These three motions have been brought forward by the Government to facilitate negotiations to extend the exchange of passenger name record data between different countries to prevent, detect and investigate serious crime. Back in 2016, an EU-wide system among member states was established by directive as an important tool to help improve the EU's internal security. Norway, Iceland and Switzerland are not bound by this directive. The European Commission now intends to begin negotiations with each of these countries …

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I support what Deputy Gannon is saying. I, too, have been contacted by a number of schools in respect of this issue. The reality is that the old system was based on school data and included enrolment, gender, which the Minister of State has indicated is no longer a criterion, the profile of the school, complex needs and the level of deprivation. Under the new system, which is again based on school data, the criteria will be enrolment, the profile of the school and the level of deprivation in the area. The gender an…

I hope we will return soon to the debate we have just been having. My question relates to exemptions for the study of the Irish language, of which, it seems, an increasing number are being granted at primary and post-primary level. Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?

The Minister can understand why there is concern around this. I am somebody who has seen the Irish language from both sides. I learned it in an English-speaking school and I think one of the greatest policy failures of the past 100 years is the standard of Irish an average Irish child has. I then went to a Gaelscoil for a year, immersed myself in the language and have been able to speak it relatively fluently since then. The methodology of how we teach Irish has to be scrutinised. I know there have been improvement…

I would appreciate greater engagement on this. I am not a believer that any subject needs to be compulsory at second level. I think it is very destructive for someone to be in a classroom learning something they really just do not want to learn. I would say that about any subject. However, we have the system that we have. Is it the contention of the Department that if you have a SEN or a challenge in your learning, Irish is something that you do not need to learn? I need to tease this out. If we value Irish, every …

It is called football.

I do not.

The role of the coroner is vital. Coroners are charged with the most sensitive and difficult cases. Deaths that are sudden, unnatural, violent or unexplained are reported to the coroner. As well as the basic investigative function of the coroner, there is a public duty to draw attention to the existence of circumstances which, if left unremedied, might lead to further deaths. There is an onus on the coroner to allay rumour or suspicion, to advance medical knowledge and to preserve the legal interests of the people …

Hear, hear.

I join the Tánaiste in wishing Mr. Charlie O'Leary, a constituent of mine, a happy 100th birthday. I understand that the Tánaiste received correspondence from the British Labour Party at the beginning of September with regard to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill that is going through the British Houses of Parliament and its implications for the Good Friday Agreement, particularly with regard to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights. Is the Tánaiste minded to respond to that letter?…

First, I thank Deputy Gino Kenny, who consistently brings this issue to the floor of this House. We need more politicians to show his leadership. I say to those in the Gallery today that they are going to change this country for the better with their advocacy and support for Bills like the one Deputy Kenny has brought today. I am at this for approximately ten years. Ten years ago I was sat down by Anna Quigley of CityWide, who told me what decriminalisation meant. She said it is not about the decriminalisation of d…

Why are they underspending?

The recruitment-embargoed nurses.

It is very hard to know where to start, considering we had a similar debate last week. It is true what the Tánaiste said, in that in the international community, Ireland is viewed as one of the most critical voices of Israeli aggression. When one lives in Ireland, one can only influence what one can with regard to the Government's response. Ireland may be going further than anyone else but that is not a very high bar, considering the moral and political collapse of any sort of decency that we, perhaps, would have p…

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this very important motion. Every evening when we leave here Leinster House is lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. That reminds us of a time of moral certitude within European and western democracies when such aggressive military action was taken by Russia in Ukraine that we all believed in what was right and wrong. We could all see the difference between right and wrong and there was a comfort in that. We had President Zelenskyy here and we had a level of …

I am sharing with Deputy Bacik. I want to pay tribute to: my party leader, Deputy Bacik; Senator Sherlock; my constituency colleague, Councillor Alison Gilliland, who has been to the forefront of this move; and unions such as the INTO and Fórsa, which have been supportive of our move in pushing this Bill forward. If this issue predominantly affected men, not only would it have been legislated for a long time ago but it would probably be in the preamble to the Constitution. What we effectively have here is a silent …

I thank my colleagues in the Independent Group for bringing forward this motion. We in the Labour Party are happy to support it. It is a sensible motion. It is not asking for any great new interventions. It simply asks that we close the loopholes contained in existing legislation. The Fossil Fuel Divestment Act 2018 is good legislation, at least insofar as its intentions go. Indeed, as this motion acknowledges in its first line, the "Fossil Fuel Divestment Act 2018 is something that Ireland should remain proud of i…

The Labour Party will be supporting the Bill. I commend Deputy Ó Broin and his colleagues on bringing it forward. It is the most recent of many attempts at a sensible and compassionate approach to the growing crisis and impending cliff edge many families and renters will face starting next week. We are disappointed by the Government's decision to table an amendment virtually identical to that debated in the House last week. This amendment does little more than give cover to those Government and Independent TDs feel…

I again raise the issue of the proposed Garda station, also mooted to be a divisional headquarters, in the Dublin 17 and Dublin 13 area. Will the Minister give me an update?