I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for allowing me to share time. I was reading up on some of the latest developments and some quotes from some of the news articles about Israel struck me. The Israel Defense Forces, IDF, regarding a recent bombing that ended up killing civilians, stated: [They] made numerous efforts to minimise harm to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, including by delaying and even cancelling planned attacks when unexpected presence of civilians was identified ... The IDF carried out attacks…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in to respond to this Commencement matter, which comes on the back of a very fruitful meeting between the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, and the Labour Party Seanad grouping last week. It is also an issue that has been articulated to us by many councillors. I am sure the same is true of the various party groupings, including my esteemed party colleague, Mary Freehill, and others in my own party. I refer to the gratuity payment, if that is the correct term, whic…

I thank the Minister of State. My understanding, from the conversation I had with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, is that it is waiting for the Minister of State to complete this work in order for this to proceed from the Department. Does he have any idea when that work will be completed? Is it planned to have it done ahead of the local elections in 2024? As to the assertion that this is not being done because the Moorhead report did not recommend it, it is unusu…

I thank Senator Clonan for bringing this Bill forward and allowing many of us across the Houses to co-sign it. It is extremely important legislation. We know that the needs of children should be met by the State through the provision of well resourced public health and education services. We also know how vital early intervention is. No one else here could have outlined as eloquently as Senator Clonan did the impact of early intervention, or lack thereof. We know that too many young children, including Eoghan, are …

That is the interpretation.

That is the interpretation.

The Bill can pass Second Stage or not. The reality is that we will continue to have assessment delays for children, multiyear waiting lists for therapies and a lack of access to educational supports and appropriate school places. These are profoundly affecting thousands of children. Some areas perform better than others but overall, we know too many children and families are left behind. Therefore, as a goodwill gesture, this Bill should pass Second Stage and be allowed to go through the process. It is a lengthy pr…

I was just at a briefing by the local drug and alcohol task forces in Buswells Hotel. They were talking about investment to support and aid their recovery. I am sure they will have circulated the information to everyone and I need not go into great detail. Drugs and alcohol do not only affect the communities people might think of. There were representatives from Ballymun, Dún Laoghaire, Finglas, Cabra, Bray, canal communities and so on. We have discussed in this House how drugs impact our communities. It was very c…

Ahead of these statements, I canvassed Labour Party members, both councillors and local area representatives, to get their feedback. I also spoke to a few people who are not members of the Labour Party, which should put the spooks up some of the other parties in that we canvassed far and wide to get an idea of what people are experiencing. I would need an hour to go through all of the issues that were raised with me on behalf of those councillors and local area representatives but I will try to go through some of t…

As an out political woman - although I prefer the term activist - it is great to be able to respond to an out leading light of the LGBT community. Often when we hear news from the United States, it can be depressing. Sometimes we are watching one of the world's largest democracies fade away. That is why it is important that we hear from governors such as Governor Healey who is not afraid to speak out or to challenge the federal government on things we should not even be contesting in the first place. As attorney ge…

As I think every Senator here has spoken and I do not see any other Senators wishing to commence I will go to the Minister of State, who has 15 minutes.

It will probably surprise no one that I am going to use my time to talk about Pride and the celebrations, protest and remembering that are coming up this weekend. It is a great honour every time I am able to stand up here as an out Member of our Parliament, to not be afraid to say that and to be proud to be a member of a great community. When we are talking about Pride and the progress we have made, there is no doubt there has been an incredible amount of progress, not only in the past seven years but in the past 3…

I support the amendment. Last week I was on "The Late Debate" and I was very surprised at the number of people who messaged me afterwards to say they did not realise that some people in mother and baby homes were subject to vaccine trials. They did not realise the extent of the ill-treatment of mixed-race children and their families. They were surprised that they were not included in the legislation. I do not have much more to add, other than to say we were speaking about it on "The Late Debate" and people said the…

I am sorry.

The issue I wish to raise today which I know is of concern to a lot of people is the closure of Tara Mines, albeit perhaps temporarily. I have been contacted by a number of people, both people who work there and have worked there. Councillor Paddy Meade has spoken to me about it. There is very much a direct connection with the impacted workers. These things are happening not just in Ireland but across the globe but the fact Tara Mines cannot say how long these 650 workers will be out of work is very worrying. There…

I am not going to speak for terribly long on this issue. As I believe this is, though, the last time we will address this matter, I feel I should speak on it. I am acutely aware that with every day that passes, time is slipping away from those who had their lives cruelly and irrevocably changed, and sometimes even destroyed, by this brutal regime that the State willingly supported. These people deserve justice. Some of them are going to get justice under the auspices of the provisions of this Bill. It is going to p…

I welcome the Minister back. I cannot believe she has slipped, hyper fluid, into our national Statute Book already but I suppose one should never doubt a busy woman with a lot of focus. As others have said, we have a version of hate crime legislation but the term "toothless" has been used a number of times in reference to the 1989 Act. Ireland is an outlier currently, with reported hate crimes having increased by 29% in 2022, a figure referred to by the Minister. While legislation alone will not tackle the scourge …

I welcome this timely motion and I applaud the National University of Ireland Senators for introducing it, particularly Senator Higgins, McDowell and Mullen. I also thank the Senators for this morning's briefing in the audiovisual room. I welcome everyone in the Gallery. The motion addresses several issues, the biggest of which is the precarious employment that academic staff experience. As highlighted by previous speakers, there are 11,200 lecturers who have been employed by universities and higher education insti…

I want to raise two issues. Yesterday was the eighth anniversary of marriage equality. All of us will recall the campaign and celebration very fondly. There was literally dancing in the streets. It brings to mind the number of disabled members of Irish society for whom marriage equality does not fully exist. This is an issue across the world. Many disabled people, if they get married, lose their benefits because of means-testing or various systems. We should not have a system in which a person has to choose between…

Today is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, or IDAHOBIT, which rolls nicely off the tongue. I am very lucky that I can stand up as a bicycle queer Member of our national Parliament and know there will only be a few knuckle-draggers going on about it online. However, I have a really great filter and will probably not see most of it, so they are really screaming into the void. I am really lucky that I can stand up here and I am really proud to be able to do that. We have a rainbow caucus.…