It is a point of order.

I am making the point of order that if that is done it encourages people to raise it.

If you let me finish making the point, a Chathaoirligh, you will see. It applies to the order because an issue has been raised that nobody has had a chance to address, including the Minister of State, and it encourages people to raise issues that are extraneous to an amendment if nobody is allowed to reply to them.

It cannot be in order to exclude other speakers.

Will the Senator accept a point?

I am not sure if I have misunderstood the point because I agree with Senator McDowell insofar as I believe there should be greater political discretion. One of the downsides of this Bill is that it removes that. Surely the amendment he is suggesting would remove exactly the kind of discretion he is talking about. Would it not be favourable, therefore, to leave the language in section 13 as it is because it allows for that political discretion to be vested in the Minister?

I agree with some of what Senator McDowell said. I am blue in the face making one of the points he made, which is to acknowledge that we have a functioning Judiciary that has served the people of this country exceptionally well and also served our judicial and courts system very well. The rule of law is applied consistently by our judges. I also agree with what the Senator said about the lives of judges before they become judges and how that should not have and does not have an impact on their decision-making capac…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus roimh an mBille atá an-tábhachtach ar fad. Gabhaim mo chuid buíochais agus buíochas ghrúpa Fhine Gael le Bridget McManus as an tuairisc a rinne sí ar an ábhar seo agus leis an ngrúpa as an obair atá déanta aige. This is a very important Bill. It may be a niche area but it will have much wider repercussions than much of the legislation of this technical element and size that goes through the House. In his speech the Minister of State mentioned a number of issues that are very i…

This week we saw what has been described as a protest by legal aid practitioners in courts throughout the country. It was done with the minimum of disruption but it was a very strong and well-attended statement by those who work in the criminal courts, solicitors and barristers. Their pay has not been restored and they are the only sector whose pay was cut at the time of the crash and who have not got it back. It is leading to major problems within the criminal bar. We also saw in the last few days that a case coul…

I dtús báire, deánaim comhghairdeas leis an gCeannaire agus Jarlath as ucht a bpósta. As it is now over a year since the enactment by the Oireachtas of Coco's Law, I call for a debate with the Minister for Justice on the progress made in relation to prosecutions, arrests and so on under Coco's Law. I acknowledge the call by Ms Frances Fitzgerald MEP to introduce a Europe-wide law on the sharing of images and the tragic events that led to Nicole Fox's death. It is something we should certainly debate as we were very…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit freisin sa díospóireacht tábhachtach seo. I welcome this report. I also congratulate my colleagues, Senators O'Loughlin, Joe O'Reilly and Gavan and all those who are part of the Irish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. They have done an enormous amount of work. We can take great pride in Ireland's response to this crisis. I mean the way that Ireland has dealt with it not just in terms of its parliamentarians but also in terms of our Government and ou…

Maybe it is. On each occasion, there has been somebody with misguided opinions on the other side. The point I want to make about this debate is that recommendation 2245, which is contained in paragraph 8.1, calls on the heads of state and government of the Council of Europe to, "affirm their unwavering support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders and stand in solidarity with Ukraine and Ukrainians". The reason I have picked that sentenc…

Watch me shoehorn, although I will not do it not quite as comprehensively as Senator Mullen does. One thing that came through from this is that Ambassador O'Reilly, who is based in Strasbourg, did enormous work. He did not have a permanent team of Irish diplomats on the ground in Reykjavik. We do not have an embassy in Reykjavik. That is a shame. There are not that many independent nation-state islands off the west of Europe that are part of the European Economic Area. Iceland is one. It is a close neighbour and a …

While it is slightly out of context, while I know we have diplomatic relations from Norway, I ask the Minister of State if we could further the establishment of an independent embassy in Reykjavik.

Will the Senator accept a point?

I just think it is unreasonable to suggest that the lack of procedural accountability of European Union institutions to the European Court of Human Rights has drownings as a direct consequence. There is a narrative that has been propagated by Senator Gavan’s colleague in the European Parliament that somehow that is the fault of the European Union. It is not, and it is irresponsible to suggest it.

This is exactly the narrative. It is absolute nonsense.

Nobody in this House doubts the importance of sport, especially of non-professional sport as it benefits households and individuals throughout the country. I also acknowledge the funding the Government has put at the disposal of sports clubs, be they GAA, other team sports such as rugby or soccer, or tennis, through pitches, facilities and so on. That is tremendously important because it builds communities and facilities for local communities and individuals. I also acknowledge how much of that funding comes from t…

I acknowledge the extensive rundown the Minister of State has given of the contributions and the commitment that the Government has made to sport. I welcome that and acknowledge it. I am particularly grateful for what the Minister of State said in relation to the issue I raised and I am happy to engage with him after this debate. I do not want to name any organisations on the record but it is important that we recognise that many national sporting bodies have a huge amount of work to do to marry their commitment to…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Tánaiste agus gabhaim buíochas leis as ucht teacht anseo chun díospóireacht a dhéanamh linn ar an ábhar tábhachtach seo. I welcome a lot of what the Tánaiste said. The recognition in his speech has been tremendously important. I also share his pride in the Defence Forces and what they do for us as a country and individually. When they come to our aid, we know we can depend on them. The reputational benefits we have from them and the work they do throughout the world consistently and honourabl…