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both goods and services, on another state. We can do the same again. Indeed, it is even easier now because the EU-Israel Association Agreement means we must, by law, differentiate between goods and services from Israel and goods and services from the occupied territories. The Government … other argument is that there is a legal impediment. We have heard that argument shattered again and again today. We have already seen the legal advice that supports the inclusion of services. The Government has simply chosen to recreate legal opinions to support its political decision

they have to recognise that two states exist. Here at home, we are working on advancing the occupied Palestinian territories Bill. Regarding services, I will keep saying that I do not have a policy difference with people who want to include services. I want to make sure that … does not fall at the first legal hurdle. I am happy to be challenged and to be proven wrong at the Oireachtas foreign affairs committee about this issue. I want to work constructively with Deputies on this. I am working constructively with Senator Black. We will forward that

this State learned anything? Tomorrow we will have a debate in this House on whistleblowers. When we speak about people working in our health service raising legitimate concerns and then the possibility of facing repercussions, what is that telling the staff in our health service? My colleague, Deputy … Sherlock, also referenced the legal basis of the Minister's new recruitment sanction controls. This exposes the fundamental contradiction in the Government's approach. The Minister cannot demand that hospitals improve patient flow while restricting recruitment. There are serious issues in our health service, but I emphasise

Courts Service to support wards of court and the committees for the wards and to ensure that they are provided with accurate, reliable information on exiting the wardship regime. This year, all wards of court have been granted legal aid certificates and have legal representation, which is really … avoid legal uncertainty for the large number of wards who will not receive a capacity declaration before the deadline. Without such amendments, the legal uncertainty that would arise for these wards could create complications with important matters, such as their care and treatment, provision of services and placement

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

accept that is the current legal position. However, a shareholder does have influence. Every shareholder has influence and the Government of Ireland should have influence over An Post. The idea that the company is a semi-State body but yet the State has zero influence on it makes … sense. Talk to my constituents before their services are uprooted. I hope the Minister of State will relay this to the Minister and that he, in turn, will relay it to An Post. An Post needs to speak to my constituents. I simply do not accept that

with the Minister or her predecessor. The issue here is in relation to a category of people who were acting in the service of the State. They were supporting the Defence Forces in terms of maintenance of aircraft. As the Air Corps Chemical Abuse Survivors group outlined, there … potential premature deaths. Clearly, we need to get to the bottom of that. I am not asking for an update on the legal side, although I think there are issues in relation to the State Claims Agency's approach. What I am asking for is what the Minister

that records relating to family complaints were not being documented. RTÉ revealed that Emeis was plámásing families with tales that it would improve services but nothing in practice was changing. I am particularly taken by this quote from the CEO of Emeis: "Our jobs are profoundly human. Each … given a legal right of entry and permitted to investigate concerns unannounced at any time, and where management and corporate leadership make decisions that lead to poor-quality care and the loss of the health or life of residents in the care of services they are responsible

issues regarding GDPR and data protection which still need to be resolved and those services put in place. I want to raise the issue of online community safety and ensuring that legal protections are in place for people in the area of, for example, catfishing. I ask that … question on the back of an issue raised by a local constituent with the Minister's Department which stated there are protections in place. When the person took the parliamentary reply to the local Garda station, gardaí said they could not work with it. There is a need

regarding the Act for people impacted as well as for their families and for services. The Act itself has also brought a lot of conflict between the parents of adults with disabilities and service providers and others such as financial institutions. In relation to wardship … people to understand the discharge process, the lack of legal professionals available to navigate the process and, most notably, the lack of resources made available to the key bodies in addressing these issues in the Decision Support Service, Legal Aid Board and National Advocacy Service. An information campaign

transport system in Wicklow and Wexford. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman - To discuss reform of the Taxsaver commuter ticket scheme to include shared mobility services. Deputy Marie Sherlock - To discuss the use of periodic payment orders in the courts. Deputy John Connolly - To discuss the provision of appropriate public … McGrath and Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss the State acquiring the Bessborough site in Cork city to provide a memorial. Deputies Gary Gannon, Ruairí Ó Murchú· - To discuss issues being created in the courts system by the new legal aid model. Deputies Ciarán Ahern, Seán Crowe, Paul Murphy

Minister of State to provide an update on the progress of the establishment of a new autism assessment service. We all know about the issue that exists. We are talking about more than 20,000 on the assessment of need waiting lists, many of them over … months in which that should be provided legally. There are a huge number of parents out there who can get neither an assessment nor the therapies their child requires. We really need to solve this for the parents out there

engaged proactively with the financial sector, including banks and insurance companies, on the interaction of the DCB scheme with their services. Banks and insurance companies have clearly stated that homes certified as being remediated under the DCB scheme will be treated in the same manner as all other … Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, BPFI, chairs a forum which brings together various stakeholders including the banking industry, engineers, construction, insurance and the legal sector. Department officials keep in regular contact with the BPFI and recently presented to this forum. The Department stands ready to assist

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

time to look at what can be done. We need to properly resource the Legal Aid Board. I was at a justice committee meeting last week and we heard how under pressure the Legal Aid Board is at the moment and how much pressure it is going … place for the National Advocacy Service and the Decision Support Service. A part of this Bill that I have a personal opinion on, because it affects me on a personal basis, is the ability to make advance healthcare directives. The Minister of State will be aware that

proportionate and aligns with the EU principles of openness, fairness and transparency. With all State contracts, each bidder in the procurement process must sign a statement confirming that if it is awarded any service contract, it will in the performance of that contract comply with all applicable obligations … comply with their legal obligations. We have national rules governing public procurement that must comply with EU requirements, as I said earlier. It is important also to note that employment law and its enforcement, both public and private, is a matter for the State authorities including

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

Minister of State to consider that local authorities must be supported to provide priority accommodation for victims fleeing life-threatening situations, an emergency flee fund must be introduced to allow people to set up new lives and shelters must have access to emergency medical services and local … Sinn Féin has submitted to the civil legal aid review that the €18,000 threshold for legal aid remains far too low. Additionally, while the Irish courts refer convicted domestic abusers to rehabilitation programmes, there is no obligation on them to complete them. Only

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

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

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

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

additional needs. To be honest, the situation got worse and worse between 2001 and my election in 2020. Access to therapeutic supports and services has deteriorated to such an extent that children in Dublin 15 are waiting over 72 months for an assessment of need. That … need a review to report to ensure it is sorted out. In fact, the Government, as the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, knows, has a legal requirement to carry out these assessments but this Government and previous Governments have consistently broken the law. I welcome the work

psychiatric facility because they may have been using either a legal or illegal substance, and at the very moment they were in crisis or seeking to deal with their addiction, they found that both services, addiction and mental health, were often citing their other diagnosis as a barrier … somebody into a service and there is opportunity to make good progress, it should not be missed." The idea of catching somebody as they are falling is really important. I watched the debate on this in the Seanad very closely. The Minister of State was very strong

staff for the prison and probation services next year. There is also an allocation of €123 million - up €27 million - to allow for full restoration of criminal legal aid fees in 2026 in conjunction with systemic reform of the criminal legal aid system. Specifically in respect … Also, with regard to the Courts Service, I have secured increased funding of €10.7 million. This will allow for the appointment of 20 additional judges. I am also pleased that I have been able to provide increased funding for the Free Legal Advice Centres of 50% on last