I wish to inform the House I have a list of speakers that includes Deputies Nash, O'Reilly, O'Donoghue, Devlin, and O'Sullivan and does not allow for the Minister to speak. If everybody wants to speak we will try to include them but they need to keep this in mind and try to allow a few minutes for the Minister to reply. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Deputy O'Donoghue is next. Five speakers have indicated and the Minister should have an opportunity of saying a few words before the vote.

Just a second, Deputy. Let me explain. I am trying to accommodate everybody insofar as is possible. Last week I did that as best as possible. It is to be fair to everybody and give everybody a chance to express some words. The Deputy may of course continue for the duration and run the clock down, in which case nobody else speaks.

I know, but I indicated from the outset the aim is to accommodate everybody. It is up to Deputies. Deputy O'Donoghue has the right to go on if he wishes to but there are swings and roundabouts and those kinds of things.

We move to the Regional Group. I call Deputy Fitzpatrick, who is sharing time with Deputy Canney.

In accordance with Standing Order 80(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time tomorrow evening.

Seanad Éireann has passed the Criminal Justice (Mutual Recognition of Custodial Sentences) Bill 2021, without amendment.

This list has Question No. 64 first and I presume we will proceed on that basis. The question is in the name of Deputy Ó Snodaigh.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

We now return to Question No. 64 in the name of Deputy Ó Snodaigh.

This is unsatisfactory because-----

We cannot go up and down the calendar all night.

We will run with it this time but we will not move any more. Deputy Kelly's question is next.

On the same lines, we should not underestimate the importance of the sports capital grants, major and minor, for the various clubs throughout the country, given the tremendous work they have done, and the tremendous enjoyment and participation in sports that have accrued from it. I have two issues. Because of the difficulties with Covid in recent years, costs have gone up and estimates may now be a little stale in some cases. I ask that incentives be given, if possible, to clubs that were unable to close off their …

I agree with the concerns expressed by the others. There needs to be a review by the Minister of the regulations, the way they are applied and the outcomes. Having attended at appeal hearings over many years, I have seen the basis on which decisions are made. On one occasion not so long ago I attended a hearing where the person won the appeal only for it to be overturned by an executive officer who, to my mind, had no authority to do so other than a conflict whereby the same officer was adjudicating on their own de…

I agree with the Minister on the seriousness of the challenge and the changing landscape. We must do everything in our power to meet that challenge head on. We must first meet the challenge of the number of people who are and have been homeless in our society. We must recognise that it is easy to blame the Government for everything. The Government did not start the war in Ukraine or in the various other countries from whence immigrants are coming at present. It is also important that we recognise that to shoehorn p…

My last comment is simply this. We should not forget so easily that, as a race, we were immigrants and asylum seekers, both economic and otherwise, for a long time. We must confront the hatemongers who are now in our society using the situation to generate fear and resentment.

I want to again emphasise the urgent necessity to tackle this issue, which has been genuinely voiced by many inside and outside the House, notwithstanding the less than genuine people who are now active in our society and acting in a seditious way to create failure and the maximum possible opposition to and hatred of people coming into our country. They have to come into our country and we have an obligation to welcome, greet and include them in our society. We cannot do that unless we have the information to do so…

This particular question raises the issue of support for the protection of children in all circumstances, whether in the settled or immigration community or the courts. We have a duty to protect all children.

The concerns of a fairly considerable cohort of mothers whose children have been removed from them have been brought to my attention recently. Their children have been removed not because they had bad mothers or bad homes but for other reasons. These mothers are victims of referrals to the system and numerous hearings where attention is not brought to the concerns they brought to the attention of the appropriate authorities and their children are alienated from them. We do not seem to be able to come to grips with …