No. I am not going to bother getting into the rubbish that has been spoken.

I wish to raise the issue of the ship, the Catalpa. It may familiar to students of history but for those who are not, the Catalpa facilitated an escape of Fenian prisoners from Freemantle Prison outside Perth in Australia. The 150th anniversary of this escape will take next month. There had been a general amnesty for Fenian prisoners who had been shipped to Australia but these six prisoners had been serving members of the British forces and Fenian revolutionaries at the same time and were therefore excluded from th…

I only intend to make a few remarks, so I am quite content to share the remainder of my time with Senator Cathal Byrne.

I welcome the opportunity to debate this issue. Democratic mandate is important, and people should be represented equally in the exercise of democratic process. Article 16.2.4° of the Constitution states: The Oireachtas shall revise the constituencies at least once in every twelve years, with due regard to changes in distribution of the population, but any alterations in the constituencies shall not take effect during the life of Dáil Éireann sitting when such revision is made. If that provision is applied to the p…

I second the amendment.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I thank him for stepping in to help the passage of this important legislation. We will be supporting the Bill to pass on to Committee Stage today. As the Minister of State said in his statement, this comes about due to the 2018 Supreme Court ruling, which found that our legislation did not adequately transpose the EU directive to cover informal insolvency, that is, those situations where a business ceases trading without formal liquidation or bankruptcy. It is very important that …

I wish to continue on the same theme in relation to the attack on Iran, which was clearly unjustified and, more importantly, represents a violation of the United Nations Charter and the multilateral system. These attacks were undertaken at a time when there were ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran. Western powers' track record on military interference in the Middle East has been disastrous. Decades of invasions, occupations and bombardment have resulted in immense loss of life and long-term dest…

I also welcome the ambassador and our guests from Ukraine and offer them our ongoing solidarity as they continue to suffer aggression from Russia in the invasion of their country. We know all too well in this country the experience of an imperialist neighbouring aggressor and how that feels over many years, decades and, indeed, centuries. I want to raise the issue of tariffs with the Leader, which obviously has come back into sharp focus with the ruling of the US Supreme Court last week that much of President Trump…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Cathaoirleach. I offer some sympathy by the points made by my colleague behind me, Senator Clonan. Cuirim fáilte roimh na finnéithe go dtí an Seanad inniu. So many issues have been raised by all five of them it would be impossible in the less than three minutes I have left to address them. I want to focus on one issue in particular, namely, the opportunity that arises to us in the latter end of this year in terms of the EU Presidency. Europe is going through a phase of some of the most sign…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Sinn Féin will support the Bill progressing to Committee Stage, when we will likely table amendments to it. However, it is a real shame that there was no pre-legislative scrutiny of this Bill by the enterprise committee. This is detailed and technical work and there would have been great value in the committee hearing the concerns of the representative group, Recorded Artists Actors and Performers, RAAP, and being able to deliberate collectively on this issue. I know that the Minister a…

I raise the issue of access to all-Ireland healthcare. Representatives of the special EU programmes body and Co-operation and Working Together, CAWT, appeared before the Good Friday Agreement committee this week and provided some excellent examples of collaboration and co-operation, particularly in the Border area, where CAWT operates North and South. However, significant barriers remain to accessing critical treatments and care. There are issues with data sharing, which will be critical to resolve in advancing an …

I would like to raise the significance of a report produced by the Economic and Social Research Institute just last month. The report is the first to consider annual economic surveys and to assess economic trends across Ireland using comparable data and it is a very robust piece of work. There is much that can be learned from it and the significance for policy formation across the island should not be underestimated. It is the first time policymakers North and South will have access to a shared and consistent evide…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Based on the previous contributions, I think we are all largely on the same script. We recognise the benefits of this but we also recognise the great harm and in particular, the great sense of concern there has been in recent times around some of the tech companies and their use of AI. This debate is timely, given there is concern around that but that stems from a concern around a light touch approach to regulation, which people have exploited. People and parents in particular have been…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following: “notes draft Council Decision authorising enhanced cooperation on the establishment of a Loan for Ukraine, a copy of which was laid before Seanad Éireann on 21st January, 2026; recognises that: - the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation was an act of aggression which was motivated by expansion and imperialist ambitions; - the people of Ukraine have shown immense resolve, resilience and determination; …

Okay. We will be opposing this motion and have tabled an amendment outlining the approach we believe a militarily neutral EU member state should take to providing support for Ukraine. We are deeply sympathetic to the people of Ukraine and fully recognise the act of aggression committed by the Russian Federation in its invasion. Sinn Féin values and defends the right of every nation to sovereignty, a right that has been denied to our own country since partition. On a human level, we understand the parallels between …

I welcome the fact that the Government has restored the Bill to the Order Paper for the current Oireachtas session as it committed to do at the end of the previous Oireachtas. I understand the legislation is required due to the ongoing wind-up of NAMA, which means that the functions of the Credit Review Office need to be put on a legislative footing. Sinn Féin will be supporting the Bill, as the Government has confirmed that it will help guarantee the continuity of the industry funding model, formalise the governan…

I welcome the Minister and thank the Leader for facilitating today's debate. I raised an objection to how this was passing through the House yesterday. It passed through the Dáil without debate, which Members found unfair and objectionable. We felt the Government did not facilitate proper scrutiny of the legislation. I welcome the opportunity to raise a number of questions this afternoon. A number of speakers have made the point that these regulations were brought in for a time and a specific set of circumstances, …

The issue I wish to raise is on the Order of Business itself. It is the proposition to take without debate the motion regarding about the credit institutions (financial support) (revocation) scheme and the credit institutions (eligible liabilities guarantee) scheme 2025. I am very concerned this is a deregulation of the banking sector and that it is to be done without debate, particularly in circumstances where I do not believe we have been provided with adequate detail. The advisory note attached to the motion sta…

I move recommendation No. 1: In page 8, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “Report on Universal Social Charge 3. The Minister shall, within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on removing the Universal Social Charge from the first €40,000 a person earns.”. This recommendation is about ensuring that the first €40,000 anyone earns will be exempt from the universal social charge, USC. This would be a targeted measure, although everybody who earns up to that …

Sinn Féin will of course oppose this section in its entirety. This section very clearly displays where the Government's priorities lie. The Bill does not aim to assist ordinary workers; rather it is those who are already comfortably off who get the big breaks. There are tax cuts in this budget which are not for the ordinary man or woman going out to work every day. The people who are getting them are those who can avail of the special assignee relief programme, SARP. The previous Minister for Finance, and I assume …