I appreciate the opportunity to make a contribution to this debate. Having tabled a Bill in this vein in 2019, specifically for the purpose of banning the sale of vape-related products to children, I am pleased the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, has been able to progress this matter. I am also pleased the Government has taken the necessary steps in the banning of disposable vaping products. Others have noted data collected in the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Its report was publish…

Go raibh míle maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. My question relates to the Minister of State's view of the progress being made on developing a national sexual health strategy.

I thank the Minister of State for her response. Noting the delays caused to pretty much everything by Covid, I welcome the strategy being published back in March. On implementation and the availability of such services across the State, is there continuity of service delivery? I point to access to PrEP, where I understand there is a regional imbalance. Undoubtedly, the Minister of State has been made aware of that. If so, is there a plan in place to address that? On the delivery of the strategy itself, I am aware t…

That is appreciated. After the Minister of State has addressed that outstanding question, she might say whether she is satisfied there is sufficient training available for professionals.

My question is on the measures the Minister is taking to reduce the cost of third level education.

The Minister's response is appreciated, particularly his remarks about how this is a priority for everyone in the House, including the Government parties. I welcome the cost-of-education paper that the Minister mentioned. It is an opportune moment to assess the ongoing cost-of-living and cost-of-education issues that obtain. The Minister rightly pointed out the significant investment in institutions, but the people are almost more important, given the increasing cost of living and parents' ability to fund the fees …

That has been a clear and positive development in recent years and the Minister outlined some of the figures relating to planning permissions granted to third level institutions. Whatever decisions are made by the Government following the debate on the cost-of-education paper, I will be keen to ensure that whatever investment is put in place, particularly in support of students, is ongoing and sustainable. Sustainability is key to ensuring a level playing field and allowing people from all backgrounds to access edu…

Deputy O’Sullivan mentioned the level of accommodation that accommodates approximately 6% of our students. Has the Minister a view on whether it should be a priority, not only to reduce costs, but to dramatically increase that figure specifically for the purposes of recognising that our population centres in Dublin in particular are not the only places in the country that are growing? In fact, the regions outside Dublin are growing faster. Therefore the universities and third level institutes up and down the countr…

I am very pleased to contribute to the debate. I believe it is a very important step in our efforts to protect some of the most vulnerable people in our society. The grooming of children to participate or partake in crime is a serious issue that destroys countless lives and limits the untold potential of young people across the State and, therefore, I strongly support this legislation, which will allow authorities to bring to justice adults who groom children into a life of crime and those who seek to procure a chi…

I very much welcome the opportunity to speak on this matter, which is extremely important. A healthy biosphere is crucial to the future sustainability of our global and domestic ecosystems. The interconnectedness of our global environment means that whatever happens in one part of the world will have a direct impact not only on the nation but also on people in completely separate countries. The risk of a degraded biosphere and a depletion of biodiversity will have significant consequences for our world. We rely on …

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this Bill. It addresses one of the most fundamental aspects of the work of the State, which is timely access to justice. Public confidence in our courts system and the processes employed within it underpin the effective working of our courts. A lack of a sense of justice can have a corrosive effect on public faith in the courts and spread to other agencies and institutions of the State. Without public confidence in our institutions, we risk setting in motion …

My list says seven minutes.

I appreciate that clarification. The Bill will also provide for the appointment of a chief assessor and assessors who will be charged with assessing claims of breaches related to Article 6.1 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This article states clearly that everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law. Importantly, the assessors will have the power to award compensation to people who have not gained access to our jus…

I will curtail the time to one minute each, given the numbers, in order that we can get an appropriate response.

As quite a few Members wish to contribute, I request that they all be brief and stick to one minute each if possible. I call Deputy McDonald.

In the interest of facilitating all Members, I request that speakers limit themselves to one minute each.

I thank the Deputy. I understand her frustration. It is shared across the country I am sure. I thank the Taoiseach.

Delays in takedown orders being issued to social media companies can stoke tensions in communities, cause trauma to victims, and place gardaí and individuals in harm's way, and have caused demonstrable harm to people. There are multiple occasions where response times for takedown requests can be very slow, by which time, as recently illustrated, images and videos can be viewed millions of times. I am sure the Taoiseach would agree it should not be the case that An Garda Síochána would have to ask people to refrain …

I am pleased to contribute to this debate. It is an issue that has come to national prominence in recent months and it is only right and proper we discuss these matters in the Houses. I commend the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, other Ministers and the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, on the significant role they have played in this process. I also pay tribute to the countless public servants who are working under undoubtedly stressful conditions to try to identify accommodation across the State for those seeking…

There is no doubt Government has taken significant steps to support families, and specifically children, during the cost-of-living crisis over the past year but, following a series of questions to the HSE, it was revealed to me that approximately 100,000 children still await their initial dental appointments across all community healthcare organisations, CHOs. In my own CHO 9, which includes the youngest, fastest growing community in Ireland, approximately 5,000 children await initial assessment, plus children with…