I welcome Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Mary Butler, and thank her for being here. Is é an chéad cainteoir anois ná an Seanadóir Fiona O'Loughlin. Tá ceithre nóiméad aici. Gabhaim buíochas léi.

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I appreciate this is outside of her remit and I am disappointed that the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, is not here. His mother is from just outside the area in Kildare, so he has a knowledge of the area. I do appreciate that Deputy Butler is here. The Minister of State has indeed heard me speak often about the Curragh, and about the mythology and the folklore that is associated with it. In particular, I have spoken about Brigid and, of course, we have Brigid 1500 this year, as well as our new national bank holiday in honour of a woman, which is a great thing. It is one that we all get to celebrate.

The Curragh is absolutely the jewel in the Kildare crown. We Lilywhites are very proud of it. It is a 5,000 acre piece of land that is under the care and protection of the Department of Defence. The Army base there is very much a part of the Curragh and of Kildare. It is considered to be the oldest and most extensive tract of land in Europe. It provides the setting for one of Ireland’s most significant prehistoric landscapes.

The Curragh is also home to the racing industry. While we have the Curragh racecourse, we also have many trainers and breeders right beside the Curragh. It is something that we feel very strongly about. The unique flora and fauna are also something we feel strongly about, and we have to do everything in our power to protect the Curragh heritage and ecological value. We must ensure that we are utilising it to its full potential. It provides a great amenity area for people in the locality to come to walk, enjoy the fresh air and get to experience the Curragh. It is also of great importance from an archaeological point of view. Local people have a great respect for it and, for this reason, it should have the highest level of protection while at the same time affording the opportunity for people - local, national and international, to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

For several years, there has been an issue with illegal encampments and illegal dumping. They completely take away from the beauty of the Curragh for those who wish to use it daily. Only last week, the fourth and fifth greens in the Cill Dara Golf Club were ruined. It is going to take thousands of euro to put them back to their proper state. Every year, Kildare County Council pays millions taking the waste away afterwards. It is beyond time we do something about this. The gardaí are doing their best, but they are stymied. We need new by-laws for the Department of Defence. I have been in touch with the Tánaiste’s office to organise a meeting on this.

Kildare County Council and the Department of Defence have appointed the Paul Hogarth Company, together with other specialist consultants, to undertake a conservation management plan and a branding, wayfinding and interpretation plan for the Curragh Plains. This is really important and we want to see progress on this. The Tánaiste has said that he is prepared to sit down, and we need Minister of State, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, to sit down also. All of us who are familiar with and look on the Curragh as a jewel, need to see action taking place in all of these areas.

There is no better advocate for the Curragh than my good friend and colleague, Senator O’Loughlin, whom I thank for raising this matter. We hear so much about the Curragh on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. It is fantastic to hear the Senator advocate so well for Kildare’s jewel in the crown, as she put it.

The Curragh’s unique area of approximately 5,000 acres of predominantly lowland acid grassland, succeeding to dry heath in areas which has been unploughed, unfertilised and grazed for hundreds or even thousands of years. The management of the area has resulted in nationally important populations of rare fungi, only found in ancient undisturbed grasslands. Golden plover and lapwing utilise the open expanses of the site in winter, and skylark and meadow pipit are found breeding in ungrazed areas of the site. There are breeding peregrine falcon sites adjacent that hunt over the Curragh. The flora and fauna offer something to behold.

The glacially deposited overburden above the limestone bedrock geology is very thick and forms the mid-Kildare or Curragh Aquifer that in turn, provides the principal discharges supplying the nearby Pollardstown Fen SAC. The Curragh Plains is of course also a working environment, as Senator O'Loughlin has said, for the Defence Forces. The site is vested in the Department of Defence under the Curragh of Kildare Act 1961 and 1969, with leases and licences to various other bodies and organisations. I am aware that the Department of Defence in collaboration with Kildare County Council, underwent a public consultation on the future management and development of the Curragh Plains in 2021 and 2022.

The basic designation for wildlife in Ireland is the natural heritage area. These are areas which are considered important for the habitats present or which hold species of plants and animals whose habitat needs protection. The Curragh in County Kildare, site code 000392, is one such of these proposed natural heritage areas. There are 632 proposed natural heritage areas, including the Curragh. While a review of these sites is foreseen, the current focus of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is on fulfilling Ireland’s obligations under the EU habitats and birds directives and the designation of Natura 2000 sites, that is specific areas of conservation and specific protection areas. Although proposed natural heritage area sites are not subject to the protection provisions of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000, it is really important to note that they may be recognised in local authority development plans, as the Curragh is in the Kildare county plan.

I will conclude by touching on what was said about illegal encampments. Illegal dumping is an absolute blight on all communities and all beautiful wooded areas like the Curragh all over the country. It is a huge issue. It is frustrating at times that local authorities have to spend such amounts of money on cleaning up. I am disappointed to hear that the fourth and fifth greens in the golf club were destroyed at a huge cost. At a time when we are encouraging people to get out, be active and do the best for their own well-being and mental health, it is absolutely abhorrent to see behaviour like that.

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I should also say that when a group of 40 caravans came on Sunday, the neighbouring guesthouse had to cancel all its bookings. People's livelihoods are being impacted. Yesterday, I called for a wider debate about illegal encampments, and not just in the Curragh. They happen across Kildare and every county. I think it is beyond time that we need to do something about it.

In relation to the response that the Minister of State has given, while I acknowledge that the Curragh is included as a proposed natural heritage area along with 631 others, there seems to be no urgency to this. The Minister of State said that "a review of these sites is foreseen", but that is just putting it off ad infinitum . I ask the Minister of State to bring a message back to the Minister, whom she is representing here this morning, that we cannot afford to wait.

I thank the Senator. I will bring her comments back to the Minister, specifically her belief that there is no urgency and her request for a timeline in relation to the review of these sites that is foreseen. It is important that all the facets of the State come together. I am confident that the Department of Defence, together with Kildare County Council, will continue to work towards addressing the many challenges involved in managing and developing the Curragh Plains and ensuring best practice for the future management and development of the plains. The National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of housing will continue to provide all supports needed to ensure the protection of the important habitats and species at the site.

I dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Butler, as teacht anseo, cé nach bhfuil an t-ábhar seo ina Roinn féin. Táim an bhuíoch di go bhfuil sí anseo chun freagra a thabhairt dúinn. Baineann an cheist atá agam inniu leis an nGaeloideachas, go háirithe i mo cheantar féin i gCoill na Silíní. Is rud an-thábhachtach ar fad é an ceart atá ag daoine oideachas a fháil trí mheán na Gaeilge. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil an-fhás tagtha ar Ghaelscoileanna ar fud na tíre le blianta anuas. Cé go bhfuil níos mó Gaelscoileanna ann, níl na Gaelcholáistí ann i roinnt ceantar sa tír do na leanaí atá ag dul ón mbunscoil go dtí an mheánscoil, go sonrach i gCoill na Silíní. In Cherrywood, in my own constituency, we have lots of Gaelscoileanna and lots of enthusiasm for Gaeloideachas among people who are availing of their right to be educated through Irish. However, they do not have places to go when they go to secondary school. Tá an t-ádh orainn go bhfuil dhá Ghaelcholáiste iontacha sa cheantar againn: Coláiste Íosagáin agus Coláiste Eoin. Tá an t-ádh orainn go bhfuil siad ann. Ag an am céanna, níl a dhóthain spásanna sna Gaelcholáistí do dhaltaí gach Gaelscoile chun freastal ar na Gaelcholáistí sin.

There is a problem with the way the Department manages the transition from primary school to secondary school, particularly when it is about Gaeloideachas . For example, the two Gaelcholáistí I have mentioned, Coláiste Íosagáin and Coláiste Eoin, do not necessarily take students from Gaelscoileanna first. In fact, parents tell me that in some instances they would be better off taking their child out of the local Gaelscoil - I am not referring to Scoil Lorcáin because it is a feeder school but to Gaelscoil Laighean, which used to be in Deansgrange and has now thankfully moved to a permanent site in Mount Anville - and putting them into a local English-language school to get access to the Gaelcholáistí in question. Ní féidir linn baint a bheith againn leis an mhéid sin.

Go háirithe agus go sonrach i gCoill na Silíní, tá suíomh ann. There is a site available in Cherrywood with planning permission for a secondary school. I do not understand why the Department has not moved forward to identify what school is going to be built on that site. Everything is ready to go. There is a huge demand for a Gaelcholáiste in the area, there is a movement behind the idea that there would be a Gaelcholáiste, the permission is there and it is ready to be built. For some reason, there has been a delay in this process. Fiú go bhfuil daoine ann a bhfuil ag iarraidh Gaelcholáiste a bheith ar fáil dá bpáistí, níl an Gaelcholáiste ann.

In terms of the process for deciding the patronage of that school, it is very difficult to decide who should actually make that decision because na limistéir atá ar na ceantair oideachais, the educational catchment areas, are bizarre. It is very difficult to understand exactly where they begin and end because they do not follow any other area. There might be parents i gCoill na Silíní, Cherrywood, which is at the end of a Luas line. Parents who live right along the Luas line could very easily send their children to a secondary school in Cherrywood even though they live way outside the area.

Maidir leis an gceist sin ar phátrúnacht na nGaelcholáistí, ba cheart go mbeidh slí dhifriúil ann chun cinneadh a dhéanamh ar an gcineál pátrúnachta a bheadh ag an nGaelcholáiste sin. When we are dealing with a Gaelcholáiste, there has to be a different system for choosing how parents get to vote on whether that school is an Irish-language school. Mura ndéanfaidh an Roinn é sin, beidh fadhb ag na tuismitheoirí agus na páistí i mo cheantar féin mura bhfuil siad in ann dul go dtí Gaelcholáiste.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as ucht an cheist a ardú mar go dtugann sé deis dom an cás mar atá sé faoi láthair a shoiléiriú i dtaca le soláthar iarbhunoideachais i gCoill na Silíní. I would like to thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley, to clarify the current position relating to post-primary school provision in Cherrywood.

In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The Department uses a geographical information system that uses data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit data and school enrolment data to identify where the pressures for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.

Major new residential developments have the potential to significantly impact the demand for school places at a local level. In that regard, as part of the demographic demand analysis, the Department factors in planning and construction activity in the residential sector. This involves the analysis of data sources from local authorities and the CSO along with proactive engagement with local authorities. In this way, up-to-date information on significant new residential developments is obtained and factored into the demographic analysis exercise. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes at a local level, where there is a constantly evolving picture with planned new residential development.

The planned establishment of a new post-primary school in 2021 to specifically serve the Cherrywood SDZ, which is in the Sallynoggin, Killiney, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown school planning area, was announced in 2018 as a result of a countrywide demographic exercise.

The announcement also provided for the establishment of two new primary schools to serve the Cherrywood SDZ area specifically. One of these two primary schools was designated as an Irish-medium Gaelscoil. Further analysis has since been conducted on the necessity for the establishment of the planned new schools, taking into account a number of factors, including the pace of delivery of the expected additional residential development in the Cherrywood area, associated enrolments and the capacity in existing schools in the school-planning area. The Department is satisfied that existing demand can be accommodated at present by the existing and growing schools in the school-planning area. As a result, the establishment of the planned new post-primary school and Irish-medium primary school has been deferred.

Since 2011, new arrangements have been put in place for the establishment of new schools involving the forecasting of demand for school places, based on demographic exercises carried out by the Department. New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth, as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase to ensure that every child has a school place. These arrangements also give an opportunity for patrons to apply for the patronage of new schools. The criteria used in deciding on the patronage of new schools place a particular emphasis on parental patronage, language preferences and analysis of existing provision in the areas where the schools are being established. This approach is underpinned by a 2011 Government decision.

I would say the Seanadóir is very disappointed with the answer I have just given. I am sorry I had to deliver the bad news. I will be sure to bring back his comments to the Minister.

Tá an ceart ag an Aire Stáit - tá an-díomá orm leis an bhfreagra sin. Ní thuigim é, chun an fhírinne a rá. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil daoine de shíor ag iarraidh Gaelcholáistí dá dteaghlaigh. An fhadhb eile atá ann ná, seachas Coláiste Iosagáin agus Coláiste Eoin, níl Gaelcholáiste ar fáil idir lár na cathrach agus Bré i gContae Chill Mhantáin. Ní thuigim in aon chor cén fáth an bhfuil an Roinn ag rá nach bhfuil siad chun leanúint ar aghaidh leis seo. Tá na tuismitheoirí agus na teaghlaigh atá ag iarraidh Gaelcholáiste scaipthe amach ar fud na cathrach. Caithfimid rud éigin a chur ar fáil dóibh.

If these households who seek the right to educate their children at secondary level in Irish are spread out across the city, it is very difficult to have a concentration of them in an area that will justify a secondary school. We know the demand is there and I am hugely disappointed by this response. I am not shooting the messenger but I really think the Department needs to reconsider this. The demand is there and if we build it they will come. We should be advancing Gaeloideachas wherever we can.

I thank the Senator. The Minister of State has one minute to respond. I would also like to welcome members of the Tipperary spina bifida association who have just joined us.

I would also like to welcome the Tipperary spina bifida association from my neighbouring county. It is lovely to have the representatives here and I hope they have a great day here in Leinster House with my colleague, Deputy Cahill. I will bring what the Senator has said back to the Minister. The Department has said that the pace of delivery of additional residential development in the Cherrywood area, along with updated enrolment data and demographic data, will be kept under review. This will inform the timing of school requirements in the area. I do take on board what the Senator is saying. Children who attend Gaelscoileanna at primary level who want the opportunity to continue their education in secondary school are the nub of the whole issue. I will certainly bring that back to the Minister.

I thank the Minister of State. My apologies to Deputy Cahill, who I did not see over to my right. He is one of the hardest working Deputies that we have here and is very welcome. We turn now to the third matter which is in the name of Senator Mícheál Carrigy. I understand that the Minister of State is taking this Commencement matter also. Senator Carrigy has four minutes.

The Minister of State is very welcome and I thank her for taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. It is quite apt, given what has been in the news for the past 12 or 18 months, that we have been talking about funding models for a significant number of years and reforming the television licence. Indeed the joint Oireachtas committee, of which I am a member, launches a report today which proposes to abolish the licence and fully State fund services, which is something that was not agreed by all members but was a majority vote nonetheless. There need to be changes going forward, particularly to support public sector broadcasting, not just RTÉ as our national TV and radio station, but across all media throughout the country, which work so hard in providing public service broadcasting. This includes our local radio stations, our local newspapers and indeed other organisations throughout the country, such as Virgin and Bauer, which are not receiving any funds.

The future of media report which came out two years ago recommended the same and recommended support schemes to be put in place to assist local media in particular. Many of those schemes are not actually working and delivering on the ground. There is no core funding for the news and current affairs, particularly in the independent sector. These are the areas which are under extreme pressure in all other organisations, with regard to resourcing and indeed finances. They have a difficulty in attracting and retaining local journalists and keeping those newsrooms going. I have had significant engagement myself in my role as media representative for Fine Gael, along with a number of my colleagues. We have worked with Independent Broadcasters Ireland and we have met with Local Ireland and Bauer Media and it is clear to me that we need to put supports in place across all media.

To go back to local elections, we were all involved with supporting our candidates and that really showed the public service broadcasting element of all of those newspapers and radio stations, both local and national and the coverage that they gave us. The facts, the truth and the interviews we did not get on social media we got through our local radio stations. I recall Shannonside Radio, which is my local radio station for Longford, Roscommon, Cavan and Monaghan, doing interviews on two mornings at 2.30 a.m. and 3 a.m.. They ran right through until the count finished. That is public service broadcasting and that deserves to be supported. Should we have State funding put in place by the taxpayer? I do not think we should. We need to protect public service broadcasting into the future. Who knows, should a recession hit our country sometime into the future, will we see cuts to the funding? We need to make sure that there are dedicated funds in place and I would be very supportive of that fund being put in place through a fee and paid by everybody, for all media. The moneys collected in that would need to be monitored by Coimisiún na Meán, but that would be available across all media. As an idea, there could be 50% funding for RTÉ from that pot; and 25% for an enhanced Sound and Vision fund that all organisations, both local radio stations and national, could bid for, to provide not just new programming but to continue programming that has proved to be successful. Another 25% would be available for all media organisations, local and national, to provide for the public service broadcasting that they all do and are not being funded for at present.

The Minister of State has four minutes.

I thank Senator Carrigy for raising this important matter and I am replying today on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, to provide an update. I do not think anyone would disagree with what the Senator has said about local radio, local news and local journalism. They are so important to people the length and breadth of the country. That came to the fore during Covid, when many locally in their own particular areas got the information required first hand. Local and national media play an essential role in sharing reliable and relevant news and bringing communities together.

The wider media sector in Ireland which is a vital element of our democracy and society as a whole, is undergoing fundamental change. This is in part due to the increased digitalisation of news and media content generally and the associated decline in advertising revenue as a consequence. The report of the Future of Media Commission examined the challenges faced by the media sector and the consequent impact on the provision of public service content. The report made a number of recommendations to counter these challenges and I support the provision of public service content. The Future of Media Commission set out clearly that public service media and public service media content should be viewed as a public good and, as such, required an appropriate and sustainable source of funding.

This Government is committed to delivering the necessary reform to put in place a sustainable long-term funding model. High-level discussions are ongoing at Cabinet level in respect of a decision on the future funding model. One recommendation made by the Future of Media Commission was the establishment of a new media fund to provide support for the provision of public service content by the wider media and journalism sector at local, regional and national levels on a platform-neutral basis, which is what the Senator has spoken to. The commission recommended that €30 million be provided. That included the funding already made available through the existing broadcasting fund, which amounts to an average of €15 million per annum from television licence receipts and which supports the sound and vision scheme. Since the formation of this Government, a further €28.4 million in Exchequer funding has been provided to sound and vision, enabling increased investment in public service content for television and radio.

With regard to the wider media fund, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, secured €6 million in budget 2024 for new local democracy and courts reporting schemes. The media fund is being established on an administrative basis, with the local democracy and courts reporting schemes being prioritised for implementation by the media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, this year. The local democracy reporting and courts reporting schemes will operate as contestable award schemes on a platform-neutral basis, under which Coimisiún na Meán will award successful applicants with funding to support the production of public service content over a fixed period through the deployment of additional journalistic resources.

The core focus of the local democracy reporting scheme will be to provide comprehensive coverage of the proceedings of local authorities and associated committees. In addition, it is intended that local democracy reporters will carry out other tasks outside of providing reports of meetings, including reporting on the functions and activities of local authorities, reviewing publications and records to identify stories of public interest and reporting on other matters relevant to local democracy that are in the public interest. The overall purpose of the courts reporting scheme will be to fund comprehensive, professional and publicly accessible reports of court proceedings at a District and Circuit Court level. The fewer cases that are reported, the less aware the public is of the rule of law and the less informed they are as to whether the administration of justice is functioning as it should. Coimisiún na Meán carried out a public consultation on the scheme between 4 April and 8 May this year and preparatory work with regard to the launch of the schemes is ongoing.

I thank the Minister of State very much for outlining the funding that has gone into the sound and vision fund, which is very welcome, but personally I do not think it is sufficient. As I said, I feel it needs to be increased, expanded and widened out to those who can apply for it. However, there is an issue for the sound and vision fund in that it is for new content. It is for a new project, so it has to be reviewed every time. If people have been sanctioned to fund a certain project and want to continue that, they are not being supported. They have to go and develop another project. That needs to be changed. Some of the schemes we have mentioned, which are welcome, do not actually address some of the current difficulties with regard to news and current affairs because they deal with additional coverage to what is already taking place. We acknowledge that fantastic coverage is already happening with regard to local authority meetings, etc., in our local radio stations in particular. They are already doing it, so they are not going to be in a position to get additional funding for additional coverage because they do not have the capacity on their stations to give that additional coverage.

We need to redefine the schemes that have been put in place. As I said, we must widen the fund from the media fund that is going to be created. I do not agree with direct Exchequer funding. It needs to be a licence. I honestly believe this. I work in the post office. I meet people every day of the week when I am working there and have done over a long number of years. I think people will be quite happy to pay a charge once they know it is for the wider media sector, including their local newspaper and local radio station and other national broadcasters to which they are listening. People have this perception now that the fund is solely for one media organisation, which has done a fantastic job for the country. The director general appeared before the Oireachtas joint committee last night to speak on the new direction the organisation is taking and to list the cuts that have been lined out to streamline it going into the future. However, we need to support all the organisations, not just RTÉ. That is important.

I thank the Senator for raising this issue, which is very topical at the moment. I was watching part of the committee meeting last night while I was in my office. I acknowledge the fundamental challenges facing the sector and reiterate the Government's commitment to supporting the provision of public sector content by the wider media sector at local, regional and national levels. In particular, print and radio play a key role in Irish society in helping to inform public opinion and combat disinformation.

The television and radio sector continues to be supported on an ongoing basis through the sound and vision scheme, as administered by Coimisiún na Meán. In addition, support for the sustainability of the print sector has been provided through the reduction on VAT on newspapers from 9% to 0% since the start of 2023. I will certainly take on board the comments the Senator made about the difficulties with the scheme with regard to new reporting going forward. Many decisions are going to be made imminently and what we need at this stage is certainty going forward.

The Minister of State is staying with us for the fourth Commencement matter. We really appreciate her time this morning.

The Minister of State is very welcome. I know this is in the realm of justice, but it also very much intersects with mental health and well-being.

Cultural and social activity at night in Ireland has been teetering on the precipice of extinction for the past two decades. Access to dance spaces in Ireland is at an all-time low. We have the earliest closing times in Europe and some of the most archaic licensing laws. The number of nightclubs in the country has dropped by more than 80%, from 522 in 2001 to an estimated 90 today, which is just 0.6% of liquor licence holders. The few remaining late-night venues in the country are confronting an existential crisis, desperate to keep their doors open. Late-night operators face many challenges including soaring operating costs, particularly rising insurance premiums. As campaigners, most notably the Give Us the Night campaign, have repeatedly highlighted in recent years, spaces to gather, socialise and dance after midnight are being eroded at an alarming rate, particularly since changes to licensing laws in 2008. People across the country, young and old, are utterly starved of places to socialise and deprived of meaningful connection.

The Government has recognised the need for reform to support a thriving night-time economy in our towns and cities, and has promised imminent legislative solutions to some of the problems faced by the industry throughout this Oireachtas. Despite feeling like we were moving in a positive direction, reform still evades our grasp. The Government first announced that drafting was under way to reform licensing laws in 2021. A public consultation followed in late 2021, receiving 5,000 responses. The general scheme of the sale of alcohol Bill was published in 2022 and the Bill underwent pre-legislative scrutiny in early 2023. Now, in 2024, we still await publication of the Bill.

The Minister stated recently that she would bring forward a separate Bill with targeted reforms addressing opening hours and the more archaic aspects of the laws. The Minister advised about this intoxicating liquor Bill. I would question the wording of the Bill and the joining of them together. It creates an unfair link when we think of intoxicating liquor because we are also talking about culture, togetherness, community and stuff like that. There is still no sign of that Bill being published in quarter 3. Extensive work has been done by the night-time economy task force, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from Government Departments and the Garda, over the past four years. There should be a solid foundation from which to advance this legislation now. Given that the reforms promised by the sale of alcohol Bill are modest - for example, they do not address the many barriers to entry for operators - it is concerning that even more modest reforms are being planned at this time.

Late night social and cultural spaces and the connections facilitated within them are needed more than ever. At the Irish Medical Organisation’s conference earlier this year, Professor Matthew Sadlier described the developing mental health crisis with regard to the impacts of social media use, particularly among young people. In the absence of social and cultural infrastructure, we are depriving young people of the opportunity to engage with one another offline, outside of phone screens and social media. It is hard to check your Instagram when you are having fun on the dancefloor.

Speaking of dancefloors, as someone who made their way from Tallaght to town, I can say that the only other time we went from Tallaght to town in the 1990s was to Henry Street to get our Christmas clothes. That was until we were old enough to be able to engage in the nightlife, the rave scene and the dancefloors. Much like football, dancing is a great equaliser. It is an amazing way to break down barriers between classes, ethnicity and race. It was definitely one of the biggest eye openers for me as a young person coming from Tallaght to be surrounded by different people at different times. We are losing that connection with each other. We see this in the rise of awful attacks on people who do not look like us or sound like us and on those from the LGBTQ+ community. A dancefloor is always a great place to be able to bring people together and to avoid what we have seen in recent years.

I thank Senator Ruane for raising this important matter and giving me the opportunity to provide clarity on some of the issues involved on behalf of the Minister for Justice, who is attending a Private Members' debate in the Dáil.

I would like to respond to Senator Ruane's very important comments on trying to get young people off their phones and out into the fresh air, whether on the sports field or dancing. There are no barriers there, and it does not matter what people look like or who they look like once they are enjoying themselves. It is so good for their emotional well-being. At a time of misinformation and disinformation and of great challenges in the context of mental health, addiction issues and dual diagnosis, there are many issues for young people. Leaving it all off and letting it all out is very good for people. I agree wholeheartedly. We saw the joy and emotion for the Pride parade in Dublin at the weekend and at other parades throughout the country. The way people are able to be themselves is so important.

The current system is based on a patchwork of 100 laws, some of which are more than 200 years old and two thirds of which predate the foundation of the State 100 years ago. The general scheme of the sale of alcohol Bill intends to modernise our existing licensing laws in line with the expectations and needs of today's society, and to encourage the development of a modern and diverse night-time economy. Given the known social and health effects associated with misuse of alcohol, Ireland has, for many decades, operated a restrictive regime for licensing, as Senator Ruane said. The general scheme of the Bill retains this approach and will ensure that the sale of alcohol remains closely regulated.

In developing the general scheme, the Department of Justice has engaged in an extensive consultation process with representative bodies in the licensed trade, businesses, public health bodies and advocacy groups, consumers and communities in respect of it. A public consultation, including an online survey and a request for submissions, ran from November 2021 until January 2022. More than 5,000 responses were received. In addition, a webinar and panel discussion event were held in March 2022. The consultation process demonstrated that there is a strong demand for reform and modernisation of the law in this area and this is the nub of Senator Ruane's question.

The Minister intends to separate the sale of alcohol Bill into two Bills and intends to introduce the intoxicating liquor Bill 2024. Senator Ruane is aware that, whether in the Dáil or the Seanad, there will be an opportunity to table amendments. I understand where Senator Ruane is coming from in saying that the words "intoxicating liquor" are old. This will be a shorter Bill to introduce a number of key reforms contained in the sale of alcohol Bill 2022 to modernise our licensing system, including the standardisation of opening hours for pubs and off-licences, the introduction of an annual late bar permit and an annual nightclub permit, and the inclusion of new grounds of objection in line with Zero Tolerance - Third National Strategy to Tackle Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. The Bill will also strengthen the powers of An Garda Síochána to ensure that public safety and order are maintained, provide for licensing applications, which are currently heard in the Circuit Court, being heard in the District Court, and will include a provision for outdoor seating, which became very popular during Covid. The terms of the Bill are being finalised with the Office of the Attorney General. Work will continue to progress on the other provisions in the general scheme of the sale of alcohol Bill 2022 to modernise our liquor licensing laws thereafter.

What is the nature of the delays? We are moving very quickly through this year and approaching the end of the lifetime of the Government. Are there specifics as to why the delays have occurred. Is there a timeline whereby we can see this progress?

Public health and addiction are extremely important. I would like to draw attention to a bottleneck in the context of the time when people go out. Some people are night-time individuals. If they had the option to go out at 11 p.m. and return at 6 a.m., they would do so. What happens is that all types of people are structured into one idea of going out at 8 p.m. with everything then closing at the same time. This creates the environment where people drink more at last orders and are rushing. Everyone is trying to get taxis or public transport at the same time because everyone operates within this one timeframe, and this one way to do nightlife. Extending the opening hours would create different ways for people to enjoy nightlife, which would reduce the chaotic way Dublin looks between 11 p.m. and 12.30 a.m. It might be a positive public health measure to have later opening hours.

All of Senator Ruane's comments will be brought to the attention of the Minister and her officials. One of the facets of the new Bill is the standardisation of opening hours for pubs and off-licences . The introduction of annual late permits and annual nightclub permits will be very important in large cities but perhaps not so important in a smaller rural town or village. All of these matters will be given consideration.

Public health is a key consideration for the Department of Justice in regulating the sale of alcohol. When considering the introduction of reforms with regard to the sale of alcohol, and as part of the process, the Department will continue to engage with various public and voluntary health bodies.

To answer Senator Ruane's question on a timeline, one has not been provided. In that context, I know there is a large amount of pressure on the Office of the Attorney General at present. I have been working on a mental health Bill for almost four years. It will be published by the end of this month. It is going to be very important. It runs to more than 200 pages and contains 188 sections. It is a very complex Bill, and there will be overlap in the context of the issues raised by Senator Ruane. I will bring her comments back to the Minister and ask her about the timeline that the Senator has sought.

I welcome the Queen of Peace youth group from Bray, whose members are here as guests of Deputy Brady.