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country we are told is rich, yet which cannot provide the most basic protection when a life may depend on it? That should shame us all. Women's Aid recorded over 62,000 disclosures of domestic abuse last year, the highest number in its history. It recorded over … disclosures involving coercive control. We know abuse does not end when relationships end, with almost one in three women seeking support reporting abuse by a former partner. This is happening in every county, city and community in Ireland. While I welcome proposals being examined to allow gardaí

their intimate partner, ensuring stronger protection for children. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences, Domestic Violence and International Instruments) Bill 2025 will strengthen the legislation around consent and the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 will restrict the disclosure of counselling records in sexual offence

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 … 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 Síochána to proactively disclose a violent offender's history

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 … 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

Productivity; — a range of protections are in place for customers experiencing difficulties in paying their bills, including through the Department of Social Protection, who can provide support through the Additional Needs Payment, to help households meet expenses, including those who face difficulties with fuel bills; — a record capital … empty container, and the return rate of nearly 77 per cent shows that this is working; — under the EU accounting framework, reporting and disclosure obligations are determined primarily by the size of a company, with different requirements applying to micro-, small-, medium-sized and large undertakings, reflecting

throughout Europe. When we want to put all those frameworks in place, we need to have the mechanisms to prosecute perpetrators and protect women and to make sure there are enough domestic violence refuge spaces. I am sure previous speakers mentioned that already. Speaking last week … Ireland in recent years. Recently discussed in this Chamber was Women's Aid. Its report from 2025 said there were 62,275 disclosures of abuse, of which 4,755 involved children. We need to make sure any woman who needs a refuge space has it. I will

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if the provisions introduced by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, which amended the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, can be applied or implemented retrospectively in respect of protected disclosures made before

Flynn asked the Minister for Health in cases in which correspondence addressed to the Minister is considered capable of constituting a protected disclosure, but the Department states that the material was not viewed prior to its transmission to the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner, the person … body responsible for determining that the correspondence should be treated as a potential protected disclosure and transmitted accordingly; the procedures which govern that assessment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53827/26

Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the reason the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner applies S.I. No. 367/2020, Prescribed Persons for the bodies responsible for safeguarding and not S.I. No. 233/2025, aligning them with the primary Protected Disclosures

Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether, pending completion of the statutory review of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (as amended), his Department has assessed whether reporting persons whose disclosures are currently being processed may be affected by administrative practices