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overdue assessments in the country. I acknowledge that the State has spent a lot of money on services but the State has also spent about €23 million on legal fees fighting parents in courts and that money could have been put into the front-line services. Groups like … support services it has been difficult to actually get to that. I acknowledge there is a challenge. This legislation will not get any educational psychologists or other psychologists for families in Newcastle or Rathcoole. Others might argue that this Bill is purely a cynical exercise in legal risk

children on warm words. While Governments make announcements, children are waiting. While Ministers make promises, parents are fighting for assessments. While the State is legally required to provide an assessment of need within six months, the HSE said earlier this year that 21,782 children were overdue … aspiration but an enforceable legal obligation. It must not be restarted because an assessment moves from one stage to another. It must not be extended indefinitely because the State has failed to provide the staff and expertise needed to deliver the service. The proposed legislation introduces a significant

accommodation system, public services and administrative capacity. Throughout that period, public servants across multiple Departments, State agencies and local authorities worked intensively to ensure vulnerable individuals, families and children were provided with accommodation and support in accordance with the State’s legal obligations. Their efforts ensured that Ireland … sustainable and better planned model of accommodation provision. For that reason, significant investment has been made in expanding State-owned capacity through the acquisition of Citywest, the refurbishment of State-owned properties and the development of modular accommodation projects. Alongside this, stronger oversight of revised rate card models

away all of the legislative jargon and the Government's spin surrounding this Bill, one question remains: is it going to get additional services for the children who need it? That is not just a concern that has been expressed on these benches. Even some of the Government … waiting more than three months beyond the legal deadline. Those are children whose development is being delayed. Families are living in uncertainty. Parents are forced to fight the State for years to get the services that they are entitled to receive. The crisis cannot be resolved through administrative

statement of 18 September by the European External Action Service expressing concern about the arrests and legal proceedings in Türkiye. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, decided last Tuesday that, in our national capacity, Ireland, along with some EU member states and like-minded countries, would deliver a démarche, which

efficiently. The Bill also advances the Government's digital agenda and improves the efficiency of public service delivery. The law on motor tax, vehicle records and speed limits must reflect how services are now delivered and how road safety decisions are now made. There is also a practical … adjusted later in the Bill. Part 2 deals with the national vehicle and driver file, NVDF, and the Check My Vehicle service. The NVDF is the State's central database for vehicle and driver information. It supports vehicle registration, driver licensing, motor tax, enforcement and road safety

people either to safely return or to move into other legal statuses within a relatively short period. Instead, the Government has agreed to one extension after another, creating unnecessary uncertainty for Ukrainians and pressures on our services and resources. Confidence in the migration system depends on key principles … clear pathway to Irish citizenship for people who are legally resident in the North where they meet the same conditions applied elsewhere on this island, recognising that this nation goes beyond the Twenty-six Counties of this State. People who have lawfully built their lives in Ireland

remain unacceptably high and legal timelines continue to be breached. The State's first duty must be to ensure that children receive assessments and supports when they need them and not years later. The experience of families across Offaly demonstrates that disability services remain under immense pressure. While

permits and student visas, we should take into account our capacity to house and integrate people, as well as the availability of public services. That is an argument for basic planning, something that was clearly missing in recent years. I am looking at the most recent push notification … adequately account for Ireland’s unique status as an EU state sharing a common travel area with a non-EU state. We need better data collection on entry and exit and the urgent pursuit of a legally binding, bilateral agreement with Britain. Irish citizenship is deeply valuable

here every year to talk about the issues with services for children with additional needs and children awaiting an assessment of need. The average waiting time in Cork at the moment is 27 months, notwithstanding the legal requirement that all children should receive their assessments of need … within six months. I spoke to a woman yesterday who had received a letter stating that her child would be waiting 36 months for assessment, which is six times longer than the legally permitted time. Government members come into this Chamber trying to cod the people. They

legal sense. The Government is breaking the law in respect of these children, and despite the assurances the Minister of State and others have provided to us, this has real-life implications. Many of these 634 children are being denied access to other services because their assessment

provisions specifically in section 8, which seek to expand further the functions of the public services card, PSC. This is being done at a time when that very card and the legal underpinning are being called into question in court. The Minister will know that his colleague … least that the card be protected by an up-to-date, state-of-the-art security feature, so that a person may use a virtual PPSN rather than revealing their PPSN; that the public service identity dataset is not used in any way, shape or form for biometric

example from one constituent in Kildare South. It states: We applied for the Assessment of Need in May 2023, we were advised that an assessment would be completed no later than November 2023, as per the legal requirements. However, this did not happen and I went through … vital services like speech and language, occupational therapy and physiotherapy must all be properly resourced. Children must have access to special schools and school places in their local community. Families need certainty from the Government that their child can access an assessment of need and the services they

improve competitiveness. The forum brought together business representative bodies from retail and tourism to agriculture and the multinational sector, alongside Departments and State agencies. It was designed to facilitate a solution-focused dialogue between businesses, policymakers, regulators and experts who have insight into the factors driving the rising … meetings of the forum have taken place since its establishment in June 2025. These focused on insurance costs, regulation and planning, water services, legal costs, regulation and compliance and banking, payments and financial services. The report contains 63 recommendations aimed at reducing business costs, strengthening competitiveness and easing

welcomes legislation that will provide greater protections against strategic lawsuits against public participation, SLAPPs. The judicial system is a foundational pillar of the State and society. As with any such pillar, that there is faith and confidence in its fairness as to how it operates, but also that … brought forward proposals in this regard in relation to jury service and other areas. We welcome the Ministers' and Government's constructive engagement on this. Of course, another such area is the right to legal counsel and while I will not dwell on it today, I appeal

well be a requirement for State services. With many of the people who come into our constituency offices, we tell them that is the easiest way to do it. If what the Department is looking for is a State or national ID, then it should be clear about … interested in making money. There is a better knowledge of GDPR and data privacy. When the State has this information, we need to ensure that it has been obtained legally, is operated correctly and is protected with a sufficient level of security, which I do not think

Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, OPLA, and Muireann Meehan Speed in my office for all their help in preparing it. When grid capacity is limited, as it is at the moment, the delivery of homes, public infrastructure and essential services should be prioritised. This is the simple principle … prioritisation framework Bill. The Government's laissez-faire approach to data centres and other large energy users must end. It is clear the State needs a more strategic approach to allocating scarce grid capacity, as was recommended by the European Commission in December of last year. The urgency

past few years, by 43 per cent since 2020, marking the largest increase in Defence funding in the history of the Irish State; acknowledges that: — the Government is committed to supporting the global multilateral system, to vocally defending international law, particularly international humanitarian law, and human rights … look at this issue as it progresses. The triple lock is the legal mechanism governing the deployment of our Defence Forces on peacekeeping missions. It is not enshrined in our Constitution. It is a legal mechanism that was agreed in this House. To deploy our peacekeepers, our troops

systematic way. This has led, in other jurisdictions, to an inherent distrust of the state holding data on the person, restrictions on the use of that data and stronger legal and constitutional protections for privacy, confidentiality and proper oversight and governance. In the age of information technology … could use the infrastructure of the State to encroach on civil liberties, to target minority populations, for instance, or suppress political dissent. Furthermore, should the data be accessed by unscrupulous actors like hackers, compromised individuals within State bodies or foreign state actors, especially in the age of supercharged

enforced? The Bill preserves agreements between the State and a third country concluded before 6 May 2024. Many agreements on recognising court judgments from non-EU countries are made by the European Union rather than by Ireland. The Minister of State should clarify how these provisions interact with … amendments on Committee Stage, depending on how the Minister of State responds. I suggest there are a number of areas, which we have put a lot of thought into, that the Minister of State might consider. Certainly, we will be putting forward amendments should she not. This legislation

getting it. Worse than that, however, is that parents have had to go to court daily to demand that the State implement what it is legally obliged to do. Hundreds of cases - thousands over the years - have happened. The Government then tried to pull a fast … factor of six, seven or more. We have far too many children waiting for an assessment. Children cannot get access to services. What is really appalling and upsetting for parents, who have to battle for services, is that the assessment does not come and they are told they

accuracy, effectiveness and legal robustness of that system is essential. I welcome the decision to remove the requirement for a paper motor tax disc. It is a sensible modernisation of a system that has changed very little despite the widespread digitalisation of our public services. Most motorists … also ensure that people who are less comfortable using digital services are not left behind as these changes are implemented. I very much welcome the statutory basis being provided for the Check My Vehicle service. This service gives members of the public access to important information and helps

family and GP working together. They make a referral to mental health services because they believe the person meets the criteria to be legally detained under the Act, and there is a legal framework to back it up. A consultant psychiatrist will then determine whether the person reaches … place to put a person because they are homeless. We must be very clear on that. It is about all elements of the State coming together. The Deputy might send me a couple of the cases he mentioned to see if I can be of any help

times of the year, such as Easter and the summer holidays. What is particularly egregious is misuse of the discovery mechanisms of the State. I have seen solicitors misuse these to terrorise victims and keep dragging them back before the courts by disrupting everything they … There are scores of ethical provisions which are ignored by enablers. I have seen one person bring these to the attention of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority, LSRA, and it was completely ignored. Ethical provisions are actually part of the Law Society. A solicitor "Has an overriding duty

welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this Bill, which supports a free press. I thank the Minister of State and her officials for their work. Informed public debate and a free press are fundamental in a modern democratic republic. Our democracy was hard … abusive, award more generous costs and order the plaintiff to pay damages. Section 12 means those findings will be published on the Courts Service website, so the practice carries a reputational cost as well as a financial one. Sections 13 and 14 mean Irish courts will not enforce