I want to raise a point of order.

I do not believe a Member is entitled to-----

I do not believe a Member is entitled to make that allegation-----

I do not believe a Member is entitled to level an accusation of theft or stealing against other Members in the Chamber and she should withdraw that remark.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The matter I wish to raise this morning is the future of Newpark Academy of Music in Blackrock, which has been a staple of musical education south Dublin for 45 years. It was founded in 1979 and is a really important small, effective, efficient, and incredibly well-renowned music school on the grounds of Newpark Comprehensive School on Newtownpark Avenue, Blackrock. In May, this school closed and nobody seems to be able to divine why exactly that happened. It is a charity and it i…

As I said, I am grateful to the Minister of State for coming in. I know that he is acting on behalf of the Minister for Education, but I really think that answer is not good enough. It is not enough for the Department to wash its hands and say we are not specifically responsible and that it is a separate remit. As the Minister of State said, the responsibility of the Department is to provide education at primary and post-primary level. Music is part of education. The provision of musical educational facilities are …

I join you, a Chathaoirligh, in the remarks you made about Martin Murray. I was talking to him just before coming into the Chamber and he said absolutely nothing about the retirement. I certainly join you and wishing him well. I know all of our colleagues in the Fine Gael group would like to do so as well. Gaeloideachas supports education in Ireland through the Irish language. Today I joined a group of students from schools in the south Dublin area looking for a Gaelscoil in Dublin 2, 4, 6 or 8. They have been invo…

The issue I raise today relates to human trafficking and our ability to identify it within Ireland and the need to do so. As we know, it takes different forms. Obviously, there is human trafficking from a sexual exploitation perspective but there is also human trafficking for the purposes of labour and work, which is what we might encounter in our daily lives more commonly. As we go about our daily lives in all kinds of industries where there are customer-facing or public-facing roles, unbeknownst to us, we encount…

I reiterate my thanks to the Minister for coming here. I know there is much work to be done. I also wish to put on record my acknowledgement of how much she has done in this area. The remarks she just made outlined some of the progress we have made and, as she acknowledged, we still have work to do on that. The action plan is hugely important, and the raising-awareness component of it. I agree with the Minister that it cannot be about doing it once a year and it has to be a programme that runs on an ongoing basis. …

Like other Members, I wish to say we had a wonderful experience over the past number of days in terms of democracy, both local and international, as it happens. I pay tribute to the five Members of this House who put themselves forward as it is a huge task to run in any European campaign, as well as to the hundreds of people who put their names on ballot papers for local council elections around the country. I also pay particular tribute to a young man in my own area, Dan Carson, 22 years of age, who is now the you…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Higgins. Is í seo an chéad uair atá seans agam é sin a rá ó ainmníodh mar Aire Stáit í. Comhghairdeas léi. Táim buíoch di as teacht anseo inniu. I wish to talk about a social inclusion measure in the naturalisation process. At the outset, I wish to say clearly that I think immigration is hugely important for this country. It is a good thing for this country. It is necessary for this country in supporting our economy and providing workers and taxpayers for our economy. I…

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I am conscious that she is answering on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, who cannot be here this morning. I wish to make a few points. First, I have no doubt about the robustness of the process. In fact, it can be an obstacle to a lot of people in an unduly bureaucratic way, but I recognise it is a process that needs to be followed. I heard what the Minister of State said about the Department examining possibilities. This is an issue I raised many years ago, when …

First, I agree with what my colleagues said about the need for special education and the provision for everybody who needs it. There are two things I wanted to raise specifically under today's Order of Business. The first is in regard to the regulations that came in on 20 May for e-scooters and e-bikes. It is a welcome development. We needed some sort of regulation or recognition of their status in law and I welcome that. However, there is quite a lot of detail in the regulations. There are important points like, f…

In welcoming the Bill on behalf of the Fine Gael group, I acknowledge what the Minister of State said about the genesis of this Bill and the fact Private Members’ Bills from Senators in this House, particularly from Senator Regina Doherty, have given rise to many of the provisions in this Bill. It is worthy of recognition that the Government sometimes does listen to what parliamentarians have to say. I appreciate the fact this has found its way into a Government Bill. The provisions are welcome. While it may be sta…

Dé Máirt seo chugainn.

Dé Máirt seo chugainn ar 1 p.m.

I congratulate the Minister of State on the legislation. This is a very important Bill. It is also a very weighty one, containing 220 sections. The job it is designed to do is a mammoth one, so it is very important. It is quite shocking that up to now we have not had proper regulation of such an enormous industry. I acknowledge that it is an enormous industry, not just in terms of the companies providing the services but also the ancillary industries that depend on it. Nothing in this legislation should be employed…

-----have to be vetted? How practicable is that? Has consideration been given to how that gambling exclusion register will operate? It is a helpful element, particularly in the context of the potential pitfalls that come with online gambling and placing the obligation on those providing the services to have that in place. It is a very important element but I wonder how functional it is and whether much thought has been applied to that particular consideration. There is a provision in section 72 of the Bill which es…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and congratulate her. This is the first time we have been in the Chamber at the same time. I was delighted with her appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs and wish her the very best in a job I know she will do in her usual style and with great excellence. I am delighted that she is here for Europe Day. I can say without fear of contradiction that Europe has been a universally and unequivocally good thing for Ireland. At the beginning …

Will the Senator take a question?