I also want to be associated with the comments made by Senator Buttimer on what is happening. People knew that this was going to happen as the World Cup taking place in Qatar, even though there have been human rights abuse in that place, has been spoken about for a long time. Unfortunately, we are not surprised by the situation there. It is a great shame that the captains of the soccer teams did not show leadership at a certain moment. I firmly believe that if they cannot show leadership by wearing an armband on a …

Like everyone else, I acknowledge Mick Finnegan, who is in the Chamber today. I know there are others who are watching and that, for many others, this is not something they will be able to watch, want to watch or participate in for a variety of their own reasons. I am struck by the figures Senator Doherty called out. One hundred people have now come forward. Seven people came forward, and that was not deemed to be enough by the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP. We have spoken in this House before about a variet…

I ask Senators to please forgive me because I must leave this session a little early. I apologise to the Leas-Cathaoirleach and the Deputy Leader. I am sure that we all saw the chaos generated by the Twitter layoffs at the weekend. Twitter laid off people, potentially unlawfully. The situation is still somewhat unclear, with employees in the Dublin office being let know of their redundancies via email. Some employees, a number of whom I know personally, tweeted that they had no access to their work emails and feare…

I want to raise two arguably differing topics, if the House will indulge me. First, I welcome the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Harris, to review postgraduate supports. This is incredibly important and something I have been campaigning on for a very long time. Only in the past few weeks, I met with the postgraduate workers union, which is doing very important work on representation for postgraduate students as workers. A conversation we need to start having concerns where postgraduate students fall because t…

Before we commence, I remind everyone that a Senator may speak only once on Report Stage, except the proposer of an amendment, who may reply to the discussion on the amendment. Each non-Government amendment must be seconded. Amendments Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I move amendment No. 20: In page 13, to delete line 18 and substitute the following: “(a) commerce, finance, administration, public service, civil society or trade unions,”. I am speaking on behalf of Senators Higgins and Ruane, neither of whom can be here today. I have been tasked with their job. I understand the argument that things need to be kept broad and that this does not preclude X, Y or Z. In reality, however, what we have found that does not always necessarily translate in lots of different ways unless so…

I move amendment No. 21: In page 13, line 18, to delete “business, finance or”.

I move amendment No. 22: In page 13, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “(b) relevant areas of academic research including the law or social policy,”.

I move amendment No. 23: In page 13, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(c) the environment, sustainable development and environmental law,”.

I move amendment No. 24. In page 13, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(c) international law and international agreements or conventions to which the State is a party to,”.

I move amendment No. 25: In page 13, line 23, after “protection” to insert “and promotion”.

I move amendment No. 31: In page 18, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “(6) In considering whether to remove a lay member from office, the Government shall lay a copy of the proposal to remove the lay member before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice and shall seek and have regard to the views of that Committee in such considerations.”.

I move amendment No. 32: In page 21, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “(4) In this section, references to the improvement of diversity shall be construed to include improvement of representation of persons or classes of persons who are disadvantaged by reference to the following factors: (a) gender; (b) civil status; (c) family status; (d) sexual orientation; (e) religious belief; (f) age; (g) disability; (h) race, including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin; (i) membership of the Trav…

Amendment No. 32 seeks to insert a definition clarifying the groups to whom the improvement of diversity referred to in commission's diversity statements will apply. They have been taken from the commission's own diversity statements. I am quite surprised that Senator McDowell does not know what "civil status" is, considering the groups in question are all listed in the Equal Status Act. These groups have not been randomly plucked out of thin air. This is a list taken directly from the Equal Status Act. The amendme…

I second the Bill. I echo Senator Wall's thanks and welcome for the people in the Gallery. Maria, Johnny and Damien gave us an excellent briefing earlier and everyone has given so much of their personal time and experience to this issue. This is an issue that we cannot talk about in the abstract, up here in the legislative sky. These are real people, real families and real children who have been touched by tragedy, loss and death and are, quite frankly, being punished by this Government and by successive Government…

I wish to take a moment to reflect on last week, when I spent two immersive days in Iceland. I was on a study trip with the all-party group on workplace equality, supported by WorkEqual and Alice PR. We were travelling around, visiting people and talking to them about how Iceland became the world's most gender-equal country. We met with trade unions, advocacy groups, MPs and councillors. Even the Prime Minister managed to find time to meet with us. From the research on our trip, it became incredibly clear that ther…

I echo Senator Black's words of gratitude to some of the people we have been working, particularly members of Mental Health Reform and some others who have been good and have done as much work as the Department has done on this legislation. They have been casting an eye over it, advising and putting forward different ways in which it could be tied in with human rights. A question has come up on which I ask the Minister for clarity. It may just be my reading of this but I am not at all clear about how the Government…

It is very welcome that the Minister seeks to reform and expand AHDs and to ensure that preferences of people with psychosocial disabilities are protected but I am concerned that amendment No. 42 creates further confusion because it creates a piecemeal provision. It feels as though the amendment pays lip service to the protection of rights while allowing them to be undermined on the basis of so-called risk. Risk is not a neutral term in a disability context. Ideas of risks and dangers have been used for decades to …

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The cost-of-living crisis has been hard on the country and based on what we know it looks like it will be with us for years to come. I feel this personally because me and my peers came of age during the last recession. A lot of us left and some of us came back and now it feels like it has all gone to pot again. That is a sentiment I toss around but I am feeling that from my colleagues, friends, peers and younger people I have spoken to and, therefore, I can only imagine…

I want to raise two issues today. We are all talking about the upcoming budget. I was in with Mental Health Reform earlier, as I am sure others were, on its pre-budget submission and on what it wants to see in the budget. I spoke to two mental health advocates, Blessing and Justyna, about their personal experiences of mental health while navigating the supports in the system in Ireland. It will be no surprise when I say it was not a great experience for either of these two people. It was not just a difficult experi…