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 Violet-Anne Wynne - To discuss the hot school meals programme in Ennistymon Community School, County Clare. Deputy Gino Kenny - To discuss the lack of public health nurses in Dublin Mid-West. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore - To discuss the lack of secondary school places for Greystones, County Wicklow. Deputy Louise O'Reilly - To discuss the need to create a…

The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act was enacted in 2017, ostensibly to give better protection to sex workers and victims of human trafficking. To ensure that protection became a reality, a statutory obligation to carry out a review was included in the Act. That obligation came into effect in March 2020, three years after the Act’s enactment, yet here we are in 2023 some three and a half years later and there is no sign of the review. I understand there were difficulties, but the independent expert was appointed …

The Select Committee on Transport and Communications has completed its consideration of the following Supplementary Estimate for Public Services for the service of the year ending 31 December 2023: Vote 29.

Seanad amendments Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, 5, 11 and 13 are related and will be discussed together.

Seanad amendments Nos. 4 and 6 to 10, inclusive, are related and will be discussed together.

Amendments Nos. 12, 14 and 15 are related and will be discussed together.

Does the Minister of State want to come back in?

Before going through the next three amendments, I note that things have moved much quicker than anticipated. For the information of Members, the next item, the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023, Report and Final Stages, will be starting immediately after this item, in just a few minutes.

Seanad amendments Nos. 13 to 15, inclusive, have already been discussed.

A message will be sent to Seanad Éireann acquainting it with the fact that Dáil Éireann has agreed to amendments Nos. 1 to 15, inclusive, made by Seanad Éireann to the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Cap on Market Revenues) Bill 2023.

Amendments Nos. 1 and 3 are related and may be discussed together.

I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion on the escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. On Tuesday, 14 November 2023, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.

We are discussing the Electoral (Amendment) Bill.

The acknowledgement that the Deputy went off topic is not the same as permission to go off topic.

I welcome the opportunity to speak to this important Bill. I thank the commission, led by Ms Justice Marie Baker, for its work. It was set up in February and its report was published in August. I thank also the Department for its work on the Bill. I thank the Minister for the written copy of his detailed contribution. He stated, somewhat jokingly, that he hopes he will never again have to read through an entire report regarding changes or the absence of changes to various constituencies. The best way to do that, of…

The Select Committee on Justice has completed its consideration of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2023 and has made amendments thereto.

I thank Sinn Féin for the opportunity to speak on this matter and also the Social Democrats for its motion tomorrow. I have serious concerns about the call for the withdrawal of the Israeli ambassador. I have a particular viewpoint on that which does not match what people are saying here. Notwithstanding that, it is one month and one week to the day since the attack by Hamas which killed 1,400 Israeli people. I am on the record condemning that out of hand. I am also on the record condemning, in this House, at prote…

Again, with no disrespect to the Minister of State, I find myself in the same position. Given the urgency of this matter, I will go ahead with it but we understood that if the Minister or Minister of State was not available, that would be made known to us and we would have a choice. None of that has happened in my case.

I understand that.

I want to say this for the record. I will take some little blame in regard to the phrasing of this question, which is to discuss the flooding in Galway and the damage it has caused to homes and businesses. The question was submitted to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, as all my questions regarding Galway flood defences have been. I would say there has been a not overly-friendly interaction in the course of the day with my office regarding this to clarify what it w…