I stay with the same issue. I am asking for details of the Tánaiste's engagement with senior management in the Defence Forces with regard to the number of serving members who have convictions for gender-based violence, and his plans to publish the recent audit carried out by the Defence Forces in this regard. I am asking this question in the context of the Women of Honour documentary in October 2021. Shockingly, the Commission on Defence Forces made no reference whatsoever to members charged or convicted of serious…

I welcome that the Tánaiste is taking a hands-on approach, but can he imagine? We have had a commission on the future of the Defence Forces. We have the documentary on the Women of Honour. We have a tribunal set up. However, he, as Tánaiste of this country, the second most important role, has to repeatedly ask what the situation is. He gets a report, and he is not happy with it, so he gets another report. He is then told there are 68 Defence Forces personnel who have been convicted or are before the courts one way …

I do not have much time to reply. Statements are scheduled in the House tomorrow and I will happily elaborate then, if I have the time the Tánaiste has had, on how we have got to this stage and how we ignored an interdepartmental committee in 1997 that came forward with recommendations. The violence is not an epidemic or a pandemic. It is violence mostly by men against women, but also by some women against men. Specifically, I am asking the Tánaiste why we have to rely on a drip-drip basis to get information. I hav…

What about the other years? Where is the analysis of that? How many serving members are before the military court? In respect of Peter Ward, for whom I have great respect, what are his terms of reference? Will we see them? After what period will the report be published? I go back to the Women of Honour, Natasha O'Brien and all the other women, and what they have put up with. I am not happy to be here tonight while the Tánaiste begins to tell us violence is unacceptable. That goes without saying. It is about what we…

The Tánaiste will publish the terms of reference and the report.

The Minister has received serious correspondence from the Bar Council and others. They wrote to her on 21 June stating she will recall that in October they withdrew their services because of the lack of confidence in the Government’s commitment to the preservation of the highest standards of administration of criminal justice. That was the first time ever that such action was taken. The barristers are now about to repeat it, for three days this month, owing to their utter frustration over what has happened. Two thi…

We did not get a written reply, so this is difficult. The Bar Council is taking unprecedented action. October was the first time such action had ever been taken, and now we are to have action again for three days. Sara Phelan, chair of the Bar Council, has stated the council has at all times made clear, both to Government and to its members, that it would be willing to allow a period of time up to 30 June 2024 for the review proposed but that nothing has happened. Seán Guerin, SC, chair of the Criminal State Bar Co…

Thank you Deputy.

We are way over time.

We are way over time.

The Tánaiste to reply.

The Deputy will get a chance to come back in.

No. We are way over time.

Before the Tánaiste comes in, a Theachta Durkan, you wanted to come in.

Deputy Brendan Smith will take this question.

My question relates to the climate action plans, the preparation of which is mandatory for all the 31 local authorities. My question specifically relates to Galway city and county and, more particularly, the Minister’s Department and what progress has been made on a monitoring and reporting system because that is essential.

I welcome the Minister’s reply and what he set out, but I think he will agree that a monitoring and reporting system is absolutely essential. Galway City Council is in trouble when it comes to housing. It has many priorities on its hands, including traffic congestion. It seems that climate action is not getting the attention it deserves. I can understand that to a certain extent. However, we declared a climate emergency in 2019, which the Minister knows better than me. In 2021, he sought applications for a decarbon…

Galway is a particularly good example of a bottom-up approach. I was there back during the period 2000 to 2003 when there was a bottom-up campaign against incineration - it was not in a NIMBY fashion but one of zero waste – and we were laughed at. We developed a plan for the county and what happened? The Government removed the power to make plans. The Minister is aware of all that. We collected 24,000 signatures for a feasibility study in respect of light rail. That still has not happened. The people are way ahead …

There has to be leadership.

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 Joe Flaherty - To discuss the Irish Dental Council's capacity to investigate reports of professional negligence. Deputy Mick Barry - To discuss issues arising from the recent non-custodial sentence issued in a Limerick assault case. Deputy Brian Stanley - To discuss funding for youth services in Laois and Offaly. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne - To discuss t…