I second the amendment.

I move amendment No. 27: In page 33, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: “(8) Facial image data maintained as part of a record of biometric data taken under this Chapter shall not be used as grounds for detention.”.

The placement of these amendments is somewhat imperfect. This is another example of what happens when a guillotine is applied. We have amendments that try to address the same issue elsewhere in the legislation, but we believe they are of such crucial significance that it is important that they are addressed and discussed. I have said again and again that the fact of giving 1.2 minutes per amendment does not allow for best practice, and I believe it will lead to a number of flaws in the legislation. That is why we h…

I will let the Minister answer that question in due course. It does point to another question. I have been referring to reports and they include reports from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the United States, from the University of Essex in the UK and from data protection systems within the UK. The Minister talked about how the technology has been improving as it goes along, but this is the same key point I mentioned in terms of the testing on vulnerable persons or using them as guinea pigs. O…

I move amendment No. 28: In page 33, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: “(8) Biometric data taken under this Chapter shall not be used as grounds to conduct an age assessment under section 55 .”.

May I just check the status of amendment No. 29?

I move amendment No. 30: In page 35, to delete lines 14 to 18.

This relates to the same section as amendment No. 29, which has been ruled out of order. When Committee Stage is guillotined and it is made impossible to speak to sections, including sections to which the Government proposed very large amendments at a late stage, we are told that, because these issues did not arise on Committee Stage, they cannot be raised on Report Stage. It again points to a really fundamental undermining of the democratic process when we curtail debate at a key point. I would also say that I did…

That is an example of the public interest - the Minister did not get to come in on the phrasing in that regard - and public policy being used in that regard. In many cases, it would be in the public interest for persons who are relying on medication to be able to receive it until the point where they leave State, regardless of whether they are entitled to it. It is not a privilege. However, in cases relating to the public interest, it is the interests of the public, our health system and those who may be affected i…

I want to formally second the amendment by Senator Ruane to the Order of Business to propose that the Child Maintenance Bill 2026 be taken before No. 1. This Bill has been an incredible and rigorous piece of work spanning almost three Oireachtas terms. I have watched as Senator Ruane has engaged with the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, OPLA, and all the relevant stakeholders. In the last term, we had full support from the women's caucus right across the Oireachtas for this measure. We hear time and again ab…

I formally propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that the International Protection Bill will not conclude at 4 p.m. but will adjourn at that time. I propose that formally and it will be seconded by my colleague Senator Black.

It is important to note that this is not normal. Some Senators have been in previous Oireachtais with me. I have been in three now. Some Senators are new but we need to note the kind of parliamentary action we are seeing, and the curtailing of parliamentary scrutiny we have seen. I refer to a situation where a Government brings 70 pages of its own amendments and then guillotines the debate after just two sessions. It cuts short the debate so that the vast majority of Government amendments will never be discussed. T…

We are not here just to give little announcements and speeches. We are meant to be doing to the job of legislators. At a time when democracy is under attack around the world, it is crucial that we do not let it be eroded. We had lectures yesterday about how sovereignty is there because we exercise sovereignty in the Parliament. I believe that but we are not being allowed to do it when we are not allowed to scrutinise legislation. It is very serious when we cut things short in this way. When we look at Hungary and t…

Yes.

I will be brief because we have so much to go through. Again, I just want to echo the concerns about the caseload of 30. We would regard 30 in a classroom as a very high number for individuals to manage, and we are talking about 30 very vulnerable minors, potentially with very complex needs. It is hard to see how their best interests could be represented with such a caseload, in particular as there are other parts in the Bill, which we may get to discuss later - or perhaps not as it is being guillotined - that will…

Could I just clarify if that will include the immigration officers we have heard about? I refer to the potential privately contracted immigration officers-----

-----whose appointment we heard about yesterday.

It is provided for, nonetheless.

As my colleague, Senator Black, has spoken to our amendments in the section, I will not reiterate all the points. As the Minister has heard multiple times, the key questions and the key issues are that it is never in the best interests of the child to have detention. There is strong feeling that the safeguards are not adequate in relation to the protection of the rights. It is not clear who will be determining these. As the Minister said, the Bill provides for this to be contracted. That may not be the Minister's i…

There is a constant refrain of balancing the rights of asylum seekers and the rights of the State. Sometimes it may be a little bit of a negative framing. It is in the interests of the State that we are a state that does our best in relation to our international obligations in a world where people can access their rights. The idea is that we are balancing the rights of these people with almost a suggestion that the fundamental interest of the State is not to have people here and not to have to support them, and tha…