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post or electronically. It defines valid email and phone contact points, explains the use of a secure online portal and states when a service is legally deemed completed. Is the Minister of State satisfied the section does not potentially create a problem whereby documents might be deemed served

Bill is to prohibit the importation of goods into the State from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, in line with the programme for Government commitment. Legally, the regulation of external trade in services is considerably more complex than is the case with goods at EU level … permissible under EU law. The advice, which is detailed and extensive, identifies a number of significant legal and practical issues with the regulation by a member state of trade in services with a country or territory outside the European Union. Following detailed consideration by officials in the Department

inserting a reference to these "legal counselling" services into section 26 of the Bill. Such "free" legal services would have to be provided at the expense of the State. It needs to be understood that the amendments must be ruled out of order in accordance with Standing Order

services and should be enacted before the end of the year. We are two months on and the Government is just kicking the can down the road trying to avoid taking action. The Minister of State made the point about all these other countries having different legal frameworks … argument has also been that the problem here is European law. European law applies equally to all European countries. If we cannot do services in Ireland because of European law, it cannot be done in Spain either

spoken about legal regression, and we cannot have that, but how are we going to define who can give such advice within this State? Can I, as a TD? Will it be civil society through citizens information? Is this where we are going or, as Deputy Gannon … this country for translation services. We do not have it and I think it is actually going to cause a lot of legal issues in cases in the years to come. How are we going to ensure that the standard stated in the regulations is met? Will

other words, it should be stated that the Minister will not enact legislation until he can be assured that he can implement it and that the resources allocated for the purpose of implementing the Bill, including staffing levels, accommodation capacity, interpretation services, legal assistance provision and IT systems … functions assigned to them under the Act. This should be an assurance the Minister would be happy to include in legislation. He should state that he would not enact it until he can be assured of this. I am sure other members of the committee will tell

will read the note for the Deputy. It states: "Amendment No. 6 would insert a new definition for legal counselling, a term used later in the Bill, but this definition would provide that such services be provided to persons without charge to the applicant, irrespective of a person

Attorney General's advice changed? What legally has changed? The ICJ decision that all states must abstain from entering into economic and trade dealings and prevent trade or investment relations with Israel stands. That was the basis on which the previous … advice of the Attorney General was made. In the previous advice of the Attorney General, he made no distinction between goods and services because legally in international law there is no distinction between trade in goods and services. Instead, he made the point that it would

State is not capable of delivering because it leads to more dysfunction and public mistrust. There are deep concerns about the impact on the civil legal aid scheme and Tusla, both of which are already stretched. If the Government expands legal and procedural obligations without resourcing these services … support the asylum and migration management regulation, which determines responsibility and allows applications to be processed in the correct member state, supporting a fairer sharing of responsibility. That makes sense. We support participation in Eurodac to improve consistent access to appropriate biometric data to support vetting and checks

together business representative groups, Government Departments, State agencies and regulators to discuss a series of agreed thematic areas, such as energy, insurance, infrastructure and planning and legal costs. It is advancing further work on regulatory costs and payment, banking and financial services. Its objective is to identify practical

employer and employee. The HSE authorisation scheme for the provision of home support services is the formal tendering mechanism the HSE uses to approve and contract providers that are eligible to deliver State-funded home support. Only providers admitted to this scheme can receive HSE funding for hours … clarity, the Minister for Health does not have an operational role in individual staffing matters. These responsibilities rest with employers, which are legally established separate entities. The Minister’s functions concern national policy, legislation, budgetary allocations and oversight of the health system as a whole. The matter

languages can work as an interpreter in the courts, healthcare settings and other public institutions. Without reliable interpreting services, language barriers can hinder everything from healthcare and education to legal processes and community integration. We need a strong legislative framework that underpins and regulates this crucial provision … parents. This issue has been raised for decades. In 2008, the then Minister of State with responsibility for integration, Conor Lenihan, published a report, Developing Quality, Cost Effective Interpreting and Translation Services in Ireland. The report addressed the lack of regulation in Ireland's translation and interpreting sectors

Energy Costs and Security of Supply; — Insurance Costs; — Planning and Infrastructural Delivery; and — Water Services and Wastewater; — there are a number of remaining meetings scheduled for Q1 2026, and these will focus on legal costs and regulation, reporting and compliance; — the Forum is in the process of drafting … Government in July 2025. This represents the largest single investment in the country's electricity network in the history of the State. A record capital allocation of €640 million has been provided for SEAI’s residential and community energy upgrade schemes this year. A further record allocation

advisory forum took place in June. Numerous organisations representing Ireland’s enterprise sector, including SMEs, were joined by officials from a variety of State agencies and Government Departments. The second meeting, which was the forum’s first thematic meeting, took place in July and focused on energy costs … insurance costs in August, a meeting on regulation and planning in September, November’s meeting focused on water services, the meeting in January of this year focused on legal costs, and a meeting on tax reporting and compliance took place yesterday. The forum has met regularly over

This included an enhanced package of health services and supports for those who wish to engage in education and training and access to advocacy supports through a new independent advocacy service. Work is well under way on putting these services and supports in place. I appreciate that there … further improvements to these services. These include strengthened access to health services for survivors of industrial and reformatory schools through the appointment of dedicated health liaison officers and better access to counselling and physiotherapy services. Work is already under way to put these services in place. The Government

That statement was merely stating the fact that the reports were not legally binding, but it is essential that we respond to the findings and work in accordance with the ECSR. That is something we are committed to. We have responded to many of the issues raised since … Defence Forces are compensated for additional or irregular hours through allowances and structured systems of compensatory rest. In addition, a pensionable military service allowance, which is designed to compensate for the special disadvantages associated with military life, such as the long and unsociable hours that many

from RTÉ was on "Morning Ireland" earlier. He stated that workers are now voting no-confidence in the management of RTÉ, although they are really pointing through that to Government policy. Essentially, the ability of RTÉ to produce public service broadcasting is being dismantled. They are absolutely right … wary of the legal risks involved. They might not have resources necessary to make them even if they wanted to, so the stuff that we need our public service broadcaster to do will just not happen. Under the guise of reforming RTÉ, the public service broadcaster

only the legal route to pursue his losses. Others will not be insured again having received a payout. These are real people with real stories. In the absence of flood schemes insurance protection gaps in flood prone areas have developed. I ask the Minister of State … with the insurance industry and relevant stakeholders. I would also like to be associated with the Minister of State's words of praise for all of the emergency services

Bill could hinder and not help in delivering. The Government has concerns regarding the Bill's potential impact on the ability of the State to seek value for money in providing critical infrastructure and that it would increase the level of bureaucracy and complication in the public tendering … services, adding undue weight to quality, adding undue burdens for SMEs, potentially reducing the numbers of bidders, and overlooking that quality may also be addressed in selection criteria and technical specifications. The European Commission’s focus regarding procurement is on the simplification of the current complex legal code

Four other EU states have expressed an interest, desire or commitment or have started the process following the Irish Government's commitment to do this in the programme for Government. I have discussed it with ministers at European Council level. Slovenia has a different legal system which does … goods alone. Let us be clear that Spain, using a different legal situation that did not need primary legislation as we do, was able to implement the ban on goods and also on the advertisement of services. That important distinction has not yet been made in this Chamber

required to take concrete measures to ensure the quality of the interpretation and translation services. However, the article does not mandate member states to establish a register. The Minister has been advised that there are no plans at present to create such a register. Where the court … trial, it may direct that the interpreter be replaced. The Minister has been advised by the Courts Service that on the rare occasion where an issue arises, defendants, with their legal representatives, can and do have the entitlement to inform the court that a defendant cannot follow proceedings

adoption across enterprise, the public sector, research and academia. It also includes targeted measures to improve public services and strengthen our health service. The 85 recommendations in the committee's report naturally cut across the work of many Departments. I will focus specifically on some … regulation, it is directly applicable and binding to all EU member states and ensures uniform rules for artificial intelligence to be applied across the EU. That said, the Act also imposes obligations on member states that require national implementing measures, including establishing a regulatory regime to supervise

reconciliation in a post-conflict society. By stopping normal legal routes and offering conditional immunity to those who caused harm, we deny the dignity and humanity of victims. Dr. Sandra Peake, CEO of the WAVE Trauma Centre, stated at a recent meeting of the Good Friday Agreement committee … bereaved. The state was in effect saying those who had died no longer mattered and their cases were no longer of concern to the state. In an 18-month period, her organisation received over 1,000 new referrals from those bereaved who had not accessed services previously. While

necessary quality standards. I have presented an example of where that did not happen. There is a line in the directive that member states must endeavour to establish registers of interpreters and translators. This is something that is best practice, which professional linguists and people such as Professor … have accredited, university-level courses for legal interpreters. We need a regulatory body and a register. We need for longer trials to have two competent interpreters. The UK has a new qualifications framework and a contract for spoken language services that was tendered in autumn 2024. We need

sharing incidents like this online and to allow everyone to investigate it. I thank first responders, An Garda Síochána, the ambulance service and the Order of Malta from Fairview and Marino, who I have in with me today. I thank them for all they do, for how they … reviewed and made more accurate to current driving conditions with the three-point turn. I do not know if the Minister of State ever reversed around a corner but I had to do it for the test and I have not done it since. We still have delays

cyber-attack on the health service have accepted the offer of compensation; if the number of persons taking legal action has increased following publicity around the compensation offer; the number of persons currently taking legal action against the State as a result of the cyber attack

Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 1018 and 1019 of 20 January 2026, if she will clarify the way in which the State's public-protection obligations are met where CORU has confirmed it regulates individual fitness to practise only and has no statutory remit to examine systemic … across multiple practitioners or services; whether consideration has been given to introducing a statutory function within CORU, or an alternative regulatory body, to examine organisational ethical environments where professional judgement may be compromised; and if she will provide the policy rationale and legal advice underpinning her decision that