Before proceeding with business, I wish on my own behalf and on behalf of the members of Dáil Éireann to offer a céad míle fáilte, a most sincere welcome, to Lord Caine, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office, who is visiting Leinster House today to meet with the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and also the UK-Ireland Parliamentary Friendship Group. He is accompanied by His Excellency, Mr. Paul Johnston, the British Ambassador to Ireland, and officia…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 37 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss deteriorating standards with public bus services in County Meath. Deputy Bernard Durkan - To discuss the ongoing use of the pseudo-condition of parental alienation in family law. Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss the need for additional school transport provision on routes in County Cork. Deputy Joe Flaherty - To discuss the a…

I raise this issue again on the basis of its seriousness and the severe impact it has on those whom I call the victims, and indeed are the victims, of the situation that prevails in family law. I welcome that the Minister for Justice has set out her intention to bring about reform in this area and that reform is scheduled for the end of the year. However, the situation is so serious that it is ever-present in everybody's mind, especially the minds of those who are affected in a negative and hurtful way when childre…

I thank the Minister of State for her reply and obvious understanding of the situation, for which we are all grateful. My reason for bringing this matter up again is, as I said before, that the torture continues unabated. The sad part of this is the so-called expert witnesses, whose expertise has been commented upon by a Supreme Court judge in the recent past. The comment was to the effect that such witnesses have almost taken over the power of the courts and that their recommendation is unchallengeable, in many ca…

I wish to express my strong commitment and support for the points raised by my colleague, Deputy Brendan Smith, who is from a good Ulster county. It is important to remember to try to maximise the shared island concept with a view to ensuring it is part and parcel of the Good Friday Agreement. There is a need to ensure that the aspirations of the Good Friday Agreement continue to remain within the vision and that the benefits accruing from both it and the shared island initiative and their potential remain to the f…

I support the views expressed by Deputy Brendan Smith on the importance of parliamentary interaction between the two assemblies when the Assembly is restored. In order to facilitate that discussion, the Assembly must be restored. There is a notion that in some way, if things are left in abeyance for long enough, everything will fade away and we will go back to where we were. The Good Friday Agreement set down distinctly the pillars of society into the future and the need to observe the curtilege of the agreement, w…

Please, no more interruptions.

We could stay here forever and never get through parliamentary questions if we continued like that.

I know, but the quality of the answer is not in the hands of the Chair.

Absolutely, but you would want-----

No across the room talk. I am sorry. Do not try that old trick that has been tried too often in this House, where you drag in the question and the answer and we have a conversation. The Minister to reply. That is it.

I am sorry-----

The Deputy is abusing the House and he knows that.

We will move on. We must back track as we have found the necessary authorisation for Question No. 73.

This question seeks to ensure that we do not panic about achieving emission targets on the basis that we have made considerable progress in recent years. If one looks at the transport system, in particular the buses of 20 years ago that moved away from the bus stops in a cloud of smoke, that has all been eliminated. Will the Minister of State comment on this?

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. It will give encouragement to all those of us seeking to achieve the targets and make a positive contribution, including agriculture and industry. It is very important to acknowledge this to the various sectors.

I thank the Deputy. The Minister of State, who has 15 whole minutes, may go ahead.

I call the proposer, Deputy Nash, to reply. He has ten minutes.

I apologise for being absent last night when the Topical Issue debate was due to deal with the issue I will now raise again, that of family legislation reform. I congratulate the Minister on her success to date and her intentions to carry out those reforms by the end of the year. I am asking today for a preliminary inquiry into the activities which are ongoing and which are to the distinct disadvantage of many mothers and some fathers, and are a serious dereliction of what the public should expect. I would ask that…

My question relates to the areas where the national development plan and the programme for Government might converge, or in some cases might not converge, leaving questions as to whether they might be advanced in line with the concerns of the local communities, where there is obviously continued activity to pursue these issues. Snags have occurred in the past regarding the programme for Government, and in particular the national development plan. How can the Taoiseach at this stage try to use his good influence to …