I recognise the value of the report of the Housing Commission from last May. Of the 83 recommendations, approximately 65 are in train or at an advanced stage, which I welcome. Coming from the constituency of Dún Laoghaire where we have amongst the highest average property prices in the country, there is a real problem for people acquiring property that goes beyond what most people face around Ireland. It might well be said that they could live somewhere else or somewhere cheaper but that is not a reasonable thing t…

Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit as a phost nua. Go n-éirí leis. We have had a really positive change in recent years in the way we assess patronage in schools. That communities actually get to have a say and indicate to the Department very directly the kind of school they want represents a very positive change by comparison with where we were when I was growing up. I have expressed the view before that it is probably unlikely that we will ever again have a Catholic school established under new patronage in…

I appreciate entirely what the Minister of State said. The OPPS is excellent. The way we have changed how we assess patronage is a good thing. I also appreciate what the Minister of State said about the criteria. The key in his answer is that the process is open and "provides objective information to parents in the relevant school planning areas". That is the difficulty I have. If we are only taking about parents in a specific area, we are excluding parents outside that area. It is a particular problem. I did not g…

A little over three years ago, when the Russian troops rolled into Ukraine, I think few of us had any confidence that the Ukrainians or the Ukrainian army could resist that attack; barbaric as it was, sudden, yet not entirely unexpected in many quarters, but it was absolutely ferocious. We have been surprised, and perhaps very much impressed, by how Ukrainian forces have managed to not just keep back the Russians, but actually take back land and ground and to assert themselves in the context of a brutal conflict. I…

Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire agus leis an Aire Stáit. Go n-éirí leo sna poist nua. Is í an cheist atá agam anocht ná seo: cad iad na tionscnaimh atá i bhfeidhm sa Roinn chun foireann agus oibrithe a mhealladh agus a choimeád san earnáil mhíchumais? What initiatives and research does the Department propose to attract and retain staff in the disability sector?

I thank the Minister of State. I acknowledge the ambition and achievement in the sector and I recognise the amount of money that has been invested, but retention is very important in circumstances where one in four workers in the disability sector will leave the job within a given year. This is three times the average of other sectors. It is important to invest in this and put in place measures beyond just money to encourage people to stay in the sector. We know the factors involved: a lack of permanent positions; …

I acknowledge the programmes the Minister of State mentioned. I welcome the appointment of the assistant national director and I look forward to the strategy that will be published this year. We can all agree that the retention of staff in the sector is something that has more than just a financial impact. People who work in the disabilities sector do an incredibly difficult job. It calls on them in a vocational way to deal with challenges that most of us do not have to deal with in our daily lives. A job done well…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Más féidir liom, i dtús báire, gabhaim mo chomhghairdeas leat as a bheith tofa inné agus tá súil agam go mbeidh gach rud déanta duitse chun meas a thabhairt don Chathaoir sa Teach seo, chomh mór is a bheidh leis an gCeann Comhairle í féin freisin. Ar an ábhar sin, maidir le mo chomhghleacaithe, na hAirí nua, ba mhaith liom mo chomhghairdeas a ghabháil leo freisin, go háirithe mo chomhghleacaí Fhine Gael, an Teachta Martin Heydon. Táim ag tnúth go mór leis an obair a b…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht isteach chun déileáil leis an gceist seo. At first glance, "catfish" might sound like a non-native marine animal but this is something that has been brought to the fore in the past year or more by people using their power in the media. I refer in particular to the 2 Johnnies and journalists like Ellen Coyne, who have highlighted the practice of catfishing. This is a process whereby somebody uses an image or false identity online to dupe another person into believin…

I welcome the acknowledgement of the seriousness of what I said. I welcome the fact the Minister of State and the Department acknowledge that catfishing is wrong. I also recognise that the Minister of State said it is not illegal. I was in these Houses when we passed Coco's Law, but Coco's Law does not stop this from happening. The various legislative instruments to which the Minister of State referred do not stop this from happening. At the end of the day, this is illegal. I welcome the fact he acknowledged that i…

As everyone in this Chamber knows, one death on the road is one family, one community and one group of friends devastated by the loss of the person involved. Every death is something we need to take seriously and take steps to address. As we work towards reducing road deaths to zero, we do so in the context that they have actually increased in recent times. That is unacceptable and difficult to explain, even though there have been attempts to explain it. The reality is that in each instance, there is someone who di…

I dtús báire, ba mhaith liom a rá go dtuigim díreach an méid oibre atá i gceist chun clár Rialtais a chur le chéile. Agus an obair sin ar siúl, tá daoine ar fud na tíre ag iarraidh polasaithe a chur isteach sa chlár sin agus na rudaí atá tábhachtach dóibhsean a bheith ann agus i bpolasaithe an Rialtais freisin. It is a big job to put together a policy and a programme for Government like this and huge credit is due to those who were involved in negotiating this plan, putting it together and putting in so many things…

Is é seo an chéad deis a bhí agam labhairt sa Dáil ó toghadh mé anuraidh. Gabhaim buíochas le muintir Dhún Laoghaire as ucht a muinín a chur ionam agus tugaim aitheantas do chabhair mo chlainne, go háirithe cabhair mo bhean chéile, Aoife, agus m'iníon, Robin, agus do chabhair mo chairde, mo chomhghleacaithe agus bhaill Fhine Gael i mBaile Átha Cliath. Ar an dea-uair, i nDún Laoghaire d'éirigh linn éalú ó na héifeachtaí ba mheasa a bhí ag Stoirm Éowyn. Cé go raibh damáiste agus crainn a tháinig anuas le linn na stoi…

Will the Senator take a point?

Perhaps there would be time if the Senator had not spent half an hour making what is, in essence, a Second Stage speech-----

-----that does not really refer to any of the amendments that have been tabled.

Using the Opposition's minority.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I will start by addressing that issue. This Bill has been discussed to an extraordinary extent on Committee Stage. Yes, it was a while ago and the reason for that is because the Minister took away-----

Go ahead, Senator Mullen.

Yes. The Bill has been discussed. I may have misspoken in respect of Committee Stage. The Bill has been discussed extensively in this House. It has been discussed at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice as well. There is no lack of discussion on this subject. Senator Mullen and I have shared platforms in respect of this on a number of occasions. We have been in the media on this on a vast number of occasions - far too many, some might say. There is no lack of discussion on this Bill. The Bill has been schedule…