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health of women and girls worldwide, a woman or girl is killed by a partner or family member every 10 minutes; in this State: — since 1996, 274 women have died violently ...; — 52 per cent of women have experienced sexual violence in childhood or adulthood; — 35 per cent … their legal teams access to counselling records. We need to end the practice of character references in gender-based violence cases and we need to provide adequacy for victims in the court process. We also need training for judges, gardaí and juries. The domestic violence services

assist them to take the State to court. Obviously, it is ridiculous that people must do that. Of course, once the assessment of need is done, children just move onto other waiting lists for necessary therapies. Unfortunately, there is no legal right in terms of timeframes for access … stops breaking its own law, what we are seeing, in effect, are attempts to water down the law to reduce the legal liability on the State. In reality, we should be expanding that liability by introducing timeframes in respect of therapies as well as for assessments of need

Irish Film Classification Office, IFCO, was transferred to the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and responsibility for the Property Services Regulatory Authority and the Property Services Appeals Board was transferred to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Housing. This is not quite the final element … State-owned facility. The facility will also act as a cornerstone to the State's implementation of the migration pact in 2026, acting as a screening centre and border procedure location, as required under the new EU pact. I will now turn to the criminal legal aid scheme

central co-ordination function through the national anti–money laundering steering committee, which brings together relevant Departments, State agencies and the private sector self-regulatory bodies in the legal and accountancy professions. It also has responsibility for aspects of the relevant legislation, in particular the transposition … jointly launched last week. The assessment is detailed. It includes 20 sectoral risk assessments, 12 of which are in the financial services sector, and in turn provides a basis to help inform our policy, regulatory and operational priorities. This is accompanied by a detailed action plan comprising

tougher, faster and more enforceable international protection system. Communities are under pressure around the country. Services are stretched and the current system is not working for anyone - not for the State, for genuine refugees or for the public, which expects a fair but firm approach. I have said … through a work permit system. Yes, we need quicker decisions and a system where a final refusal actually means a person leaves the State. However, agreeing with these broad aims is not the same as being able to support the Bill in front of us because

this Bill fully delivers on. The Government has a very clear responsibility to ensure that any legislation is legally robust and able to withstand challenge. Deputy Ó Laoghaire rightly stated that at the heart of this are very real concerns about flagrant breaches of international law taking place … allow member states to prohibit the importation of goods from outside the EU for public policy reasons. It is our considered view that there would be huge challenges regarding the effective implementation and enforcement of restrictions on the many types of trade and services. By their nature, trade

thank Deputy O'Callaghan for raising what is one of the most serious issues we face in the public service and in the lives of children with disabilities, namely, access to therapy provision and the process they go through to gain that access. To be clear, the waiting … believe that level of assessment is required - I will be very careful lest people misrepresent what I am saying, as children have a legal entitlement to an assessment of need, which I believe is vital and I will always defend and cherish that right - it is the rigidity

years. The proposed restrictions in the Bill are also inconsistent with the work being undertaken by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation on accelerating infrastructure delivery and the expected report with recommendations on same that is due to be brought to Government shortly … existing wind guidelines. I also have significant concerns that the key measures within the Bill would jeopardise the State's ability to roll-out renewable energy and meet its legally binding targets in that regard. Accordingly, I wish to confirm that the Government proposes a timed amendment

layer of oversight in respect of the child. The welfare and best interests of the child remain paramount throughout the process. Parents are legally represented in such matters and children may be appointed a guardian ad litem to represent the voice of the child in the court setting … feel aggrieved by their interactions with Tusla, including those related to the decision-making process around State care, have access to formal complaints processes. In respect of complaint management across all services, Tusla strives to resolve all complaints via prompt local resolution, in the first instance

people have had their eyes opened to awful things about the world we live in, about the apartheid nature of the Israeli state, about the oppression, displacement and discrimination faced by Palestinians on a daily basis, about the deep depravity of the capitalist, imperialist system we live … sudden, that they could do it. In fact, the ICJ makes no distinction whatsoever between goods and services. This has nothing to do with legality. It is about power. It is about bowing down to US corporations and it is about shamefully bowing down to Donald Trump. Absolute

opening statement, the review of the national development plan sees the largest ever capital investment plan in the history of the State over the period to 2035, with a commitment to invest €275 billion to significantly improve our infrastructure stock. This, in turn, will develop our economy, deliver … remain intact. The suggestion that the number of judicial reviews is falling is not supported by any official data. The Courts Service report for 2024 stated that 241 new cases entered the planning and environmental list and it has now confirmed that 171 new judicial review proceedings commenced

services have been ceased. What are the families to do? It is entirely unsustainable to run any branch of the health service when more than half of the posts are vacant. We are running healthcare professionals ragged trying to cover not only their duties but also those … loss of yet another critical staff member. For the sake of the tens of thousands of children, this Government must comply with its legal obligations to provide assessments within six months. We have to throw out the HSE pay and numbers strategy and deliver a long-term, sustainable

every policy discussion are parents trying to hold things together in a system that is not holding them. This motion is right: the State is failing children with additional educational needs and their families. An upsetting example is how families are treated when they apply for the domiciliary … rejection. They feel abandonment. In Donegal and across the north west, families are carrying even more due to the CDNT network's delayed services, yet this is not reflected in the decisions. Families are carrying everything, and they are being told it is not enough. This is injustice

access them. We are determined to focus on making it easy to access the process. Employees should not be required to have legal representation. I was asked whether an application may be made where the employee is deceased. A person may apply on behalf of that employee, including … insolvency and liquidation. The Government has always sought to ensure that the concerns of the Debenhams workers were heard. The State's welfare employment and training services responded to the needs but also provided that safety net through the Social Insurance Fund for employees to ensure they received

welcome the parents here in the Public Gallery. They are the warriors who have been fighting so hard. They have been fighting, taking legal action and pitching tents outside Leinster House. What are they fighting for? They are fighting for their basic rights and their constitutionally enshrined rights … such an important developmental time in their lives. The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, stated recently in a response that children do not require a diagnosis or an assessment of need to access services. While this is technically true, it shows an extreme lack of understanding

Government and Heritage make - after consultation with the Minister for Health, and with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service, Reform and Digitalisation, - from time to time, by order extend the emergency period for such period as they considered appropriate if they were satisfied … under the Act expired on 1 August 2020, its provisions relating to residential tenancies are effectively spent. It would not be appropriate or legally sound to now use legislation intended to prevent the movement of persons in the interest of public health during a pandemic and to ease

charge, gardaí cannot enforce the road traffic legislation. There may be road markings and so forth but the gardaí do not have legal instruments to enforce the legislation. They can ask people to co-operate in common sense and so forth but they cannot actually enforce the legislation … totally unfair that children do not get a school traffic warden outside their school, a school funded and built by the State with public money, because these areas are not taken in charge. It is not the fault of the child or their family that this can take

cost of building numerous hospitals, MetroLinks, building projects and houses. More than 500,000 family carers in Ireland provide this essential service. Their unpaid work is crucial for the functioning of the healthcare system. This essential work should not be taken for granted. It should be respected, supported … denied the carer's allowance in March this year. This has had a devastating effect on Collette who said: I am legally blind and have Parkinson's disease. She was not just my carer; she went above and beyond to help me. She brought me to appointments

protection, rather than putting the climate under greater pressure and exposing it to greater destruction. I have grown up hearing constantly from the State, activists and farmers that the distance between farm and fork should be short. We should take pride in local produce and we should strive … sector. Traditionally, our local supermarkets, pubs, cafés and businesses were established initially to provide services and products for local people. Many people have been employed in creameries, co-ops and State agencies or as farm labourers and farmers. Those of us who live and have grown

minors and solicitors have not withdrawn their services in cases involving children. All the other cases were adjourned. This is an absolute disaster. It was also reported today that a man has been charged with murder without having access to legal advice during Garda questioning … want to comment on this or any other case before the courts but we should all be aware that being unable to access legal advice in Garda stations could pose very serious problems in subsequent criminal trials. The question for the Government is how long it will allow

actually embarrassed for the Minister of State, to be frank. I remember in 2019 Fianna Fáil jumping up and down on this. It was Fianna Fáil that introduced the concept of this Bill and now here they are with a bit of an occupied territories Bill … this Government whatsoever, be it about trade, football or anything at all. Of our trade with the illegal settlements, 70% is in services according to Trócaire. Yet, due to pressure from US big business and capitalism, the Government has decided to leave that out of the Bill

common travel area, CTA, with a state outside the EU. Our challenges, from managing the CTA to our housing crisis and stretched public services, are specific to us. Yet, this Government has signed up to a one-size-fits-all EU system, ignoring the unanimous cross-party recommendation … cannot allow those decisions to be indirectly shaped by the foreign policy priorities of larger EU states. The Bill and this Government are blind to the fact that the civil legal aid system and Tusla are a breaking point. This Bill will place unbearable new demands on them

these waiting lists. Getting an assessment of need is often critical to accessing supports and services the children need but, even if they do get the assessment of need, the services are not available because of the lack of staffing in CDNTs and CAMHS. The consequence I certainly … housing situation, in overcrowded conditions or in a homeless hub, you cannot even get the services because of the conditions you are living in. I want to highlight for the Minister of State that in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown now – I do not know if this is true elsewhere

wrong that parents must contact their local TDs on this matter. It is even more wrong that parents are compelled to take legal action to ensure that a child's right to an education is met. As we know, 22,000-plus children are waiting for an assessment … battle after battle after battle. It is only a few short months ago that many of these parents rallied across the State in the Save Our SNAs campaign. Their advocacy forced the Government to change course. The Joint Committee on Disability Matters, which I chair, recently published

standards in the European Union ensure our consumers are protected and ensure we have a supply to our market of products and services we know we can rely on. We do not need to see any erosion of that. We know that Trump and his Administration are going … this issue, it will come from inside. My colleague Deputy Gannon will speak to the specific case of USAID, the United States Agency for International Aid, which is storing up trouble for the entire globe. On day one, Trump cut off USAID completely and is shutting down