People, in their droves, heeded the advice from NPHET and the Government to reduce their contacts. People have been cancelling, for example, Christmas parties, going to events and so on. One of the people who contacted me, and I am sure people in the same situation are contacting the Tánaiste, told me that 80% of his or her bookings have vanished, with the expectation that another 20% will go in the coming days. This individual said it is a very stressful time for his or her employees. This person is talking about …

As has been stated, the Bill seeks to standardise sex education in primary and secondary schools. Such sex education should, of course, be age appropriate and underpinned by values that reflect the modern and inclusive society Ireland has become. Central to such programmes should be dignity and respect. The aim should be to equip young people with the knowledge and information needed to make good decisions but also, critically, to have the confidence to make good decisions. That confidence and information leads to …

I do not know how many times I have stood in this House to criticise our lax record on implementing EU directives. We are constant laggards when it comes to EU law, and that goes across Departments, but in this particular case, instead of delaying the implementation, we seem to have just pretended that we had properly transposed the legislation and hoped the European Commission would not notice there were two departmental officials sitting on the independent Marine Casualty Investigation Board. Of course, not only …

I also want to express shock and horror over what has happened this evening in the English Channel. Given the amount of movement of migrants and the way this has been handled it was more a matter of when, rather than if, that was going to happen. It is just appalling. Tomorrow morning, we will find out the names and we will see faces and there is a different reality when that happens. All we can do at this stage is think of their families who are going to be hearing this awful news. On this particular amendment, I …

The ultimate aim for legislation in this area is to reduce the risk of new offences. This is the lens through which we have to look at every measure in this Bill. It is about how we make our communities safer. I must say that I am honestly not sure about electronic monitoring of sex offenders. I am absolutely in favour of keeping people safe and monitoring. The idea of electronic tagging for sex offenders has been floated for a long time. It was considered back in 2009 by the Department of Justice and again by Fran…

I join other Members of the House in expressing sympathies to the families of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Captain Mark Duffy, winch operator Paul Ormsby and winchman Ciarán Smith. The accident involving helicopter R116 was, for many reasons, an entirely preventable tragedy. In 2013, the mapping of the terrain of Black Rock Island was notified as an omitted hazard on the EGPWS in 2013 by a pilot, as has already been said. The information was circulated to the manufacturer of the system and to CHC Ireland, but no actio…

People around the country are deeply concerned today. They are worried about the impact of the virus on their health, jobs, children's education and communities. They wonder if the small measure of normality that had returned in recent weeks is being snatched away and, if so, for how long. They are deeply concerned about the ability of our overburdened healthcare system to cope with the onslaught of cases. They wonder why, given the scale of the crisis in our hospitals, the HSE has yet to deliver the 350 hospital b…

There is no doubt the vaccination programme was a real success, but we now know a third stage is required. People in their 70s are asking me when they are likely to even get notified of a date. Has the Government consulted the GPs on their ability to deliver this programme? The GPs are very busy at the moment as there are many things circulating in the community. Do they have the ability to do this? If not, can people be directed to vaccination centres? There is a real problem with people who got the AstraZeneca va…

I welcome the extension of the legislation. It has been a vital support to pubs and restaurants throughout the country over recent months. I accept the point on the weather being better then than it is now. The reason the legislation was introduced in July was because of the push for us all to have an outdoor summer. The Government realised that licences are granted based on the floor space of a premises and that in certain places throughout the country bylaws were in place to prohibit the consumption of alcohol in…

By and large, this Bill is welcome and has been a long time coming. The Sex Offenders Act 2001 has not been updated since its introduction. This legislation has been promised since 2018 and it largely comes from committee recommendations, some dating back to 2006. A 15-year wait for recommendations to become legislation is, fortunately, not common but it is also unacceptable. Wider protections have long been needed for victims. While we are all aware that much more needs to be done regarding the prevention of sexua…

Is there an intention of providing guidance for the Garda? That is important.

Before we get into the substance of the Bill, I have to say that were I to come along and present this legislation, I would be laughed out of the Bills Office because to be honest, it is very difficult to know what the scope of the Bill is as something like 14 different items are listed. It is not that there is not merit in most of them, it is that most are not connected to one another. It will make our road traffic legislation even more complicated. I know the Minister of State is aware of that particular issue. L…

This is a timely debate, particularly given the announcement of the transport strategy for the greater Dublin area that was published today. It is important that other parts of the country pay attention to what is occurring with this strategy because one would expect the same approach to follow in other areas. Between 1996 and 2016, the population growth in this region was as follows: Dublin city and Dún Laoghaire both grew by 13%; south Dublin by 28%; Fingal by a whopping 41%, making it the fastest growing area in…

My question relates to the DART+ project, an important project which I strongly support. The scope of the project is terminated 2 km or 2.5 km before Kilcock. I went to the Department yesterday and brought the Minister, Deputy Ryan, a map so he would have it today because a picture speaks a thousand words, but he is not here. Essentially, this question is about him seeking to engage with the NTA to expand the scope of this project to take in the town of Kilcock, which has a population of approximately 8,000.

This is the second time there has been a later date for Kilcock. The track was doubled between Clonsilla and Maynooth some years ago after extensive engagement with community groups. Kilcock was left out at that stage. The town's residents will rely on the Sligo line for commuter services, while the eight-shed depot that is being constructed is in Kilcock. It is across the road from a new housing estate on the Meath side of the town. There is complete unanimity across the political spectrum on delivery of this proj…

I ask the Minister of State to pay attention every morning when she listens to AA Roadwatch reports. She will hear the M4 and the M7 repeatedly referenced, yet DART+ is not going beyond Hazelhatch on the Kildare line and it is not going to Kilcock on the Maynooth and Sligo lines. We know we are in a climate emergency and have to get people onto public transport. It just does not make sense not to go 2 km further to an area with 8,000 people who are in the commuter belt and are travelling to Maynooth in their cars, …

We have all been alarmed by the rapid increase in the incidence of Covid-19 in recent weeks, with nearly 7,000 cases reported in the past two days amid an upward trajectory. We appear to be going from one wave to another without moving to a point where we accept this as endemic and we need strategies to deal with the virus into the medium term. It has been clear for a long time that Covid-19 is airborne, and this presents significant challenges, particularly in the winter months when people are more likely to be in…

I am sure the state of Victoria, for example, took expert advice before investing heavily in ventilation in schools. We are constantly being asked by people why we are so different from our European counterparts when it comes to the rate of transmission of the virus. We seem to be going from wave to wave and hoping it will not reoccur. The reality is that this is a substantial wave with 7,000 cases in the last two days and many children and their parents testing positive. I have no desire to get into a Punch and Ju…

The Bill is welcome and, like others, the Social Democrats will support this Bill. It is regrettable that we are at the 11th hour with this Bill coming forward. The Minister of State happens to be the one in the seat who is taking the criticism that can really be applied to his predecessors, because this has gone on for a long time. We have a serious problem in Ireland with human smuggling and human trafficking. With the current frameworks for identifying smuggling and trafficking, we do not have a clear picture of…

This question relates to the cancellation of a very significant number of 999 calls. I am seeking information from the Minister as to whether her Department has provided administrative assistance or advice to Garda management on that issue in 2021.