courtrooms in line with the constitutional principle that justice should be done in public. However, attendance is constrained by scheduling and resources. There are not media representatives at every trial. As such, some judgments of juries are reported on while others are not. There is no means by which someone can ascertain what has happened in cases which are not reported in the media. I believe that serious incidents of domestic or sexual violence, assault or abuse ought to be effectively publicised as part of the trial process and that is what this legislation sets out to do. A publicly available register of judgments will assist people who are in a relationship or considering a relationship with a person to ascertain whether they have a history of serious domestic violence convictions.  I now outline the provisions of the Bill. Section 1 of the Bill amends the Domestic Violence Act 2018 by inserting a new Part 3A into that Act. The new Part 3A provides that the Courts Service will establish and maintain a register of judgments. This will be known as the domestic violence judgments register and it will be available on the courts.ie website. The register encompasses serious offences such as murder, manslaughter, rape and sexual assault. In addition, a number of indictable offences under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, such as assault causing harm and serious harm, harassment and stalking are covered. Coercive control under section 39 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018 also comes within the scope of the legislation as well as distributing, publishing or threatening to distribute or publish an intimate image without consent under Coco's Law. The register will capture these heinous crimes where they are committed by a partner, or a former partner, against a victim. As everyone in this Chamber knows, the perpetrators of such offences are predominantly, but not always, men, while the victims are predominantly, but not always, women. I say this to underline that this is the reality of gender-based violence.  It is at the discretion of the trial judge whether or not to publish a judgment, which must include details of conviction and sentence, as well as the name, age and address, where available, of the abuser. The judge in a case is best placed to determine whether the publication of a judgment is warranted, given the particular circumstances of each case. It is also open to the judge to omit the residential address of the perpetrator where it is not considered appropriate to publish that information. Let me point out that a judgment may only be published where the victim gives their consent. Such consent is a prerequisite to publication. To be clear, the victim will not be named in these judgments. Nevertheless, where the perpetrator is named, the victim may be identifiable. As such, publication cannot and should not occur without their consent. Where a victim is deceased, the decision on publication rests with the court. Part 3A also sets out a procedure by which a convicted person can apply for the relevant judgment to be removed from the register. An application can only be made three years after the person has served their sentence and been released from prison. In considering whether removal of the judgment is warranted, the judge must have regard to any further convictions or any efforts at rehabilitation on the part of the perpetrator. Importantly, the views of the victim are also to be taken into account where they are available.  Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the Bill provide for consequential amendments to the Criminal Law (Rape) Act 1981, the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 and the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 respectively. In essence, these amendments ensure that nothing in those pieces of legislation precludes the publication of a judgment in the domestic violence judgments register.  Section 5 of the Bill is a standard provision which provides for the Short Title and commencement of the Bill.  This legislation is straightforward. It establishes a framework for a register of judgments, which will contain judgments in relation to serious crimes committed by an abuser against a current or former partner. What this legislation will provide is a vital resource in relation to safety. In setting out details of a history of serious offending, it will benefit those who may be in a relationship or considering entering a relationship with such a person. Offending of this nature clearly gives warning of an increased risk of domestic, sexual or gender-based violence, knowledge which may be crucial in enabling people to make informed decisions about their personal relationships. The register is a tool which addresses a lacuna in our justice system in order to try to keep people safer.  The parameters of the legislation have been carefully drawn, some might say narrowly drawn. I expect there may be calls to expand the scope of the register or to broaden its remit. However, I stress that this legislation is novel. It remains to be seen how it will function in practice. I also expect that the legislation will be challenged in the courts. I believe that the legislation has been appropriately calibrated and is a measured and proportionate response to serious offending. My view is that it is prudent to introduce the register in a circumspect manner. Once operationalised, the impact of the legislation can be assessed with due consideration for any further measures.  I close by reiterating my commitment and that of this Government to tackling the scourge of gender-based violence. The register will form part of the Government's zero tolerance approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. We must make it crystal clear that there is no place for such behaviour in our society. Those with serious criminal convictions for such offences should not be able to escape the consequences of their behaviour. People in relationships, or considering entering into relationships, with convicted offenders deserve to know about their past. They are entitled to make informed decisions about their personal lives.  Abusers thrive on secrecy and shame; however, it is a fundamental principle of our legal system that justice is to be done in public. This register will contribute to ensuring that criminal convictions for these heinous crimes are appropriately publicised.  Let me end by acknowledging again the dedication of Jason Poole and his family, who have campaigned tirelessly for real and lasting change in memory of their cherished Jennie. Jennie's law will help to keep women safe, which is a fitting tribute to her memory. I urge Deputies to work with me to get this important Bill through this House before the recess. I conclude by welcoming Jason Poole to this Chamber and commending him for his tireless commitment to this cause. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy M\u00e1ire Devine  It is an emotion we all have - falling in love. It is a promise. It is life-affirming, with a possibility of leading to a life partner. It is a wonderful human emotion. It has the promise of finding a sense of home, of trusting somebody, with finding a soul mate - an eye on building a future together where each person has the other's back. Then the insidious gradual picking can start, seemingly innocent, the undermining, leading to the odd slap, and be followed by the express remorse that makes one stay. There is a promise that things will get better. It does not. Little does a person know or even imagine there is a past form of violence perpetrated, overwhelmingly by men, that was brutal and life-threatening and that they were convicted in court - that this man who loves them will destroy them or end their life.  We women need to have the opportunity to know this, to be informed and to walk away before it is too late. I wholeheartedly commend Jennie's loving brother, Jason, for his dedication and tenacity pursuing the establishment of this domestic violence register. We also had David French in here a couple of weeks ago as well. Everybody needs brothers like these men. These are men. Unfortunately, we are seeing many family members of victims of intimate partner violence having to shoulder such a heavy burden in pursuit of justice and of suitable preventative measures, so no future families and victims will have to be subjected to such outrageous and upsetting violent acts.  We should not limit the scope of this Bill to convictions for physical violence. The offenders' register must include convictions of all types of intimate partner abuse. The original proposed scope of convictions to be included on the register was too narrowly limited to only physical violence. We know there are many other types that are committed in intimate relationships. The Bill now includes murder, manslaughter, rape, sexual assault, assault causing harm, threats to kill or cause serious harm, harassment and danger, false imprisonment and intimate image abuse. What a litany of horror visited on many women. We need to examine the inclusion on the register of financial abuse and coercive control and ensure that the people of Ireland are protected from those convicted of all kinds of abuse.  During pre-legislative scrutiny, witnesses testified about the concerns regarding serial perpetrators. Three years is a very short period for a domestic violence offender register. I concur with them and therefore I support Committee Stage amendments Nos. 5, 6 and 7, as submitted by my Sinn F\u00e9in colleague, which extend the length of registration to five years. I also support amendment No. 8, which gives the court the flexibility to specify a longer period before an application for removal from the register may apply with regard to the nature and seriousness of the offence and the need to protect the safety and well-being of the victim or any children or dependants.  I commend my colleague, Deputy Carthy, who chairs the committee on justice, for his careful stewardship of this Bill. I hope survivors, victims and their families are comforted in some small way by the care shown in the progression of this Bill through the House. This is a sensitive, vitally important piece of legislation and has the potential to affect for the good everyone on our island.  Jennie was a young, vibrant woman; a daughter, a mother and a sister who believed she had found a life partner but suffered the heartbreak of knowing that he was not who he seemed to be and he took her life - a murderer. Cuimnigh uirthi. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  I welcome that we have recently seen progress on a number of important measures relating to domestic abuse, but what is of crucial importance is that we get the legislation and policy right. In the face of what report after report expose as an epidemic of violence against women and girls, I do not accept incremental change as good enough. Legislation will pass in the Houses tomorrow on the callous use of counselling notes in sexual offences trials. The lack of a full prohibition is simply not good enough.  I welcome the D\u00e1il last week supporting the EU opting into parts of the Istanbul Convention, but that convention mandates twice as many domestic violence refuge spaces as the Minister has committed to delivering. What is more, the Government has rowed back on its commitment to provide spaces in both Cavan and Monaghan. That is simply not good enough. We need to see progress to ensure that victims of domestic abuse are not those forced out of their family home.  I thank and commend Jason Poole, brother to Jennie, who was murdered by her ex-partner, on his advocacy for the establishment of a register of domestic violence judgments. I have no qualms in saying that is the reason we are here today. The legislation before us is a positive step, but I appeal to the Minister to accept the amendments to increase the timeframe in which a person can seek to be removed from three to five years, and to ensure that register evasion is not possible through plea bargains. I also commend my constituency colleague, Deputy Carthy, for all his work and efforts on this issue. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I begin by welcoming this Bill. It is a really significant piece of legislation strengthening our law on sexual offences, introducing Operation Encompass and, most important, establishing Ireland's first domestic violence register. For that reason, the Social Democrats will be supporting its progression.  Before discussing the legislation itself, I want to acknowledge the people who make this day possible. In particular, I pay tribute to Jason Poole, Jennifer's entire family, and to everyone who has campaigned for what we now know across the country as Jennie's law. No family should ever have to channel unimaginable grief into years of legislative campaigning, yet they have done so with dignity, determination and generosity. Rather than withdrawing from public life, they chose to fight so that another family might be spared what they have had to endure. I was up in Ballygall recently, close to where Jennifer was from, and one would be hard pressed not to see a car or a shopfront with a sticker proudly backing Jennie's law. It is a testament to an extraordinary person and an extraordinary family who have changed this country for the better.  I also acknowledge the tireless work of survivors of domestic abuse, Women's Aid, Safe Ireland and the many campaigners and advocates who have spent decades ensuring that domestic violence is recognised for what it is - not a private matter, but a profound abuse of power that demands a robust response from the State. This Bill is stronger because of their voices.  During pre-legislative scrutiny the justice committee heard directly from victims, families, survivors, organisations, legal experts and petitioners. They challenged the general scheme to identify weaknesses and they suggested improvements. That is exactly how pre-legislative scrutiny is supposed to work. Tomorrow's Committee Stage gives us the opportunity to reflect on much of that evidence in this final piece of worthy legislation.  The establishment of a domestic violence register is an important step. For many people entering a relationship, knowledge can be protection. No register can eliminate risk. No register will prevent every tragedy, but if it helps one person recognise a danger they otherwise could not have known about, then it has the potential to save lives.  At the same time, we have to be honest about its limitations. Women's Aid made an important point to the committee to the effect that the absence of someone's name from the register does not mean that person has never been abusive. Many offenders will never appear as a result of offences being dealt with summarily because victims choose, understandably, not to consent, cases are never reported or convictions are never secured. If we do not acknowledge these limitations, we risk creating a false sense of security. That is why tomorrow I will propose a number of practical amendments that I believe will strengthen rather than alter the intent of the Bill.  I want the register to capture the reality of domestic violence. That means ensuring that summary convictions can be included, where appropriate. Coercive control, assault, stalking and other abusive behaviours are very often prosecuted before the District Court rather than on indictment. Limiting the register to indictable convictions risks excluding some of the most common patterns of abuse. Where a victim has tragically died or cannot express their wishes, we believe that the court should consult the victim's family where appropriate before deciding whether a judgment should appear on the register. This recommendation came directly from Jason Poole and Women's Aid and is a simple recognition that families deserve a voice in the circumstances.  We believe additional offences should be included, particularly harassment and stalking, offences under Coco's Law and breaches of domestic violence orders. These behaviours are often part of the escalating pattern of coercive control that victims experience. Excluding them leaves an unnecessary gap in the protection. We also propose that children and dependents connected to the victim are explicitly recognised in the legislation. Domestic abuse rarely affects only one person in a household. Children experience its consequences too, and the legislation should recognise that reality. We propose a statutory review after three years. This is new legislation. We should be prepared to measure whether it is working, collect anonymised data, identify unintended consequences and improve it where necessary. That recommendation also came directly from the organisations that gave evidence to the committee.  More broadly, I welcome the reforms in the Bill on sexual offences. Moving from an honest belief standard to a reasonable belief standard in rape law is an important and overdue development. Consent must be freely given and people have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to establish it. This is an important progression in our criminal law. I welcome the introduction of Operation Encompass to ensure schools can appropriately support children affected by domestic violence. I also welcome the measures implementing our international obligations on trafficking and violence against women. These are positive reforms that deserve and will get support.  This legislation will not end domestic violence - no single Bill ever could - but it is another step towards a justice system that places victims and survivors at its centre rather than asking them to navigate systems that have too often failed them. The greatest tribute we can pay to Jennifer Poole, her family and every survivor, victim and campaigner who has brought us to this point is not simply to pass this legislation but to make it as strong as we possibly can. I look forward to engaging constructively on the amendments on Committee Stage tomorrow. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jen Cummins  I welcome this register. It is important that we send a very clear message in this country that there is no place for domestic violence or gender-based violence. I read with interest that others want it broadened to include more things. It is very important that the register exists. The more we talk about and call out behaviour that is not acceptable, that is costing people their lives and that is ruining people's lives, the better.  I worked in a domestic violence project in London back in the 1990s. I was struck by the number of people from all walks of life from different projects supporting women. I stated recently in the Chamber that I do not know whether there is more prevalence now or more people reporting now but what I will say is that my clinics are constantly full of women experiencing horrific abuse in their homes. What happens to a woman in a relationship - if we can call it that - is that she is broken down to nothing. It corrodes everything, including her self-worth. It removes her independence and it removes every relationship she could possibly have with anyone who might be able to help her out of that situation.  I said here last week that we need more people around those women to call out this behaviour. We need men to call out men on this behaviour. We need our men to tell other men to stop behaving like that, to ask them what they are doing and to tell them that is not how to treat women. We need to have an education programme for men and women to say this is not how we go on with one another and to explain what a healthy relationship is. I am so glad to see youth workers around this country working so hard to talk about consent and positive relationships with one another. Our schools could be encouraged quite strongly to do more in this case. Families could be really supportive in how we support one another to educate our young people on what is a healthy relationship and what is not, and what will happen and what needs to happen if somebody finds themselves in a relationship that is absolutely horrific for them.  I pay tribute to Jennie Poole's brother Jason, who is here. I am sure this is an absolutely horrific time for him to come in here again. I am thinking about his poor sister. I would like more men to be like him. I would like more men to call out this behaviour and to challenge this behaviour so we do not have this situation.  In a previous job, I worked as a designated liaison person for child safeguarding. When a child has witnessed domestic violence and been subjected to child abuse as part of that toxic horrific relationship they also need to be protected. It is very challenging to report parents to Tusla for this. Tusla is very overwhelmed and sometimes people may not get the support they need. Helping young people to understand their mammy and daddy's relationship is very challenging. Encouraging them to keep talking about it and to keep saying the things they need to say so they get the support they need is really hard.  I have also been at the family court supporting family and friends who were seeking protection orders and barring orders. I have seen the shells those women became. I have been really angry with family and friends, asking why they did not call him out on that behaviour, and saying to my family and friends they should call him out on that and not to let him behave like that. The full weight of the State needs to be put on men who think that behaviour is in any way acceptable because it is not. Whatever the mechanisms we need to ensure this happens, whether it is education, a register, more laws or more punishments, let us do it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  It is fitting that this legislation will be known as Jennie's law in memory of Jennifer Poole who was murdered in 2021 by her former partner Gavin Murphy. It was only after Jennifer's death that her family became aware of Murphy's history of domestic violence. The Bill introduces a register of domestic violence judgments that will apply to individuals convicted of domestic violence against a partner or former partner. Ba mhaith liom tos\u00fa le moladh a thabhairt do Jason Poole. T\u00e1im cinnte go bhfuil a theaghlach an-bhr\u00f3d\u00fail as an m\u00e9id at\u00e1 bainte amach aige i gcuimhne ar a dheirfi\u00far. I acknowledge the service Jason Poole has given by campaigning for this legislation during his family's own grief. I believe that what Jason has achieved will save lives and will protect many others from danger.  I also acknowledge the Minister and commend him for bringing forward this legislation. By providing a mechanism through which relevant information can be disclosed in appropriate circumstances, the legislation has the potential to empower people to make informed decisions about their safety. The legislation lists the offences to which this will apply. Of course, it will not be a panacea for the crisis of domestic and gender-based violence. We know that abuse is not always apparent at the early stages of a relationship and understandably many people would not even think to consult a register such as this at that point. For those who have concerns, a domestic violence register will be important. It is crucial that those with concerns who seek to consult the register are offered other supports.  While I welcome the Bill, I do believe there are a number of small changes that could be made to the Bill. I appeal to the Minister to accept amendments on Committee Stage tomorrow. There are two key changes that I think the Minister should consider which, in my view, would strengthen the legislation. The period before a person can apply to be removed from the register should be increased from three years to five years.  If it is recognised that being included on a domestic violence register is not an additional punishment on the perpetrator but rather about the protection of potential victims of domestic violence, then increasing that period cannot be seen as punitive. Three years is far too short. I appeal to the Minister to accept amendments to increase the period to five years.  The other key issue is in relation to what convictions qualify for inclusion in the domestic violence register. There is a concern that the remit of the legislation is too narrow and may not actually capture the bulk of domestic violence offences. Women\u2019s Aid has warned that many domestic violence-related offences under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 are prosecuted summarily in the District Court and would not be captured by the proposed register as drafted.  We also know that many domestic violence charges are reduced to lesser offences through plea bargaining, for example, from a section 3 to a section 2 assault. Even where this is against an intimate partner, this could result in a person not being included on the register when, in fact, there may be a much wider pattern of domestic violence. This is something I am also hoping the Minister will look at again and accept amendments on.  Unfortunately, in the past week alone, two more women have lost their lives in violent circumstances. As I said last week when we were launching the Oireachtas justice committee\u2019s report on tackling domestic and gender-based violence, we all have to redouble our efforts to confront this crisis. This means focusing on prevention, safety, having an effective justice system and properly supporting victims of domestic and gender-based violence during and after the judicial process. I ask the Minister to examine the proposals of the Oireachtas justice committee\u2019s report, including in relation to matters such as bail, the enforcement of domestic violence protection orders and ensuring that An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na is held to the highest standards possible when it comes to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.  As I said, I welcome the fact that we are at this point. This is but a small step in what has to be in an all-of-society effort in tackling the scourge and epidemic of violence, particularly against women. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  I welcome Jason Poole and thank him for his incredible advocacy and work in pushing the Legislature to reach this day. It is commendable. He has changed Ireland as part of his work. Well done. These were tragic and terrible circumstances for him but his advocacy has been incredible. A lot of the time in here, we give out about one another, and all of that, but I have to commend those who are in this space, including the Opposition spokespeople and the Minister, on the manner in which this legislation is being brought forward in a fairly timely manner, as well as those who drafted it. We will have some discussion tomorrow in relation to a few timelines but I believe, collectively, that we are all on the one page and for the right reasons. I acknowledge that.  This Bill is critically important and absolutely necessary but it is not, in the broader sense, going to change the way in which we need to fight domestic and gender-based violence. There is so much that needs to be done outside of this Bill, preventively and educationally. This commences at a very early age in relation to education and the issues around consent. I am glad to see that much progress has been made in recent years on a lot of the changes from an educational perspective. This needs to be holistic and everywhere. It needs to be in every factor in society so that the message gets out that any form of this behaviour is completely and utterly unacceptable.  In relation to the legislation itself, people should have the chance to know if their partner has a history of serious domestic violence. This is sensible. It is probably something we should have dealt with a number of years ago. There have been different approaches to this issue in different jurisdictions. I looked up what the UK did with Clare\u2019s law, and there have been various different variations across the EU in respect of what we are bringing in here this week. It is essential, however, that we make sure what is being done here is indeed the best and most effective way forward as we see it within our own domestic law.  In the UK, Clare\u2019s law put in place a domestic violence disclosure, DVD, scheme, which allows the police to disclose and proactively inform people of their partner's relevant past convictions. The new register of domestic violence under this Bill before us today differs from the UK precedent in important ways. Being honest, there are probably risks inherent either way. I am sure that those who drafted the legislation, the Minister, the Attorney General, and his officials, have gone through this. I can see the risks in both models. DVD schemes like Clare\u2019s law rely on the police providing information. This carries the possibility of there being delays, which would be a real issue and something I am sure the Minister was conscious of. A report in the UK shows many women waiting for hundreds of days for disclosure, which would not be acceptable. Direct contact is also typically required with the police to initiate the process, something that can be a barrier, particularly for those who are marginalised, vulnerable, in difficult situations, have communication issues, etc. The efficacy of DVD schemes has been questioned, so we understand why the Minister has gone down the road of taking a different approach.  When this was being discussed previously, when we looked at it in the committee, the variation in approaches and the manner in which the Minister was going to go about this were things we looked at. We do understand why he has taken a different approach. However, we would like to hear some reassurance from him on a couple of points. The information to be included on the register is, by definition, limited in nature, relating only to serious convictions. Of course, though, the absence of information should not necessarily mean an absence of concern. The question is: how we can deal with this issue? How do we make sure that somebody does not take a false sense of security from finding out that their partner or prospective partner is not listed? This is a very sensitive and difficult question to answer but it is something that we need to discuss here. How do we also ensure that the need for victims' consent is not manipulated, with victims being put under pressure or coerced not to give their consent? This is a real question that we must address. We must make sure that the supports are in place to allow victims to safely make an independent, informed decision. In other words, what supports will be there to ensure that victims feel they have the capacity, strength and support to be able to do it? It is an important consideration. Will there be wraparound supports? Will there be other supports in this regard? The Minister might outline them further.  My colleagues in the Seanad raised the issue of possible misidentification. We need to ensure that this does not become open to abuse by vigilantes. We would have liked to have seen more details provided for in the register itself, ensuring that any possibility of misidentification was certainly minimised, and ideally zero. How can we ensure that there will not be those who will try to do something like this to affect people\u2019s reputations?  Most importantly, we must recognise that this is not a silver bullet, as I said previously. We need to see a greater holistic approach across society and greater urgency in tackling domestic and gender-based violence. This Bill is very welcome. I have raised questions, and, similar to previous speakers, I also have questions in relation to timelines. We will, however, be supporting this Bill wholeheartedly. We are looking forward to it being brought through the D\u00e1il this week and being enacted as soon as possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul McAuliffe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul McAuliffe  I welcome this Bill, Jennie's law, to the House and I welcome the opportunity to speak on it. The legislation is the culmination of years of hard work, advocacy and determination on part of the Poole family. Jennifer Poole was from Ballygall and had been in touch with me many times on many different issues.  She was the 24-year-old mother of Nevaeh and Zack, an amazing healthcare worker, a much-loved member of her camogie team in her GAA club, Erin's Isle. On 17 April 2021, she was killed in her home on Melville Drive in Finglas by her ex-partner Gavin Murphy, who is now serving a life sentence. What compounds the tragedy is that Jennifer never knew or had any way of finding out that Murphy had a previous conviction for assaulting a former partner. He told her he had been living in Spain. In fact, he had been in prison. Her family believes that if she had known this, she would have made a different decision and not have proceeded with the relationship. What was all the more difficult was that her family did not know of this previous conviction either until they heard it during the court case for her murder. They were stunned.  Since 2021, Jason, her brother, has turned his family's grief into a powerful campaign that has included petitions, media appearances and meetings with successive Ministers with one simple aim, namely that no other woman will be unable to access the fact that a previous judgment had been made against their partner. He has the full support of his community in Finglas, which has backed him from the very start. On a personal note, it has been a privilege to work alongside Jason on this campaign. He is a credit to his community, as was his sister. It has also been a pleasure to work with Senator O'Loughlin and the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan. I acknowledge the road this legislation has travelled. It started with Senator O'Loughlin's draft of an original Bill with Jason which was brought to the Seanad. The Minister backed this campaign as a backbench TD long before he had responsibility for in the area. The legislation has now been brought to Cabinet and before these Houses.  The Bill inserts a new Part 3A into the Domestic Violence Act 2018, establishing a public domestic violence judgments register managed by the Courts Service whereby if a person convicted on indictment of a serious domestic violence offence, including murder, manslaughter, rape, sexual assault, non-fatal strangulation, harassment and coercive control, the trial judge will have the discretion to publish that judgment. The victim's consent is required. A person may apply to be removed from the register but not earlier than three years after the conviction. Any removal will remain at the court's discretion.  I also welcome the elegant method the Minister used to make this information available. As Deputy Kelly said, it was tricky as to how we would proceed. The approach the Minister has selected avoids potential obstacles which could have prevented the legislation being passed. Our courts are required to administer justice in public. In principle, every conviction is already a public fact. In practice, with fewer court reporters than there used to be, a lot of judgments go unreported in the media. Rather than build a new register, the Minister has simply ensured that the judgments which are already public will actually be published, relying on a principle of open justice. I echo the Minister's point that a register alone is not a solution. It has to sit alongside a wider strategy around funding of victims' support organisations, awareness raising and the work of Cuan. This law will be transformative in helping people across Ireland who are in a relationship to discover whether their partner has a history of serious domestic violence convictions. In her life, a mother, a care worker, a club member, Jennifer Poole gave so much to our community. She stood for everything that is positive about our community. It is fitting that even after this tragedy, she and her family have inspired this community to pass Jennie's law and save lives in this country. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Ward  Before I talk about the legislation, I want to put it in context. As the Minister knows, there is an epidemic of violence against women and girls in this State. Most recently, we saw the murder of two women, Jamey Carney in Kerry and Adina Raluca Constantin in Laois. I extend my condolences to their families and loves ones. The suspect in their murders is their partner or former partner. Women's Aid has published some very startling figures. Since 1996, 286 women have died violently in this State. Some 63% of them were killed in their own homes, 55% were killed by a partner or ex-partner and nine out of ten knew their killers. Your home should be a safe place. Unfortunately, it is not a safe place for many women. This is a huge problem. That is only talking about deaths; there are countless other women experiencing domestic violence and abuse in their own homes. Domestic violence refuges need more funding. We need accommodation in every county. Another report I saw shows that over a six-month period, nearly 1,900 women were turned away from services because they were oversubscribed. I know women who could not find a safe place and had to return to unsafe and potentially deadly home environments.  This legislation will introduce a register to apply to individuals convicted of domestic violence against a partner or former partner. The register will be publicly accessible. Inclusion on the register requires victim consent before publication. As was said already, safeguards are definitely needed in relation to this aspect to make sure there is no coercion or anything like that. This is an important step to protect women form potentially violent partners. I am on the justice committee. We recommended that this legislation be named in honour of Jennifer Poole, who was murdered in 2021 by her ex-partner, Gavin Murphy. It was only after Jennifer was killed that her family became aware of Murphy's history of domestic violence. I commend Jennifer's family, in particular her brother Jason, who I welcome to the Gallery. He has led the call for the introduction of this register. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  I welcome the introduction of Jennie's law. I commend her brother Jason on all of the campaigning he has done over a number of years to bring this about. My hope it will at least bring a stigma to what is called domestic violence. There has not really been the kind of stigma there should have been over the years. I want to put this in context. Women's Aid released its report recently. It shows a 33% increase in violence in the home against women in 2025. That is a 33% increase in disclosures. We do not know if this reflects a similar increase in the level of violence, but I reckon it is a bit of both. More awareness, non-acceptance and less tolerance are also factors.  Women's Aid's front-line services heard 62,275 disclosures, an overall increase of one third, as I said. Some 85% of these women were abused by a current or former partner. In fact, one third were abused by a former partner, which shows that the old cliche of \"Why does she not leave?\" is not the solution because the relationship ending does not mean the abuse ends. There are serious challenges within the family justice system, post-separation abuse and the housing crisis which is trapping women and forcing them to choose between violence or homelessness that the Minister has to address. We have all had many contacts on that issue.  What kind of abuse are we talking about? Trigger warning for anybody who is listening in, but there were 1,522 disclosures of abuse during pregnancy or just after a baby was born and 1,321 threats to kill women, children and family members or to self-harm. We have to recognise that on this island yesterday, another woman and child were murdered in the family home in Ballymena. There were two femicides last week. There have been 670 disclosures of abusers threatening to take children from their mothers, as well as rape, non-fatal strangulation against women, stalking online and offline - the list goes on. Every ten minutes a woman or girl is killed by a family member or partner in the world. It is a relentless situation. In Ireland, it is a huge problem.  Last week, there was an unbelievable situation where two women were murdered. One, because she was killed by somebody of a different nationality and she potentially was in a relationship with suspect - there has been no trial - she got different treatment. There were comments on her own social media page condemning her and victim-blaming her. Imagine her daughter and her family had to see that. That is because there are racists in this country congealing around the issue of gender-based violence and trying to turn it into a race issue - people who have no interest in violence against women at any other time except if it is carried out by someone who is not Irish. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"I have been subjected by a male TD to online harassment about this. That is a form of gender-based violence, too, against elected women. There are disgusting social media pile-ons by male TDs who raise this issue as well. It is completely unacceptable and should be called out."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  I pay tribute to the family of Jennie Poole, and particularly her brother Jason, who is in the Gallery and who fought very hard for many years to get this important legislation implemented in her memory. It is a tragedy that the law has come too late for Jennie, but it has the potential to protect other women at risk from dangerous intimate partners. At the moment and until this law is passed, there is no way for people to find out whether their partners have a history of violence against women, even if they have previously been convicted of a serious offence, such as rape or coercive control, and even if they have served a prison sentence for it.  The Bill was, in part, inspired by the domestic violence disclosure scheme in England and Wales. However, there is no provision in it for An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to proactively disclose a violent offender's history to a new partner. The Minister has previously said that, under Operation Devise, An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na will provide support to new partners of people with serious domestic violence convictions, closely monitor any evidence of new violence and have a proactive arrest policy, but that is not the same as knocking on a door and warning a woman that her partner has a violent past. Instead, the law puts all the onus on women and other members of the public, such as their friends and family, to look up the domestic violence judgments register. It has been possible in other jurisdictions to enable proactive disclosure, so I am not sure why it cannot be done here.  Unfortunately, this law, while welcome, is only one part of the battle in a war against male violence against women. Gender-based violence is endemic. It is an epidemic. The courts are full of women seeking barring and harassment orders. Thousands of children are growing up in violent homes. As of last week, eight women had been killed in Ireland so far this year. They are Scarlett Faulkner, Linda Costello, Milena Ostojic, Yveta Donovalova, Masuma Sohrabi, Noreen Daly, Adina Constantin and Jamey Carney. Yesterday in Ballymeena, another woman and girl whose names we do not know yet were murdered.  Laws like this one are welcome, but they cannot tear out the problem by its roots, which are in sexism, misogyny and the way capitalism breeds and profits from that sexism and misogyny. We all know it is on the rise. It is happening among young men, who in the past would always have had more progressive attitudes than those who went before them. One of the primary drivers of this is the online manosphere. It propagates toxic masculinity and hatred of women for profit. Millions of people around the world are being exposed to this toxic content every time they log in to social media and the big tech companies are making millions out of it. It is normalising misogyny on a global scale. It is a kind of mass brainwashing that is driving attitudes towards women back into the dark ages. It is not good enough just to deal with the after-effects. Prevention is always better than cure, so the Government should be tackling gender-based violence at source by combating misogyny, including by turning off toxic algorithms that are driving toxic content and toxic real-world behaviour. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Charles Ward  I welcome Jennie's law. The publicly available register of judgments will be a life-saving resource, as people in relationships or considering relationships will be able to see whether people have histories of domestic violence convictions.  I thank Jennie Poole's family, particularly Jason, for the work they have done on this in recent years. I have no doubt that, without them, we would not be where we are today.  This could not come at a more crucial time. We are only halfway through 2026 and the number of women killed in Ireland has already overtaken the figure for all of last year. Today's events in Ballymena echo this as it continues. There is an epidemic of violence against women. It is not stopping. It is clear that there has been a demand for domestic violence services in Donegal in recent days. Domestic abuse is increasing and becoming more and more complex. I spoke in depth with Jessica Gallagher, who is clinical director of the Uplift Project. She works alongside women who are affected by domestic abuse, coercive control and sexual violence in Donegal. She said that demand for the service demonstrates the scale of unmet need. The service receives 20 contacts from service users each day and five new referrals every week.  It is clear that there is a significant gap between the crisis intervention and long-term recovery, with many victims shockingly being left to source their own support. I was particularly struck by the case in Donegal of a woman in her 60s who had been left with intergenerational trauma, depression and PTSD and had repeated suicidal crises, having suffered prolonged domestic abuse and sexual violence. She did not receive the substantial person-centred supports she desperately needed to rebuild her life. Support has to be extended beyond crisis intervention. Full and proper recovery requires long-term support and giving women the opportunity to truly rebuild their lives, yet organisations that provide essential life-saving services are often forced to continue to operate in uncertainty regarding funding, forcing them to devote valuable time and energy to securing resources instead of expanding supports to be available to victims and survivors. Vital services supporting victims should not have to compete for funding. Fundraising should not have to happen. It is a ridiculous situation that they rely on short-term grants to remain open. Domestic abuse funds should not be relocated and unspent funds in Donegal should remain in Donegal. These services should be recognised as essential public services and should be fully funded to allow people to continue this life-saving work. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John McGuinness  I commend the Minister on bringing forward this stand-alone legislation. It is important that he continue his work reforming the various aspects of legislation that need to be examined and updated in the context of what society faces today. I have no doubt that this Bill will assist partners to know about the records of those who have committed serious domestic and sexual abuse and so on.  It is timely because, in my work in the constituency, I come across too many cases of sexual and gender-based abuse, too many cases where women in particular are controlled by their partners in terms of their finances, social activities and how they conduct their lives generally. There seems to be very little they can do to prevent their partners continuing to make their lives miserable. There are support services, but we need to fund them more extensively. The refuge centres serve a great purpose, but they need to connect more directly with local councils to ensure that whatever housing is needed is delivered. That would require more funding for local authorities, but if we are to address this issue, all of the negative impacts experienced by people being abused must be considered.  I have come across families where the couple continues to live in the same house, the woman continues to be abused, and the Garda and local services are aware of it, but it is extremely difficult to get that person out of the house and into alternative accommodation. That is why I make the point about the funding. There are other cases of men stalking women being reported to the Garda. Letting time pass to build up evidence for a case is having horrific impacts on women. I do not know when it began to escalate, but it is now the situation that the sexual, physical and financial abuse of women is out of control. I hope that this Bill, when implemented, will provide a register that at least might save some person, male or female, from such violence in the future.  I commend the Poole family and Jason in particular.  My colleague, Deputy McAuliffe, gave a very elegant outline of the efforts made by that family. I commend them for coming forward. I commend Jason for the work he has done.  I will finish by again asking the Minister about funding. I ask him to consider what is available today and to compare it with the awful and traumatic circumstances that some people who are being abused have to face every day. I ask him to find some new way of providing a route for them to escape the clutches of their abusers. The sooner that we get to grips with all of this, provide all of the services, provide the power of arrest to the Garda and pass this legislation, the sooner we will be led to other steps that need to be taken. I urge the Minister to continue with reform and to continue to monitor the reforming legislation being brought forward so that changes can be made immediately and effectively. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Natasha Newsome Drennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan  I strongly welcome the introduction of the domestic violence register and fully support this Bill. It is encouraging to see cross-party support for its introduction, which is a clear sign that this issue crosses all political divides and demands action. The reality is that domestic violence is seldom a one-off incident. If it happens once, it will happen again. That is precisely why a documented history of domestic violence is so crucial.  The register will apply to individuals convicted of domestic violence against a partner or former partner based on a specified list of offences. The register will be publicly accessible via the website of the Courts Service. Importantly, the victim's consent is required before any inclusion on the register and publication.  This legislation exists because of the advocacy and commitment of Jason Poole, whose sister was killed by her ex-partner, a man with a documented history of domestic violence. The research clearly shows that individuals with prior records of abuse are significantly more likely to offend, often with escalating severity.  While we support this legislation, we will scrutinise its provisions closely to ensure that issues raised during the pre-legislative scrutiny process are fully addressed. These issues include Jason's important concern that three years is far too soon for a person to be removed from the register.  In Kilkenny, we are fortunate to have Amber Women's Refuge, which does amazing work in providing care and support for women who are victims of abuse. Over the past 25 years, Amber has grown and become a safe haven for many women and children. For far too long, Carlow has been one of the few counties in the State without a women's refuge. Given the rise in calls relating to domestic abuse and cases of domestic abuse, that is nothing short of a disgrace. No county should be without a women's refuge. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  I commend Margaret Loftus from my own constituency of Mayo for her work in raising awareness of domestic abuse. I also commend the report recently published by the justice committee. Ms Loftus has raised many concerns. The in camera rule is one of them. She told the committee that the in camera rule prevented a lot of information from coming out. It is essentially a veil of secrecy. It needs to be looked at and reviewed.  I welcome the publication of the Women's Aid report. I have read and studied it. We see record numbers of women contacting the helpline. The report details 500 cases of non-fatal strangulation, 1,500 cases of abuse while the victim was pregnant and 670 cases of abusers threatening to have children taken away from their mothers. There is a massive amount of work that must be done in relation to this issue.  I will raise the tragic case of Jamey Carney, the shocking murder we saw in Kerry. The Minister needs to come out in relation to this. There needs to be much more transparency. It is hard to believe that the person of interest has not been in any way highlighted. Photos have not been disseminated and there has been no awareness campaign. That must be addressed. How was this person of interest able to board a commercial flight and leave the country before An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na was even aware of the situation? The law was changed on 12 June, effectively making it easier for an asylum seeker to abscond and leave the country. The law was effectively weakened. Just three weeks ago, on 26 June, it ceased to be an offence for an asylum seeker to abscond and leave the country during the applications or appeals process without notifying the Minister. Why was that the case? Why can a person seeking asylum here now abscond and leave without any trace? It is extraordinary. No one is talking about it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  Like others, I have called for this Bill, Jennie's law, and now welcome it. It came through the Seanad first in order to speed it up. I thank the Minister for doing that to get it through the process before the recess. It is a significant step forward in protecting victims of domestic abuse. For too long, the horrific realities of coercive control, assault, non-fatal strangulation, which others have mentioned, and other forms of abuse have been hidden in this system of silence. By establishing a public register of convictions, the Bill brings these crimes committed by dangerous people into the light of day. In theory, it empowers those with information to help to protect others, although they are often victims themselves or the relatives of victims.  While I support the core principles of the legislation, we also have to listen to some of the constructive criticism raised across this House and beyond. If this law is truly to protect victims, we have to address some gaps before its final passage. For example, there is a deep structural conflict between the register and the family court system. I have raised the in camera rule separately. Under this Bill, an offender can only be placed on the public register with the express consent of the victim. However, as long as the family courts operate under the strict secrecy of the in camera rule, victims may well be too terrified to give that consent. They may fear that publicly naming and shaming an abuser will trigger retaliation in closed-door custody and access proceedings. Currently, the system cannot adequately police such retaliation. To really help survivors, we have to reform the in camera rule and bring transparency to family justice.  Serious questions remain regarding the process of applying for removal from the register. As it stands and as others have mentioned, an offender can apply to be removed from the register three years after conviction or on completion of their sentence. That is too short. However, I welcome this legislation in general. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ken O'Flynn  I will say what half of this country is thinking and what this House has refused to hear: women in Ireland do not feel safe walking through the capital city, through Cork city, where my own constituency is located, or through towns and villages where women once thought nothing of walking home alone. That precious ordinary freedom has been taken from the Irish woman. It did not happen by accident. It is the result of policy. Eight women have died this year. Of the identified suspects, one is Irish. That is not an invented figure and I will not be silenced for repeating it in this House or anywhere else.  It is not only Ireland's shame; it is Europe's. The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention reports that people of foreign backgrounds make up one fifth of the population but 43% of homicide perpetrators. It is reported that half of the women murdered in the Kingdom of Spain this year were killed by foreign nationals. Across the Continent, governments have opened their doors and lost control of their borders. When their own citizens stand up and take notice, these governments lecture them and call them far-right for calling them out.  We in Europe have brought this upon ourselves and our women are paying the ultimate price. The Hibernophobic mistress of misandry, Deputy Coppinger, said it was racist to report the truth about the suspect in the killing of Jamey Carney. She blames mainstream media. She blames the toxic culture of Irish masculinity. She blames phobic this and phobic the other. It is phobic when the truth does not fit her narrative. I say to this House that the women of Ireland are not afraid of slogans. They are not afraid of slurs. What they are afraid of, however, is a man wanted for raping four children in Britain who hid out for a month in County Cork. There is an increasing feeling across this country that Ireland has become a refuge for those fleeing justice and not persecution. That must stop.  I say to the Minister that this Bill - the facts are on the record - is a good Bill and I will support it, but the people are owed the truth. As God is my witness, they will have the truth from me and they will have the truth continuously from my party. I commend this Bill to the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  The principle behind this legislation is straightforward. People should be able to make informed decisions about their own safety when entering a relationship. I support the fact that publication is not automatic. It remains a matter for the courts following a final conviction, with judicial discretion and, in most cases, the consent of the victim. That is an important safeguard. However, we must also ensure that in trying to protect victims, we do not accidentally put them at further risk. Victim privacy must be absolute, particularly in small rural communities where identification can happen more easily. I would also have concerns about the publication of residential addresses and whether this is necessary in most circumstances.  There is another issue that has been very much on people's minds in recent days following the tragic death of Jamey Carney in Killarney. First and foremost, our thoughts are with her daughter, the rest of her family and all those who loved her. As Members of this House will know, the Garda has stated that a person of significant interest in the investigation left Ireland shortly before discovery of Ms Carney's body and reports indicate that this individual had previously come to Ireland through the international protection system. If it transpires that someone who came to this country seeking protection abused that welcome and committed such a horrific crime, then the Irish people will rightly ask very serious questions. They will ask how this could happen, how a suspect was able to leave the jurisdiction and how we can ensure that justice is done. Let me be absolutely clear - those seeking refuge in Ireland should be treated fairly and with dignity but equally, anyone who comes here must obey our laws and respect our people. There can be no tolerance for violence against women and no tolerance for anyone who would abuse the generosity of this country. While we must allow the Garda to conduct its investigation and any future legal process to take its course, this tragic case reminds us why public safety must always come first. The protection of victims and potential victims must remain at the centre of every decision we make in this House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed  The progression of Jennie's law from Second Stage today represents an important step in our efforts to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland. The establishment of a public register for those convicted of domestic violence has the potential to empower people with the information that could help them make informed decisions about their own safety and well-being. Individuals are entitled to know if a prospective partner has a history of domestic violence, particularly where that history may indicate a risk of future harm.  It is important that this register be accompanied by clear signposting to support services. Anyone accessing this information should be directed towards domestic violence organisations and other relevant supports where they are seeking help for themselves or concerned about the safety of someone close to them.  One aspect of the Bill that needs work, in my view, is the provision allowing offenders to seek removal from the register after three years. Domestic abuse is rarely a single incident. In many cases, it is a pattern of behaviour that could continue for years and leave lasting impacts on victims long after the offending has ended. Against that backdrop, three years appears to be a very short period before an application for removal can be made.  A concerning anomaly is that an offender who has received a custodial sentence may apply for removal three years after their release, potentially becoming eligible for removal earlier than someone who has received a non-custodial sentence. Why should somebody convicted of a serious domestic abuse offence and sentenced to imprisonment become eligible for removal earlier than someone who has received a non-custodial sentence? There should be a minimum period for applying for the judgment to be removed regardless of whether a person was imprisoned. It is not acceptable that, after only three years, somebody who is convicted of abuse can essentially apply to have their record scrubbed. This register should provide confidence and reassurance, not create uncertainty where the relevant convictions may have disappeared from view after a relatively short period.  I have some concerns regarding the extent to which publication rests on the discretion of the trial judge. There is the scenario where a victim of domestic abuse would like their judgment publicly available for potential future partners to see but the trial judge, he or she, could determine that it is not appropriate. The legislation should set out the criteria very clearly for why a judgment may not by published rather than leaving it solely to the discretion of individual judges. Exclusion from the register should be the exception rather than the rule. Without clear guidance, there is a risk of inconsistency between cases and between courts, undermining confidence in the very law we seek to implement.  This debate comes at a time when the Government is seeking to address other drivers of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, including proposals to criminalise the possession, production and distribution or violent pornography, which I really welcome. I will support the Minister in that. I am a member of the all-party group on sexual violence. The way women, in particular, are depicted and characterised in extreme pornography is just shocking. The research that has been presented to us is, frankly, shocking and it is unacceptable in this country. While this legislation focuses on protecting potential future victims, we must also address some of the factors upstream that contribute to abusive behaviour in the first place. Violent pornography is definitely part of that. We cannot avoid it. We have to square up with it to deal with it for current and future generations.  Jennie's law is a welcome addition, but it cannot be the end of the conversation. We need to improve and strengthen how we tackle the cultural environment that not only enables this behaviour but makes perpetrators believe it is normal. Pornography is part of that. It is not acceptable and we must do everything we can to challenge these attitudes and behaviours. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Joanna Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Joanna Byrne  A couple of days before my tenth birthday, I came home from school to once again find my mother beaten to a pulp and our home smashed to pieces. The bravery of my mother that day changed the course of our lives forever. With the aid of a social care worker, we were brought to a bed and breakfast before we moved to the women's refugee in Galway for a number of weeks while waiting for a longer term placement as the first family in the new women's refuge in Navan, which opened a couple of months later. My mam, the strongest warrior I know, left with four children and only the clothes on her back, bottles and nappies for my three brothers, who were toddlers at the time, and a Boyzone album on cassette, which was my birthday present.  I know first hand the impact of domestic violence on women and more broadly on families. As a nine-, eight-, seven-, six- and five-year-old girl, I used to sit at the top of the stairs and pray to hear my mam scream or cry because it was the only way I knew she was surviving another beating. The only crime she committed in suffering that monstrous abuse was to fall in love and trust the man she married, the father of her three sons, and trust him to protect her and our family and not batter the life out of her. We were lucky. My mam was unbreakable. She is a survivor and we are a family of survivors.  Not everybody is so lucky. As I speak today, I think of Jennifer Poole, whose brother Jason prompted this legislation in the name of Jennie's law in the aftermath of Jennifer's brutal murder by someone she too once loved. We in Sinn F\u00e9in support the introduction of a domestic violence register. A documented history of domestic violence is a strong indicator of future behaviour and serves as a protection to women right around this nation. While I acknowledge that we have come some way in the 30 years since we had to flee from our home, I still believe we need to do more in terms of preventions and supports but this welcome measure with regard to a domestic violence register is reassurance for women with concerns and offers some comfort to women in a society of ever-evolving domestic and gender-based violence. I urge the Minister, though, for the sake of the next victims and survivors and in the memory of the women who did not make it, to accept the amendment, increase the timeframe that retains somebody on the register for longer than three years and, crucially, ensure there is no evasion of entry onto this register in the first place through any sort of plea bargains. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  Well done. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan)  I thank all Deputies for their contributions. I acknowledge the fact that, unusually, every person who has spoken in this debate is in support of the legislation. That is a very positive sign in respect of what we, as a House, are seeking to do in terms of changing the law. On many occasions, understandably and correctly, the legislative process is adversarial and people disagree with legislative proposals being put forward by one side or the other. However, in this instance it is instructive that there is widespread agreement across the House in respect of the legislation being introduced. It is important to note that the only other time that has happened in my experience is in respect of the Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill 2026, which will be finalised tomorrow night and again was inspired by an appalling piece of violence perpetrated against a woman, Valerie French.  It indicates that there is broad recognition in this House that we need a co-ordinated response to the growing problem of domestic sexual and gender-based violence. As Deputy Byrne just indicated, it is a problem that predominantly affects women. In Northern Ireland and in the UK, this issue is referred to as violence against women and girls. In Ireland we adopt a broader approach in respect of it, but predominantly we are talking about violence against women and girls. This legislation is an important part of our legislative response to that crisis. It is a small response and nobody is suggesting that it is the full response but it is an important response to it.  It is surprising that this legislation has to be introduced at all. The reason I say that is because, as Deputies know, under the Constitution justice is required to be administered in public. That in particular applies in respect of criminal offences. There are family law cases, which Deputy Gogarty referred to, that are heard in camera . There are some criminal prosecutions where, for the purposes of protecting the identity of the complainant, individuals' identities are not revealed. To a large extent, cases of prosecutions for assault causing harm under section 3, assault causing serious harm under section 4, coercive control and manslaughter are all cases that are heard in public. Rape is an exception because of protecting the anonymity of the complainant.  This legislation is necessary because all of those are cases that are heard on indictment and will be determined by a jury in the Circuit Criminal Court or the Central Criminal Court. All around Ireland today, there are cases in the Circuit Criminal Court and the Central Criminal Court where the outcome of the jury's deliberations gives rise to a sentence being imposed by the court. However, unlike in civil proceedings, there is not a written judgment of 20 or 30 pages recording the facts of the case. The courts website shows judgments from the High Court or the Circuit Court in the civil sphere and reserved reported judgments of the judges of the High Court predominantly. The only time we get a written judgment in respect of a criminal trial is if it goes on appeal to the Court of Appeal and then we get the details of what happened in the court below, the conviction, the nature of the defence and the detail about the individual concerned.  One of the consequences of the fact that verdicts are delivered by juries promptly and there is no written record of them outside of that is that sometimes people do not get to hear about them. We are dependent upon journalists being in court in order to find out about criminal convictions and the decisions of verdicts. To a large extent, journalists do that very professionally. Virtually all the cases that happen in the Central Criminal Court are reported upon even though today we have about ten Central Criminal Courts in operation at any one time. Unquestionably, individuals are being convicted of serious offences in the Circuit Criminal Court and people are not hearing about them because there is no journalist in court to report them. That is no criticism of journalists; it is just a fact of the matter. Therefore, someone looking for a record of whether somebody was convicted of, for example, assault causing serious harm under section 4 in a Circuit Court down the country will not be able to find that out. My view is that is a failing and a fault in the system. We should be able to find out information in respect of criminal convictions. That is a battle for another day.  As everyone has noted, inspired by Jason Poole in memory of his sister, Jennifer, there had to be some process of making information available arising from verdicts that are given and judgments delivered in respect of people convicted of serious offences against an intimate partner or former partner. That is the purpose of this legislation. At the outset it limits it to indictable convictions and people who have been convicted of serious offences in the Circuit Criminal Court or the Central Criminal Court. A schedule of the offences is set out, including obviously murder, manslaughter and rape. When we get down into the other offences, these are the potential offences that may not be reported upon, such as assault causing harm, assault causing serious harm, non-fatal strangulation, threats to kill, harassment, endangerment, false imprisonment and indeed coercive control under the Domestic Violence Act.  The benefit of this legislation is that the courts will now know, after a person has been convicted on indictment of any of those offences and if it involves an intimate partner or former intimate partner, that there is a statutory mechanism available for the court to put in print details of that conviction. Since this is something that is novel, I am probably adopting a conservative approach in the initial drafting of it. We will have a discussion tomorrow night about the amendments that will come forward. We had a very good discussion and debate on it in Seanad \u00c9ireann. In my view, when starting with something like this, we are better off starting cautiously rather than trying to get everything into the statutory scheme. Once we have this new statutory scheme up and running, I hope to see it develop over time.  I have picked domestic sexual and gender-based violence as the type of offences which need to be covered by this new statutory scheme because of the experience of Jennifer Poole and the appalling history of what happened to her, which my colleague Deputy McAuliffe recounted earlier. People would like to be aware if somebody has been convicted of a serious offence against a previous partner or former partner.  As has been stated by many Deputies here, it will not necessarily be the case and it cannot be assumed that just because someone's new partner is not on this new register once it comes out that therefore they are safe. Of course they are not. Obviously, people have to engage in their own assessments of a person when entering into a relationship. Deputy Devine started off the contributions by referring to the fact that everyone hopes to meet love. It is important to recognise that, fortunately, the vast majority of engagements that people have are not violent relationships. They might not all work out, but they are not relationships which are violent.  However, regrettably in this House we have to deal with those issues which cause problems and which damage individuals. That is why it is necessary to recognise that some relationships do not end up in that specific way which I discussed a few moments ago but involve a male partner with a history of violence. I believe this House should certainly try to put in place a regime and a statutory mechanism whereby somebody entering into a relationship should be able to find out if that person was convicted of a serious offence in the past. I know people have mentioned here that they would like to see further offences included, such as summary convictions in the District Court. I will not go down that route at this stage. Maybe a future Minister or future Oireachtas may want to do it. Certainly, the State should facilitate the public being aware of persons who are convicted of serious offences and of causing serious harm to a former partner.  It goes back to the point I made at the beginning. The Constitution states that justice is to be administered in public. If we are in the court today and we hear about it, we are entitled to talk about it and so people are entitled to be aware. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Domestic Violence Judgments Register Bill 2026 [Seanad]: Second Stage"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_18","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Protecting the Copyright of Irish Artists in the era of Artificial Intelligence: Motion [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":32,"speakerCount":25},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_18","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Joanna Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"R\u00e9ada Cronin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/R\u00e9ada-Cronin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"R\u00e9ada-Cronin.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Johnny Mythen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Johnny-Mythen.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Johnny-Mythen.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donna McGettigan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sh\u00f3nagh N\u00ed Raghallaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sh\u00f3nagh-N\u00ed-Raghallaigh.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sh\u00f3nagh-N\u00ed-Raghallaigh.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charlie McConalogue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charlie-McConalogue.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Charlie-McConalogue.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pat Buckley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pat-Buckley.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Pat-Buckley.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann:  recognises that art is the product of the labour of artists, informed by their unique human experience, creativity and skill  reiterates Article 27.2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that \"Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author\";  affirms that the constitutional property rights of our writers, composers, performers, actors, and artists include the intellectual property of their works and performances, the royalties from which form an integral part of the income they earn from their labour;  notes with concern that the social impacts of low pay, precarious work and poor working conditions have been identified as endemic to the arts sector in Ireland since the late 1990s, according to research commissioned by the Arts Council of Ireland, and demonstrated in research conducted as part of the pilot basic income for artist\u2019s scheme; and  commends the work of the Irish Music Rights Organisation, the Screen Composers Guild of Ireland, The Ivors Academy, the Irish Recorded Music Association, the Irish Writers Union, Irish Equity, Recorded Artists Actors Performers, the Digital Creative Industries Forum, the Association of European Performers' Organisations (AEPO-ARTIS), the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance, the International Federation of Actors, among other organisations, and of individual artists for defending the rights of Irish artists, authors, creators and performers against exploitation and misuse, and for highlighting the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) developments on rights holders;  expresses alarm that:  - the use of generative AI systems that rely massively on protected content not only reproduce work without authorisation from, or remuneration for, the rights holders affected by such use, but may also result in the provision of products and services that directly and unfairly compete with those of the rights holders;  - generative AI systems, by massively and inexpensively creating content that mimics what was produced by human creativity, competes directly with the work of creators, particularly of cultural and media content, and that this competition may lead to a decline in the quality of online content as a result of creators disengaging, and thus to an overall decline in human cultural and creative production;  - a study on the economic impact of Generative AI in the Music and Audiovisual industries by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) in 2024 found that AI would put 24 per cent of music creators' revenues at risk by 2028, a cumulative loss of \u20ac10 billion over the next five years; and  - generative AI systems are used to massively generate outputs used to commit streaming fraud, with music streaming service Deezer finding in April 2026 that up to 85 per cent of the streams generated by fully AI-generated tracks in 2025 were fraudulent, and that 75,000 fully AI-generated tracks are uploaded to Deezer every day, representing roughly 44 per cent of total daily uploads;  notes that a majority of European Union (EU) member states responding to a consultation by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU into lessons learned on Article 15 of the Directive of the Digital Single Market Copyright (DSMC) Directive and on fostering a well-functioning framework for licensing in the age of AI called for immediate action to increase transparency and facilitate licensing;  criticises the European Commission for withdrawing the proposed AI Liability Directive, which would have established a new civil liability regime for AI including disclosure obligations and a rebuttable presumption of causal link between such systems and harms;  notes with concern that:  - the implementation of the copyright-relevant obligations of the AI Act, through the Code of Practice for General-Purpose AI providers and the template for the transparency summary, has not led to effective solutions for rights holders to enforce their rights and is thus insufficient;  - the opt-out mechanism under Article 4 of the DSMC Directive has not delivered meaningful control for rights holders in practice; and  - the extension of the text and data mining exemption under Article 4 of the DSMC Directive to AI training has in effect authorised the mass ingestion of protected content to build commercial systems that directly compete with, and in many cases displace, the very creators whose work made those systems possible;  supports the creation of collective licensing models, ensuring robust opt-out mechanisms, fair remuneration to authors and performers, and transparency for creators as recommended by the Government's AI Advisory Council in its advice paper on The Impact of AI on Ireland's Creative Sector;  supports, in particular, the recommendations adopted by the European Parliament in its resolution of 10th March, 2026 on the opportunities and challenges relating to copyright and generative AI as they relate to the rights of artists, including:  - that the current copyright law is insufficient to address the challenge of licensing copyrighted material for generative AI and an additional legal framework is needed;  - those who use generative AI models and systems and do not observe copyright, should be barred from the market;  - a framework is needed for transparency and source documentation on the use of copyright-protected work or other protected subject matter, including for opt-out compliance;  - a coherent and functioning licensing framework must be established in respect of the use of content protected by copyright or related rights, to enable the fair remuneration of creators for the exploitation of their copyright-protected content by generative AI models;  - a rebuttable presumption should be established that, for any generative AI model or system placed on the EU market, works and other subject matter protected by copyright or related rights have been used for the purposes of training, inferencing or Retrieval-augmented generation, where transparency obligations have not been fully complied with; and  - content fully generated by AI that does not meet the established criteria for copyright protection should remain ineligible for copyright protection; and  calls on the Government to:  - use the opportunity of our Presidency of the Council of the EU to draw attention to and lead efforts to resolve these issues, including through the organisation of a dedicated conference focused on protecting the copyright of artists in the context of generative AI;  - introduce legislation domestically, while also seeking agreement at EU and international level, to establish the appropriate framework for licensing, transparency, fair remuneration, anti-impersonation personality rights, collective bargaining, civil liability and opt-outs required to protect the copyright of Irish artists in the context of generative AI; and  - ensure that no State funding for art is spent on content production by AI, and that the livelihoods of human Irish artists continue to be supported; and  includes representation for the arts sector on the AI Advisory Council, and that the AI Office of Ireland and other mechanisms for developing policy recognise creative industries and copyright as areas of special interest and ensure creative industry representation.  CMAT, Kneecap, Colm T\u00f3ib\u00edn, Sally Rooney and even my name are all names you will find on The Atlantic's AI Watchdog website, whose writings and songs have been pilfered for artificial intelligence, and there are many millions more. It is an interesting website people should look at to see the names of local artists, writers, poets and others who pop up there and to see the scale of the pilfering and robbery of their creative talents. Agus m\u00e9 ag cur f\u00e1ilte roimh na heala\u00edont\u00f3ir\u00ed agus na heagrais eala\u00edon at\u00e1 san \u00c1il\u00e9ar don d\u00edosp\u00f3ireacht seo inniu, glacfaidh m\u00e9 nath ar iasacht \u00f3 bhuaiteoir an duais Ivor Novello, Iain Archer, a d\u00fairt nach f\u00e9idir an abhainn a choime\u00e1d siar i dtaca le hintleacht shaorga. There is no holding back the river when it comes to artificial intelligence. AI is already here and is flooding the world with text, songs and videos on an unprecedented scale; some call it AI slop. The question is how we deal with this flood to ensure our artists do not sink beneath the waves of the scale of the AI flood. That is the premise of the motion before the D\u00e1il today, which calls on Ireland to lead the world as we did before in the arts. Copyright was invented in Ireland and is the arc on which we can save our artists from the flood.  When Colmcille copied a book lent to him by Finnian, a bloody battle ensued. Thousands died and Colmcille was forced into exile when a famous judgment of the R\u00ed, Diarmait mac Cerbaill, said, \"Is le gach b\u00f3 a lao, agus is le gach leabhar a ch\u00f3ip\", to every cow its calf, to every book its copy. A millennium and a half later, with Ireland serving as the President of the Council of the European Union, it is the same law we want to see enforced in the era of AI. In the words of the author Scott Turow, in paraphrasing The Atlantic's Alex Reisner, the bold future promised by AI has been \"created with stolen words\".  We are living through the greatest art heist in history. The entire corpus of global achievement in writing, music, film and the visual arts is up for grabs and is being used and abused for corporate greed. Whole books and poems are being garbled up and plagiarised in output presented as original work. Vocals are being stripped from recordings and backing tracks sold without permission. Entire singles generated without humans attached, and not even labelled as AI, amount to 44% of uploads of music on the streamer Deezer. Spotify has even had to remove 75 million tracks in the recent past, such was the volume of AI slop tracks that had been uploaded. Whole personas, voices, faces, identities and styles have been cloned without consent, and Bollywood has seen a tragic film re-release with an AI happy ending, with neither the director nor lead actor being consulted; there was not a penny for the original creators, performers or artists.  Worse still, human artists now need to compete with this AI-generated work to make a living. Profit moguls push the private sector to cut the cost of human work in favour of AI slop. The public sector is also guilty, opening up the opportunities humans once relied on to so-called AI innovation. An Post released an AI-designed stamp and \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta held an AI film competition. Theft is being rewarded and creativity is being punished to the tune of \u20ac22 billion globally in music and film, according to the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers.  The European directives are no longer fit for purpose because of the exemptions granted to train AI. This is not simply Sinn F\u00e9in's view but also the view adopted by the European Parliament in March, as well as most member states during the Danish EU Presidency. Abandoning Commission proposals to reform the civil liability regime for AI could have helped artists and others besides. We must lead the charge for action at European level now but there are things we can do here at home. We need representation for the arts sector in every AI policymaking body, and we need no State funding for our art and content produced by AI. The livelihoods of human and Irish artists need to continue to be supported. Domestic legislation needs to be established for an appropriate framework for the licence transparency, fair renumeration, personality rights to guard against impersonation, collective bargaining and civil liability on upsales and much more. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Joanna Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Joanna Byrne  I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion on protecting the copyright of Irish artists in the era of artificial intelligence. It is important to note this is a nuanced and targeted motion to protect Irish artists across the entire spectrum of the arts. It is not an attack on AI as a whole, which we know has its uses where appropriate.  The AI systems and databases are hungry beasts that have to be continuously fed huge amounts to learn. Unfortunately, they have been fed the copywritten works and intellectual property of artists around the world, including Irish artists. Irish artists and writers have given their labour, blood, sweat, tears and dreams to creating something uniquely human - songs, stories, music and paintings that mean so much to many - only to see their labour being fed to AI systems without their consent and without being financially compensated for their loss. This is theft, this is piracy and it is not acceptable. If left unchecked, it will rob Irish artists of the ability to earn a living and will replace them with a cheap soulless imitation.  Irish artists need this House to protect the copyright and income of artists with a fit-for-purpose framework, building on the calls of the European Parliament. They need us to ensure no State funding for art is spent on content produced by AI, and to place the creative sector at the heart of decision-making when it comes to AI policy.  We have the Presidency at the Council of the EU for the next six months and this is the opportune time to act. Whether by accident or design, putting protections in place has been non-existent or has been moving at a snail's pace. Artists have been left out in the cold when it comes to being able to properly make representations or engage on policy direction, as there are no representatives from the arts sector on the AI Advisory Council and the AI Office of Ireland. This motion seeks to remedy that, and there is a real urgency in the need to rectify this.  For a State that is rightly proud of producing so many world-renowned writers, musicians and artists, and which has acknowledged their positive contribution to the Irish economy, this State has been slow to protect their rights to make a living. The basic income for artists scheme was only made permanent after it proved it could boost the economy. Many of our beloved cultural events are based on Irish artists having the backing to be able to hone their craft and share their art.  What would the Fleadh Cheoil na h\u00c9ireann look like if we allowed AI-generated music to subsume our native music? This celebration of Irish culture, attended by hundreds of thousands of people year in, year out replaced by a computer in a corporate office overseas. I do not think any of us wants to see that, and that is why this motion is crucially important. I commend my colleague, Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh, on his tireless lifelong campaigning for the arts and the great work he has done in compiling this motion, working collaboratively across the House to ensure it passes this evening. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"R\u00e9ada Cronin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/R\u00e9ada-Cronin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"R\u00e9ada-Cronin.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy R\u00e9ada Cronin  Molaim mo chomr\u00e1da\u00ed, an Teachta Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh, as an r\u00fan seo. An Teachta \u00d3 Snodaigh has done Trojan work for the arts community for many years, and I am sure we have plenty more years to look forward to.  Ireland is well-known around the globe for its music, arts and literature. For a country so small, we have produced countless names that are known and loved all across the world. That tradition continues to this day, as we continue to produce many incredible poets, singers, performers and writers.  Each year, Nialler9, the popular and influential music blogger publishes a list of the best Irish albums from the calendar year. Last year, his list contained country pop music, punk jazz, electronic trad, underground connections, Goth shoegaze, tin whistles, freak folk, and more. Irish artists are to the forefront in not only creating, writing and performing incredible music but they are also the vanguard of pushing boundaries and creating their own genres. In creating new genres, some are honouring our traditional music heritage by adding electronic rock, such as Huartan and the Scratch, while many others, like the Mary Wallopers, give new life to songs from Percy French, Dominic Behan and the Clancy Brothers. Our beloved Irish rap group, Kneecap, is a band that has stood up time and again to threats from the British state while inspiring a generation to re-engage with our native language.  I could name so many more, each of which are a testament to the spirit of this island. That spirit is so often invoked by our own Government politicians when they travel on official duty, dining out on poets such as Yeats and Heaney. I am glad to hear today that the Minister of State will not be opposing our motion. Now is the time for action because, today, Irish artists are being ripped off. Their work is being stolen by AI to build systems that spew out AI art, which directly competes with them, and their copyright is completely disrespected. This is making it increasingly difficult for them to make a living. This is why we in Sinn F\u00e9in believe it is essential to recognise that art is the product of the labour of artists, informed by their unique human experience, creativity, and skill, because this is what separates our artists from AI. It is genuine, authentic, human experience, which cannot be replicated by machines, algorithms or systems. It is imperative that we protect this experience and ensure that those who give voice to our great culture are shielded from the threat of AI. We have to make sure that we respect them and their creative talents deserve that protection. They have to be protected by their Government. Artists deserve to be paid. Caithfimid eala\u00edont\u00f3ir\u00ed na h\u00c9ireann a chosaint. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion and thank Teachta \u00d3 Snodaigh for his work on it, on behalf of the arts in Ireland and further afield. The motion stands up for the people who created the books, music, films and art that we enjoy and sometimes do not enjoy. That is so important to our very essence. AI has many legitimate and beneficial uses, and many people, including artists, use it as a tool. The issue before us this evening is much simpler. Irish artists deserve fairness. Today, the copyrighted work of writers, musicians, performers, filmmakers and visual artists is being used to train powerful AI systems without their consent and without payment. Those systems can then generate content that competes directly with the very people whose creativity made them possible. This is completely wrong.  For many artists, copyright is not an abstract legal principle; it is their income. It is how they pay their rent, support their families, and continue creating, yet individual artists are expected to take on some of the biggest technology companies in the world to defend their rights. This is neither fair nor realistic. The warnings are coming from every corner of the creative sector. The Irish Music Rights Organisation, IMRO, the Irish Writers Union, Irish Equity, the Screen Composers Guild, the Irish Creative Industries Forum and many others have called for action. International organisations representing creators have warned that AI could place billions of euro of creative income at risk over the coming years.  Ireland now has an opportunity to lead. As we hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we should champion a modern copyright framework that protects creators, ensures transparency, delivers fair remuneration, and gives artists meaningful control over how their work is used. Art is not simply data to be harvested. It is the product of human imagination, lived experience, hard work, and skill. It reflects our communities, language, history and future. If we value Irish culture, we must value the people who create it. I urge all TDs to support this motion and to stand with Ireland's artists. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Johnny Mythen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Johnny-Mythen.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Johnny-Mythen.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Johnny Mythen  I welcome this motion and thank my colleague, Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh, for tabling it at this important juncture in the era of generative AI. This motion sets out the bare parameters to protect our artists in their struggle to earn a living through their creativity, culture and to safeguard a human connection that they share with the rest of humanity, and indeed the unique and special place they hold among the people of Ireland. These are the fundamental issues that we must address as a nation. The right of consent must be embedded in domestic legislation. Content creators must give full consent before their material can be used for generative AI models. The right of refusal must be covered too. Using data sets that use artists' works without their consent or authorisation to train large language models is not a fair use as claimed by many of these generative AI platforms.  We would like to see regulation that mandates these platforms and organisations to ensure synthetic text generated by LLMs is watermarked and thus detectable. Compensation and remuneration must be included in this equation for all Irish artists. The burning question to be answered here is who owns the intellectual property created by AI, especially when that same intellectual property is plagiarised from artists and used to train these large language models and other AI models. These models produce systems with text, video, voice and music inputs and outputs, making billions from other people's genius and creativity.  This motion calls for the Government to use its influence in our Presidency of the European Council to force attention on the protection of copyright of artists from generative AI. State funding for art must not be used to fund or spent on generative AI artifacts that use artists' creative works without their consent.  The symbol of our country is the harp. The symbol of culture is resilience. The motto for my own county, Wexford, is that it shall be restrung and reheard. It is now time to hear the voice of our artists, to come to their defence, and to stand up to protect their rights and livelihoods before we lose them to generative AI machines forever. I ask all TDs to support this motion. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donna McGettigan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Donna McGettigan  I thank Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh for this important, timely motion. I want to tell the story of Christina from Clare. Christina is an artist and like so many artists across this island, she spent countless hours creating work. She poured her talent, experience, emotions and imagination into it. Christina reflected something uniquely human in that, plus it was hers. Without her consent or permission, that work was taken and fed into an AI system. That system processed it, altered it and reshaped it to fit the image it was generating. The finished product no longer reflected Christina's vision. It reflected the priorities of an algorithm. For Christina, this was deeply hurtful, not because the technology exists, but because her creativity was treated as a resource to be harvested, rather than a work to be expected. Christina's story is not unique.  As an artist in wool myself, I am lucky that this AI cannot take my creativity and use it. I feel extremely lucky about that every day but across Ireland, artists, photographers, writers, and musicians are seeing their work taken without consent and used to train generative AI systems. Their intellectual property is being treated as free raw material for powerful technology companies. At the same time, generative AI raises serious concerns about copyright infringement, increased carbon emissions, misinformation and the loss of creative jobs. The danger is that we become so exposed to AI-generated content that we begin to normalise it and that we begin to see art created in seconds and then ask why we need artists at all.  That art is not simply the final image. Art is a lived experience, a culture, and a memory. It is joy, grief, struggle and hope all captured through a uniquely human lens. AI can imitate styles and remix existing works but it cannot replicate human experience that gives art its meaning. Too often, AI-generated images have the same familiar look, and that same polished uniformity. They lack the personal, the imperfections and the authenticity that makes real art powerful.  There is a worrying lack of public awareness about the impact this technology is having on livelihoods. Behind each piece is an artist trying to earn a living from his or her craft. Artists should be treated fairly. Ireland is known as the land of saints and scholars. We are a nation that treasures storytelling, music, poetry, and creativity, and if we fail to protect our artists, we risk becoming a land of saints and robots, where human creativity is pushed to the margins.  Not all AI is bad and not everyone who is using it is acting in bad faith but the technology must serve the people, not replace it. Innovation must not come at the expense of consent or copyright. We must ensure that the creative work of Irish people is respected, protected, and valued in the age of AI. We stand with our Irish artists and we must make sure that while this motion will be passed, it is continued, worked on, and that actions are taken on it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (Deputy Niamh Smyth)  I will begin by thanking Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh for bringing forward this Private Members' motion. I thank the artists and the delegation I had the privilege of meeting earlier on today. I will also mention Senator Frances Black, who has, since I have come into this role, been articulate and mobilised on this issue. Gabhaim bu\u00edochas le gach duine.  I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic following the tabling of the Private Members' motion by Sinn F\u00e9in on protecting the copyright of Irish artists in the era of artificial intelligence. As this House is aware, Ireland is committed to ensuring that Al technologies are developed and used in a manner that is ethical, transparent and aligned with national, EU and international law. Intellectual property is recognised as a fundamental right under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. As I said earlier, was pleased to meet representatives of the creative sector earlier today and to engage in a constructive discussion on the implications of artificial intelligence for creators and rights holders. The concerns being raised by artists, musicians, writers and other creators are legitimate. It was interesting to hear the debate on \"Morning Ireland\" given by some of the artists tonight from that perspective. Al offers many opportunities, but creators must have confidence that their rights will be respected, that their works will not be used without appropriate safeguards and that innovation will not come at the expense of creativity.  At present, the European Commission is reviewing the 2019 Copyright in the digital Single Market, DSM, directive, including the text and data mining, TDM, exception. A stakeholder consultation, on behalf of the European Commission, has been shared with relevant stakeholders by my officials in my Department, and a national submission been made to the Commission. A final report is due to be published by the European Commission early in 2027. In parallel, the European Commission has launched a call for evidence on possible new measures to strengthen the position of creators and creative industries in the online and Al environment. The aim is to ensure that creators can better control the use of their works and enforce their rights, while supporting innovation and the development of Al technologies. The European Commission is developing an Al strategy for the cultural and creative sector as part of the broader apply Al strategy, also due to be unveiled early in 2027.  I thank all stakeholders who have engaged with the review process to date. We also encourage interested organisations and individuals to continue contributing their views and evidence to help inform future findings and recommendations. The Al Act establishes a harmonised regulatory framework for Al systems developed or deployed in the EU. The Act entered into force in August 2024, with its provisions applying in a phased manner until August 2028. The Al Act complements existing regulatory protections and is without prejudice to applicable Union or national copyright law. Creators are entitled to expect that their rights will continue to be protected as Al technologies evolve. The Al Act is an important part of that response. It requires providers of general-purpose Al, GPAI, models to comply with EU copyright law and introduces greater transparency regarding the content used to train Al models. Through the transparency template and related obligations, rights holders will be better placed to understand how Al systems are developed and to exercise their rights where appropriate. Effective implementation and enforcement of these measures will be essential in maintaining trust and ensuring that innovation proceeds in a manner that respects creativity and copyright.  The Al Act introduces transparency requirements that oblige providers of generative Al systems to ensure that Al-generated content can be identified as such, including through machine-readable marking and related technical measures. I know we spoke about that earlier today. This obligation will take effect from August, and from December for certain models. From August 2026, the European Commission's Al office will directly enforce provisions on GPAI systems and models and, where appropriate, encourage and facilitate the review and adaptation of codes of practice in light of emerging standards. The European Commission is also pursuing initiatives to improve the practical operation of the opt-out from the TDM exception.  Domestically, we are progressing legislation on the establishment of Al office of Ireland, which will act as the national coordinator and enabling body for Ireland's implementation and enforcement of the EU Al Act. The office will comprise, through its board and staff, a range of expertise that is necessary for the performance of its functions, with a role in promoting innovation and enhancing public awareness in relation to rights and obligations under the Al Act.  To respond to some of the commentary this evening, I am acutely aware of the importance of having the creative industries represented there. These functions align with wider Government initiatives addressing the societal and economic impacts of Al including impacts on work and employment. More broadly, the national digital and Al strategy specifically recognises the need to support and engage workers during this period of significant transition including supporting workers through upskilling, reskilling and lifelong learning initiatives and to establish a national skills observatory and observatory for business Al readiness to inform labour market policy. It also recognises the need for ongoing stakeholder engagement, such as with the creative industries, to support a fair and inclusive transition. The Government remains committed to ensuring that the opportunities presented by Al are realised while supporting workers and businesses in adapting to change.  As Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, during our term we will progress discussions on some of the important matters raised. I will highlight three in particular. First, my Department will facilitate discussions in the Council working party on copyright on issues as they arise in the review of the copyright in the DSM directive, and matters identified in the European Commission\u2019s call for evidence. Second, Ireland will co-ordinate the EU\u2019s position at the World Intellectual Property Organization's WIPO, Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights meeting in November at which Al and copyright will be an informal agenda item. Finally, a Presidency associated conference on copyright and human creativity in the Al era, organised by rights holder organisations and endorsed by my Department, will be held in Dublin on 14 October. I look forward to attending that.  Ultimately, we want Ireland to be a leader in the development and deployment of trustworthy Al, while ensuring that creators are respected, copyright is protected and innovation continues to thrive. I look forward to a constructive discussion on these matters and to working with Deputies to identify practical ways forward that support these shared objectives. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  I acknowledge the huge work that my colleague Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh puts into the arts time and again. The fact that this is our last item of Private Members' business before we break up for the summer shows the real importance of what we are trying to do here. I welcome some of the things in Minister of State's speech, particularly her comments on Ireland co-ordinating the EU's position at the World Intellectual Property Organization's Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, as well as the conference on copyright and human creativity in an AI era, organised by rights holder organisations. That is important. It is also important that the Minister of State keeps the commitments that she has made in this House.  I have acknowledged the enormous opportunities AI presents for businesses, for public services and individuals, but that innovation cannot come at the expense of Irish artists. It cannot come at the cost of constitutional property rights of all our artists. Beyond the individual damage that is being done here, there is a much wider area that we have to prioritise and preserve. Until recently, behind every song, book, painting and performance was a talented artist whose work was the product of real talent, skill, expertise and years of dedication. The fact is that Irish artists are being ripped off. They are being ripped off and the ball is in the Minister of State's court. She has the authority and the responsibility to stop that happening. Mass theft is happening in plain sight. I think the Minister of State recognises that, but the responsibility comes down to her at this particular time. Most artists are not global superstars earning millions; they are hardworking professionals trying to make a living in a sector that is already marked by low pay, precarious work and poor working conditions. This is important. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Gould  AI poses a threat to Irish art and Irish artists. They must be protected. I am really lucky to come from County Cork, which I am very proud of, which has produced some amazing poets, singers and actors, including Miles Gaffney and John Spillane, who are friends of mine.  They are unbelievable musicians and singers. There are actors like Siobh\u00e1n McSweeney, Fiona Shaw and Jennifer O'Donovan, whom I saw recently. There are walkways around Cork where poetry is being written. Along the Clogheenmilcon walkway, a legendary Cork activist, Margaret O'Regan, has written a poem about a great Cork activist, Martin Leahy, who spent 200 weeks outside the D\u00e1il campaigning against this Government's housing crisis.  Irish artists have always been able to use art to comment on really important social events and our history. That is the power that art can bring - the solidarity, humanity, respect and compassion that our Irish artists have. On the walls of Gaza, there is now a poem by the poet Bobby Sands. Irish artists have such a reach. Look at how Spicebag and Daniel MacDonald showcase Irish evictions. They are really powerful images. It is no wonder Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael do not share the same passion for Irish art. At the last general election, Fine Gael used one of the hits by The Kabin Studio, made by young people from Knocknaheeny on the northside of Cork. They make brilliant music and one of their hit songs was \"The Spark\". It was used without their permission. Fianna F\u00e1il used Asbestos\u2019s iconic mural \u201cWhat is a home?\u201d on Miche\u00e1l Martin\u2019s TikTok. That should not have happened. Artists should be respected. They should be paid for their work and their permission should be sought. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  It is an incredibly worrying time for artists. They are watching as their painstakingly produced works are used without permission to train generative AI that is then directly competing with them. No permission is sought, no payment is made and it is a huge infringement of copyright. It is downright piracy. Not only that, but these AI programmes can produce content in a fraction of the time and with a fraction of the effort. I listened earlier to Danny O\u2019Donoghue from The Script speaking about this on RT\u00c9. He summed it up well when he said it was intellectual property theft on an industrial scale. I told him that my wife and I expected a huge performance at Slane, which I have no doubt he will provide. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  Me, too. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  He replied that he expected that we would be there in our brown boots and Stetsons. I said I would do my best. That is the reality we are dealing with. We have to ensure that State agencies and semi-State companies do not continue to use artificial intelligence to produce what should be done by artists and is actually stolen from artists.  I commend Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh on an obair uilig at\u00e1 d\u00e9anta aige f\u00e1 choinne eala\u00edont\u00f3ir\u00ed agus na heala\u00edne. Caithfimid cuid mh\u00f3r oibre a dh\u00e9anamh. The Minister of State has made promises here. They need to be delivered upon \u2013 it is as simple as that. We need to look after artists. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  Bh\u00edos ag caint le heala\u00edont\u00f3ir i gCiarra\u00ed n\u00edos luaithe um thr\u00e1thn\u00f3na. Labhair s\u00e9 liom mar gheall ar na moth\u00fach\u00e1in a bhaineann le AI. D\u00fairt s\u00e9 liom it could help to generate ideas, layouts and content more quickly, leaving more time to focus on strategy and working with clients. He uses it to explore new styles and creative marketing material and reach new audiences while continuing to produce original handcrafted work. Therefore, there is great benefit to it and it is being used by a lot of artists, particularly ones whom I know in Kerry, to take away some of the repetitive and time-consuming parts that take up so much time and to allow them to use their expertise or creativity. I thank Maurice Murphy down in Reennanallagane in Glenbeigh for his input. He accepted that many artists were facing an existential threat, that their creativity was under attack and that copyrighted work was being harvested by the AI companies. I know the Minister of State will work on this and that the Government is making promises but this is the difference between making a living and having to leave the profession altogether unless the rights they have built up and the creativity they have brought up is protected. Many artists are living month to month, week to week. They are struggling to survive and now they are being asked to directly compete against machines that are trained on their own work. That is why we are demanding action. We believe that a simple principle should apply: art is the product of the labour of artists, informed by their own unique human experience, creativity and skill, and we need the protections in place. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sh\u00f3nagh N\u00ed Raghallaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sh\u00f3nagh-N\u00ed-Raghallaigh.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sh\u00f3nagh-N\u00ed-Raghallaigh.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sh\u00f3nagh N\u00ed Raghallaigh  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas le mo chomr\u00e1da\u00ed, an Teachta Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh, as ucht an r\u00fain seo anocht. An artist\u2019s work is more than just a job  An artist's work is more than just a job. It is a reflection of their creativity, their skill, and their unique perspective on the world. Every piece of music, every photograph, every painting, every written work represents countless hours of effort and something deeply personal to its creator. That is why so many artists are deeply concerned about the rise of unregulated Al in the arts.  Across Ireland, artists are already struggling to make a living, yet their copyrighted work is now being scraped and used to train Al systems without their consent and without compensation. Their life's work is being exploited to generate added value for technology companies, while the artists themselves are left behind.  This is not an abstract issue. Artists in Kildare and elsewhere across the State are already feeling the impact. A local photographer recently told me that she had lost work from organisations that once regularly hired her but now chose Al-generated images instead.  We must also address the growing threat posed by cloning and deepfakes, which undermines human artists' reputations and erodes public trust.  With these issues in mind, we have to move urgently and protect creative industries. Sinn F\u00e9in supports innovation but it must be responsible, safe, and creator centred. The first step is improving transparency. Artists must know when their work is used to train Al and have access to fair licensing mechanisms.  Is r\u00e9imse \u00e9 s\u00e1bh\u00e1ilteacht na hintleachta saorga in\u00e1r ng\u00e1 d\u00fainn oibri\u00fa as l\u00e1mha a ch\u00e9ile, ag seasamh an fh\u00f3id ar son daonnacht na n-eala\u00edon agus sl\u00e1n\u00fa \u00e1r n-eala\u00edont\u00f3ir\u00ed. N\u00ed m\u00f3r d\u00fainn gan eagla a bheith orainn roimh na fathaigh teic a cheisti\u00fa chomh maith. Is c\u00e9im dearfach \u00ed an Bille um Chosaint Gl\u00f3ir agus \u00cdomh\u00e1 maidir leis seo. T\u00e1 traidisi\u00fan br\u00f3d\u00fail eala\u00edonta againn in \u00c9irinn. Seasaimis len\u00e1r n-eala\u00edont\u00f3ir\u00ed, cosna\u00edmis a gcearta agus cinnt\u00edmis go bhfanfaidh an t\u00edr seo ina h\u00e1it inar f\u00e9idir leis an gcrutha\u00edocht bl\u00e1th\u00fa go ceann na ngl\u00fan. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  \"Yet we should never forget that the product of work isn\u2019t only the work\u2014it\u2019s also the worker.\" That is a quote from the author Robin Sloan, which I think is very apt to tonight's discussion. I thank Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh for tabling this motion, his Sinn F\u00e9in colleagues and all the work done for artists here in Ireland to protect what is such a treasure within our society. I thank the organisations listed in the motion, the collectives and union organisations that have fought tooth and nail to make sure that artists can survive in a society that does not reward art. It is an anomaly in our society that we remunerate certain pursuits in life but not others. We pay people to pursue corporate goals and aims but we do not pay people to pursue art, yet we all consume and value art. It is that which enriches our society more than anything else.  It is important to name all of that because it is the context into which AI has now come and has not just disrupted, but completely annihilated the ability of artists to continue making a viable living in the pursuit of their art and their craft. I want to call out a few more truths before I get into some of the specifics in this debate. I am glad that the Government is not opposing the motion and that it can be the start of a conversation we need to have in the D\u00e1il about how AI is impacting on artists. The AI committee has not yet reached our module on the creative industries and how AI intersects with it. I look forward to that happening by the end of this year or perhaps early next year.  AI is coming at us from all directions. The Minister of State and I have talked a lot about the climate impact, the impact on labour displacement, algorithmic decision-making in the public sector, and the case for discrimination. There are so many ways in which AI is disrupting our lives and reaching deep into the lives of every citizen here and globally. This one is crucial.  The Minister of State spoke a lot about the AI Act in her opening contribution.  It is important to call out that part of this motion calls for adequate legislation, regulations and measures to simply deal with this. The way the AI Bill was handled in the past few weeks has not made me confident that the Government is doing this well. Government spokespeople all talk about how we are world leaders in innovation in AI and governance of AI. That is just not a fact, as far as I am concerned. We are not there yet. However, we have the opportunity to do so and to actually hold big tech accountable. I will get through a few points but, ultimately, that is where we get to. It is big tech that is making money. It is the systems that control how music is delivered to our ears that are making money. That is where we need to tackle this. I will get into how we need to be a little less focused on rightsholders as a result of it. That is really part of it for me. Although the legislation and the measures the Minister of State has talked about a lot around the copyright part of this discussion are being looked at at EU level, the EU has chosen to adopt a very light-touch regulatory approach to AI, despite what Government Ministers will say. Unfortunately, I simply do not have faith in that model. We need to move the focus away from rightsholders and instead look at those who control the system and the benefit they get from that, as opposed to artists.  I want to talk a little about how the undermining of the skill of artistry and allowing theft of material will ultimately lead to the cessation of the creation of art. That is the direction of travel we are going in unless we tackle this. I want to speak briefly about how Irish music is particularly vulnerable to all of this. I will then arrive back at the business model, which is the issue we just do not tackle head on. This Government certainly does not tackle it head on.  I will start with the point about rightsholders. While that is a crucial part of this debate, we are too focused on copyright and those who hold rights to their own creations. We need to acknowledge the fact that services that provide music to music lovers sit upon troves of music data that they can use to train AI and profit from that. They have a potential interest in AI music becoming more popular and accepted because it forces musicians to compete and, perhaps, accept worse royalty payments in the long term. That is a truth we need to acknowledge. As long as they are in control, they are motivated to essentially elevate AI-generated music above artist-created music because they are a profit-driven entity and that will be cheaper to them. Therefore, if low-effort AI audio slop is compensated equally to human songcraft, songwriters will be squeezed out over time and new songwriters, whose copyright is not used in training data and who are not always represented by some of the organisations I have mentioned, will struggle to get a foothold. That is where we need to understand the difficulty with the copyright model being the sole focus. It will benefit those established artists, some of those who are in the Gallery today, the artists we all know and love, whereas it is the artists starting now, not those who started ten years ago, who will be even further disadvantaged because those platforms will be unable to resist the fact that the AI music they helped make will be cheaper for them. We need to look at questions like whether AI music can be copyrightable. That is not settled as it stands, and we will see that evolve over time.  I acknowledge that there is one platform that is tackling this, and that is Tidal. From tomorrow, Tidal, which is a music-streaming platform, will no longer pay royalties to 100% AI-generated music. There is no reason Apple, Spotify, YouTube and everybody else should not follow suit, but they will not. We have to legislate for them to do that, and that is the kind of legislation that we can lead in this country. We do not have to wait for Europe; we can do it, and we can have a greater impact as a result of it. It is those systems that are currently benefiting rather than the artists. It is those who control the system where this work is published or who even scrape it from the Internet to feed those AI models. They have a near monopoly when it comes to controlling who sees what art and they need to see a commensurate responsibility imposed on them to treat creators fairly, to protect art and to protect artists.  AI slop is not something that creates new things from nothing. Its creations are always limited by the input, but that is going unrecognised, unrewarded and, crucially, unpaid. Allowing slop and the theft of art to go unmitigated will lead to no art being made. These generative AI models cannot create something from nothing; they are all dependent on raw material. They are incapable of creativity. If artists cannot survive, these models will also eventually run out of art to steal and we will not just face the dire situation we are currently in, but will be even worse off. In his opening comments, Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh gave a comprehensive outline of exactly the depth and breadth of the theft currently happening. Similarly, undermining the skills needed to create will push those creators out of existence because creating music, visual art or any other art is skilled work. It takes decades of people honing their craft and they do it because of the passion to do it, not because there is any monetary gain within it. Much of it is unpaid or low paid, but that creates inherent value to our lives and this tech is minimising what little money artists can currently make. Even when the owners of this tech have not monetised it, it is still undermining the years of investment and graft of artists to create something we all benefit from. N\u00ed fheiceann muid riamh leath den obair a chuireann eala\u00edont\u00f3ir\u00ed isteach ina gceird. N\u00ed raibh s\u00e9 riamh \u00e9asca a bheith ag obair sna heala\u00edona, ach sa l\u00e1 at\u00e1 inniu ann ba ch\u00f3ir go mbeadh ruda\u00ed ag f\u00e1il n\u00edos fearr, n\u00ed ag dul chun donais.  I want to speak specifically to Irish art, which is particularly under attack. Irish music is readily recognisable around the world and, therefore, very vulnerable to imitation. If you go to YouTube right now and search for, for example, \"Irish folk music\", you will see a lot of AI slop in the results. If you search for that term, you will get a channel called The Spirit of the Tavern. Within that, you will find a composition, if you like, called \"Irish Pub Songs\". That video has had four times the views in a six-month period as Lankum's most recent single. That is terrifying to me because Lankum is creating beautiful art. This stuff is synthetic paddywhackery nonsense with just nonsense lyrics in it. That is what we are seeing. Irish artists in particular are vulnerable to this and we need to make sure we protect them.  Ultimately, we come back to the fact that these platforms and big tech have developed a business model that is parasitic. Essentially, it is \"launch and iterate\", \"move fast and break things\". In this case, they are saying they will capture the market now and monetise later. That is what is happening. They are not making the money now but they know that, unless they control it, they will not be able to make money in time. It is the same business model, the same business mindset, that has made us, the user, the product in the case of social media platforms, and it is why we are on this road to enshittification, as people say when talking about the Internet. If nothing is done, it will ultimately leave us with a powerful monopoly, just as we have seen in other areas, that we will not be able to unpick. Unfortunately, this is simply where we are getting to all the time with big tech. The Government does not yet have the political will to tackle that, to essentially hold big tech accountable, to say to it that this is enough, that the harms being wrought on society are enough and that we have to take control back.  I was helped today in preparing for this speech by a friend of mine. Shane Culloty is his name. He is an artist called Winter Aid. I simply want to read out one of his lyrics to finish my speech tonight because this is what we are trying to protect when we do this. This is a song called \"The Wisp Sings\", which I encourage everyone to listen to after.  Let me sleep  I am tired of my grief  And I would like you  To love me, to love me, to love me  This is the night when these woods sigh  Come with me  There are people who cannot speak  Without smiling  They would take me from your hand  Or they would try, they would try  This is the murmur of the land  This is the sound of love's marching band  And how they hold you like a gun  And how I sing you like a song  I heard when I was young  And buried for a night like this  Buried for a night, like this "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ciar\u00e1n Ahern  My thanks to Sinn F\u00e9in for tabling this motion tonight. This is about far more than artificial intelligence. It is about the value of human creativity, hard work and intellectual property and whether they will continue to be recognised and protected or we allow them to be exploited without consent, without transparency and without fair payment.  The success of the arts and the culture sector over recent decades is something that we in Ireland can be and are immensely proud of. From The Cranberries to Fontaines D.C., Dermot Morgan to my good friends Foil, Arms and Hog, Maeve Binchy to Sally Rooney, we have produced a wealth of talent in this country. In Dublin South-West, we are proud to count three-time Oscar winner for visual effects Richard Baneham as someone who is from Tallaght, as a constituent, as one of our own.  The famous painter Se\u00e1n Keating lived in Rathfarnham and painted two beautiful murals in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Ballyroan. WB Yeats was also a constituent, though just slightly before my time. We in the Labour Party are deeply proud of our record in this space. It was Michael D Higgins as the first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht who helped reshape the vision for arts in this country. We have become a powerhouse across books, poetry, television, documentary, comedy, animation and gaming. Irish directors, writers, actors and craftspeople consistently punch far above their weight and long may that continue.  I also highlight the vibrant ecosystem that surrounds creative arts like the festivals, community cinemas and local arts organisations that create space for Irish talent to be celebrated. We have to ensure we retain artistic spaces in our towns and cities around this country. Art is a fundamentally human endeavour. It resonates with people because it reflects our experiences, emotions, imagination and hopes. It should always remain that way, a human endeavour. Every song written, every screenplay composed, every poem published, every performance delivered and every piece of art created is the result of human labour. It represents, as Deputy Gibney has said, years of practice, dedication, talent, sacrifice and lived experience. These works are not data to be harvested; they are the property of the people who created them. For many artists, the royalties earned from those works are not a luxury; they are the income that allows them to pay their bills, support their families and continue creating. Today, that all faces an unprecedented threat.  Generative AI is developing at extraordinary speed. Most of us here recognise the opportunities of AI. It has the potential to at least improve productivity or accelerate research, submit parliamentary questions and so on. Like Sinn F\u00e9in, the Labour Party is not opposed to innovation. We support responsible AI development, but innovation cannot become a licence for exploitation. There is a simple question. If an AI company builds a billion dollar product using the life's work of Irish artists, musicians, writers and performers, should those creators have any say in how their work is used? Should they be told it has happened? Should they be paid? The answer to all of this is obviously \"Yes\". Unfortunately, this Government has failed to show any urgency on this issue. For years, artists have warned that they already operate in an industry characterised by low incomes, precarious employment and insecure working conditions. Research commissioned by the Arts Council has repeatedly demonstrated this reality. The basic income for the arts scheme, while very much welcomed by those who can access it, has only reinforced what artists have been saying for decades: that creative workers are expected to survive on unstable and often inadequate incomes. Instead of strengthening the rights of artists and their ability to support themselves in a moment of enormous technological change, Government has been slow to respond. While other countries are actively examining how copyright law must evolve, this Government has remained largely reactive, unfortunately. While all companies rapidly commercialise products built on copyrighted works, Irish artists are left wondering whether their own music, writing or performances have already been used without their knowledge. There is no transparency, and it is pretty obvious that big tech is increasingly retreating from the very idea of that.  We have to be more proactive in this space. Research commissioned by CISAC estimates that one quarter of music creators' revenues could be at risk by 2028, representing cumulative losses of approximately 10 billion over five years. Media composers working in television, advertising and film are expected to be among the hardest hit. Streaming platforms are already reporting enormous growth in AI-generated content. Deezer, for example, has reported that approximately 75,000 fully AI-generated tracks are now uploaded every single day. Even more alarming is the finding that the overwhelming majority of streams involving fully AI-generated music were linked to fraudulent activity, diverting royalties away from genuine creators.  The exploitation and dehumanisation of creativity by big tech is not some conspiracy. It is already happening. Every day we delay action to address this, the gap between technological capability and legal protection grows wider. If an AI model has been trained using copyrighted music, books, scripts or artwork, artists deserve to know this. Transparency is not anti-innovation; it is the foundation on which trust, licensing and legitimate commercial relationships can be built. At the moment, there is no accountability or meaningful copyright protection. The current opt-out system under European copyright law has proven inadequate. It effectively places the burden on individual artists to discover whether their work has been used in the first place. This is a virtually impossible task when the training datasets are hidden behind commercial secrecy. That is backwards. The burden should rest with those building commercial AI systems, not with individual artists trying to defend rights that already belong to them.  This motion also recognises another growing threat, which is the cloning of voices, likenesses and artistic styles. Technology now allows performers' voices to be replicated almost perfectly. Actors, and even TDs, can have their likenesses copied. Musicians can find AI systems generating songs that imitate their unique artistic identity. That is not just a copyright issue. It is an issue of consent and personal dignity. It is also an issue of protecting people's livelihoods. No artist should wake up to discover that their voice has been copied, their image replicated or their artistic identity commercialised without permission. That is why stronger personality rights must become part of our legal framework.  I also address a wider cultural issue. Ireland's greatest strength has always been its storytellers, be they writers, musicians, actors or composers. They have shaped how Ireland is understood and viewed across the world. If we allow a future where AI systems endlessly reproduce derivative content trained on those creators without permission or payment, we risk hollowing out the very creative ecosystem that made Ireland culturally rich in the first place.  There is an argument that AI can support creativity as an assistive technology, but it can never replace it or exploit it. I think that is the balance this motion seeks to achieve. I welcome that the Government has withdrawn its countermotion because, to date, it has yet to demonstrate the level of leadership required to tackle this issue. Ireland currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU. That presents a unique opportunity to lead the European conversation on AI, copyright and creators' rights. Instead of simply administering meetings, Ireland should be shaping policy to protect Irish artists. This motion offers practical and balanced proposals.  I will make a couple of points with a view to strengthening what is already in the motion. It calls for support for the creation of collective licensing models. There is a bit of nuance here, in that a one-size-fits-all approach might not be best suited across different categories of artists. Different rights-holder sectors will have different licensing requirements. For example, a collective model might work well for book publishing, but not necessarily for music publishing. The second point is on existing copyright law. The motion states that it is insufficient and, while I do not disagree, a large part of the issue is that it is not enforced as well as it could be. I would have no issue if we were to introduce new legislation in this space, particularly with regard to AI, but we cannot allow the same situation to arise as is currently the case, where it is just flaunted with no repercussions.  Overall, this is an excellent motion. I again commend Sinn F\u00e9in and Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh in particular for all the work he has done with respect to the arts. The Government often tells us it wants Ireland to become a leader in AI, but leadership in this area is not just about attracting technology companies to come here. It is about recognising and protecting people from the negative impacts and ensuring the benefits are enjoyed by everyone. We can and we must protect our creative sector while embracing the potential for innovation. Leadership means ensuring Irish artists are partners in technological progress, and not casualties of it. If Government is serious about supporting our creative industries then now is the moment to act. Once artists lose control of their work, it becomes exponentially harder to restore those rights and there is obviously no art without artists. As I said, it is a fundamentally human endeavour. We should reaffirm our commitment to Ireland's creative future, and to our actors, musicians, screenwriters, designers, animators, comedians, cinematographers and all those whose artistry enriches our lives. Above all, we must insist that our creative industries remain industries built on imagination, emotion, experience and collaboration, and not plagiarised AI-generated slop. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Niamh Smyth","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Niamh-Smyth.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Niamh Smyth  I want to correct the record. The Government never had a countermotion in. We have been accepting the Private Members' motion as written. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ciar\u00e1n Ahern  Okay; I apologise. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  There is no amendment and no countermotion. I thank the Minister of State for that clarification. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  I thank Sinn F\u00e9in for bringing this motion for IMRO, for its campaigning on this issue and for the artists who have spoken out and highlighted it. It is high time that this Government, which has gulped down big tech's Kool-Aid and regurgitated it for the public in an unthinking way, is forced to reflect on the downsides of AI, which are very many, not just for artists and the creatives in our society, but for our society as a whole.  I do not think anyone wants a world where the majority of the Internet and the majority of even supposedly creative content is AI slop, but that is the future we are heading towards. That is the future unless we collectively call stop and pull the brake on generative AI. It is not an unstoppable train even now. In the AI committee, we have been treated to person after person telling us this is unstoppable. Lots of people have correctly said it is not unstoppable, but the big tech line is this is unstoppable and you have to get on this train or else you are going to lose out. That is a narrative of inevitability deliberately created and propagated by the big tech companies who profit from AI, who want to profit from AI in the future, and who are currently gambling billions on it. They are in it up to their necks right now and they want to put us all in the same situation so that it becomes impossible for us to turn back. They want to hook us on generative AI like they have hooked us on social media and then start charging us through the nose for it, whether that is through user fees, advertising or selling our personal data to the highest bidder.  There is an immense hypocrisy here. I am old enough to remember those ads that started with \"You wouldn't steal a car.\" I went and watched the ad. It says: \"You wouldn't steal a car, you wouldn't steal a handbag, you wouldn't steal a television, you wouldn't steal a DVD but downloading pirated films is stealing.\" It finishes with \"Piracy. It's a crime.\" I remember what came after that, which was a furore about Napster, LimeWire and The Pirate Bay. Ordinary people who downloaded an album or a video were demonised as pirates and threatened with court cases, fines and even prison sentences. Even today, ordinary people can be criminalised if they download material illegally as opposed to using legal streaming services. Legal streaming services are epitomised by Spotify, whose whole business model is based on ripping off artists financially, which it is, and now, through generative AI, ripping off and copying their music and turning it into AI slop as well.  Now that we have a situation whereby big tech has effectively pirated pretty much the entire creative output of humanity, what is the official response? Are the big tech bosses being rounded up? Are they being arrested? Are they being told, \"You wouldn't steal a car\", given that they have stolen effectively all of the music that has ever been created? Talk about one rule for us and another for those at the top. We do not get that. We do not get any arrests. We do not get any kicking down the doors of the big tech companies. Instead, we get world leaders and our own Taoiseach rabbiting on about a fourth industrial revolution that will change everything and saying that this is as important as the printing press. We need to recognise this as the pure corporate propaganda that it is and start asking who benefits from it. Certainly not artists or not musicians, and it will not benefit people generally either.  This motion is right to warn that generative AI may lead to a decline in the quality of human cultural and creative production. The truth is that is already happening. The tech industry wants us to outsource our brains to AI and to let it do our thinking, writing and creating for us. It sounds to me like a very dystopian future that we should be doing everything in our power to avoid.  Something in it gets to the heart of the kind of anti-humanist philosophy that many of these big tech leaders spout. There was one recently talking about being confronted with the cost of training AI. They said it costs a lot to train humanity. Look at all the food you have to feed a baby and all the energy you have to commit to a baby to raise a human. They said a human takes more energy than AI to develop. It is a deeply anti-humanist philosophy. These people fundamentally do not get it - that what makes art and music special is human input. That is what we see in it. That is what we appreciate. You cannot create it by generative AI.  The fight-back against AI has to start now. We can start by legislating for the right to opt out of AI. No worker or user of public or private services should be forced to interact with AI and have AI deal with their data without their consent.  We also need to place real limits on data centres. They are using up 80% of the electricity in Dublin and an unknown quantity of water. It may be the reason for the restrictions that we are currently seeing, but we do not know because they do not have to tell us how much water they are using. Despite the data centres being so huge already, they want to double. They want to double so that they can deal with the insatiable demand of AI. That cannot be allowed to happen. If it does, it makes it impossible for us to reach our climate targets. We need an outright ban on more data centres being built and we need real restrictions on the ones that are already here. People's needs - our need for a society which is meaningful and produces decent art - and the needs of artists and creative people, all that needs to come before the profits of big tech in our society. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy M\u00e1ire Devine  Well said. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  I thank Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh for bringing this motion forward. As Deputy Paul Murphy indicated, People Before Profit is very happy to support and commend all the artists, organisations, musicians and so on who are campaigning to bring this forward. I hope the fact that the Government is not opposing the motion means that it is actually going to take it seriously and do something in response to it. I have to say, I have my doubts about that.  Before we even started to discuss AI in a serious way in this House, I do not know how many times the same organisations who are campaigning for this have asked us to raise - and we have - the extreme poverty that so many people who work in the arts and music have to endure in this country. It is absolutely incredible that about 50% to 57% of all professional artists in this country live on or below the poverty line - three times the level of poverty in Irish society generally. These are the people we are very happy to jump into photographs with when they win an award or achieve something wonderful because of their artistic ability but on a day-to-day basis the Government fails abysmally to keep them from living in poverty and to truly value the contribution they make to our society and culture.  I do not know how many times we came in here campaigning on behalf of Equity and others who were campaigning for their fair and equitable remuneration for the work they do in areas like film and TV. That has still not been accomplished, as they are forced to sign buy-out contracts and not given proper payment for the work they do. Against that background, we are seeing these billionaires who run AI looking to steal en masse all of the artistic and creative output of humanity and to profit from it. The artists rightly are asking what the Government is going to do to prevent them making a bad situation for most artists and performers even worse.  As Deputy Paul Murphy said, the Government's approach to AI to date has just been to get down on their knees and ask the tech bros what they want. They have got massive tax breaks to the tune of tens of billions of euro every year and anything they want in terms of the proliferation of data centres. I will tell the Minister of State one thing. When we think about 80% of the electricity in Dublin being used by data centres now, it is absolutely unbelievable. On a global level, the consumption of electricity by data centres is due to go up elevenfold by 2030. They are hoovering up the water resources and electricity resources of the planet. There will not be much human creativity, art or music if we have no water and no energy. That is what is going on with these people. They are literally hoovering it up.  As has been said, the Government has bought the Kool-Aid, and so has the European Commission, it seems. Certainly Donald Trump does not pretend about his relationship with these monsters, quite frankly, in many cases, when you think about Palantir and Peter Thiel and what they do with AI, using it to help prosecute a genocide in Gaza. These people are horrific. I have difficulty with the idea that this has anything useful to contribute. I am not saying AI has no value at all.  These people actually want to replace human beings and human creativity with AI. That would literally be the road to disaster for humanity. Some people think about AI as if it is cutting edge and the most advanced thing possible, but AI is like the Neanderthal. The Neanderthal had a bigger brain than the human being but it went extinct because its huge brain was mainly dealing with memory and sensory processing and was not able to do the higher functions that the human brain does. What makes us unique, and what made the human being adapt successfully while the Neanderthal died out, is our creative capacity. I refer to our capacity to imagine things that do not exist and not just to scrape memory. The problem with scraping memory is that it does not involve developing something new. It is not real innovation; it is just mixing around existing memories. That was why the Neanderthal went extinct. What will happen if we leave creativity and the future of human society to AI?  I am even beginning to wonder about people generating parliamentary questions using AI. How soon before these parliamentary questions are answered using AI? AI will be asking the questions and AI will be answering them. That is where we are going. We have to stop. The Government should not buy this nonsense. AI may have some uses if it is subordinate to, in this case, what the artists, musicians and their representatives want. If we want a solution to this problem, we should talk to the people in the Gallery. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy M\u00e1ire Devine  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  In the past couple of years there has been a collapse of many forms of media in this country. The reason for this has been that the authors of content are not getting paid for their material. It is not that no one is getting paid for the material; there is a cohort of individuals who are getting paid, but they are the people who are creating the content. Journalism is an example. It is a key pillar of a functional democracy but it is dying on its feet because social media is taking the creative content and selling it for clicks and for advertising revenue. That is plainly wrong, but the political establishment does not have the backbone to stand up to the large social media firms and, as a result, this is happening. If the creators of the content do not get paid, after a while content does not get created.  The same thing happened in the music industry. Instead of artists selling records, tapes and CDs, a small number of firms started to monetise other people's content on platforms such as YouTube and Spotify and paid a pittance for the content they were selling. This means that those in the music industry have to rely on music performance in the main to be able to have a full-time career in music generation. That has significantly reduced the generation of content in music over the past number of years.  AI is bringing the whole process a large step further. A small number of very large powerful billionaires can now scrape the content of thousands of artists, authors, graphic designers and musicians and replicate similar content. It is true that the quality of this content is significantly off the creativity of human content but it is already being monetised. It is already in competition with real artists for ears, eyes and wallets. As a result, it is already shutting down content creation. There will come a time, if we are honest, that the differential and quality will narrow in the future.  Let us be honest, what is happening is theft. It is the stealing of other people's content. It is individual companies making a profit out of other people's work. People might be au fait with the legend that copyright was first developed in Ireland. It is recorded that St. Colmcille secretly copied the manuscript of St. Finian at night. This was discovered by St. Finian and he demanded the replica manuscript back. He felt the reproduction of the manuscript was rightfully his. He brought the case to the High King of Ireland, Diarmait mac Cerbaill. The latter sided with St. Finian, saying the famous phrase that to every cow belongs her calf and, therefore, to every book belongs its copy. What is happening here in relation to AI is in direct opposition to this. This has a number of significant outputs. Not only is it stealing and impoverishing generations of artists, and not only is it reducing the creative output, but it is also concentrating power into the hands of a very small number of tech oligarchs across the planet.  This generation has probably seen one of the biggest concentrations of wealth in the hands of so few. I do not think this has happened since the end of the 19th century. I ask in that the Government side with the artists and ensures that there is an ecosystem in which they can operate, get paid properly and deliver content into the future. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion, not only as a Teachta D\u00e1la but also as someone who trained and worked as a journalist for many years creating original output and as someone who has had stints as a singer-songwriter, writing and recording original works, and who hopes to do so again in the future.  I do see genuine uses of AI as a tool to speed up your creative process and to generate ideas based on your own original human spark and ideas, but, to be clear, the dangers for artists vastly outweigh the benefits, and that needs to be redressed. What is happening brings the name of the band from the 1980s Pop Will Eat Itself to entirely new levels. AI bottom trawls for free, pays nobody their due reward and then regenerates original ideas into a mishmash that sounds plausible, reads plausible and looks plausible, were it not for the fact that the AI output is input-output. It is only as good as what it trawls through.  We have seen the rise of AI artists, AI music, AI authors and AI video generators. Admittedly, some of them are parodies but others are deliberate scams to outline the possibilities of the technology. Increasingly, things are being created for its own sake and the profits do not go to any original artists. Nobody can tell which aspect of a work is being used in the generative process, but it is guaranteed that the graft of artists is nowhere in it. What emerges are not the original ideas of AI, the programmers or the big multinationals that own these companies.  We have had a constant fight over decades to ensure creative work is valued as labour and not treated as a hobby or a free resource. Music artists, for example, had to put up with reduced mechanical and performance royalties from streaming services. Increasingly as Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn referred to, people have sought refuge in live performance. So far, it is the last retreat of human artistic endeavour, but for how long? It used to be that live music was to promote recorded works but now recorded works promote live music to a larger extent. If recorded works are being threatened by AI derivatives where will our future writers, singers, actors and film directors be? They will not exist. In light of that, I welcome the motion.  We in Ireland have always understood that art in itself has value. It is always a work or a craft; even if the process of inspiration can strike like lightening sometimes, it is often honed and edited over a much longer period. We cannot automate this lived human experience or our imagination. I read somewhere recently that our innate evolution as a species was due to becoming storytellers around the fire. People have spent years honing skills that can never be replicated by a machine, yet today we face this challenge that we would not have anticipated years ago.  Fundamentally, the economic foundation of our work as artists, including royalties, licensing commissions and performance fees, are being further eroded. This time, it is not the music industry or the publishing industry but AI and the big tech companies. The motion acknowledges the alarming findings of organisations such as the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers in relation to the explosion of AI-generated streaming fraud and the failure of existing EU mechanisms, particularly the digital Single Market copyright directive of 2019, to provide meaningful control for the artists. AI developers can legally scrape and analyse copyrighted content for training unless the creator has opted out. I will discuss the difficulties to which that gives rise in a moment.  This was originally designed for search engines and data analysis tools, not generative AI, but AI companies now rely on it to justify the mass ingestion of original creative works. Transparency licensing, fair remuneration and accountability are the very least that artists are entitled to if those companies are going to trawl through their work in this way. It is slipping away, especially with the withdrawal of the AI liability directive. The latter would have given artists something we currently do not have, namely a proper mechanism to get compensation or redress when AI systems and the companies that own them essentially misuse our work or cause economic harm through reduced incomes. This directive would have introduced a rebuttable presumption of causality, meaning that if an AI system produced content clearly derived from an artist\u2019s work, the artist would not have to prove every technical detail of how the system ingested, processed and reproduced that work. It basically states that courts may presume a causal link between the system's output and the harm caused, unless the AI developer can prove otherwise. It is a presumption of artistic integrity, and the AI company has to prove it did not steal the work.  The directive would also have required disclosure obligations, thereby allowing courts to compel AI developers to reveal things like training data logs and documentation, information that is currently hidden behind this corporate wall. In welcoming this legislation, I acknowledge that a lot of what we want to do is going to be difficult when it comes to enforceability. That is very common. The directive would have helped big time. The European Commission argues that the AI Act is enough in itself, but it does not offer any civil liability disclosure rights or anything else to win a case. The motion before the House basically calls that out and asks for measures to improve the situation, so I support it. We need infrastructure at EU level to help artists. Even if every word was taken on board and we started from where we are, we will have to follow a process in respect of what is already a race against time.  If we look at how the AI Act could be improved, for starters, there must be mandatory as opposed to voluntary transparency. That is in the code of practice. We need legally enforceable obligations requiring AI developers to disclose exactly what datasets they are using, what copyrighted works are included and how those works are processed. It is quite difficult, but it is technically possible. We need a European-wide registry of copyrighted works used in AI training. That would be the backbone of any licensing system. It does not need to be perfect on day one. It could start off with voluntary submissions, collective management organisations and the major publishers. It does need to start, and we should not listen to threats to the effect that companies will just pull their money and business out of Europe and move elsewhere. That does not wash. Europe is the sanctuary of basic rights. We should stand up for those rights. We also need any opt-outs to be technically enforceable. At the moment, artists can tell companies not to train AI on their work, but developers cannot reliably identify or remove that work from their datasets. The European Union should therefore require dataset tracking. We also need more powers in relation to collective licensing because individual artists do not have that power in the context of individual companies. IMRO, Recorded Artists Actors Performers, the Screen Composers Guild and their European counterparts can. The EU should establish a compulsory licensing framework such that if AI developers want to train on European creative content, then they should pay into a collective pot. That is how radio, television and streaming were made to pay dividends, even if we all argue that those dividends are too low.  As already stated, getting rid of the AI liability directive was a mistake. Artists need a clear path to compensation when their work is misused, where their likenesses are impersonated and where their income is undermined by fraudulent AI content. We could show leadership here. Ireland should use its Presidency of the European Council to push for a more targeted and effective directive. Performers should have explicit legal control over their voice, their face, their movement and their personal and artistic identity. I welcome the motion and hope that the Minister of State will take it on board. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charlie McConalogue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charlie-McConalogue.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Charlie-McConalogue.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (Deputy Charlie McConalogue)  I thank Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh for bringing this motion before the House. I also thank the many Deputies across the House who have contributed to the debate on what is an extremely important topic. It is only right and appropriate that it gets attention and consideration in this House and that we work collectively to address the massive challenge AI can pose to our creative sectors. We are very fortunate to live in a country that has a wonderful cultural heritage. Our international reputation across the globe is built on this in many ways.  Over the last short period, we have seen the impact that AI is having on all aspects of our society. It is crucial in respect of our creative sector that we do give the time and attention here on the floor of the D\u00e1il to consider how it is impacting this sector and how we can work collectively in terms of regulation and policy to make sure we are addressing this technology and harnessing it in a way that is to the benefit of the public and our creative sector, as opposed to it being something that has the real potential to undermine them.  I reiterate the point made by the Minister of State with special responsibility for artificial intelligence, Deputy Niamh Smyth, which is that Ireland is committed to ensuring that AI technologies are developed and used in a manner that is ethical, transparent and aligned with national, EU and international law. The protection of copyright is, understandably, a concern for our creative sector in relation to AI, and consent and remuneration for works used are basic principles of copyright law. Important steps to protect intellectual property rights in the age of AI are being taken and these will continue during the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU.  At EU level, the inclusion of a provision on EU copyright law in the AI Act is an important step. As mentioned, enforcement of the AI Act will begin from August. In the meeting of the Council of Ministers in May, which was attended by the Minister, Deputy Patrick O\u2019Donovan, it was clear that many member states acknowledge that more needs to be done, including on copyright and transparency. There are indications that the opt-out mechanism for the text and data mining exception is not working well in practice. Evidence gathered by the Danish Presidency showed that some activity is taking place on the licensing of works for AI, but that it is uneven across member states and subsectors of the creative sector.  It is our shared objective that this market develops well and in a manner which ensures fair remuneration along the value chain for the cultural and media sectors. We look forward to the outcome of the European Commission\u2019s review of copyright in the directive on copyright in the digital Single Market, including the text and data mining exception and the press publishers right. The Government will consider the findings of the review and consider the effectiveness of Ireland\u2019s national legislation transposing the directive. We also look forward to the next steps by the Commission on possible new measures on licensing and enforcement in generative AI, as signalled in the call for evidence.  As Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we have a valuable opportunity to help shape discussions on the future of Europe\u2019s digital and creative economy, including measures needed to support a sustainable, pluralistic and trusted media sector. In terms of the broader impacts of AI, the European Commission is currently working on a new strategy specifically looking at AI and the creative and cultural sector, as set out in the new European cultural strategy, the Culture Compass for Europe. This will be an opportunity for our sectors to address the challenges and opportunities of this moment of change. Ireland looks forward to participating in the development of the strategy in the coming months.  The Government\u2019s new digital and AI strategy highlighted the potential for AI to contribute to job displacement in the creative and cultural sectors. Like many other sectors in the economy, these face potential disruption. Furthermore, last year\u2019s report from the AI Advisory Council on the impact of AI on Ireland\u2019s creative sector further stressed the need for public policy to tackle income insecurity for artists and creatives. My Department is continuing to take measures to tackle the precarity of work and promote viable careers in arts and culture, in particular with the roll-out of Ireland\u2019s basic income for the arts programme, which we are delighted has now been extended permanently. Under the culture council formation, the Irish Presidency is responsible for agreeing the new EU work plan for culture for the years from 2027 to 2030. While this is still being negotiated with member states, it is clear from initial discussions that concrete measures to address the impact of AI on artists and the creative sector will be further developed through the work plan.  I again thank Deputies for their contributions this evening. I also thank the many artists and representatives from our creative sector for their contributions and for highlighting the real concerns about the impact AI is having and will have unless we, from a public policy point of view, collectively do all we can to protect this sector, protect the integrity of people\u2019s creative capacities and address the potential impact on income and viability of careers in the arts sector. We look forward to working with everyone across the House in relation to building on the work that has been done and the great amount of work that needs to be done to protect what is an integral part of our national life. It is really important, from a European perspective, that we work collectively to protect the sector. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louise O'Reilly  I thank Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh for tabling this motion and for all of the work he does in this area with respect to the arts and artists.  Right now, we are justifiably and rightly proud of our Irish artists. We have a flourishing creative scene despite all of the barriers - class barriers, the rising cost of living, and dwindling and ever-more scarce support. It is now all the more important that we protect artists and the craft itself. It cannot be a pursuit only for the wealthy or a career where suffering and poverty are the price of entry. We want our artists to flourish. When I was coming over, I was remembering during Covid that arts and creative arts kept us all sane. We all acknowledged it and we acknowledged in here how important it was when we could not speak to one another that people involved in the creative arts were making it happen in almost impossible situations. We owe them an immense debt of gratitude.  This morning, I was honoured to host Disabled Artists, Disabled Academics, DADA, in the audiovisual room. They spoke about the challenges. They stressed that they were not whinging or looking for a pat on the back or for anyone to tell them they were inspirational. They are men and women doing a job. It is really tough but added to that, as well as all of the other challenges they face, which are many, they face the challenge of big tech companies scraping their work and regurgitating it. It will never be as good and it will never replace the arts, but now is the time for the Government to act, listen to the arts community and move to protect that which we all agree we value immeasurably. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pat Buckley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pat-Buckley.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Pat-Buckley.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pat Buckley  I thank Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh for tabling this motion. It is not just ordinary workers who are being made to fear for their futures as artificial intelligence continues to develop and expand. Musical artists, writers and filmmakers are also being badly hit by this AI revolution. Their copyrighted work is being used without their consent or any remuneration to build systems that spew out AI art that directly competes with them. This is making it even harder for writers, composers, musicians, performers, actors and other artists to make a living in a field where many already struggle and royalties from copyright are vital to their income. It is very difficult for struggling artists to take on the AI systems and vindicate their rights. This Sinn F\u00e9in motion is to recognise that art is the product of the labour of artists informed by their unique human experience, creativity and skill. The Script's Danny O'Donoghue on \"Morning Ireland\" said:  ... no public funding goes towards AI-generated content, humans only. At the end of the day, if we are not looking after humans, what are we doing? What is the Government there to do? It is not there to look after robots. It is there to look after humans.  It is about doing the right thing today. Let us be first on it. We know there are problems in Australia, Italy and France. We have a unique opportunity. I am very honoured to have the support of the artists in the Gallery. It just shows how important it is to the industry. It needs to be protected. That needs to be done now. Let us not be reactive. Let us be proactive and get it done now. Please support this motion. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in  Irish author Emma Donoghue stated, \"They are robbing us in hopes of replacing us.\" That is a shocking statement. Irish artists, writers, musicians, actors, composers and performers are being ripped off by big tech billionaires through plagiarism or, to give it the proper term, theft. Their copyrighted creative work is being used to train AI systems to spew out \"art\" without the consent of the creators and in many cases without any remuneration whatsoever. The life's work of artists is being fed into systems that generate content in seconds for big tech billionaires while the people who created that work, often struggling artists, musicians, writers and photographers, receive nothing in return. Irish artists like many others were the driving force behind the 1916 Rising and represent the soul of this nation. They tell our stories and shape national identity. However, they are now forced to take on some of the world's largest tech companies simply to vindicate their rights. It is creating a dystopian nightmare. We have to stop it.  Sinn F\u00e9in is strongly opposed to public bodies and services opting for AI-generated content instead of supporting the work of human creators. Public arts funding should support human-made art - it sounds bizarre to even talk about \"human-made art\" - and not subsidise the replacement of these same artists with machines in this new dystopian world. We are talking about artists such as Fontaines D.C., The Script, Sin\u00e9ad O'Connor, Dermot Kennedy and Kneecap, many of whom have identified their work being used by AI generators. It is similar for authors such as Michael D. Higgins, Joseph O'Connor, Gerry Adams, Anne Enright, Colm T\u00f3ib\u00edn and Sally Rooney. We need to see action on this in Ireland and at a European level to protect artists' rights and income, respect their creativity and defend their livelihoods. It has to stop now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas le gach Teachta, eala\u00edont\u00f3ir agus eagras a bh\u00ed linn inniu.  I thank everybody who was with us today, some of whom are still with us, and those who contacted us in advance of this debate and are watching online who shared their stories about the impact AI was having on their work and creativity and to show their support for this debate. I am humbled and grateful for their support. I will try to name all of the organisations but I apologise in advance for those I will probably leave out - Irish Music Rights Organisation; Screen Composers Guild of Ireland; the Ivors Academy; Irish Equity; International Federation of Actors; Recorded Artists, Actors, Performers; Irish Recorded Music Association, Disabled Artists, Disabled Academics; Praxis: The Artists' Union of Ireland; First Music Contact, the Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland; the Arts Council; Musicians' Union of Ireland; Screen Producers Ireland; Give Us The Night; Beta Festival; and many individual artists, especially those who shared their experiences in the past day or two with the media to outline their experience of AI and how it is robbing their work, competing against them and robbing their royalties.  Emilie Conway of Disabled Artists, Disabled Academics pointed out earlier that today was Bastille Day and in the revolutionary spirit, it is worth looking at what the French have achieved in protecting the arts. Even if the focus tonight is on sport, Victor Hugo led the campaign that delivered the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which will mark its 140th anniversary on 9 September. International law was finally catching up with what was already in Ireland, having been established in the 6th century AD. It is thanks to the outrage in 1889 in France when a bidding war raised huge profits for the owner of a painting by the artist Millet while his family lived in poverty that the idea of droit de suite or resale rights brought royalties to artists. People then were not happy to sit back and let artists go without while their work created income and profit for the wealthy. That stands true to this day. That spirit continues in France where the national centre for cinema announced it would not fund art without a human author or where AI replaced a human creative role.  That spirit continues in Ireland. In this motion, we say that State funding for the Irish arts must be for humans and not for AI. It is incumbent on the Government and the State agencies to act in line with the unanimous will of the D\u00e1il on this motion.  Bh\u00ed l\u00edne den scoth sa leabhar Ag Caint Linn Fh\u00e9in , a scr\u00edobh Joe Steve \u00d3 Neachtain, laoch an Ghluaiseacht Chearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta agus eala\u00edont\u00f3ir ild\u00e1nach, \"Is \u00e9 an cro\u00ed at\u00e1 i gceol na h\u00c9ireann a dh\u00e9anann n\u00e1isi\u00fan m\u00f3r den n\u00e1isi\u00fan beag seo ar fud an domhain.\" T\u00edr gan teanga, t\u00edr gan anam. T\u00edr gan eala\u00edn, t\u00edr gan chro\u00ed. T\u00e1 \u00e1r gcro\u00ed i mbaol ag an intleacht shaorga. T\u00e1 dualgas orainn go l\u00e9ir seasamh suas ar son eala\u00edont\u00f3ir\u00ed na h\u00c9ireann, an cro\u00ed a l\u00e9ir\u00edonn siad sa ghn\u00edomh agus an cur chuige a dh\u00e9anann siad a thugann gliondar chuig a l\u00e1n daoine sa t\u00edr seo agus a thugann l\u00e9argas ar leith don domhan ar fad ar cad at\u00e1 i gceist againn mar \u00c9ireannaigh. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 go maith go bhfuil an Rialtas ag glacadh leis an r\u00fan seo agus nach bhfuil aon duine \u00e1 chur ina choinne. Anois t\u00e1 orainn bogadh de r\u00e9ir an ghn\u00edmh sin.  We have to act according to this motion, rather than just pass it. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I am not sure that applause is allowed but I thank Deputies. We are getting near the holidays. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louise O'Reilly  That will be the end of the applause, a Cheann Comhairle. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Protecting the Copyright of Irish Artists in the era of Artificial Intelligence: Motion [Private Members]"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_19","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_19","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_20","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Public Transport","counts":{"speechCount":11,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_19","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_19","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_20","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_20.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Jerry Buttimer)  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta as ucht na ceiste. Is c\u00fais mh\u00f3r bhr\u00f3id dom an cheist seo a fhreagairt ar son mo chomhghleacaithe, an tAire, an Teachta Calleary, agus go m\u00f3rmh\u00f3r an tAire Iompair, an Teachta O'Brien. I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and for his interest in rural transport. He will have a group from west Waterford here tomorrow. I hope we will get together.  The Government is of the view that rural transport plays a pivotal and important role in supporting rural communities and ensuring rural people and places are interconnected. While responsibility for the provision of transport services, including engagement with relevant State agencies and semi-State bodies, falls under the remit of the Department of Transport and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, with me as the Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, the Government\u2019s Our Rural Future policy takes a whole-of-government approach to rural development, with the Minister, Deputy Calleary, leading on actions to support rural communities being delivered across a range of Departments and agencies.  The important point is that the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan has delivered significant improvements in rural transport services over the lifetime of Our Rural Future to date. Under the National Transport Authority, with funding from the Department of Transport, 185 new or enhanced services have been delivered or implemented in the past four years, linking more than 240 towns and villages to the public transport network. With funding for the rural transport programme, regular rural services increased by 32% between 2024 and 2025. More than \u20ac87 million was invested, boosting passenger numbers on regular rural services by 47%. The important point for all of us who understand the importance of rural transport is that under the Connecting Ireland programme more than 600,000 people now have access to useful daily public transport services for the first time. We can do more. We are ambitious to do more. I accept there are difficulties and lacunas and I will come back again on that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Transport policy and funding for most transport modes rests with the Department of Transport but I specifically put this question to the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and the Minister, Deputy Calleary, because the onus is on Deputy Calleary's Department to advocate for rural communities with every Government Department to ensure the voices and needs of rural communities are heard and met. That is why I put the question in this context.  I will briefly tell the story of Grange in west Waterford. It is a rural community with a significant population which is spread out. A Bus \u00c9ireann intercity service that has served the community for a long time no longer serves it because the bus stop was taken away due to road safety concerns. It was not today nor yesterday that councillors on Waterford City and County Council - I was one of them----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  A cross-party group raised issues about road safety there and looked for investment. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Minister of State will respond and then the Deputy can come back in. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht needs to engage with local authorities and agencies on funding for these schemes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  As the Deputy is aware, I have been in west Waterford and I hope we will find a solution to that impasse. Having visited the site and spoken to locals, what is happening there does not make sense to me. I have asked that it be looked at.  I will make the point in the round that the Minister, Deputy Calleary, has been proactive, as have I, in being an advocate for rural Ireland and rural communities. That voice is heard by the Minister and me and across the Government. We are close to the development of the next five-year Our Rural Future strategy. The Minister is undertaking bilateral meetings with other Departments at the moment about that document. It is important that it takes a whole-of-government approach because the Deputy is right. Rural communities have made significant advances over the lifetime of this Government and that of the last one. Now, 600,000 people are interconnected with access to 185 new or enhanced services and----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you, Minister of State. You can come back in. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  -----we will continue to drive stakeholder engagement. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  That is well and good but the community had a service for many years and it was removed because of a deterioration in road quality due to a lack of investment in road structures. This is on the N25, a road I have mentioned many times to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and to the Department of Transport. Due to the lack of investment - the lack of money available to local authorities to do safety works and put in infrastructure around bus stops - Bus \u00c9ireann and Waterford City and County Council had to take a decision, which they did not want to take, to remove the bus stop. A whole community has been left without connection to Dungarvan, Youghal and Waterford city and onward routes. While there absolutely has been progress on Local Link, for many people living in Grange to access Local Link and other transport modes and most public services, they have to get to Dungarvan or Youghal and that is not available to them anymore. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  The Government and the Department of Transport have been proactive in their support of rural transport. I do not think the Deputy would dismiss the fact that this year \u20ac718 million has been allocated to investment in the regional and local road network. I do not think the Deputy will oppose that and Waterford, through its county council, has received significant funding.  The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and the Department of Transport are committed to continued investment in our roads infrastructure, and in the critical piece of connectivity of people in our rural areas. I do not think the Deputy will disagree that there has been significant improvement in the provision of rural transport and growth in the use of it. I go back to the point about the number of people using it and the number of services. I accept there are difficulties and challenges and we must, as part of the budgetary process, work to ensure rural transport receives its allocation of funding to progress new routes. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Public Transport"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_21","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Community Development Projects","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_19","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_19","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_21","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_21.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  Citywest has been waiting for more than 20 years for a community centre. It was written into the local area plan in 2012. It was promised again when that plan was extended. It was made a binding condition of planning permission in 2018. Since then, nearly 4,000 homes have been built and hundreds more are now planned at Boherboy and there is still no community centre. The council's capital plan does not show any grant from the Minister's Department.  Is that correct? Why not? Will the Minister engage with the council to make sure the centre opens next year as promised? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Dara Calleary)  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta. I will begin by acknowledging the importance of having appropriate facilities in communities such as Citywest. Community centres are vital for bringing communities together and providing an outlet for services and for social, cultural and community activities.  The community centre investment fund, CCIF, was introduced to provide high-quality community facilities that are available to all groups in all areas. Earlier this year, the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I launched the fourth iteration of community centre investment funding. This round of the scheme is providing funding of up to \u20ac100,000 for the refurbishment of existing facilities. This is additional to the \u20ac80 million that has already been approved since 2022 for over 1,600 community centre enhancement projects.  Under the 2023 round of CCIF, over \u20ac30 million was approved for the construction of 12 new-build community facilities. These are substantial construction projects, with the scheme providing funding of up to \u20ac6 million. I hope to be in a position to announce funding for new-build community centres in 2027.  I have been informed that planning permission has been approved to construct a community centre and cr\u00e8che in the C\u00fail D\u00fain Avenue area of Citywest. From contact with South Dublin County Council, I understand that the project will commence later this year and that the local authority is engaging with the developer. To date, my Department has not received any application for support for this project. I am happy to work with the Deputy, South Dublin County Council and the community in Citywest to ensure this facility delivers for the local community. My Department has funded eight different projects in south Dublin through the community centre investment fund. The Deputy's local authority has a very good record of delivering for us. We look forward to working with it on any potential application. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  If you look up developer-led planning in a dictionary, I am sure you will find a picture of Citywest. It is quite incredible. It is one of the fastest growing communities in all of Ireland. Almost 4,000 homes have been built in a decade. More than 2,000 were built in just the last three years. What came with the houses? There is no community centre and no public cr\u00e8che places. Families are on waiting lists for a long time across the area. There are no sports pitches. The couple of parks and playgrounds provided for tens of thousands of people are working overtime. Residents say they feel forgotten. They are absolutely right. This is just classic developer-led planning. It is about throwing up homes without providing facilities to allow people to integrate and build a community.  The story of this community centre has been a saga. In 2018, it was made a condition of planning permission. The developer built the homes but the community centre was not developed. The latest is that something is now happening but the Minister's attention would assist with that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  That is why the then Minister, Heather Humphreys, brought in the community centre investment fund. It is also why she expanded it to new builds. We will launch that again in 2027. To date, over \u20ac988,000 has been awarded to 23 community centres. Citywest sounds like a place that needs a community centre. We have a track record of investing. For example, Newcastle in Galway is an urban centre. We have worked with Galway City Council and with the local community. I had the pleasure of turning the sod on that development two weeks ago. That will be ready for occupation in late 2027. As I have said, I am certainly happy to keep the Deputy informed. We will have a call for funding in 2027. It is more than likely that will be around this time next year. I am happy to work with the Deputy and to put him in touch with other communities where new-build centres have been brought to their current stage. As I have said, 12 projects are nearly finalised. These are totally new builds and come on top of all the refurbishments. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  This is not only an issue for South Dublin County Council. I obviously accept the point that an application for funding needs to be made if funding is to be granted. The reason Citywest has developed in the way it has, with homes but no adequate facilities, is the fast-track strategic housing development process. The local area plan, which included these kinds of requirements, was ignored. Developers went straight down the strategic housing development route, got permission for huge developments and then did not put in the facilities. They were sometimes promised. Community centres and cr\u00e8ches were often promised. They were often part of the planning permission. They ultimately were not delivered, however. The council previously said that the community centre would be delivered in June of this year. We are now in the middle of July and ground has not even been broken. I appeal to the Minister not to wash his hands of this, to engage with the council to track delivery and to make sure that this centre opens next year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  I assure the Deputy that I will not be washing my hands of it but, equally, the council has to show interest and intent. I am not going to spoon-feed the council. We have councils and, in fairness, South Dublin County Council is very proactive in relation to the scheme for the refurbishment of centres. When we launch the scheme next year, we will launch it in partnership with local authorities around the country. It is a very substantial investment programme on the part of the Department. It provides centres and places for the communities the Deputy has highlighted to gather. I hope to issue the call around this time in 2027. We will be preparing that call and engaging with local authorities through the CCMA and other groups in the meantime. I call on South Dublin County Council to step up and make that kind of investment in the Citywest community. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Community Development Projects"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_22","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Social Enterprise Sector","counts":{"speechCount":12,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_19","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_19","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_22","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_22.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louise O'Reilly  As is always the case with my questions, this question is very straightforward. I ask the Minister of State to concentrate his remarks on the delivery of community childcare. I am interested in knowing what plans there are to scale up the delivery of essential services through the use of social enterprises. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  I do not think it is as simple as the Deputy thinks but I thank her for the question. It is an important question. The provision of community childcare is very important. The Deputy and I probably share a view on the issue. As she will know, this does not necessarily fall under the remit of the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP. I will come back to her again. I hope we will find common ground as we move forward.  Social enterprises have a substantive role to play in furthering the objective of the Department, the Minister and me to build inclusive, sustainable and empowered communities right across Ireland. The current iteration of SICAP for the four-year period from 2024 to 2028 contains a revised key performance indicator for goal 1 that explicitly includes the provision of social enterprise supports, both financial and non-financial, as working towards the achievement of goal 1 objectives. This is in recognition of the important role that social enterprises can play in effecting change, working with SICAP target groups. In 2025, SICAP supported over 500 social enterprises through capacity-building supports and small-scale grants of up to \u20ac2,500.  As Deputy O'Reilly will know, in July 2024, my Department launched Trading for Impact, the national social enterprise policy for a three-year period to conclude next year. This was developed in partnership with the social enterprise sector. Work is continuing to support and grow the sector through the strategy's stakeholder engagement group.  Funding of \u20ac4 million was announced in 2025 under the Dormant Accounts Fund growing social enterprise scheme. A further \u20ac4 million was allocated this year to a sustaining social enterprise scheme, which will support social enterprises to become more financially self-sufficient. I hope to announce the successful awardees with the Minister later this year.  SICAP's primary focus is the delivery of support to its 12 target groups and the provision of supports to strengthen the capabilities of organisations working with those target groups. The programme's broad parameters and wide-ranging supports have ensured that it has been and continues to be able to respond flexibly to that local need. However, while SICAP can provide some supports to community organisations and social enterprises, the programme is not designed for the direct delivery of services such as childcare. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louise O'Reilly  Well, just design a programme that will do that because there is a really serious and pressing need for it. I will give the Minister of State an example. In the area known as Fingal, where my constituency is located, there are 63,000 children. Of those, 15,000 are living in poverty or are at risk of it. There are 800 community childcare places. I know from talking to the people on the community childcare committees that they are not hung up on any particular way to fund this. I am continuously struck by the capacity that exists within the social enterprise sector to do that really valuable work. The CSO statistics released in the last fortnight show that unemployment among women aged 35 to 44 has doubled. The rate is still low but it is increasing.  There is a real need for affordable childcare. The Government does not seem to be getting any closer to delivering the \u20ac200 per week childcare it promised. The way to do it is to engage with social enterprises. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  I understand where the Deputy is coming from. I genuinely do. Empower is the community childcare provider in her area. It does phenomenal work. As the Deputy knows, SICAP does not directly provide that community childcare place. I am meeting John Logue and Richard Bruton from Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland, SERI, next week to have a conversation with them in terms of this piece. I will pose the question in a rhetorical and adversarial way right now. What is the community childcare committee doing in the case of Fingal? I will just ask that question. If we look at the overarching scenario, to be fair to the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and the Department of Social Protection and the Taoiseach and his Department, we are putting child poverty and its elimination and reduction at the heart of government. I was in Drogheda yesterday where I had a very profound conversation with women there in terms of the whole piece around childcare and poverty. The important point for us is that we are working in a whole-of-government way in assisting local communities in a variety of ways. I know the Deputy might disagree with me, which is fair enough. I get that we need to do more around childcare and particularly that community piece. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire St\u00e1it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  Okay. I will come back again. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louise O'Reilly  The Minister of State asked me what the community childcare committee in Fingal is doing. I will tell him that it is battling against the privatisation of childcare day in, day out. In our community centres, the vast majority - over 70% - are occupied by for-profit childcare providers. It is an area in which SERI has done fantastic work and has a lot to offer in this space. Unfortunately, when Mr. John Logue reached out to the Minister of State's colleague, the Minister, Deputy Foley, she did not come back to him. He wants to engage. I am absolutely delighted that the Minister of State is meeting with him next week and I hope he gets to discuss the issue of childcare because it is essential. There is so much more that can be done in the social enterprise space. There are areas in which the Government delivers services where profit has absolutely no place, home help being one of them and school meals provision being another. The profit motive does not lend itself well to the delivery of public services, but childcare is an area on which we could agree. There is definitely a need for it and there is definitely the appetite in SERI for it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  The important point is that there is a commitment by the Government. I share the Deputy's confidence in terms of the capacity of social enterprises to deliver. I will have that conversation next week, but it would be fair to say that we are seeing a co-ordinated response from the Government. We are tackling the key issues. There is a deficit in some places around the provision of community childcare places. In saying that, I do not agree with the Deputy in every respect. I do not share her view on the for-profit issue around home help, which was one example given by the Deputy. In my area of Cork city, home help is being provided by people through the HSE co-ordinator there. Phenomenal work is being done. I will talk to the Deputy again about it. We are committed to ensuring that people have access to childcare and community childcare places. I will talk to her ahead of my meeting next week with the two gentlemen in question. However, the important point is that, as the Deputy knows, we have done a census in the social enterprise space. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Go raibh maith agat, a Aire St\u00e1it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  I will come back in again if I can. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  No, the Minister of State is finished now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  Okay. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Social Enterprise Sector"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_23","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"C\u00farsa\u00ed Tith\u00edochta","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_19","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_19","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_23","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_23.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh  D\u00e9anann an cheist seo d\u00e9ile\u00e1il leis na coinn\u00edollacha teanga a bheidh ann de r\u00e9ir an dr\u00e9achtr\u00e1iteas n\u00e1isi\u00fanta plean\u00e1la agus an dochar a dh\u00e9antar do cheantair Ghaeltachta m\u00e1 th\u00e9itear ar aghaidh leo, go h\u00e1irithe toisc go bhfuil \u00edsli\u00fa i gceist. An bhfuil an tAire tar \u00e9is labhairt leis an Aire tith\u00edochta maidir leis seo? An bhfuil aon dea-sc\u00e9al le teacht maidir leis an gceist seo? An f\u00e9idir linn a chinnti\u00fa nach \u00edsli\u00fa a bheidh i gceist \u00f3 thaobh an choinn\u00edll? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta. D\u00e9anaim comhghairdeas leis as an mBille um intleacht shaorga. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 thar a bheith t\u00e1bhachtach. D\u00e9anaim comhghairdeas leis as an obair sin. Mar is eol don Teachta, is \u00ed an Roinn Tith\u00edochta, Rialtais \u00c1iti\u00fail agus Oidhreachta at\u00e1 freagrach as an dr\u00e9achtr\u00e1iteas n\u00e1isi\u00fanta plean\u00e1la ach is cinnte go bhfuil pl\u00e9 idir na Ranna \u00e9ags\u00fala at\u00e1 faoi mo ch\u00faram maidir leis an dr\u00e9achtr\u00e1iteas seo.  Faoi l\u00e1thair, n\u00edl aon mhodh comhsheasmhach ann d'\u00fadar\u00e1is phlean\u00e1la \u00e1iti\u00fala nuair a bh\u00edonn forbr\u00f3ir\u00ed ag cur c\u00e9atad\u00e1n d'fhorbairt tith\u00edochta at\u00e1 beartaithe in \u00e1irithe do chainteoir\u00ed Gaeilge. Beidh an modh seo chun \u00edosl\u00edon aonad a chur in \u00e1irithe bunaithe ar ch\u00e9atad\u00e1n na gcainteoir\u00ed lasmuigh den ch\u00f3ras oideachais m\u00f3ide 10%, mar at\u00e1 molta, bunaithe ar chomhdh\u00e9anamh teanga reatha an cheantair seachas figi\u00far aonfhoirmeach n\u00e1isi\u00fanta a leagan s\u00edos i ngach ceantar Gaeltachta.  Is \u00e9ard at\u00e1 i gceist leis seo n\u00e1 cinnteacht a thabhairt do phlean\u00e1laithe agus do dhaoine ar mian leo fanacht ina gc\u00f3na\u00ed ina bpobail tuaithe n\u00f3 filleadh orthu agus, ag an am c\u00e9anna, tac\u00fa le tuath bhr\u00edomhar inbhuanaithe in \u00c9irinn. L\u00e9ir\u00edonn an cur chuige seo an treo ina bhfuil polasa\u00ed an Rialtais ag dul i dtaca le plean\u00e1il i gceantair Ghaeltachta. Ar nd\u00f3igh, beidh pl\u00e9 le p\u00e1irtithe leasmhara sna seachtain\u00ed agus sna m\u00edonna amach romhainn. Sa chomhth\u00e9acs seo, t\u00e1 cruinni\u00fa faoin dr\u00e9achtr\u00e1iteas sceidealta idir m'oifigigh agus Conradh na Gaeilge n\u00edos d\u00e9ana\u00ed an mh\u00ed seo.  I gc\u00e1s cainteoir Gaeilge nach bhfuil aon cheangal teaghlaigh aige leis an nGaeltacht agus at\u00e1 ag iarraidh bogadh ann, beidh feidhm f\u00f3s ag an riail ch\u00f3naithe c\u00faig-bliana, le hais riail deich mbliana do chainteoir\u00ed B\u00e9arla. C\u00e9 go bhfuil s\u00e9 inmhianaithe cainteoir\u00ed Gaeilge a bheith in ann bogadh go dt\u00ed an Ghaeltacht, n\u00ed f\u00e9idir linn c\u00e1s a bheith againn ina bhfaigheann cainteoir\u00ed Gaeilge cead plean\u00e1la toisc gur cainteoir\u00ed Gaeilge iad amh\u00e1in. T\u00e1 obair le d\u00e9anamh ar an dr\u00e9achtr\u00e1iteas. T\u00e1 suim agam obair leis an Teachta chun an obair sin a dh\u00e9anamh. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh  T\u00e1 roinnt sampla\u00ed anseo agam. Glacaim leis gur chuir an conradh agus B\u00c1N\u00da roinnt sampla\u00ed eile chuig an Aire ag l\u00e9iri\u00fa an dam\u00e1iste a dh\u00e9anfaidh s\u00e9 sin. In ainneoin an m\u00e9id at\u00e1 r\u00e1ite aige, i gceantair \u00e1irithe, t\u00e1 coinn\u00edollacha ar leith ann \u00f3 thaobh forbr\u00f3ir\u00ed at\u00e1 ag forbairt iliomad tith\u00edochta faoi l\u00e1thair. Mar shampla, i gCois Fharraige, t\u00e1 coinn\u00edoll teanga i gceist le 80% de na tithe le 15 bliana anuas faoi phlean forbartha Chontae na Gaillimhe. Faoin r\u00e1iteas n\u00e1isi\u00fanta, \u00edsleoidh s\u00e9 sin go dt\u00ed 58%. Sna D\u00e9ise, t\u00e1 an rud ceannann c\u00e9anna ann. \u00cdsleoidh an figi\u00far \u00f3n 80% at\u00e1 ann le 15 bliana anuas go dt\u00ed 37% faoin gc\u00f3ras nua. D\u00e9anfaidh s\u00e9 sin dam\u00e1iste do cheantair Ghaeltachta at\u00e1 ag teacht chucu f\u00e9in. Beidh B\u00e9arl\u00f3ir\u00ed \u00e1 mbr\u00fa orthu. I gc\u00e1s na D\u00e9ise, beidh 63% de na tithe ar f\u00e1il do Bh\u00e9arl\u00f3ir\u00ed. T\u00e1 dam\u00e1iste le teacht m\u00e1 dh\u00e9antar \u00e9 seo. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Tuigim \u00e9 sin. Tuigim na buartha\u00ed at\u00e1 ag gr\u00fapa\u00ed cos\u00fail leis an gconradh, B\u00c1N\u00da agus na Teachta\u00ed f\u00e9in ach n\u00edl aon chaighde\u00e1n n\u00e1isi\u00fanta ann ag an bpointe seo. Athra\u00edonn s\u00e9 \u00f3 \u00fadar\u00e1s \u00e1iti\u00fail go h\u00fadar\u00e1s \u00e1iti\u00fail. T\u00e1imid ag iarraidh caighde\u00e1n n\u00e1isi\u00fanta a chur air. Beimid in ann \u00e9 sin a phl\u00e9 tar \u00e9is sin. Chomh maith leis sin, c\u00e9 go bhfuil na coinn\u00edollacha ann, an bhfuil na cainteoir\u00ed ann? T\u00e1 s\u00e9 t\u00e1bhachtach \u00e9 sin a scr\u00fad\u00fa freisin. B'fh\u00e9idir go bhfuil obair le d\u00e9anamh againn air sin. T\u00e1 na coinn\u00edollacha plean\u00e1la ann ach an bhfuil daoine ag \u00fas\u00e1id na Gaeilge tar \u00e9is bogadh isteach? L\u00e9ir\u00edonn na figi\u00fair\u00ed at\u00e1 againn \u00f3n census go bhfuil difr\u00edocht idir na figi\u00fair\u00ed sin agus an l\u00edon daoine at\u00e1 ag \u00fas\u00e1id na Gaeilge gach uile l\u00e1. Nuair at\u00e1 coinn\u00edollacha ann, t\u00e1 s\u00e9 t\u00e1bhachtach go bhfuil enforcement ann freisin. T\u00e1 br\u00f3n orm. N\u00edl an focal Gaeilge agam. N\u00ed riail iond\u00fail \u00e9. It is not a normal rule mar gheall go mbaineann s\u00e9 le c\u00farsa\u00ed teanga. I gcomhth\u00e9acs an r\u00e1itis, t\u00e1 obair le d\u00e9anamh againn ar ch\u00f3ras nua i gcomhair enforcement. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh  Cloisim \u00e9 seo. Chuala m\u00e9 \u00e9 thar na blianta \u00f3 dhaoine a bh\u00ed ag iarraidh go laghd\u00f3fa\u00ed teorainn na Gaeltachta. Bh\u00ed siad ag iarraidh d\u00edri\u00fa isteach ar na ceantair a bh\u00ed in \u00edsle br\u00ed \u00f3 thaobh labhairt na Gaeilge chun iad a chaitheamh amach \u00f3n nGaeltacht. Bh\u00ed siad ag iarraidh go mbeadh an Ghaeltacht srianta go dt\u00ed ceantair ina bhfuil 50% ann. M\u00e1 dh\u00e9anann t\u00fa \u00e9 seo, bheadh i bhfad \u00c9ireann n\u00edos m\u00f3 ceantar ann a bhfuil br\u00fa m\u00f3r orthu, go h\u00e1irithe na ceantair at\u00e1 lag. N\u00edor ch\u00f3ir go mbeadh am ann riamh ina bhfuil an St\u00e1t ag br\u00fa go mbeidh tith\u00edocht sh\u00f3isialta n\u00f3 tith\u00edocht d'aon sh\u00f3rt ann a bhfuil n\u00edos l\u00fa n\u00e1 50% di ar f\u00e1il do chainteoir\u00ed Gaeilge. D'fhiafraigh an tAire an bhfuil na cainteoir\u00ed Gaeilge ann. T\u00e1 aithne agam ar a l\u00e1n daoine i gceantair Ghaeltachta nach f\u00e9idir leo teacht ar thithe. N\u00ed raibh c\u00f3ras acu go dt\u00ed seo. T\u00e1 a l\u00e1n Gaeilgeoir\u00ed lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht toisc go raibh orthu lonn\u00fa lasmuigh di toisc nach raibh aon tith\u00edocht ann. T\u00e1 siadsan s\u00e1sta dul ar ais go dt\u00ed a mbailte f\u00e9in. T\u00e1 siad ann ach n\u00edor tugadh an deis d\u00f3ibh mar n\u00ed raibh aon tith\u00edocht ann. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Aonta\u00edm go m\u00f3r leis sin. T\u00e1 na Gaeilgeoir\u00ed ann agus t\u00e1 siad ag iarraidh bogadh abhaile n\u00f3 go dt\u00ed an Ghaeltacht ach t\u00e1 fadhb agus d\u00fashl\u00e1n ann le tithe saoire freisin.  T\u00e1 daoine nach bhfuil suim sa Ghaeilge acu at\u00e1 ag iarraidh bheith sa cheantar. Dream n\u00edos t\u00e1bhachta\u00ed n\u00e1 sin is ea iad daoine a rugadh sa Ghaeltacht nach bhfuil Gaeilge acu. T\u00e1 muid ag iarraidh balance a shroicheadh idir na daoine le Gaeilge at\u00e1 ag iarraidh bogadh isteach go dt\u00ed an Ghaeltacht chun a gcuid Gaeilge a \u00fas\u00e1id agus na daoine as ceantair Ghaeltachta nach bhfuil Gaeilge acu. N\u00edl m\u00f3r\u00e1n suime agam i dtithe saoire. T\u00e1 m\u00e9 ag iarraidh go mbeidh daoine ina gc\u00f3na\u00ed sna h\u00e1iteanna Gaeltachta seo, go h\u00e1irithe daoine le Gaeilge.  T\u00e1 an dr\u00e9acht-r\u00e1iteas ann. Beidh m\u00e9 ag obair leis an Aire tith\u00edochta air seo, ach n\u00edl monopoly agam ina leith seo ach an oiread. T\u00e1 suim mh\u00f3r agam oibri\u00fa leis an Teachta agus a chomhghleaca\u00ed, an Teachta McGuinness, air seo. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"C\u00farsa\u00ed Tith\u00edochta"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_24","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"\u00dadar\u00e1is \u00c1iti\u00fala","counts":{"speechCount":9,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_19","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_19","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_24.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Shane Moynihan  Fiafra\u00edm den Aire Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobal agus Gaeltachta faoin taca\u00edocht at\u00e1 \u00e1 cur ar f\u00e1il ag a Roinn maidir leis an gcl\u00e1r Gaeilge365, faoi mar at\u00e1 leagtha amach sa chl\u00e1r Rialtais. Is cl\u00e1r \u00e9 seo at\u00e1 ar bun sna h\u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fala i mBaile \u00c1tha Cliath, agus t\u00e1 s\u00e9 i gceist \u00e9 a leathn\u00fa amach ar fud na t\u00edre. An nd\u00e9anfaidh an tAire r\u00e1iteas ar an \u00e1bhar seo? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Is \u00e9 Gaeilge365 an ch\u00e9ad aonad nu\u00e1la\u00edochta a oibr\u00edonn tr\u00ed mhe\u00e1n na Gaeilge sa tseirbh\u00eds phoibl\u00ed agus \u00e9 mar aidhm leis deachleachtais a chruth\u00fa i dtaobh na modhanna is f\u00e9idir le h\u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fala a \u00fas\u00e1id le tuilleadh deiseanna labhartha Gaeilge a chruth\u00fa don phobal.  Bhunaigh Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile \u00c1tha Cliath Gaeilge365 mar thionscadal p\u00edol\u00f3tach in 2023 le taca\u00edocht airgid \u00f3 chl\u00e1r \u00c9ire Ild\u00e1nach, taca\u00edocht a bh\u00ed f\u00edorth\u00e1bhachtach le t\u00fas a chur leis an tionscnamh. Ba \u00e9 aidhm an tionscadail ph\u00edol\u00f3taigh sin cur chuige nu\u00e1lach a chur sa si\u00fal ionas go gcruth\u00f3fa\u00ed breis deiseanna don phobal an Ghaeilge a labhairt tr\u00ed sheirbh\u00eds\u00ed Chomhairle Cathrach Bhaile \u00c1tha Cliath. Leis an gcur chuige nu\u00e1lach a bh\u00ed ag Gaeilge365 \u00f3n t\u00fas, agus baill fhoirne \u00f3n gcomhairle cathrach tr\u00ed ch\u00e9ile rannph\u00e1irteach ann, bh\u00edothas in ann cruthaitheacht na Gaeilge a chur i l\u00e1thair.  T\u00e1 Gaeilge365 leathnaithe anois go r\u00e9igi\u00fan uile Bhaile \u00c1tha Cliath. T\u00e1 maoini\u00fa os cionn \u20ac4.5 milli\u00fan bainteach leis an gcl\u00e1r seo don tr\u00e9imhse 2025-2028. T\u00e1 50% den mhaoini\u00fa sin ag teacht \u00f3 mo Roinn f\u00e9in, agus t\u00e1 an 50% eile ag teacht \u00f3 na ceithre \u00fadar\u00e1s \u00e1iti\u00fala i mBaile \u00c1tha Cliath.  T\u00e1 leathn\u00fa ar Gaeilge365 leagtha amach mar ghn\u00edomh sonrach sa chl\u00e1r Rialtais, mar a d\u00fairt an Teachta. T\u00e1thar ag s\u00fail go mbeidh an deis ann amach anseo eiseaml\u00e1ir Bhaile \u00c1tha Cliath a chur i ngn\u00edomh sna h\u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fala ar fud an St\u00e1it. D\u00e9anaim comhghairdeas le foireann Gaeilge365, a raibh an t-\u00e1dh uirthi duais a bhaint amach ag Gradam na Seirbh\u00eds\u00ed Poibl\u00ed N\u00edos Fearr c\u00fapla seachtain \u00f3 sh\u00edn. Is project iontach \u00e9 agus t\u00e1 m\u00e9 ag iarraidh \u00e9 a leathn\u00fa amach go gach cuid den t\u00edr. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Shane Moynihan  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire as ucht an fhreagra chuimsithigh sin. Faoi mar a d\u00fairt s\u00e9, is \u00e9 ceann de na ruda\u00ed a dh\u00e9anann idirdheal\u00fa idir Gaeilge365 agus togra\u00ed agus tionscadail eile Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta de chuid an St\u00e1tch\u00f3rais n\u00e1 an tomhas at\u00e1 air maidir le haischur. Crutha\u00edonn s\u00e9 deiseanna cainte do dhaoine dul i ngleic leis an St\u00e1tch\u00f3ras agus le seirbh\u00eds\u00ed poibl\u00ed. Is cur chuige nu\u00e1la\u00edochta \u00e9 sin. Ba ch\u00f3r d\u00fainn an cur chuige sin a leathn\u00fa amach, n\u00ed hamh\u00e1in i measc na n-\u00fadar\u00e1s \u00e1iti\u00fala ach i measc na n-\u00e1is\u00edneachta\u00ed St\u00e1it agus na gcomhlachta\u00ed pobail araon. N\u00ed m\u00f3r d\u00fainn imp\u00ed orthu f\u00e9achaint ar l\u00edon na ndeiseanna cainte Gaeilge a chrutha\u00edonn siad do Ghaeilgeoir\u00ed agus daoine at\u00e1 b\u00e1\u00fail don Ghaeilge. Ar a bharr sin, nuair a chuireann muid maoini\u00fa ar f\u00e1il d\u00e1 leith\u00e9id de chl\u00e1r, beidh muid in ann f\u00e9achaint ar l\u00edon na ndeiseanna cainte at\u00e1 cruthaithe de bharr an mhaoinithe sin. C\u00e9n s\u00f3rt sc\u00e1la ama a bhfuil muid ag labhairt faoi chun \u00e9 seo a leathn\u00fa amach go dt\u00ed na h\u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fala eile timpeall na t\u00edre? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Ar dt\u00fas, ba \u00e9 an aidhm a bh\u00ed agam le haghaidh Gaeilge365 n\u00e1 airgead a chur ar f\u00e1il d\u00f3 le go mbeadh s\u00e9 in ann dul ar aghaidh leis an obair th\u00e1bhachtach i mBaile \u00c1tha Cliath. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 tar \u00e9is 150,000 deis chainte Gaeilge a thabhairt do dhaoine a bh\u00edonn ag \u00fas\u00e1id seirbh\u00eds\u00ed sna ceithre \u00fadar\u00e1s \u00e1iti\u00fail i mBaile \u00c1tha Cliath. Leis an airgead at\u00e1 ag teacht \u00f3 mo Roinn, agus leis an obair at\u00e1 idir l\u00e1mha agam agus ag an Aire St\u00e1it, an Teachta Buttimer, beidh an t-airgead sin ann agus beidh s\u00e9 in ann lean\u00faint leis sin. Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis na h\u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fala at\u00e1 rannph\u00e1irteach, go h\u00e1irithe leis na comhairleoir\u00ed ar na h\u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fala a sheas i bhfabhar an airgid seo, at\u00e1 ag teacht \u00f3 na h\u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fala f\u00e9in sna ceithre \u00e1it sin.  Tar \u00e9is sin, t\u00e1 muid ag scr\u00fad\u00fa Gaeilge365 chun na cleachta\u00ed a fhoghlaim le go mbeidh muid in ann dul ar aghaidh leo i ngach cuid den St\u00e1tseirbh\u00eds. Mar is eol don Teachta, t\u00e1 sprioc le haghaidh deireadh 2030 go mbeidh 20% den St\u00e1tseirbh\u00eds in ann Gaeilge a \u00fas\u00e1id. Is sprioc mh\u00f3r agus d\u00fashl\u00e1nach \u00ed sin d\u00fainn, ach beidh muid ag \u00fas\u00e1id na gcleachta\u00ed \u00f3 Ghaeilge365 chun \u00e9 a oibri\u00fa amach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Bogfaidh muid ar aghaidh go Ceist Uimh. 7 in ainm an Teachta O\u2019Rourke. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Shane Moynihan  Nach bhfuil deis agam teacht isteach ar\u00eds? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Excuse me. The Deputy is correct. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Shane Moynihan  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire as ucht an fhreagra sin. Ag eascairt as an m\u00e9id at\u00e1 r\u00e1ite aige, t\u00e1 m\u00e9 an-s\u00e1sta cloiste\u00e1il go mbeidh deachleachtais \u00e1 bhfoghlaim maidir lena bhfuil bainte amach ag Gaeilge365. Cuirim f\u00e1ilte roimh an tomhas at\u00e1 \u00e1 dh\u00e9anamh ar dheiseanna cainte chomh maith.  An bhfuil s\u00e9 de thuairim ag an Aire go leathn\u00f3far \u00e9 seo amach go dt\u00ed na h\u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fala ar bhonn moillithe, is \u00e9 sin, go dtos\u00f3far le c\u00fapla \u00fadar\u00e1s i gC\u00faige Laighean, c\u00fapla ceann eile i gC\u00faige Mumhan agus, de r\u00e9ir a ch\u00e9ile, c\u00fapla ceann eile i gC\u00faige Connachta? C\u00e9n s\u00f3rt cur chuige a bheidh an tAire ag cur chun cinn leis an gcl\u00e1r Gaeilge365 a leathn\u00fa amach chuig na h\u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fala eile sa t\u00edr?  Is \u00e9 an rud is sonra\u00ed faoi Ghaeilge365 n\u00e1 go mbogann s\u00e9 amach an cur chuige a bh\u00edonn ag go leor \u00e1is\u00edneachta\u00ed St\u00e1it agus comhlachta\u00ed poibl\u00ed go dtiteann s\u00e9 faoin oifigeach Gaeilge polasa\u00ed na Gaeilge agus deiseanna cainte Gaeilge a chruth\u00fa. Ina \u00e1it sin, cuirtear ruda\u00ed mar chleachta\u00ed sn\u00e1mha agus i\u00f3ga tr\u00ed mhe\u00e1n na Gaeilge ar f\u00e1il le go mb\u00edonn daoine in ann pl\u00e9 le seirbh\u00eds\u00ed an \u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fail tr\u00ed mhe\u00e1n na Gaeilge. Is \u00e9 sin an rud a sheasann amach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  T\u00e1 deiseanna iontacha ag teacht as Gaeilge365 maidir le h\u00fas\u00e1id na seirbh\u00eds\u00ed. L\u00e9ir\u00edonn s\u00e9 seo go bhfuil suim againn sa Roinn oibri\u00fa le daoine a bhfuil ideas nua acu. N\u00edl gach rud ar eolas againn sa Roinn, agus n\u00edl gach rud ar eolas againn sa Teach seo ach an oiread.  D\u00e9anaim comhghairdeas le Daith\u00ed de Buitl\u00e9ir agus an fhoireann i nGaeilge365. Mar a d\u00fairt s\u00e9, b\u00edonn a l\u00e1n ruda\u00ed ar si\u00fal, cos\u00fail le binse comhr\u00e1 ina mb\u00edonn bins\u00ed sa chomharsanacht \u00e1iti\u00fail agus ar an tr\u00e1. T\u00e1 an togra, sn\u00e1mh le spraoi, ann freisin. Baintear leas as sp\u00f3rt le go mb\u00edonn na daoine a imr\u00edonn sp\u00f3rt ag \u00fas\u00e1id na Gaeilge. T\u00e1 cleachta\u00ed \u00f3 Ghaeilge365 a mbeidh aon \u00fadar\u00e1s \u00e1iti\u00fail in ann \u00fas\u00e1id a bhaint astu ina gcathair n\u00f3 ceantar f\u00e9in. T\u00e1 m\u00e9 ag cur br\u00fa ar gach comhairle \u00e1iti\u00fail Gaeilge365 a scr\u00fad\u00fa agus \u00e9 a \u00fas\u00e1id mar shampla agus teimpl\u00e9ad ina gcuid ceantar d\u00fachais f\u00e9in.  B\u00edonn a l\u00e1n cruinnithe agam le pr\u00edomhfheidhmeannaigh na n-\u00fadar\u00e1s \u00e1iti\u00fail maidir le tith\u00edocht. T\u00e1 m\u00e9 chun Gaeilge365 a chur ar an agenda chomh maith. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"\u00dadar\u00e1is \u00c1iti\u00fala"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_25","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Question No. 6 taken with Written Answers. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_26","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Community Development Projects","counts":{"speechCount":7,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_25","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_26","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_26.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  The town centre first, TCF, policy, published in February 2022, is a joint initiative between my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The policy sets out a framework to facilitate and resource the regeneration of Irish towns to ensure they are vibrant, viable and attractive places to live in, work in, invest in and visit. Important progress includes the establishment of a dedicated national TCF office and the appointment of town regeneration officers, TROs, in 26 local authorities, including Meath County Council. TROs lead on implementation of the policy at the local level. They work with the local town teams through a place-based approach to develop a TCF town plan, such as the new plan which the Dunshaughlin town team launched last month.  TCF provides for an integrated policy approach for the development of our towns underpinned by funding streams across Government, including a range of measures from my Department. For example, under the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, over \u20ac3.6 million has been allocated to five projects located in County Meath since 2020.  This included over \u20ac950,000 in category 2 funding for Dunshaughlin courthouse and public realm project, which I recently visited with Deputy Gillian Toole. Recent funding calls for proposals from my Department have shown that the TCF approach is having an impact. Higher quality and more considered applications have been received and have secured funding for project proposals emanating initially from town centre first plans.  We are committed to the TCF policy and I will continue to work with the Ministers of State, Deputies Cummins and Buttimer, in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and we will have a joint Departments of rural and community development and housing and local government event later this year in Waterford around TCF and learning the lessons from TCF to date. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  I welcome the work of the Dunshaughlin town team, which has produced the town centre first plan that is very comprehensive. I have participated in some of the consultations, and my colleague, Councillor Fionnan Blake, is on the town team. There was tremendous engagement at the launch recently in the pastoral centre, which would say that the level of commitment from the local community, their interest and ambition for their own place is there in absolute spades. People from all different backgrounds, from those who are new to Dunshaughlin to those who have been there a lifetime, contributed to this. The question then is how to turn this into a reality. The vision is there but the question regarding the funding stream will be the next one asked. When is it going to happen? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  I fully agree with the Deputy and I commend the town team in Dunshaughlin on the town centre first plan. My Department is engaging closely with Meath County Council across several different projects, including a RRDF application. As a consequence of the TCF plan, I understand Meath County Council and the town team are closely engaged in working on an RRDF application. As the closing date is 27 July, I cannot tell the Deputy if it has come in or not. However, the officials in my Department have a call scheduled with Meath County Council on RRDF for next Friday, 17 July, at which they will get a steer from Meath County Council as to whether this is coming in.  I know from a meeting I had at the beginning of June with the CEO of Meath County Council and with the then Cathaoirleach, Wayne Harding, that this was seen as a priority within the county. Until such time as we get an application in, I cannot make any further comment. The only thing I will say is the town centre first plan will considerably accentuate the application and strengthen it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  I appreciate that but I have to say that understandably, the community in Dunshaughlin feels as though there were missed opportunities in the past with regard to our RRDF funding and that a huge amount is riding on the next application. We certainly will be making the case to Meath County Council and to the Minister himself that this funding application be successful, because it is an excellent one.  In the wider context, there is a long list of priorities in terms of amenities in the public realm and in other areas such as active travel and transportation. Will the Minister's review of the town centre first policy look at how to integrate the funding streams for towns to ensure all these policy objectives align with one another? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Definitely, Deputy. In the context of the discussions we are having with the Ministers of State, Deputies Cummins and Buttimer, we want to make that alignment true to the funding streams within our Department, as well as their Department, such as with the former URDF project. There is a new name for that now on which I have drawn a blank. However, I will say that on the previous occasion, the Dunshaughlin application was not grounded in the town centre first plan but it is now. Some of the feedback we discussed on the previous one was that there needed to be a plan and we now have a very solid plan.  We have a town regeneration officer within Meath County Council who will be driving on, not just for Dunshaughlin but also for the rest of the county. I highly recommend all the Deputies in the House visit Kells to see what has happened there in the Kells Printing Works. It is an extraordinary project and I am going to get back there myself to see it properly over the summer. That is a similar idea. It is outside the Deputy's own constituency but what is happening in Kells is coming from the town centre first plan----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  It is not outside my constituency. It is bang in the middle; it is my hometown. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  My apologies. If there is regeneration happening there, it can happen in Dunshaughlin too. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Community Development Projects"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_27","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Gaeltacht Policy","counts":{"speechCount":21,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_25","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_27","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_27.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  A total of 2,119 pubs have closed since 2005, and another 1,000 pubs are currently at risk. It is estimated that 100 local shops close every year in Ireland, which means two shops are shut on a weekly basis. In the past decade, 257 post offices have closed; that is one post office closing every fortnight for ten years. Some 139 Garda stations were closed 13 years ago, and if you put it over a stretch in time, that is equal to one Garda station closing every month. Indeed, there are 53 Garda stations with no garda at all. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Thank you, Deputy. The Minister will respond, and then the Deputy can come back in. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  What is the Minister doing as regards information and stats to be able to develop rural Ireland? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  I have a question regarding the draft national housing statement in the Deputy's name. I can give the Deputy chapter and verse, because it is the----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  This is Question No. 8. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  -----same question Deputy Conway Walsh has asked, but I have Question with the reference number 53016\/26 on this one. That is what is on the Order Paper as well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  He corrected you there. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  He did. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Does the Deputy want to give the big intro again? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  The Minister can go ahead and I will come back in. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Am I answering the question on the housing statement? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Minister is answering that one quickly, because he only has a minute and a half left. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  In fairness, the question I have and the question the Deputy---- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Deputy asked. No, the question is Question No. 8. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  That is on multi-unit housing development. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Yes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  I can give the Deputy the work we are doing.  First, with regard to the draft national planning statement, and I will follow up and email the Deputy with a full answer, that is exactly about restoring population to these areas. Second, the investments I have just discussed with Deputy O'Rourke, and I highlighted an amazing project in the Deputy's own county in Kells, are investing in the RRDF projects to put investment back in rural communities. Through the town centre first plan, working with the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Ministers of State, Deputies Cummins and Buttimer, we are putting in town regeneration officers to get people back living in towns. Through the vacant house and derelict house site, we are giving people the chance to get a start and to get the kind of refurbishment grants needed to get them back in.  As regards services, it is difficult. We face the challenge of digitalisation. We need people to work and support local communities. I am working with the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, around the whole area of community cafes, which are taking hold around the country. Communities are setting up cafes and we are looking at the notion of community shops as well. We will be publishing the new draft of our rural future in mid-September and it will contain many new initiatives to deal with exactly the kind of challenges the Deputy has dealt with. However, I will send the Deputy a full response subsequently. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  A part of that question focuses on the development in the Gaeltacht areas. Obviously, the Gaeltacht is the well of the Irish language. The Gaeltacht is currently at such a level where it is at the edge of continuance. This could be the last generation with the Irish language as a community language within the Gaeltacht. One of the big elements of the Gaeltacht has obviously been the ability to raise families in the Irish language. Housing is a very important element of that and there are significant campaigns currently out there as a result of the lack of proper housing within the Gaeltacht. There are also language schemes but there is a threat potentially of people coming into Gaeltacht areas with only English and therefore changing the community language within that area. Recently, the Government had produced new guidelines on that and there were major concerns those guidelines would have the effect of reducing the Irish spoken in Gaeltacht areas if we sought to house a large number of English speakers in those Gaeltacht areas. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  We had a discussion earlier with na Teachta\u00ed \u00d3 Snodaigh and McGuinness around the draft planning statement, which has been introduced by the Minister, Deputy Browne, and on which the Ministers of State, Deputies Buttimer and Cummins, and I have worked closely with him. It is a draft statement, in which we have tried to introduce a national standard regarding Gaeltacht planning and quotas in Gaeltacht areas.  In some local authorities, there are varying degrees of that quota. It is 80% in some counties and it changes from area to area within counties.  As I said, I will engage with any Deputy, since I do not claim ownership over this, about the Gaeltacht side of the draft planning statement to make it as robust as possible. We want to ensure that it protects the language. I am absolutely with the Deputy and every other Deputy about the notion of multi-unit houses in particular. They should be preserved or prioritised for people who have Irish, but we also have to respect that within Gaeltachta\u00ed, there are people who do not have Irish. They have to be given a housing a right in their own community too. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  To illustrate the idea, if there are ten people in a bar in the Gaeltacht and one is an English speaker, there is a tendency for the other nine to default to English to make sure that the English speaker is not left out of the conversation. One of the big threats in Gaeltacht areas is often high numbers of English speakers. Once it gets past a certain threshold, it significantly changes the language in that local area. It should be a prime objective of the Government to create a strong, vibrant, Irish-speaking area That cannot be done anywhere else where the language is not a community language because outside the Gaeltacht, the language really only exists in networks, and networks are far poorer in terms of language depth, knowledge, and so on. \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta should be the housing authority for the Gaeltacht, because it is the only organisation that is really knowledgeable about the task and that has the prime objective of it. I know the Minister is shaking his head, but many local authorities simply do not really have a focus on the Irish and Gaeltacht areas. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  We published the draft planning statement. We did not pull it out of the sky. I hate using the word \"quota\". The figures relating to the clause were taken from the census plus 10% in each language planning area. They were based on the number of active Irish speakers. They were not based on nine people not speaking English because of one person. We are open to discussing those thoroughly and constructively. Second, I want people to live in communities that are Irish-speaking where they can raise a family. I want education facilities at primary and secondary level and we are engaging in that. I want all of the elements of a successful community to be put in place.  I also have to be realistic. We have to ensure that we have planning conditions that give Gaeltacht people with Gaeilge the chance to live in their home area and to move to another Gaeltacht. This is the first time there has ever been a draft national planning statement on the Gaeltacht. I am not precious. It is not perfect and I am happy to work with people to improve it over the next number of months. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Gaeltacht Policy"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_28","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Rural Schemes","counts":{"speechCount":10,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_25","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_28.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  Rural depopulation is one of the greatest challenges facing Mayo, with too many young people leaving because they cannot see a future at home. One of the main reasons they are leaving is they cannot afford a place to live. As a Mayo TD and Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, I ask the Minister to provide an update on the plans and efforts the Minister is making to reverse rural depopulation across the county. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Our Rural Future is the policy document that, since 2021, has been delivering vital investment and supports, strengthening local economies and improving quality of life across rural Ireland. Significant achievements include the delivery of the national broadband plan, the development of a national network of over 400 remote working hubs and enhanced public transport services through the connecting Ireland rural mobility programme, which is shared by the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, in both Departments. Through the rural regeneration and development fund, the town and village renewal scheme and the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme, we are investing in rural communities all across the country and indeed across County Mayo.  Recent figures from the CSO show a 5.8% increase in the number of people living in rural areas between 2016 and 2022. In areas classified as highly rural and remote, including many in Mayo, the increase was 6.4%. However, I am conscious that this growth is inconsistent and that many areas are still losing population. That is why the new draft national planning statement will be important not just for Gaeltacht areas, but for rural areas to bring people back into areas with families and to support schools, post offices, and services.  Under Our Rural Future, we have invested significantly in County Mayo, with \u20ac8.8 million under the current LEADER programme, over \u20ac39 million in RRDF funding and over \u20ac5.8 million under the community centre investment scheme. I was delighted to be in one of our more remote communities recently on Inishturk, where we launched the fibre roll-out of the national broadband plan. Through the town and village renewal scheme, I allocated \u20ac1.5 million to six projects.  However, I am aware, as the Deputy is, of those areas. I am committed to working on those areas where the population is leaving. I want to make sure that we get families back in and, through issues like the vacant property grant, we are trying to do that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  I do not deny those things that the Minister has read out. The problem with it is that there is not a consistent approach. While there are many really good projects that the Minister and I have both visited, and this is not us saying it as a party, let us consider the GAA, for instance. It is a minor miracle that Mayo is in the all-Ireland football final with so many of our young people being in Australia. I know the Minister wants to join me in wishing Mayo the very best of luck on Sunday week. Hopefully, after 75 years, we will have some good news, although it will be fairly difficult to get any focus from my Belmullet constituency office with Brenda O'Donoghue, Ryan's mum, concentrating on the football for the next two weeks. By the way, she will be here tomorrow, so the Minister can congratulate her. That is to one side. There are many issues. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  The Minister will respond now and the Deputy can come back in. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  All I can say is that if Brenda was in charge of the Mayo team, we would have won many all-Irelands. I absolutely mean that. I wish the team every success. It will be a great week and it would be an amazing achievement.  The Deputy is absolutely right. The Minister of State and I have met the GAA demographics committee and we have discussed this with Deputy McGuinness too. I will incorporate much of its work into the new Our Rural Future programme. The GAA has led in what it has done with the demographics committee. I congratulate Benny Hurl, the chairman of the committee, and our former colleague, Shane Cassells, who has joined that committee, for doing a lot of work on this. I will incorporate some of the ideas. Many of the ideas are captured in the national planning statement such as getting people back, investing in sporting facilities and remote working to give people a chance to return to their home areas. People are going to travel but I want them to come back. I want to give them communities to come back to. Communities have a standard that they are used to travelling to, and if we do not provide that standard of facilities and infrastructure, we will not get them back. I absolutely want to get them back. I want us to win multiple all-Irelands. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  On the planning guidelines, the Minister needs to engage in proper consultation with groups across the country and counties in rural Ireland. I do not believe there has been enough consultation. The Minister knows what we need in Mayo, such as the non-sterilisation of land along the N59, people being able to build on their own sites, consistency in planning. All of those issues need to be addressed. When will people see the impact of that and be able to build homes or live in their own communities? That is an important message.  On transport, the lack of connectivity between the services is just crazy. An awful lot more can be done without even further investment in public transport, even though we always need public investment. The train coming into the station and the bus having left ten minutes beforehand is an issue. This might seem very minor, but I raise the lack of a trolley service on the train to Mayo. The Minister will have seen today that there was a woman, six months pregnant, in 30\u00b0 heat on a three and three quarter hour journey. It is totally wrong that we cannot even get a trolley on that train. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  I agree about transport. We are lucky with Sarah and the team in Local Link. Co-ordination is better, which is something that Deputy McGuinness and the Minister of State discussed earlier around bus stops. We have the same problems with bus stops, which has hopefully just been resolved with the National Transport Authority. On the trolley, it is beyond me, in 2026, why we cannot have trolleys on trains. Irish Rail needs to cop on. I got that email this evening. It was a very distressing situation for that passenger. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  Absolutely. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Irish Rail is being ridiculous about trolleys at this stage.  On the N59 and the draft planning guidelines generally, it is the Minister's intention that they will take effect next year. I have asked my party's councillors and I will ask Councillor Murray as well because our councillors are the best planners and experts on planning to look at the guidelines.  That would be a useful exercise for us all to do, for our councillors to examine these guidelines. We will certainly feed that through to our review process. It is important we get them in as quickly as possible. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Rural Schemes"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_29","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Departmental Schemes","counts":{"speechCount":5,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_25","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_29","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_29.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  T\u00e1im f\u00e9in agus an tAire St\u00e1it, an Teachta Buttimer tar \u00e9is s\u00e1robair a chur isteach chun S\u00cdOL a chur ar an mb\u00f3thar. Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta freisin mar iarArd-Mh\u00e9ara as a thaith\u00ed leis seo. I thank the Deputy for sharing his experience with the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, in relation to urban disadvantage. S\u00cdOL was launched on 8 July. It means \"seed\" in English. It actually stands for sc\u00e9im infheist\u00edochta ag obair le ch\u00e9ile, which translates to \"working together investment scheme\". It aims to target small areas of disadvantage in our towns and cities, providing funding for infrastructure to improve the areas and the lives of the communities. The areas chosen are those with the highest population of extreme disadvantage.  The new programme is focused initially on 15 areas that have been designated as S\u00cdOL. The areas were selected using an evidence base which included the Pobal HP deprivation index, information from the CSO report, Urban and Rural Life in Ireland, and research by the ESRI. We also looked at the areas in Ireland already covered by the CL\u00c1R programme to ensure geographical complementarity.  Capital funding of \u20ac31.5 million has been secured by the Minister, Deputy Buttimer, and me up to 2030. We announced an allocation of \u20ac5 million for 2026 and I plan to increase that amount over time, with annual funding expected to reach \u20ac7 million by 2030. The Department will keep S\u00cdOL under review, with a view to potentially adding additional areas on an annual basis. Any area added will be based on the Pobal HP deprivation index and CSO and ESRI evidence. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed  I will segue a little into Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn's contribution in relation to an Ghaeilge. I was reared in Cois Fharraige, Connemara, in the Gaeltacht. The change in attitude towards the Irish language in Cois Fharraige and the Gaeltacht is nothing less than transformational. When I went to school, an Ghaeilge was not cool. That is the bottom line among the younger generations. That is where the idea of nine Irish speakers converting to speaking English with the single English speaker comes from. That is no longer the case in Connemara, as far as I am concerned. It is very hard to pinpoint what happened. I think a combination of TG4, \"Ros na R\u00fan\", Telegael, Gteic and that type of stuff has made it cool again to speak the Irish language. There is an entire generation, the next generation down, which is supportive of Irish and favourable to it. If the Minister were to walk into Siopa an Phobail in Indreabh\u00e1n, the nine speakers will convert the other way round. I have a couple of other questions to ask, but I will leave it at that for now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Aonta\u00edm go m\u00f3r leis an Teachta. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 iontach an spreagadh chun na Gaeilge a fheice\u00e1il. I spent three summers in Baile na hAbhann in Col\u00e1iste U\u00ed Chadhain, so I know the Indreabh\u00e1n area very well. T\u00e1 an Teachta f\u00edor. Freisin t\u00e1 s\u00e9 bunaithe ar mh\u00fainteoir\u00ed. It is based on teaching, our na\u00edonra\u00ed and our Gaelscoileanna. That is why we need more Gaelchol\u00e1ist\u00ed. I have a very strong view that we have to continue this journey through the education system. We are forever in this House kicking social media, but TikTok has a lot of stuff on the Gaeltacht. There are some fantastic podcasts, such as \"How To Gael\". Social media has actually turned out to be a good friend of an Ghaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 sin t\u00e1bhachtach. Sin an f\u00e1th a bhfuil c\u00farsa\u00ed cos\u00fail le Gaeilge365 chomh t\u00e1bhachtach. Gaeilge365, which has extended from Dublin City Council to all four Dublin local authorities, is innovative. It is using things differently. It is using Gaeilge in a day-to-day fun way. Every local authority can learn from it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed  Tiocfaidh m\u00e9 ar ais go S\u00cdOL ar feadh n\u00f3im\u00e9id. I welcome S\u00cdOL. As the Minister has said, s\u00edol is the Irish word for seed. It is very positive. It can make a huge difference, if funded properly, to those communities the Minister mentioned in terms of disadvantage. I understand it provides capital and project funding? Can the Minister confirm that? Like any TD, I am interested in areas in my own constituency and there is serious deprivation in parts of Coolock and Darndale. The Minister referred to funding of \u20ac5 million for this year. Will it be up to the local authorities to advance initiatives in tandem with the use of Pobal's data? How will that work? Should we be working with our local authorities to advance particular projects or ideas in areas? How can we help to bring those forward? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I were conscious that the scheme was only capital. We wanted to keep it very simple initially and get the projects rolled out. In terms of the current programme, in the 15 areas, there is a closing date of mid-August. It comes from the local authorities. We will make sure we get money quickly to local authorities. A regular complaint from local authorities in relation to our schemes is that it costs them money to implement them. A total of 5% of the budget will go toward each managing local authority to cater for the management of the project locally.  The projects will be small. They could be local health and sports projects and initiatives. I have compared it in some places to CL\u00c1R for these 15 urban areas. They are small, important local capital projects that otherwise would not happen. The projects will be 100% funded, with no local contribution required. It is our intention that, with increased resources, we will keep the scheme open for potential expansion. I know the area the Deputy mentioned. We have good engagement with the Northside Partnership, which does fantastic work and the Minister of State and I respect that work. We look forward to working with the Deputy in relation to that. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Questions Nos. 11 and 12 taken with Written Answers. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Departmental Schemes"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_30","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Urban Development","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_25","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_30","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_30.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  As we see housing developments near many of our village centres, it is imperative that we also undertake projects that facilitate community development for those villages. A civic, cultural and community centre is needed for Dundrum village in my constituency of Rathdown. What is the Department doing to address issues such as this? Will the Department work with local groups such as Imagine Dundrum to see this project delivered? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  I thank the Deputy for the question. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I have developed a range of funding schemes and interventions which advance the development of communities across the country. While many of the Department's schemes are focused on rural areas, others traverse both rural and urban communities. These include the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, the community services programme, the community centre investment fund, the community recognition fund and the local enhancement programme.  The Department's SICAP programme is the country's primary social inclusion programme. As the Deputy knows, SICAP aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality in Ireland through supporting communities and individuals, using community development as its main method of approach. The Southside Partnership implements SICAP in D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown, which includes Dundrum in its catchment area. The Department has also approved significant capital investment in Dundrum to support the development of community spaces. For example, \u20ac99,000 has been allocated to the upgrade of the Patrick Doyle Road playground in Dundrum under the community recognition fund. Also under the community recognition fund, \u20ac146,000 has been approved for an upgrade to Balally scout den. Under the community centre investment fund, over \u20ac14,000 was allocated for the upgrade of kitchen and toilet facilities at Rosemount Family Resource Centre.  As announced recently, the local enhancement programme for 2026 provided \u20ac7 million in capital supports to many small community groups and organisations, particularly those who serve disadvantaged communities in rural and urban areas. The list of successful projects for the 2026 programme was well propagated and includes a number of organisations in the Dundrum area, supporting activities such as the provision of youth services. I will comment further following the Deputy's supplementary question. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  Imagine Dundrum is a brilliant community organisation. It has repeatedly demonstrated the case for this space and the need for such a space is highlighted in the county development plan and local area plan. D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is supportive of a potential project, but what we need in Dundrum are the resources and structure centrally to make it happen. I appreciate the listing of the funding schemes, but these are not yet getting it over the line, and that is what we need to happen.  Many urban villages are facing the same problem of increased populations but decreased community space and unclear paths to establishing new civic space. We need to see greater security of funding and greater investment in our urban villages, so that every community can have the space it needs to thrive. In Dundrum, there is a local family resource centre and local youth services that help some of my most disadvantaged constituents, all of whom need a home.  Will the Department consider its funding mechanisms, particularly in advance of the budget, so that we can get projects like this over the line? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  I appreciate that Dundrum, in some cases, is not eligible for funding under some of the criteria for schemes. The Minister and I have had conversations with many Deputies in the House, especially those from west Dublin, parts of Cork South-Central and parts of the Deputy\u2019s own constituency. We are very much committed to community development and regeneration. The Deputy will have heard the Minister, Deputy Calleary, speaking a moment ago on the regeneration of urban village centres in reply to another question. It is pivotal to us. Our Department and the Government place a strong emphasis on social inclusion and addressing social disadvantage. We are open to discussion on the mechanisms of support for many different projects. For example, Dundrum is eligible for funding under the urban regeneration and development fund administered by the Department of housing. D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has been approved for funding of \u20ac4.3 million for the new Dundrum community hub. I understand a preliminary business case has been made. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  It seems everyone who needs to be involved is on board to make this project a reality but available funding is not adequate to make this happen for Dundrum village. The new towns and cities regeneration investment fund as currently constituted will not be able to make this civic centre happen. I am asking that the Minister of State work with me and other representatives on the ground to make this happen and address the gaps in our funding streams that have left this vision unrealised. I understand that communities throughout the country are in need of support and funding to develop and I understand the Minister of State\u2019s Department has to balance these needs nationwide, but inaction on this means wasting a golden opportunity to transform an urban village in a way that will affect thousands of residents, which has the backing of the community and the council and which is desperately needed to guarantee the sustainable development of the community.  We are 20 years since Dundrum Village as a shopping centre was established. Although it has been pivotal in providing employment to young people and so on, it has had a detrimental impact on the actual community spirit and the civic centre of the town and village. This has to be addressed and it is a project which we must advance. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  In a previous reply, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, mentioned the new building and community investment funding. It is important to make the point that it is a cross-governmental approach working with the local authority. In terms of civic and community culture and civic hubs, the Minister and I want all local communities to develop. We are ambitious that people can live and flourish in some cases where they are from and are able to regenerate that area. We have allocated significant funding to D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for a variety of projects, including library development, playgrounds and different vibrant areas of the community. I encourage everyone, including the Deputy, to encourage everyone to collaborate with the local authorities to ensure we can bring many projects over the line but also to ensure that at the core of what we do is dealing with the challenge of social inclusion.  We have a variety of schemes, including the local enhancement programme in recent weeks, which is small projects with small money but which are important transformational projects. I will sit down with the Deputy in the coming weeks to have that conversation. We are ambitious. We recognise the contributions of people in local areas and we want to see them flourish. I will be happy to sit down with the Deputy. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Questions Nos. 14 and 15 taken with Written Answers. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Urban Development"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_31","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Gaeltacht Policy","counts":{"speechCount":10,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_25","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_31","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_31.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  I put this question in English but t\u00e1 roinnt de a bhaineann le c\u00farsa\u00ed Gaeltachta. Is f\u00e9idir an d\u00e1 theanga a \u00fas\u00e1id, m\u00e1 t\u00e1 an tAire s\u00e1sta leis sin. It is about the role the Minister\u2019s Department will play in amending and finalising the recently published draft national planning statement for rural and Gaeltacht housing. I know this has been discussed several times here this evening and the Minister and I have discussed it as well. This is a document that relates to the core mission of the Minister\u2019s Department so I want to know precisely what role his Department will play in those aspects. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  I thank the Deputy for his ongoing work on this. It is not back-of-the-envelope stuff. His inputs and those of Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh are always considered.  As he knows, the primary responsibility lies with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The draft statement is, in my view, one that strengthens the planning system\u2019s support for the Irish language and Gaeltacht areas, making it clearer and more consistent by setting out the language criteria which may be submitted with applications for new single rural dwellings and requiring a proportion of multi-unit developments to be lived in by Irish speakers. Importantly, the policy also recognises that Gaeltacht communities share a specific culture, language and identity. It introduces the idea of inter-Gaeltacht recognition, meaning Irish speakers who live and work in one Gaeltacht can use that experience and time to show they may meet local need requirements in another Gaeltacht.  One of the key benefits will be the introduction of a new policy approach applied consistently across the country, providing more certainty for people wishing to build a new house in a rural area and the avoidance of prescriptive local policies that see different standards applied between neighbouring counties and, indeed, sometimes within a county. Currently, there is no consistent method for local planning authorities when developers are reserving a percentage of the housing development for Irish speakers. This method of using the percentage of speakers outside the education system plus 10%, as proposed, will be based on the current linguistic composition of the area rather than setting a uniform national figure across all Gaeltacht areas.  This is about giving certainty both to people who wish to remain living in or return to their rural communities as well as planners while supporting a vibrant sustainable rural Ireland. There will be discussions with interested parties in the coming weeks. In that context, a meeting is scheduled between my officials and Conradh na Gaelige later in the month. I look forward to engaging with the Deputy and Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh in this space and we will engage very directly with the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, on this over the coming months. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  When the document was published last week, we were all taken aback. Commentators, Opposition politicians and campaign groups and people working in the space were disappointed both on the rural housing piece and that of Gaeltacht housing. Not only was it underwhelming and the c\u00farsa\u00ed Gaeltachta deeply disappointing but it looked like something that had been utterly rushed and that had been put together very quickly without a lot of thought. It has taken very little from the consultation, submissions and recommendations of various Oireachtas committees and discussions here in this House. I feel it was a rushed job by the Department of housing - the Minister may disagree; he may not be at liberty to agree with me publicly \u2013 which did not take into account the good work and fair policies the Minister\u2019s Department has been promulgating over the past while.  On rural housing, as part of our analysis we spoke to analysts, engineers, architects, planners, merchants, builders and auctioneers and they do not see this would dramatically increase the delivery of housing and they do not think this would lead to a liberalisation of policy. They just do not see that happening. That leaves many communities in the lurch and facing the demographic crises that have been mentioned in this House already this evening. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  I reject the Deputy's analysis of the draft plan on the Gaeltacht. We worked very closely with the Department of housing on it to try to get a balance. The important thing is to get a balance in Gaeltacht areas between those with Gaeilge, those who have Irish and use it as a daily language, and new people moving into it, but also those from a Gaeltacht area who do not have Irish, because they equally have a right to stay in their place. Second, I was anxious that we got a balance in terms of not allowing further holiday home development. I want permanent residences for families to grow, live and work through Irish and then drive the demand for Irish schools, Irish education, Irish cultural facilities and so on. I am happy to work with Deputy McGuinness and Deputy \u00d3 Snodaigh in particular and colleagues across the Gaeltacht side of it to address some of the Deputy\u2019s feedback, although we will not incorporate it all. There is an environmental streaming process under way. I will share the information involved with that with the Deputy after this session. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  I dtaobh ch\u00farsa\u00ed Gaeltachta, n\u00ed aonta\u00edm leis an Aire in aon chor go bhfuil dearcadh n\u00f3 aighneachta\u00ed na ndreamanna \u00e9ags\u00fala at\u00e1 ag obair sa sp\u00e1s seo iniata leis an gc\u00e1ip\u00e9is seo. Is l\u00e9ir go ndearna an Roinn agus an bheirt Air\u00ed sa Roinn tith\u00edochta neamhaird air sin. Iarrfaidh m\u00e9 ar an Aire f\u00e9achaint air seo, gur \u00fas\u00e1ideadh staitistic\u00ed \u00f3 dhaon\u00e1ireamh 2016 sa ch\u00e1ip\u00e9is chun an arg\u00f3int seo a chruth\u00fa mar gheall ar l\u00edon na gcainteoir\u00ed Gaelainne in ionad na staitistic\u00ed is d\u00e9ana\u00ed. Molaim don Aire f\u00e9achaint siar air.  D\u00e1 mba rud \u00e9 go raibh siad ag \u00e9isteacht leis an Aire n\u00f3 lena Roinn, n\u00ed d\u00f3igh liom go dtarl\u00f3dh a leith\u00e9id de rud. T\u00e1 an-chuid fadhbanna. Bh\u00ed cruinni\u00fa agam in Indreabh\u00e1n i gConamara o\u00edche ar\u00e9ir. T\u00e1 daoine an-fheargach mar gheall air seo. N\u00ed fh\u00e9adfainn a r\u00e1 go bhfuil s\u00e9 mar gheall ar c\u00fapla sonra a athr\u00fa anseo agus ansi\u00fad. T\u00e1 daoine feargach mar gheall air seo. An rud a bh\u00ed ag eascairt as seo n\u00e1 nach bhfuil s\u00e9 chun cabhr\u00fa le daoine as na ceantair sin at\u00e1 ag iarraidh maireacht\u00e1il sa Ghaeltacht agus clann a th\u00f3g\u00e1il tr\u00ed mhe\u00e1n na Gaelainne tithe a th\u00f3gaint. N\u00ed fheictear go bhfuil s\u00e9 sin ann. Molaim don Aire comhairli\u00fach\u00e1n poibl\u00ed a dh\u00e9anamh - ceann gairid ach an comhairli\u00fach\u00e1n sin a dh\u00e9anamh agus br\u00fa a chur ar an Aire tith\u00edochta a leith\u00e9id a dh\u00e9anamh mar n\u00edl s\u00e9 maith go leor a chluasa a dh\u00fanadh agus gan \u00e9isteacht a thabhairt don phobal. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Scr\u00fada\u00edomar na figi\u00fair\u00ed. T\u00e1 na coinn\u00edollacha nua bunaithe ar census 2022, c\u00e9 go bhfuil deacrachta\u00ed ansin. Mar a d\u00faradh an o\u00edche a d'fhoils\u00edomar an dr\u00e9achtr\u00e1iteas, t\u00e1im oscailte go feedback. Nuair at\u00e1 fearg ann, oibr\u00edm leis an bhfearg nuair a thagann ruda\u00ed as an bhfearg sin. T\u00e1im s\u00e1sta obair leis an Teachta. Mar a d\u00fairt m\u00e9, t\u00e1 oifigigh as mo Roinn, a chuir an-obair isteach leis na hoifigigh sa Roinn tith\u00edochta, chun cruinni\u00fa a bheith acu le Conradh na Gaeilge roimh dheireadh na m\u00edosa seo. Bh\u00ed siad chun \u00e9 a dh\u00e9anamh an tseachtain seo caite, ach n\u00ed raibh an conradh in ann \u00e9 a dh\u00e9anamh. T\u00e1im s\u00e1sta, mar a d\u00fairt m\u00e9, su\u00ed s\u00edos le haon Teachta a bhfuil suim acu n\u00ed hamh\u00e1in r\u00e1iteas a fhoilsi\u00fa ach obair air seo. T\u00e1im s\u00e1sta \u00e9 sin a dh\u00e9anamh agus obair leis an Aire, an Teachta Browne. Beimid in ann obair leis an gcoiste agus leis an Teachta Moynihan, agus, tar \u00e9is na hoibre sin, leis an Aire, an Teachta Browne. T\u00e1 suim agam obair orthu. Sin an tsuim is m\u00f3 at\u00e1 agam. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Glacaim leis sin. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Jen Cummins)  We move on to Question No. 19, also in the name of Deputy McGuinness. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jerry Buttimer  T\u00e1 na Teachta\u00ed an-ghn\u00f3thach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  T\u00e1 muid an-ghn\u00f3thach, an tri\u00far againn. Leanfaimid ar aghaidh p\u00e9 sc\u00e9al \u00e9. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Questions Nos. 17 and 18 taken with Written Answers. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Gaeltacht Policy"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_32","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Departmental Programmes","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_25","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_32","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_32.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  This relates to the CL\u00c1R programme in light of the recent expansion of the scheme's eligibility. I really welcome the expansion of the CL\u00c1R scheme. It is something that I think all of us representing rural areas and, indeed, many councillors from all parties and none have been seeking for a long time. It is something about which, as the Minister probably knows, I have put in several written questions over recent weeks. I am talking here about not just an increase in funding to keep pace with inflation but a substantial increase to take into account of the increased number of areas covered. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  I thank the Deputy for his question about CL\u00c1R. As he knows, CL\u00c1R provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. The programme is investing in community facilities and amenities, including community centres, MUGAs, playgrounds, walking tracks and sensory gardens. The scheme also funds vehicles for community groups providing vital services such as community first responders, meals on wheels groups, and transport for people with reduced mobility. There is also a measure providing targeted supports to our island communities. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I launched the 2026 CL\u00c1R programme in March and we expect to announce all successful projects before the end of the year. The 2025 programme for Government made a commitment to carry out a comprehensive review of all eligible CL\u00c1R areas. Following this review, an additional 110 electoral divisions, EDs, have been designated as eligible under CL\u00c1R. This means that there are now over 1,700 CL\u00c1R EDs across the country. For the first time, the total population living in CL\u00c1R-designated areas is over 1 million. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I are acutely aware of the importance of this programme to some of our most rural areas. I was delighted to be in a position to bring more areas into the programme. To prepare the way for this expansion, I secured a \u20ac1 million increase in the budget for CL\u00c1R in 2026 to bring the level available to \u20ac12 million. Funding for CL\u00c1R has increased from \u20ac5 million in 2020 to its current allocation of \u20ac12 million. We are reviewing the budget for CL\u00c1R as part of the budget 2027 process. We are engaging with ministerial colleagues across the Department of public expenditure on this. I absolutely share the Deputy's interest in CL\u00c1R. We have prioritised it in terms of a quadrupling of the funding since 2020, and I want to continue to increase that level of funding. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire as sin. On the ground, in rural areas, particularly those deprived rural areas, we see the advantage of CL\u00c1R. It is relatively small money. There are small amounts that are provided, but that money goes really far in these areas and it is very much appreciated. It is possibly not transformative but it really helps to keep those communities' heads above the water. We have spoken here about the challenges communities are facing in terms of housing and demographics. The last time the three of us were in this Chamber discussing these matters, we were talking about isolation and loneliness. There are so many challenges. We could talk about rural policing. We could talk about access to public services. There are so many issues facing rural areas, particularly those more isolated and less well-off rural areas, and the CL\u00c1R funding is really valuable. I encourage the Minister to do what he can to make that argument in his budgetary discussions this year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Absolutely. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I are working hard to ensure that CL\u00c1R gets increased funding. As Deputy McGuinness knows, under 2025, Waterford received \u20ac572,000 for nine projects under measures 1 and 2. On the Deputy's comments about loneliness, that is why we have the mobility scheme and the transport scheme. It gives local organisations in rural areas that would not have the resources to invest in buses the chance to do that. I was with a group the other day involved with a bus that brings to hospital appointments, to mass and to social events people who otherwise, through illness etc., would be isolated in their homes. Ardmore, Glenwilliam, Lismore rural and Tallow have all been added to the CL\u00c1R programme within the Deputy's county, so I look forward to seeing the applications from Waterford later this year for projects in those areas. Over the course of the summer recess, we hope to be in a position to announce this year's mobility grants, but it is a really important programme. CL\u00c1R used to be a transformative programme. It is transformative in a different way now, but in terms of its capacity for our rural economy I have a vision of getting back to that as well in terms of power etc. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  I wish the Minister luck in those negotiations and discussions ahead of budget 2027. Those of us who represent CL\u00c1R areas and rural areas will be watching. The addition of those townlands - Glenwilliam, Tallow, Lismore and other areas the Minister mentioned - is really welcome and will facilitate groups on the ground there accessing funding. Not every area, unfortunately, can be included in CL\u00c1R funding, but that is something we might revisit and have a discussion about at some stage. I know a threshold or a line has to be drawn somewhere, but I note that in the Comeragh area of County Waterford - the Portlaw-Kilmacthomas local electoral area - there were no new areas designated for CL\u00c1R funding. That could be a blessing in disguise in some ways because the metric is not there to qualify but, on the other hand, it means that those community groups that are facing some of the same challenges do not qualify. It is something that maybe we can come back to and have a look at some time in the future and maybe keep that expansion going, maybe not year on year but over time, in order that more and more areas would begin to qualify. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Absolutely. I am very much open to that. Along with the Ministers of State, Deputies Butler and Cummins, I had the pleasure of visiting the area mentioned by the Deputy back in June. I know that the Comeragh area has a super weekend in the Comeraghs Wild Festival. We were able, through ORIS, to make investments in the forests there. The project in Lismore is one of the best LEADER projects I have seen. I refer to what has happened at the back of the bank there, in terms of the glamping pods, and the plan for the bank. There are other alternatives apart from CL\u00c1R. The community groups in the area the Deputy has mentioned are some of the best in the country. I put on record my appreciation to all the community groups across Waterford - we had a super day of engagements - and to Waterford County and City Council, which is kind of the scaffolding around this, and to Waterford LEADER. There are a lot of really good groups there, including a lot of fantastic community groups. The Deputy is lucky to be in a county where volunteers are willing to stand up and take the leadership and the initiative that we saw right across the county that day. A lot of counties could look to Waterford and learn from that work but also the fact that it is all community-led and community-driven. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Questions Nos. 20 to 23, inclusive, taken with Written Answers. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Departmental Programmes"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_33","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"\u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta","counts":{"speechCount":5,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_25","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_33","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_33.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Beidh an Aire agus an Aire St\u00e1it br\u00e9an dom ag an tr\u00e1th seo.  Baineann an cheist seo le toghch\u00e1n do bhord \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta. Mar is eol don Aire, bh\u00ed an-chuid pl\u00e9 againn sa Seomra D\u00e1la seo mar gheall ar Bhille \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta agus na toghch\u00e1in. C\u00e9 nach rabhamar ag aont\u00fa lena ch\u00e9ile r\u00f3-mhinic, glacaim anois go bhfuil an Bille rite agus go mbeidh toghch\u00e1in ag \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta. Cad \u00e9 an plean? Cathain a mbeidh siad? An f\u00e9idir aon l\u00e9argas a thabhairt ar c\u00e9n cur chuige a bheadh i gceist? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta. Sh\u00ednigh an tUachtar\u00e1n Connolly an tAcht um \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta (Leas\u00fa), 2026, ina dhl\u00ed ar an 1 I\u00fail 2026. Is \u00e9 pr\u00edomhchusp\u00f3ir an Achta an pr\u00f3iseas ainmni\u00fach\u00e1in agus roghn\u00fach\u00e1in reatha a riala\u00edonn ceapach\u00e1n bhord \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta faoi Acht na Gaeltachta, 2012 a athr\u00fa agus pr\u00f3iseas toghch\u00e1in agus roghn\u00fach\u00e1in nua a chur ina \u00e1it. Leis an leas\u00fa seo, comhl\u00edonadh gealltanas a tugadh i gcl\u00e1r an Rialtais toghch\u00e1in do bhord \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta a athbhun\u00fa.  Nuair a chuirtear na hailt \u00e1bhartha den reachta\u00edocht leasaithe i bhfeidhm, beidh deichni\u00far comhalta tofa agus seisear comhalta arna n-ainmni\u00fa ag an Aire ar bhord an \u00fadar\u00e1is. Beidh ionada\u00edocht ag gach ceantar Gaeltachta ar an mbord, agus n\u00ed bheidh uain\u00edocht comhalta\u00ed do cheantair bheaga Ghaeltachta i bhfeidhm a thuilleadh. Chun nasc n\u00edos l\u00e1idre a chinnti\u00fa idir an pobal agus obair an bhoird, for\u00e1iltear leis an Acht freisin go mbun\u00f3idh an t-\u00fadar\u00e1s tr\u00ed choiste r\u00e9igi\u00fanacha reacht\u00fala at\u00e1 cos\u00fail leo si\u00fad a bh\u00ed i bhfeidhm roimh 2012, ach a mbeidh sainch\u00faram beag\u00e1n difri\u00fail orthu. Beidh comhalta\u00ed ainmnithe ag \u00fadar\u00e1is \u00e1iti\u00fala ar na coist\u00ed r\u00e9igi\u00fanacha seo agus n\u00ed m\u00f3r do gach ball den \u00fadar\u00e1s agus d\u00e1 choist\u00ed r\u00e9igi\u00fanacha a bheith in ann leibh\u00e9al inni\u00falachta sa Ghaeilge a l\u00e9iri\u00fa at\u00e1 riachtanach chun a gcuid feidhmeanna a chomhl\u00edonadh.  Chun cr\u00edche na dtoghch\u00e1n do bhord \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta, bh\u00ed g\u00e1 roinnt leasuithe teicni\u00fala a dh\u00e9anamh ar Acht Toghch\u00e1in, 1992; an Acht Toghch\u00e1in, 1997; an Acht um Thruailli\u00fa \u00f3 Bhruscar, 1997; agus an Acht um Chosaint Sonra\u00ed, 2018. For\u00e1iltear leis na leasuithe seo go gcuirf\u00ed tagairt\u00ed do thoghch\u00e1in \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta san \u00e1ireamh sna hachtanna seo. Coime\u00e1dfar ceist na dtoghch\u00e1n faoi bhreith lean\u00fanach agus d\u00e9anfar cinneadh maidir leis an bhfr\u00e1ma ama d\u00f3ibh in am tr\u00e1tha. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire. Tuigim go bhfuil leasuithe le d\u00e9anamh ar na hAchtanna sin a luaigh s\u00e9, is iad sin an Acht Toghch\u00e1in, 1992; an Acht Toghch\u00e1in, 1997; agus na hAchtanna eile maidir le bruscair, truailli\u00fa agus cosaint sonra\u00ed. An bhfuil aml\u00edne i gceist i gcomhair na leasuithe n\u00f3 an bhfuil s\u00e9 sin le baint amach i mbliana? An bhfuil buile faoi thuairim ann i dtaobh aml\u00edne do na toghch\u00e1in? An bhfuil muid ag caint ar iad a bheith ar si\u00fal roimh dheireadh na bliana seo n\u00f3 i samhradh na bliana seo chugainn? An mbeidh s\u00e9 faoin Roinn tith\u00edochta na toghch\u00e1in sin a rith n\u00f3 an mbeidh siad \u00e1 rith i Roinn an Aire f\u00e9in? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dara Calleary  N\u00edl m\u00f3r\u00e1n ama tugtha do na c\u00e9ad c\u00e9imeanna eile. Bh\u00ed muid d\u00edrithe ar an mBille a chur tr\u00edd an Oireachtas. T\u00e1imid chun \u00e9 sin a scr\u00fad\u00fa anois. Le haghaidh gach toghch\u00e1n, t\u00e1 c\u00faram na dtoghch\u00e1n faoi ch\u00faraim na Roinne Tith\u00edochta, Rialtais \u00c1iti\u00fail agus Oidhreachta. Beidh na leasuithe le pl\u00e9 le hoifigigh na Roine sin leis na ruda\u00ed eile agus beidh na sonra\u00ed eile le haghaidh na dtoghch\u00e1n \u00e1 bpl\u00e9 ag leibh\u00e9al an Rialtais. Beidh m\u00e9 ag cur an pr\u00f3iseas do na coist\u00ed r\u00e9igi\u00fanacha ar si\u00fal chomh luath agus is f\u00e9idir mar t\u00e1 siad t\u00e1bhachtach le haghaidh an \u00fadar\u00e1is taobh amuigh de na toghch\u00e1in. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 t\u00e1bhachtach go mbeidh siad ag obair agus go mbeidh na daoine bunaithe ar na coist\u00ed sin. Beidh m\u00e9 s\u00e1sta teacht ar ais chuig an Teachta tar \u00e9is bhriseadh an tsamhraidh chun sonra\u00ed eile a phl\u00e9 faoin gc\u00e9ad pr\u00f3iseas eile agus na c\u00e9imeanna eile sa Bhille seo. Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Uachtar\u00e1n as an reachta\u00edocht a sh\u00edni\u00fa agus gabhaim bu\u00edochas l\u00e9i freisin as an obair a chur s\u00ed isteach sa Bhille nuair a bh\u00ed s\u00ed sa Teach seo. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Nach suimi\u00fail \u00e9 sin mar fh\u00edric go raibh baint ag an Uachtar\u00e1n sa Bhille seo. N\u00edor glacadh leis na leasuithe faraor ach chuir s\u00ed leasuithe isteach ar thaobh amh\u00e1in agus sh\u00ednigh s\u00ed an Bille ag an deireadh. Imp\u00edm ar an Aire gan tuilleadh moille a chur leis an bpr\u00f3iseas seo, agus p\u00e9 rud gur f\u00e9idir a dh\u00e9anamh chun tac\u00fa leis na toghch\u00e1in seo a dh\u00e9anamh. T\u00e1 muintir na Gaeltachta agus na pobail Ghaeltachta ag fanacht le fada an l\u00e1 i gcomhair na toghch\u00e1in seo teacht thar n-ais. Mar a d\u00faramar ar an dtaobh seo den Teach le linn na nd\u00edosp\u00f3ireachta\u00ed ar Bhille \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta, t\u00e1 g\u00e9argh\u00e1 le tuilleadh daonlathais istigh san \u00fadar\u00e1s. C\u00e9 nach bhfuil an Bille, in\u00e1r dtuairim, foirfe i dtaobh an m\u00e9id daonlathais - bh\u00edomar ag s\u00fail le n\u00edos m\u00f3 - t\u00e1imid ag iarraidh an Acht mar at\u00e1 s\u00e9 a bhaint amach chomh tapa agus is f\u00e9idir ionas gur f\u00e9idir leis na pobail seilbh a ghlacadh ar\u00eds ar threoir \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Is f\u00e9idir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scr\u00edofa ar www.oireachtas.ie. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"\u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_34","debateType":"topical","bill":null,"showAs":"\u00c1bhair Shaincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Matters","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_34","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Jen Cummins)  I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case:  Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney - to discuss the closure of Carlow College.  Deputy John Connolly - to discuss the provision of appropriate public housing for families that provide foster care.  Deputy Michael Cahill - to discuss delays in payments to subcontractors to Uisce \u00c9ireann.  Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa - to discuss issues being created in the court system by the new legal aid model.  Deputy Tom Brabazon - to discuss the proposed new Garda station at Northern Cross.  Deputy Barry Ward - to discuss removing the means test for carer's allowance.  Deputy S\u00e9amus McGrath - to discuss the State acquiring the Bessborough site in Cork city to provide a memorial.  Deputy Jen Cummins - to discuss the future of James Weir nurses' home, Cork Street, Dublin 8.  Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh - to discuss wind farms in County Mayo.  Deputy Rory Hearne - to discuss the cessation of the financial contribution scheme in Dublin North-West.  Deputy Mark Wall - to discuss the provision of youth services in Newbridge, County Kildare.  Deputy Pa Daly - to discuss measures to prevent the spread of harmful content on social media platforms.  Deputy Colm Burke - to discuss use of lands in Glanmire, Cork, leased to the FAI by Cork County Council.  Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan - to discuss a potential State purchase of the Bessborough site in Blackrock, Cork city.  Deputy Louis O'Hara - to discuss the need for a 24-hour rapid response vehicle at Tuam ambulance base.  Deputies Paul Murphy, Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh, John Lahart, Se\u00e1n Crowe and Ciar\u00e1n Ahern - to discuss the feasibility of continuing MetroLink from the city to south-west Dublin.  Deputy Thomas Gould - to discuss the bus service in Cork city.  Deputy Darren O'Rourke - to discuss the Government response to the rejection of the workforce development plan proposals by SNAs.  The matters raised by Deputies Sin\u00e9ad Gibney, Jen Cummins, Rose Conway-Walsh, Michael Cahill and Colm Burke have been selected for discussion. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"\u00c1bhair Shaincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Matters"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_35","debateType":"topical","bill":null,"showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_35","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_36","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Third Level Staff","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_35","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_35","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_36","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marian Harkin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marian-Harkin.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Marian-Harkin.D.2002-06-06","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  In recent months the staff of Carlow College have faced the sudden loss of their jobs as the college is closed and acquired by South East Technological University. The workers were led to believe that the future arrangements and merger involving SETU would involve the transfer of employment. It now appears that this is no longer the case, and this has caused huge uncertainty for all involved. We have heard from the Department that there was consultation and engagement on the closing of Carlow College and the transfer of its assets to SETU, instead of a merger, which was what the staff and students of the college were led to believe was happening. Staff did not find out that their jobs were gone and this continuity not guaranteed until the announcement in May. This has caused enormous distress among staff, many of whom have devoted decades of service to Carlow College and who have spoken to my colleague, Senator Stephenson, who has done a huge amount of work on this. A protest was held last weekend by staff and students of the college who are feeling incredibly let down and distressed by this change of circumstances. They need transparency, accountability and honesty from every party involved - the Department of further and higher education, Carlow College and South East Technological University. Vague platitudes of informal arrangements or opportunities for continued employment do not reassure these workers who now have zero security. It is my understanding that the Department for higher education has decided that the transfer of undertakings regulations do not apply in this situation. This is disputed, particularly as this is not the simple sale of a campus but the merging of one educational institution with another.  It is clear to me that this situation has been poorly handled by all involved and it is the staff and students who now face the consequences of this. The needs and asks of the staff and students are clear. First, they want the Department to oversee a working group involving the Department, SETU, Carlow College and staff representatives, including trade unions. This would be to examine the options that could preserve employment for them. They are also asking for the Government to guarantee enhanced redundancy protections through the ring-fencing of five weeks' redundancy arrangements for affected employees. I am keen to hear an outline from the Minister of State's Department on what it will do to ensure that pathways to staff redeployment or transfer into SETU can still be facilitated and that proposed redundancy packages are adequate and fair, especially in light of the decades of service many of these staff members have given to Carlow College.  As employment spokesperson for my party, I have to say that again and again we are coming across issues where workers are having to face uncertainty in a framework that does not protect workers' rights strongly enough. It is that simple. They have to ask - there is no expectation that they have certain rights within this situation - that those minimal redundancy offers are going to be met and their representative bodies will be recognised. Instead we have a voluntarist system, which I believe does not protect workers adequately, particularly in situations like this.  I will also point out that we do not want to see any differential treatment between staff, for example, in one of the more established universities versus staff in this kind of a university. Carlow College serves many of the disadvantaged communities within the area. It provides crucial educational opportunities to people in these communities. We want to make sure that they get the same treatment and the same recognition for their many years of service as any other third level employee. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marian Harkin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marian-Harkin.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Marian-Harkin.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Deputy Marian Harkin)  I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. At the outset, it is important to note that Carlow College, St. Patrick's is and always has been an independent private institution operating outside the State-funded higher education sector. Decisions regarding its strategic direction and governance rest entirely with its own governing body and neither the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, nor I have a role in the appointment of its members. Additionally, as a private institution, Carlow College does not fall under the remit of the Higher Education Authority, whose remit extends to publicly funded higher education bodies. Matters such as staffing, pay and other operational costs are therefore the responsibility of the college itself as an independent employer.  Despite its private status, Carlow College has benefited from substantial State support in recent years, including more than \u20ac3.1 million in student fee grant assistance, alongside an additional \u20ac750,000 annually since 2022. While this support helped address immediate financial challenges, an independent review completed in 2024 found that the college's financial position was not sustainable in the longer term. The intervention recently announced is a necessary response to the imminent risk of a disorderly collapse, which would have had serious implications for students, staff, the wider community and the future of higher education provision in Carlow.  The priority of the Minister, and my priority, was to see a solution identified that protected learners, treated staff fairly in difficult circumstances and safeguarded the future educational use of the campus. With this in mind, SETU agreed in 2025 to engage with Carlow College, with support from my Department. This process involved extensive analysis and due diligence and ultimately resulted in a detailed report being provided to both institutions in early 2026.  Throughout this engagement, conducted bilaterally between the two institutions, the Department did not prescribe any particular outcome. However, financial considerations were inevitably a key factor, and both governing bodies were required to assess the risks associated with the options available to them. An independent valuation of the college was also carried out in order to establish the level of financial support that could be provided by the State. Throughout these discussions, the interests of staff and students remained the central consideration.  Working together, the two institutions agreed an approach designed to protect current learners while also strengthening higher education provision across the region. The model approved by both institutions, and supported by the Department, is a teach-out arrangement that will continue until 2028. This framework provides a clear basis for protecting students, avoiding a sudden closure that could have led to immediate job losses, and ensuring that the campus continues to serve as an important educational resource for Carlow and the south east.  During the teach-out period, Carlow College will continue to deliver its academic programmes and will retain full responsibility for its staffing matters and academic governance. At the same time, SETU must operate within sustainable financial parameters and determine staffing needs based on its current and future activities. The planned transfer of the college's lands and buildings to SETU will generate significant State funding for Carlow College, providing essential support for the restructuring process, including measures related to staff.  We fully acknowledge the distress and uncertainty experienced by staff, as the Deputy has outlined. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, has heard these concerns directly during meetings with staff representatives and SIPTU, and we understand that constructive engagement between management, staff and trade unions is continuing. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  I finished my last contribution by pointing out that there should not be any hierarchy within our educational offerings in this country. I appreciate that it is not State funded, but that does not make it any less of an experience for those students who are studying there and for those teachers who, as I said multiple times, have offered decades of service to teaching in their region and community. I would have thought it all the more reason in this instance, when it is a private college where the staff do not necessarily have the same level of workers' protections as they might enjoy in the public sector, for the Department to step in. What we are looking for once again is security for staff. The staff are asking the Government to guarantee enhanced redundancy protections through the ring-fencing of five weeks redundancy arrangements for affected employees.  The Department should lead immediately to establish and oversee a formal working group involving SETU, Carlow College, staff representatives and SIPTU to examine opportunities for redeployment and integration into SETU and other alternatives that minimise compulsory redundancies. If Ministers genuinely believe in stakeholder engagement, now is the time to demonstrate it. The Minister of State mentioned multiple times that the students and staff of Carlow College have been at the forefront of her thinking and that of the Minister's, Deputy Lawless. Unfortunately, that is not the message we are getting. What we are hearing is that they were not informed until late in the process that this was not a merger but in fact a selling off of assets. They were led to believe that transfer of employment would be available to them, and that there would be pathways by which they would be able to access new teaching roles in SETU after the merger. Instead, they have been faced with a very different reality in the last number of weeks. That is what we are asking for - that the Minister will engage and step in, regardless of the college's private status. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marian Harkin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marian-Harkin.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Marian-Harkin.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Marian Harkin  If Deputy Gibney is fair at all, she will accept that a great deal of engagement has already taken place between the Minister, Deputy Lawless, the different institutions, the trade unions and the workers. The Deputy spoke about students there. Every current learner at Carlow College will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned without disruption or disadvantage. Those are the facts. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  That is not what is coming through. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marian Harkin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marian-Harkin.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Marian-Harkin.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Marian Harkin  I am stating that here in the House tonight on the record. I want it to be true and it needs to be true. I think both of us agree that should be the situation. Commitment, continuity and fairness have guided every step of this process. We have every confidence that formal discussions commenced by Carlow College with their staff and staff representatives will be carried out in a transparent and forthright manner.  It is not in my response here, but I did hear what Deputy Gibney spoke about in regard to the transfer of undertakings. That is something I am quite familiar with myself. I will check that out for her. I will ask about that because it is an important point and an important issue, but there is not any information about it here. To be fair, a lot of work has gone into this to try to ensure that staff and students are protected. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, has worked very hard on this. A master plan for the campus will be published in the coming months, and subject to consideration by SETU in consultation with the Department and relevant stakeholders.  I do understand the Deputy's real concern on this issue and the people, students and lecturers in Carlow College. I will come back to her with any information I can glean on the transfer of undertakings. To be fair, real consultation and engagement have taken place on this issue. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Third Level Staff"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_37","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Vacant Properties","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_35","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_35","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_37","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jen Cummins  I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak about James Weir nurses home on Cork Street in Dublin 8, only a stone's throw from where I live. This building was built in 1903. It was originally built by James Weir, a Scottish-born merchant and philanthropist. It was built for nurses working nearby in the fever hospital, which was also called the house of recovery. It accommodated up to 50 nurses, who were able to stay there. Only around the corner, about 20 years later, the first tenant purchase scheme was built by the State in 1922 in The Tenters.  This part of the city is very historic and a lot of tourists come to see things in Dublin 8 but Dublin 8 has a real challenge when it comes to providing community spaces and permanent homes for the people who live there all the time, and not transient accommodation for students who pay a huge amount in private student accommodation or, indeed, hotels. There is a campaign called No More Hotels because what we need Dublin 8 are homes for people who live there all the time. We also need community spaces.  What I would like to discuss this evening really is the fact that the Weir Home is now owned by the HSE, which has decided it will not be able to do anything with it and so it wants to give it to Dublin City Council but the council does not want it. No one wants it because it has been vacant for so long and it has been left to go into a state of disrepair and it will cost a lot of money. Originally, from 1903 to the 1970s, it was used for nurses' accommodation. From the 1980s onwards, it was used by the HSE as an overflow for mental health facilities linked to St. Brendan's Hospital. In 2021, the remaining residents were relocated from the area. It has been vacant since then.  It is a very beautiful building. Beside it is a very precious Quaker burial site. In Dublin 8 when we celebrate culture, this is one of the buildings that should be celebrated. It is one of the buildings that could bring a huge amount of joy and peace to people living in the city centre. Campaigners are looking to see whether it can be used for housing. I know negotiations went on with the Peter McVerry Trust but it does not seem to have been possible. The Solas Project, which works with young people, has also been in negotiations to have the site transferred to it. It supports many young people throughout Dublin 8 and beyond but I am speaking about Dublin 8 right now. It does not have a permanent premises. This is a huge disadvantage for it. If we want to tackle issues that challenge young people and their ability to thrive, having a proper fully decked-out space for them would be fantastic.  We are in a housing crisis and we do not have enough homes. This is a ready-made home. Why are we not using it for healthcare workers? There is St. James's Hospital, the Coombe hospital is just down the road from it, around the corner is James's Street and we will have the new children's hospital. There are plenty of places and if we were going to house healthcare workers, this would be a fantastic location for them. There is a housing crisis and people cannot afford to live in the city. They are choosing not to live in the city and we see this in the education system.  I really hope something can be done from a central government funding perspective so the HSE can hand this over to whoever will use it but with an injection of funding to be able to resource it so it is successful. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Kieran O'Donnell)  I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to update the House on the position of the James Weir nurses home on Cork Street in Dublin 8. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.  The Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the public healthcare property estate. The HSE has a significant property portfolio extending to circa 4,300 buildings across circa 2,300 locations throughout the country. The health estate is varied and complex and the HSE actively manages its evolving property portfolio. Decisions in respect of vacant properties are informed by HSE service management and based on an understanding of current or future healthcare service needs in the relevant area. A building may be vacated by one service with a view to refurbishment for an alternative use or a property may be maintained for future service expansion at a specific location for demographic or service requirements.  Following extensive review, the property known as the James Weir nurses home, or Weir Home, on Cork Street in Dublin 8 was identified by the HSE a number of years ago as surplus to its requirements and it was decided to dispose of the property. The disposal of Weir Home is being carried out in line with statutory obligations, including the Land Development Agency Act 2021, Department of public expenditure Circular 11\/2015, the protocols for the transfer and sharing of State property assets and Department of public expenditure Circular 17\/2016 on the policy for property transactions by State bodies. The Department of public expenditure circulars require all State bodies to update the State Property Register with details of all properties that are surplus to their requirements and available for occupation or disposal.  The HSE offered this property to all State stakeholders through the property mapping register viewer site of the Office of Public Works. The HSE engaged with all expressions of interest from State bodies in relation to the property. However, after this engagement process, no other State body chose to acquire Weir Home from the HSE. While one State stakeholder expressed interest, this transaction did not proceed.  The HSE will now progress to disposal of this property on the open market in line with Department of public expenditure circulars and the HSE's property protocol. The HSE continues to engage with the Department of Health, the Department of housing, the Land Development Agency, local authorities, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and the Department of An Taoiseach in relation to its surplus assets as part of an all-of-government approach to increasing housing stock. I note the comments Deputy Cummins made earlier and I have no doubt she will develop them a bit more in her response. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jen Cummins  I appreciate that the HSE has gone through all of the steps it needs to. The challenge is that the country has a problem with housing. If we are giving away State-owned buildings and State-owned land - not giving it away but selling it on the open market - where are we going to start to develop things? There is fear in my constituency. The building should really be protected as an historic building and it should also be used either for healthcare accommodation needs or affordable housing in a housing crisis.  Why do we need to keep giving away and selling really valuable assets? This does not happen in other countries. That building is so beautiful. What will happen to it when it is sold on the open market? Will it become more really expensive apartments, which Dublin 8 is already littered with, or co-living or student accommodation? We have enough of these and we do not need any more of them. We need proper housing. We need young people to have a youth service in there or workers giving essential care to people not only in Dublin 8 but throughout the city and country who come from all over the place to James's Street, the Coombe and the new children's hospital.  Here we are again. This has been going on for a really long time, whereby we have beautiful buildings that no other State agency wants to take on. The HSE has to be called out for letting it go into such disrepair that now it will cost so much to bring it back up. That happened with the hospital on Baggot Street also. There have to be better fines for this. We should be fining the HSE for how it allowed the building to fall into disrepair since it got it. We should not celebrate the fact it will now make money by selling it on the private market and who knows what will happen. I am cross on behalf of my constituents because here we go again in Dublin 8. We will have more student accommodation, more hotels and more really expensive apartments. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Kieran O'Donnell  As I said earlier, following extensive review the property known as Weir Home on Cork Street in Dublin 8 was identified by the HSE a number of years ago as surplus to its requirements and it was decided to dispose of the property.  Disposal of Weir Home is being carried out in line with the statutory obligations, including the Land Development Agency Act 2021 and the relevant circulars from the Department of public expenditure.  The HSE engaged with all expressions of interest from State bodies in relation to the property. However, no other State body chose to acquire Weir Home from the HSE. While interest was expressed by one State stakeholder, as I said earlier, this transaction did not proceed. The HSE will now progress to dispose of the property on the open market in line with the circulars from the Department of public expenditure and the HSE property protocol. The point the Deputy raised will be brought to the attention of the HSE and I have no doubt she will follow up directly with the HSE herself on this particular matter. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Vacant Properties"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_38","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Wind Energy Guidelines","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_35","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_35","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_38","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  I requested that this issue of renewable energy be discussed tonight because I am dumbfounded that we are now finishing another year without having the national guidelines for wind turbines. There are no national guidelines. I just cannot believe that we are in the last week of this session and we still do not have them. It is absolutely outrageous that we are developing onshore wind energy with planning guidelines that are 20 years old. It is crazy. How are we supposed to be taken seriously in respect of climate change and what we need to do in that area? Communities surrounding proposed wind turbine developments in County Mayo deserve better. These communities are crying out for national guidelines that will force the developers of these wind energy facilities to adhere to guidelines. In the absence of such guidelines, however, it is like a free-for-all. These communities deserve respect and proper, meaningful consultation.  The saturation of Mayo with onshore wind farms without any guidelines is a growing concern. The Tirawley wind farm, at Lacken along the C\u00e9ide coast, disregards 6,000 years of cultural heritage, never mind the effects on the ecology and biodiversity in a special area of conservation. We recently launched a hugely ambitious tourism plan. The proposal for Geesala, Mount Jubilee and Srah communities, alongside the proposal in Rinmore, will disrupt an area with some of Ireland's rarest species. The proposed site sits on healthy, functioning blanket bog, which is a priority EU habitat and a major natural carbon sink. The project involves draining substantial peatland areas. As the Minister of State knows, Erris's economy is heavily dependent on tourism, relying on unspoiled landscapes along the Wild Atlantic Way. According to the Erris Chamber of Commerce, the erection of 180 m high turbines will cause significant visual blight, undermine the region's tourism appeal and threaten local businesses and livelihoods. The proposed development in Mayo Abbey again undermines an area of high cultural amenity. The proposed site is also prone to flooding. Why develop a wind farm in an area that is prone to flooding?  I am giving these areas as examples, not because I am against the development of renewable energy but because it has to be done in the right way and in the right place. It is being done in the wrong way and in areas too close to houses and that have all the issues I mentioned. There are depopulated remote areas that lend themselves to the establishment of wind energy projects. The families living close to massive wind turbines struggle, and too often fail, to get planning permission, even to build modest homes for their sons and daughters to return. Yet, they are supposed to accept the development of these wind farms using guidelines that are 20 years old and not fit for purpose.  Where are the plans to develop offshore wind? We have a huge expanse along the west coast but there is nothing for the west coast in the proposed development of offshore wind energy. I am concerned because these communities are growing angrier and angrier, and they feel disrespected because there is no proper consultation. Asking somebody to come along to a hall at a particular time, and telling them they can bring three people with them, is wrong and disrespectful to communities. There is a right way of doing this, which I will tell the Minister of State about in my next contribution. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Kieran O'Donnell  I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne.  As the Deputy will be aware, the programme for Government reaffirms Ireland's commitment to 80% of electricity demand being met in the near term and there are plans to move to net zero by 2050. The deployment of renewable electricity, including wind energy, is vital to Ireland meeting its ambitious domestic targets and international commitments.  The commencement of Chapters 1 to 4, inclusive, of Part 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 provides the statutory basis for the national planning framework and regional spatial and economic strategies and introduces provisions for what are known as national planning statements. These national planning statements have been introduced to replace ministerial guidelines issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. All existing section 28 guidelines will, over time, be revoked and replaced with new national planning statements. Any current section 28 guidelines will, however, remain in force until revoked or replaced by a corresponding national planning statement. Subsequently, this means new guidance on wind energy development will issue as a national planning statement following review of the existing 2006 wind energy development guidelines.  While this has been ongoing for some time, progress has been made towards concluding the review process. In light of the evolving policy and legislative framework, there is a need to ensure the national planning statement will be fit for purpose, while having appropriate regard to the impacts of wind energy development.  In respect of sectoral national planning statements in particular, such as onshore wind energy development, there is also an important role for the relevant policy Department collaborating with my Department on the development of these national planning statements. In that context, my Department is working closely with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment as the Department with responsibility for this area of Government policy in order to identify the factors relevant to the preparation of the national planning statement. It will address key matters, including noise, setback distance, shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connection.  The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, in the context of its environmental noise, climate and renewable energy policies remit, has been working to advance guidance on the noise aspect of the national planning statement, which is highly technical in nature. With regard to the impact of development on communities, the upcoming national planning statement will aim to strike an appropriate balance between addressing the concerns of local communities by ensuring there is greater and earlier community engagement by wind energy developers, while maintaining Ireland's ability to deliver on its binding climate and renewable energy obligations.  Public participation is the key element of substantive decision-making processes under the Planning and Development Act 2024. It is open to members of the public to make an observation or submission on the draft development plan to the local authority. Any member of the public may make an observation or submission on a planning application, including in relation to wind energy developments. Planning authorities are statutorily obliged to consider such submissions before making a decision on the application. Further to this, the draft national planning statement on wind energy will be subject to strategic environmental assessment and a public consultation will be held as part of the process, whereby individual stakeholders, including community groups, will have an opportunity to make observations on the draft national planning statement. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  I thank the Minister of State. That response makes more promises but there is nothing for the here and now and what people are experiencing right now. The damage caused by the Government's regulatory vacuum is leading to a deteriorating situation in local areas. That is a fact. It is also a risk to Ireland's energy security. Meanwhile, households live in fear of their ever-increasing, and already huge, electricity bills.  We want to do renewable energy in a very different way. Rather than excessive commodification of energy for profit, we would treat it as a public good and translate that into national wealth, increased community ownership, proper consultation and fair and democratic decision-making. There is a right way to do all of this. I fear that the vacuum left by the Government is doing damage to these rural areas.  Have we learned nothing from the Corrib gas project, the lack of consultation there and how that started off? I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister to publish the guidelines as quickly as possible. I want to see offshore wind being developed along the west coast as well.  We cannot just keep accepting excuse after excuse. There is huge wealth to be gained for the community along the western seaboard if this is done properly. We are supposed to be in the Atlantic economic corridor. That has to mean more than just a phrase. The opportunities there for offshore wind energy generation would alleviate all of this, help us to meet our targets and do what we need to do in the first place. It is one of the Government's greatest failures not to have these guidelines in place and to leave this vacuum. It is hugely disrespectful to the communities I mentioned and other communities across Mayo and across the western seaboard. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Kieran O'Donnell  Progress has been made in this regard. The Department is working towards the publication of a wind energy national planning statement as a matter of priority. The programme for Government commits to prioritising publication and review of the guidelines, which will form a national planning statement. The Department is working towards meeting this commitment to finalise a national planning statement having regard to evolving policy, public consultations and technical contexts while having appropriate regard to the impact of wind energy developments. It is imperative that a robust up-to-date policy is provided that will take account of the evolved policy and legislative context of the technological progress of recent decades, the need for Ireland to meet its ambitious targets of 9 GW of onshore wind energy capacity and the informed decisions of stakeholders and the public.  The Minister is satisfied that in the short to medium term the existing evolving planning system alongside the 2006 guidelines supported by Government policy more generally provide a sufficiently robust policy and legislative framework to facilitate the role of renewable energy development in a sustainable manner and to assist with meeting our renewable electricity requirements while balancing the perspectives of the local community and public and stakeholder engagement. The 2006 wind energy development guidelines remain in force pending the finalisation of the review. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Wind Energy Guidelines"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_39","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Water Services","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_35","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_35","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_39","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Cahill  I call on the Minister for housing and local government to intervene in a most urgent matter in County Kerry where subcontractors to Uisce \u00c9ireann are being left to wait for two, three or four months without being paid for work that has been carried out. This is not acceptable. These delayed payments mean subcontractors are unable to pay wages or for diesel due to cash flow problems. This is happening right across my county in Tralee, Dingle, Killarney, east Kerry, Killorglin and Kenmare. In every corner of Kerry, this is happening as we speak. It is disgraceful carry-on by Uisce \u00c9ireann. It is not acceptable. Will the Minister of State request the Minister for housing to intervene to ensure contractors are paid within a reasonable timeframe especially after submitting their invoices? They should be paid within two weeks at the most. This is inexcusable. It must be addressed immediately. Contractors and subcontractors to Uisce \u00c9ireann are experiencing unacceptable delays. There are huge issues with issuing purchase orders, POs - orders are issued weekly and often contractors wait two months to get PO.  Another big issue is when invoices are submitted to payables, it seems it is a central invoicing email address dealing with this and they are not uploaded to the system for processing, causing further delays. These are all internal Uisce \u00c9ireann issues. When invoices are not processed, the spin-off effect is delayed payment. Local engineers have informed me that this is all removed from them, it is centralised and they have no contact details for anyone to help as payments are not received. On contacting payables by email, contractors are told invoices were not processed or picked up from the previous Monday and there is no payment on the Friday. Furthermore, there is no payment run at the end of the month, which means contractors are waiting another couple of weeks which has been the case. I am aware of one contractor who was informed today that he will eventually be paid on 17 July for works carried out last March. This is not good enough and has to be addressed. These people cannot continue in business this way.  I plead with the Minister of State to ask the Minister for housing and local government to simplify the whole process. What is happening needs to be addressed. It is bordering on criminal. Will the Minister of State please request that Uisce \u00c9ireann addresses this incompetence in its payment systems and work with contractors to address these issues? Payments were always slow but have gotten so delayed that subcontractors are unable to pay wages or pay for fuel, etc., due to cash flow problems caused solely by Uisce \u00c9ireann. In regard to these delayed payments, there is a way of addressing the issue. It is in everyone's interests to address this matter as soon as possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Kieran O'Donnell  I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing.Local Government and Heritage.  The operation of the public wastewater treatment systems together with operational issues locally are matters for Uisce \u00c9ireann which has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level. Contracts and payments are matters for Uisce \u00c9ireann and I have no function.  However, the Minister has made inquiries with Uisce \u00c9ireann on the Deputy\u2019s behalf and has been informed that Uisce \u00c9ireann has contracts in place with its contractors for all works and services provided. These contracts set out the applicable payment terms and processes to be followed. Where a contractor raises a concern regarding payment, Uisce \u00c9ireann will engage directly with the contractor to understand the circumstances and to address the matter in accordance with the relevant contractual arrangements. Responsibility for the payment of subcontractors rests with the principal contractor in line with the terms and conditions of the relevant contract.  Where there are delays with some payments, there can be a number of reasons. Where such matters arise, Uisce \u00c9ireann endeavours to resolve them as quickly as possible once identified. Uisce \u00c9ireann is aware of isolated challenges in the timeliness of purchase requisitions and purchase order receipting. These issues have been escalated and are being dealt with as a priority.  It should also be noted that the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, CRU, was assigned water regulatory functions under section 27 of the Water Services Act 2013. In performing its functions under the Act, CRU has regard to the need to ensure that customers of Uisce \u00c9ireann are provided with the quality of service provided for in its code of practice, water services are provided by Uisce \u00c9ireann in an economical and efficient manner, Uisce \u00c9ireann operates in a commercially viable manner, Uisce \u00c9ireann can meet all reasonable demands for water both current and foreseeable; Uisce \u00c9ireann performs its functions in a manner that will enable the achievement by the State of the environmental objectives of the EU directive, and that Uisce \u00c9ireann performs its functions in an open and transparent manner.  The matters the Deputy raised have been brought to the Minister. He has followed up with inquiries to Uisce \u00c9ireann. I have no doubt the Deputy will elaborate on the point he raised in his supplementary contribution. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Cahill  With delayed payments, interest should be applied to overdue accounts paid to contractors similar to local authorities, utilities and other bodies that have this payment system. Why not Uisce \u00c9ireann? Why should it be allowed to get off scot-free especially with the manner in which it is blackguarding contractors and subcontractors?  It does not pay to provide a 24-7 call-out service without payment. That is an obvious fact. A simple solution would be to put contractors on a monthly drawdown system. That would cut out red tape and delays.  I will throw a spanner in the works. A few months ago, a friend of mine approached me about a quote they received for a 60 m extension to a water main to a single house. They were quoted \u20ac450 per metre. That comes to \u20ac27,000. Think of a 100 m sprint by Usain Bolt and then 60 m of that 100 m. People are flabbergasted by these quotations. People are expected to pay that while contractors are not being paid by Irish Water. They are waiting four months. Uisce \u00c9ireann is well able to charge people, but when it comes to payments it is a totally different story. Contractors and subcontractors are being put through hell and put under enormous financial pressure. This must be addressed and the sooner the better.  I will raise this again and I will put down a vote of no confidence in Uisce \u00c9ireann if there is no progress on this matter. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Kieran O'Donnell  As I said earlier about specific points the Deputy raised, the operation of the public wastewater treatment systems, together with operational issues locally, are matters for Uisce \u00c9ireann, which has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels.  Contracts and payments are matters for Uisce \u00c9ireann and the Minister has no function in this area. However, he has made inquiries with Uisce \u00c9ireann on the Deputy's behalf and was informed that Uisce \u00c9ireann has contracts in place with its contractors for all works and services provided. These contracts set out the applicable payment terms and the processes to be followed. Where a contractor raises a concern regarding payment, Uisce \u00c9ireann will engage directly with the contractor to understand the circumstances and to address the matter in accordance with the relevant contractual arrangements. Responsibility for the payment of subcontractors rests with the principal contractor, in line with the terms and conditions of the relevant contract. Where there are delays with some payments, there can be a number of reasons for these. Where such matters arise, Uisce \u00c9ireann endeavours to resolve them as quickly as possible, once identified. As I said, Uisce \u00c9ireann is aware of isolated challenges in relation to the timeliness of purchase requisitions and purchase order receipting. These issues have been escalated and are being dealt with as a priority.  I have no doubt the Deputy has raised the matter directly with the Minister and will raise it further. His Topical issue will have drawn the attention of the Minister and no doubt will be seen by Uisce \u00c9ireann. The Deputy is representing his constituents on the ground.  Furthermore, the CRU was assigned the water regulatory functions under section 27 of the Water Services Act 2013. In performing those, it has regard to a number of factors including that water services are provided by Uisce \u00c9ireann; that it operates in a commercially viable manner; that it can meet all reasonable demands for water; that it performs its functions in a manner that will enable the achievement by the State of the environmental objectives of that directive; and that it performs its functions in an open and transparent manner.  I expect it is a matter the Deputy will bring up directly with the Minister as well. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Water Services"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_40","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Sports Facilities","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-07-14\/debate\/dbsect_35","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_35","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_40","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charlie McConalogue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charlie-McConalogue.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Charlie-McConalogue.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Colm Burke  The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport provides funding to the FAI on an annual basis. I understand it is more than \u20ac6 million. Can the Minister of State ascertain why 30 acres of land in Glanmire, Cork, which was leased to the FAI by Cork County Council in 2017, has remained idle? What progress has been made by the Department, the FAI and the county council to bring these lands into use for sports activities? Will he make a statement?  I am raising this issue because these lands were purchased by Cork County Council more than 25 years ago, when the Cork-Dublin road was being built, and have been vacant since. In 2013 or 2014, the council decided it would lease these 30 acres to the FAI to build a new facility for the development of soccer in the region. The lease was signed in 2017. It is ten years later and not a sod has been turned.  I got then Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, to come to Glanmire in 2023 where we met 18 of the sports clubs. As a result of that meeting, the FAI started negotiations again with the county council. My understanding is that they came to an agreement that 12.5 acres would go back to the local soccer club, but despite the fact I wrote to the chief executive of the county council on 5 May, and sent a follow-up letter and made a follow-up phone call, I cannot get a reply from the county council about what is proposed for these lands. My understanding is that the FAI does not intend to use them.  Glanmire has a population of more than 20,000. The Minister of State was there recently in Vienna Woods where he met sports organisations to talk about applying for grants. How can they apply for grants if they do not have grounds or planning permission? A Government Department is paying out money to the FAI, which is hoarding this land, and a local authority is sitting on it and not doing anything with it. There are 20,000 people living in Glanmire and 1,000 houses and apartments are being built there at the moment. We have Sarsfields GAA and camogie clubs, Glanmire GAA club, the football club, soccer clubs and rugby clubs. There are a lot of clubs there that do not have adequate access to facilities and there is not even planning permission for the 30 acres.  If it were to start in the morning, it would still be a good 12 months down the road. The Department is still giving out money to the FAI and not calling it to account for getting the land from a Government agency, the local authority, and leaving it to sit idle, while clubs are now refusing to take in new members because they do not have capacity for them. It is time for the Department to step in. There is an athletics club in north Cork which got all the clubs together and they got \u20ac2 million in grants, and rightly so, because they got everyone together. The clubs in Glanmire have tried the same thing and still we are not making any progress on this. In August 2023, then Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, was there. It is now three years later and not one thing has happened in those three years, despite the fact the issue was raised publicly and followed up by me and other public representatives.  The Department can hold the FAI to account in this case. Why has it taken three years to make any progress? Even if it is possible to put it out to clubs for tender, that will take six months and then it will have to go through the planning process. It is time for the Department to intervene and deal with this issue. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charlie McConalogue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charlie-McConalogue.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Charlie-McConalogue.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (Deputy Charlie McConalogue)  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The programme for Government commits to maintaining sports funding to get more people participating in all levels of sport, particularly targeting cohorts in society where there are lower than average participation levels. The Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport: the community sport facilities fund, CSFF, and the large scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. The first allocations under the LSSIF opened in 2018 and were announced in 2020, with \u20ac86.5 million awarded to 33 projects. Additional funding of \u20ac37.5 million was allocated to 27 of these projects in December 2023, bringing the total awarded under that LSSIF round to \u20ac124 million.  Under the 2018 round, announced in 2020, \u20ac2,025,000 was provisionally allocated to the Munster centre of excellence in Glanmire. The proposal involved the development of grass pitches, an Astroturf facility, flood-lighting and dressing rooms.  The Football Association of Ireland wrote to my Department in 2023 stating that it no longer intended to proceed with the LSSIF-funded centre of excellence in Glanmire. According to the FAI, the decision not to proceed with the proposal was due to the fact that the original proposal no longer represented the greatest return on investment for the parties involved. Since then, there have been regular updates from the FAI to my Department including, most recently, an update on the progression of a revised proposal, which will involve University College Cork. In May, the FAI forwarded a draft business case for the revised proposal for a centre of excellence and my Department reverted to the FAI with observations on 21 June. It is anticipated that the final business case will be submitted shortly to my Department. In relation to the site in Glanmire, my Department has been informed that the property has now been leased to Riverstown Football Club by Cork County Council. I also understand that Riverstown Football Club is working with Cork County Council to develop a multisport facility at the site.  Of the total \u20ac297 million allocated under LSSIF to date, \u20ac96 million was awarded to soccer projects that are either directly sponsored by the FAI or incorporate soccer elements. Six projects under the first round of the LSSIF were allocated just under \u20ac12 million. Under the 2024 LSSIF funding announcement, \u20ac84 million was awarded to a further six soccer projects. This includes projects such as Dalymount Park and the Sligo Rovers stadium development. My current focus and that of the Department is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of the LSSIF. This process will inform any decisions regarding the timing of a future round. The community sports facilities fund will also open over the course of the month. The previous round funded over 3,000 projects. Since 2000, \u20ac134 million has been allocated to 259 projects in County Cork under the community sports facilities fund. The most recent round saw \u20ac30 million allocated to 347 sporting projects in Cork. We will now be opening a new round over the course of the summer.  I share the Deputy's desire to ensure this site is put to sporting use very promptly. The information my Department has is that Riverstown FC has a lease with Cork County Council. The club is working with the county council to develop a multisport facility at the site. The FAI is working with University College Cork to put a facility in place with the university as opposed to making a written proposal. I want to see that come to fruition. There is very intensive engagement between them and my Department. We will be insisting that the project is moved on if the funding for it is to be retained. The issue of this site has been raised by Deputy Burke and by Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan previously. I am very happy to work with them to see this particular site at Glanmire made available to the local community for sporting use. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Colm Burke  I am absolutely astonished at that reply. The county council told councillors that it was leasing 12.5 acres to Riverstown FC rather than the full site. What the FAI is telling the Minister is totally different. State agencies, the Minister of State's Department, the county council and the FAI, which gets funding from the Department, are all involved and I cannot get a clear answer. I am getting one answer from the Department, which it is getting from the FAI, and we are getting a different answer from Cork County Council.  This is State land that is lying idle. The population of Glanmire is growing at a phenomenal rate. One thousand new houses are being built. The Minister of State's Department agreed to provide funding to the FAI back in 2017 or 2018. This was never taken up by the FAI. That is not the Department's fault but the FAI was not asked any questions about bringing this land back into use for sporting activities in Glanmire. There are 30 acres lying idle. Not a sod has been turned and no planning application has been made.  We are now getting mixed messages about what is actually going on. I am not happy with this answer. The Minister of State can say that to the FAI. I also ask his Department to get clarification directly from the county council. The Minister of State is involved in developing sports facilities. Most of the population that will use this facility live in the city. There should therefore be a joint approach to developing these lands between the Department, the county council and the city council. We need them. Soccer clubs and GAA clubs are turning people away. Schools are under pressure. Some of the schools down there have over 1,000 students. They have some facilities but not facilities at the scale they would like. I ask that the Department now give priority to this issue. There are 1,000 houses being built. We are collecting planning fees and all sorts of contributions for these developments to go ahead but we are not providing any facilities of any description. Both the Department and the local authorities are guilty of not dealing with this issue. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charlie McConalogue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charlie-McConalogue.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Charlie-McConalogue.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Charlie McConalogue  The objective of the Department of sport is to fund projects to deliver sporting outcomes and increase participation. In my previous response, I outlined the number of projects that have been funded across County Cork. Under the most recent round of the community sports facilities fund, the figure was 347. There have been just over 2,000 over the past 20 years or more.  I will certainly seek clarity on the situation regarding this land. The information I have is that Cork County Council has leased the land to Riverstown Football Club. I will seek further clarity on that. The use of the land is obviously primarily a matter for Cork County Council to decide upon. From our engagement with the FAI, I am clear that the funding that was initially allocated in 2020 is not to be used on this particular site. It is going to be utilised on a different site in conjunction with University College Cork. We are going to facilitate that as long as it happens. We are intensively engaged with the FAI to make sure that funding delivers new football facilities that can be of benefit to people who want to participate in and enjoy football in Cork. We want to see that happen.  I absolutely agree that this site should be used for sporting activity. The information I have is that it is being leased to Riverstown FC, which is working with Cork County Council to develop a multisport facility. I will certainly be following up to clarify the points the Deputy has raised here this evening. Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan has also raised the issue. Everyone within the local area wants to see this land utilised for sporting activity. As Minister of State with responsibility for sport, it is also something I want to see. I will certainly work with the Deputy to do anything we can to see this moved on. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar athl\u00f3 ar 10.58 p.m. go dt\u00ed 9 a.m., D\u00e9 C\u00e9adaoin, an 15 I\u00fail 2026."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The D\u00e1il adjourned at 10.58 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 15 July 2026."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Sports Facilities"}]}}]},"contextDate":"2026-07-14"}]}