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BNPL offers. It is debt built up by people who cannot afford to pay out of their own pocket for a service that the State is legally mandated to provide for their kids. They are getting themselves into debt for a service that they have a lawful entitlement

report in full on its completion. However, I was also clear at the outset that I would seek the advice and expert legal opinion of the Attorney General. I have done that. The Attorney General has determined that it would not be possible to publish the report … Bill updating and modernising the Child Care Act, which provides the foundation for child protection and welfare services in the State. This will strengthen the child protection legal framework and the powers available to Tusla. Key child protection features include the introduction of a duty to co-operate

This motion is about protecting crews, protecting the public, and ensuring that our search and rescue service remains safe and sustainable and is legally compliant. That is why the Minister of State needs to intervene. He must ensure that this practice ends. He must ensure that rostering does … like that of the retained firefighters, who have recognition of their association. This means that when people who have given a lifetime of service are dealing with disciplinary issues, they have a trade union to represent them. That is not the situation at the minute. They need

instead of "and". Both the Department and the Oireachtas Library and Research Service use "and" in their briefing documents. The Bill digest states that "a vape will only be considered reusable, and therefore legal to sell, if it is both rechargeable and refillable (not just … breaking the law by selling vapes to children. Following the passage of the legislation, the HSE's national environmental health service role will increase. Will the service's enforcement capacity and budget for authorised officers be expanded to ensure the ban can be enforced on a national basis

only be enforceable under this new section and only where doing so does not compromise the constitutional order of the State or the autonomy of the EU legal order. That is a significant constitutional safeguard. The Bill also provides for a leap-frog appeal so that any serious … plays to our strengths. We can see that clearly in Dublin, and in the area the Minister of State and I represent, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. Canadian-backed financial services, insurance and asset management firms employ substantial numbers of people in Sandyford and across the wider Dublin area. Canadian

wait for assessments of need. If the Minister of State wants an estimation of just how bad things are, it was reported in The Times Ireland weekend edition that there is now a buy-now-pay-later service being offered for therapies. I have spoken to parents … Minister of State might acquaint herself with this buy-now-pay-later, BNPL, service because I fully intend to raise this every single time. It is disgusting that people would be forced to get into debt for what their children have a legal entitlement to. These companies have

situate the balance, the dynamic and the compassion in healthcare for gender-diverse people. Along with the Minister of State and the Government more broadly, I recognise that gender diversity is absolutely part of the human experience and that gender-diverse people should be respected in their identities … what the Act we are celebrating ten years of does today. They may also explore their gender and socially or legally transition without needing healthcare services. Some people, including children and young people, may experience gender dysphoria, which refers to the psychological distress that results from an incongruence

context of both the State's fiscal position and the broader economic environment was achieved by the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026. Multiyear public service agreements have contributed to stability within our economy by facilitating the delivery of quality public services, ongoing reforms and the maintenance of industrial … peace in the public service. The second principal function of the Bill is to provide a legal basis for expenditure to continue into next year in the period before the Dáil votes on the 2026 Estimates. As set out in the Central Fund (Permanent Provisions

most shameful legacies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government has been the services denied to children with disabilities throughout the State. We are back here tonight with what in many respects is a unique motion before the House. It is unique in a number of ways … Opposition has joined in this call on the Government. The motion simply and uniquely sets out what the law is - that children are legally entitled to an assessment of their health and education needs under the Disability Act. Most unique of all, it is asking the Government

simply does not care. It seems like every day is a fight for these families. Every day they have to fight for various services for their child. If it is not an assessment, it is the therapies. If it is not the therapies, it is a school place … comply with its legal obligations to the assessment-of-need process under the Disability Act 2005. It must have a clear and immediate action plan that gets to grips with the growing waiting lists. The workforce challenges must be addressed. Vital services, such as speech and language therapy

under the appeals panel, led by a senior counsel and with experts from the legal and engineering professions appointed by the Minister under a clear and transparent process managed by the Public Appointments Service. The appeals system is an independent statutory function under the 2022 legislation … begun to issue the terminations to appellants and has accelerated its work in recent weeks. Section 39 of the Act states that: Where it is considers it necessary for the purpose of ensuring fair procedures in the consideration of an appeal, the Appeal Board may require a party

programme for Government that every child in this State deserved timely assessment, timely intervention and the right support to thrive. The Minister of State is just into her new remit. I congratulate her and wish her the best of luck. One of my predecessors sat there … island, including in my constituency, for their children's legal entitlement under the Disability Act. Parents should not have to become full-time advocates just to secure the basics. Therapists should not be left trying to deliver services in the system. I want to acknowledge and thank FUSS

used to support the delivery of a wide range of projects in cities and regions to ensure the delivery of the additional water services capacity required for new housing. Investment in transport will also be critical to unlocking housing. Up to €3.5 billion will be invested in transport … barriers in the planning system, but also those in the legal system, regulation and procurement. We will free-up the private sector to provide homes at much greater scale by providing more zoned and serviced land for housing right across the country. The full implementation of the Planning

technical recording devices in the territory of another state that is party to the convention. This involves a framework of co-operation on the use of technical recording devices, GPS, audio and software in the territory of another party state, including requests after the fact, such as where … have some concerns regarding the expansion of the use of technical recording devices in the territory of other states because it is clearly stretching the interpretation of mutual legal assistance which is generally understood as the sharing of evidence, serving of documents, etc., rather than letting the agents

timeframe in the Disability Act. It does not explain how the Government will achieve this legal obligation of accessing an assessment of need within a six-month period. Will the Minister of State advise how this change will assist these children who are waiting for 27 months … urgent workforce plan to recruit and, more importantly, to retain the staff we have already to deliver this important service without breaching the rights of these children. Every month and every single day that an assessment is delayed impacts children

need. As in other areas, not one child of those 259 has had an assessment completed within the statutory six months. Throughout the State, nine out of every ten children are not having their assessments completed on time. Campaigners such as 15-year-old Cara should not have … time it committed to a timeframe for meeting the legal obligation to provide an assessment within six months, as is the law. It should need to demonstrate how it is going to recruit and retain staff for disability services. We have been in this Chamber before, urging

effectively attempting to address a lot of the gaps we are talking about today and to try to make right the legal inequality for the families we are talking about. It is not just about a child’s right to citizenship or inheritance; it is also about … regard to the surrogacy agreements that are out there now. I hear what the Minister of State is saying with regard to the real concerns about women who provide surrogacy services. There are real concerns about exploitation and all of that and I absolutely stand with the Minister

rates and I thank him for doing so. It is stating the obvious to say that commercial rates are an important contributor to the funding base of any local authority in terms of the provision of services. It is important that we are always aware of the challenges … suite of options already available to local authority to try to support local businesses. Local authorities are using have used this new legal framework since January 2024. Provisions include new rate waiver schemes to be decided by local authority members as part of the annual budget process

deciding to extend the scope of the service, the Minister must have regard to the extent to which demand by borrowers for credit is being met by regulated financial service providers, the importance to borrowers and the economy of the State of particular types of credit provided … million from next March. The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman is also available to assist borrowers who believe they have been mistreated by a regulated financial service provider. The existing Credit Review office has been operating quite effectively on its current legal basis. It is timely to bring

about rostering, and it is not a narrow industrial relations matter. The motion goes to the heart of whether the State is allowing a vital emergency service to operate in a way that is incompatible with the law, that is unfair to workers and that is dangerous … office environment; they are front-line emergency responders and they are work 24-hour shifts because the public needs a 24-hour service. Let us put some facts on the record. A standard 24-hour search and rescue shift includes six crew. Two duty engineers are recorded

That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the Irish Coast Guard's search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service serves a vital role in saving lives at sea and supporting emergency responses across the State; — SAR air crews are required to work 24-hour shifts, yet these shifts are being recorded … McGuinness, I have met with SAR crew members from across the State. Those meetings have been detailed, honest and deeply concerning. The crews spoke with one voice. They are dedicated to the job, proud of service and worried about where this is leading. They described a steady erosion

supported by the work of the accelerating infrastructure task force, this morning, with Government colleagues including me, the Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, published a plan which will include extensive regulatory reforms aimed at accelerating the delivery of critical infrastructure. Today's plan provides … maintain our competitive position in an ever uncertain world. They are also necessary to support our citizens with top class public services, job security, access to housing and all other facilities necessary to enjoy the stability and good quality of life we are all entitled to expect

have enough to be doing to support and parent their child without having to be activists to be able to get the basic legal entitlement for an assessment of need for their child. Parents are exhausted and they feel ignored. They are disappointed and desperate. I have said … people get it? Families have no choice but to access private services. Some parents are able to handle financial cost and others parents are not. Why should they have to pay for a service that the State is, by law, supposed to be providing? The system is broken

significant number of safeguards have been secured. That is contrary to what was there a year ago. They are taking the form of legal instruments that the Commission has committed to. We succeeded in securing the nitrates derogation. It is a significant advancement that we now have that … initiative under Mercosur would allow 99,000 of those to be brought in under a reduced tariff preference. The Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, spoke about the wider issues around Mercosur. All trade agreements bring benefits and losses. There is no heresy in saying that. The Canada

children with international protection applicants who are unaccompanied minors. This is a real child safeguarding issue. My concern is that it appears two State agencies - Tusla and the Department of justice - are somewhat at loggerheads and in dispute. Some weeks after the appearance of Tusla before the Committee … acknowledged that as a matter of law - the laws that have been passed in the Dáil, Seanad and Houses of the Oireachtas - the legal responsibility for carrying out age verification is, in fact, vested in the Department of justice and the Minister for justice. It has been

requests to intermediary service providers established in the State which resulted in the removal, restriction, downranking, or other limitation of access to content originating in the United States; to provide details of the number of such cases, the type of measure applied, the legal basis invoked, and whether

providers of intermediary services requiring the removal or disabling of access to specific content, and the downranking, limitation of visibility or other forms of algorithmic suppression of content; the Member State of establishment or other country of origin of each provider concerned; the legal basis and nature … full or in part by the provider; and the number of such orders which were issued following a request from another Digital Services Coordinator or the European Commission, and have been communicated to other Digital Services Coordinators or the European Commission; and if he will make a statement

Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the legal basis under which tram drivers operate on public roads; if tram drivers are required to hold a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence or any other form of licence recognised under State law when operating trams on public roads