Before moving on, I welcome Deputy Sorca Clarke to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. She is accompanied by Lisa Kirwan, Violeta Bobyleva, Jane Atli, Emma Noonan, Ann Bellew and Mary Murray. They are very welcome and I hope they have a lovely experience here today in Leinster House. We had a school group in from Scoil Íosagáin in Coolgreany, County Wexford who are guests of Deputy Ó Súilleabháin. They have left. I hope they get no homework and are well looked after. Everybody else in the Visitors Gallery is very w…

Before I call the next speaker, I welcome the Now Group to the Gallery on both sides. They all are very welcome. They are guests here today of Deputy Pa Daly. I thank them for being here with us.

I welcome Jason and Joe Poole and David French to the Visitors Gallery. I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of this Bill, which is known as Jennie's law. I welcome that at its heart it rests on a simple principle: when a person is convicted of a serious crime in an open court, that conviction is public and the public are entitled to know what it is about. I acknowledge first and above all, Jennifer Poole and her family who turned the most profound grief imaginable into a campaign for change. Jennie was mu…

I thank the Minister for being here in the House this evening. I will start by seconding everything Senator Dee Ryan said. She gave a comprehensive overview of the work the Minister has done and I want to put on record my support for that. In the two minutes or one minute and 45 seconds I have left, I will focus on student accommodation. I thank the Minister for responding to me last week when I was in a flurry. The Minister I am talking to is continuously responding, and I want to acknowledge that. While I accept …

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House this evening. I also thank him for his comprehensive introduction. I agree that a lot of work has been done in the last 16 months. I thank him personally on the floor of the House today for the time he has given to me in Portumna and for coming down to the site there. Not only did he look at the castle but he also addressed our flooding concerns. That in itself is greatly appreciated. The Minister of State has shown his ability to bring local authorities to the …

I move: That Seanad Éireann: recognises that: - domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a scourge on our society; - we must work collectively to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in our communities, workplaces, political system, and in wider society; - under Zero Tolerance: the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (Zero Tolerance strategy), there has been real, tangible progress across funding, legislation, prevention and victim support; agrees that: - there is…

I thank the Minister. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the motion. I have just come from the justice committee where we also discussed domestic violence, which is fantastic. I thank the Minister and the Department for the work they have put in to ensure that this conversation is front and centre at all times. Unfortunately, it shows the sad state of where we are at but it is important that we have open and transparent conversations on it. The motion recognises that domestic, sexual and gender-based vio…

I thank the Minister very much for his comprehensive response. It is greatly appreciated. Work is being done on the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, the Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill and the domestic violence Bill, which will be known as Jennie's law. There are also the plan and the focus for the EU Presidency and the fourth national strategy. It is very welcome to see the work that is ongoing with the Minister and officials in the Department and I recognise it involves not onl…

The Order of Business is No. 1, Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 12 noon; and No. 2, statements to mark Europe Day 2026, to be taken at 1.15 p.m. and to conclude at 2.45 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed eight minutes and group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes each, time can be shared, and the Minister to be given no less than seven minutes to reply to the debate.

Many Senators made contributions, and there are a lot of responses. Senator Costello referred to her home area of Bohernabreena in the context of fly-tipping and stronger enforcement. It is about respect and protect but we need CCTV brought in. The Senator continued with her advocacy in respect of givinostat. It is great that the young man involved is home after his gene therapy treatment, but I hear what the Senator is saying. The commercial office and manufacturer are discussing price at the moment. The Minister …

I am doing okay.

No, I do not do the funding side of it. I would say this will be the last day Senator O'Loughlin will allow me in her chair. On Darkness Into Light, I wish all the volunteers across the country the very best. A lot of preparation goes into working with Pieta House but it is the volunteers on the ground who make it happen. They do it on the basis there is a recognition and awareness locally. Maybe it is the one morning where barriers are broken down and that conversation can happen on that walk. However, it is about…

The work that goes into the delivery of the programme is also phenomenal and going there is a good way to show our courtesy to all the people who participate in it. Senator Conway also looked for a debate on low vision and low hearing. I think the Minister would welcome that opportunity because she is doing work with Chime already on the strategy on hearing. I would say she is doing work on vision as well. It would be a great opportunity. She is doing consultation at the moment so it would be great for us to hear w…

Today, I will raise the issue of rehabilitation for children with acquired brain injury, which needs to be co-ordinated from the top down. Someone needs to take ownership and responsibility for the service as a whole and for the individual care of children. This should not be the complete responsibility of the parents. Every child deserves to get the same level of service and not be discriminated against based on where they live in the country. They should also not get a lesser service because their parents or care…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for his leniency on this particular matter. I thank the Minister for being here. I thank all the Senators who throughout last October contributed to this Bill when it was brought forward. While there was a time delay amendment on it, the Minister worked furiously to ensure it was not dragged out. The Minister and his team have ensured we are here today talking about travel supports. The first step forward when a person decides to leave their home is that they have a next-step plan.

I thank the Chair for his indulgence in letting me in, and the Minister for his listening ability. It was really pragmatic of him and his Department to take on board what was said that night. It does make a difference here in the Seanad that we can work across party and get jobs done even if they are small, but this is huge. It is a small step in the right direction. It will have a huge impact on a lot of women when they make that step to go forward to leave the home to know that there is travel support there for t…

I rise today with a deep sense of responsibility because there are children in our care system who do not have a voice in this Chamber and yet their lives are shaped by the decisions we make here. The recent statement from the Irish Association of Social Workers once again exposed the reality of a system under strain, a system increasingly reliant on special emergency arrangements, hotels, bed and breakfasts, and unregulated settings for children who deserve much better. Let us be clear; these are not just placemen…

I thank the Minister for being here and giving myself and my colleagues time to have statements on prison conditions and alternative sentencing. I do not come from a legal background. I am on the justice committee. I attended Limerick Prison with Senator Ruane and that opened my eyes to what the conditions were like. It was my first time ever to visit a prison and it has had a lasting impact on me. We talk about the dignity of people if we want to help with rehabilitation and reform, but what I saw there that day w…

I thank the Senator.

I know. Just before I move on, I welcome the committee from the Fr. Sammon Centre in Monivea, who are guests of Deputy Albert Dolan. They are very welcome to this House and are in very good hands.