I believe the Department and the Deputy are at one in this regard. There is an ambitious and extensive capital investment programme occurring in east Cork at the moment and will be the envy of many areas in the country in respect of the size of the schools I outlined earlier. In fairness to management and to school principals, they are still working behind closed doors right across the country, including in east Cork, and I am pretty sure that the engagement the Department is having around numbers for September is …

I thank the Deputy. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. In 2012 the emergency medicine programme recommended the establishment of injury units in model 2 hospitals to provide unscheduled emergency care for patients with non-life threatening or limb threatening injuries. It was envisaged that due to their locations these injury units would provide a convenient level of emergency care while ensuring patient safety and equitable standards of care within an emergency care network. Some 1…

I thank the Deputy for the weekly tour of Carlow. I can assure her the review of the current injury and medical assessment units that was begun last October has been finalised and an implementation plan is now being developed. That is particularly quick for the HSE. It would be useful for the Deputy to supply to the Minister the census figures she referenced, including for Graiguecullen and the portion in Laois, to back up the work that might be underway with the implementation plan. The Minister is clear Carlow wi…

I am.

He will do the wrap-up.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes: — the need to reverse the decline in nature and biodiversity, and to ensure the resilience of our planet and our food production; — the work underway to develop the Nature Restoration Regulation at a European level, and the compromise text, agreed by the Council of the European Union, on a proposal for a Nature Restoration Law; and — the upcoming negotiations between the European institutions; and supports the dev…

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóirí atá anseo anocht le haghaidh na diospóireacht seo agus gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóirí Gavan, Ó Donnghaile, Boylan agus Warfield as an leasú. I do not disagree with Senator Gavan in principle. I think he got that on Second Stage when we had the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Deputy James Browne, with us in the Visitors Gallery. We want to see this addressed and Senator Gavan acknowledged that. We are late with the transposition of the directive and we are in …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist agus as an tuaraisc ón gcoiste faoi cúrsaí na gcomharchumann. The issue as to whether the Department would establish a co-operative development unit is part of the bigger issue we are considering regarding overall supports for the co-operative sector. I acknowledge the work of the Deputy and the committee on this. As he knows, there are a number of aspects. One of the most significant forms of assistance for the sector will be the introduction of a modern legal framewor…

Absolutely, we do not disagree. As the Deputy knows, the legislation for the co-operative movement is more than a century old. The best thing is to have contemporary legislation that reflects some of the trends the Deputy has just spoken about. Doing that will be a step change for the sector. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, has been clear that he wants us and the Department to engage widely with the co-operative sector to bring far more knowledge about the Bill. One thing I have discovered is that there is not as muc…

Absolutely. We are completely at one with regard to the potential of co-ops. They have also been important community vehicles to deliver community services such as water over the years. There is huge potential here. We absolutely support that kind of model of social inclusion and social progression. The most important thing is that we have a contemporary legislative framework and underpinning. In framing that, we can also increase and enhance the potential of the co-operative movement and structure. We continue to …

The Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, is not far off it either.

The draft EU AI Act will set out harmonised rules for the design, development, placement on the market and use of AI systems in the Union. The Act will ensure the protection of fundamental rights and user safety as well as build trust in the development and uptake of AI, thereby enhancing EU investment and innovation. The proposal aims to address the risks generated by specific uses of AI through a set of complementary, proportionate and flexible rules. Ireland very much welcomes the development of the AI Act and t…

As I said to Deputy O’Reilly yesterday, I invite all Deputies and Senators to come to the audiovisual room on 11 July, when Dr. Patricia Scanlon, the national AI ambassador, will answer many of these questions. Regarding the legislation, we are looking at issues like the definition of AI, enforcement and governance, biometric identification and the various foundation models. We want to regulate the threats of AI such as the threat to employment and threats to people generally but, equally, we must recognise that th…

The national digital strategy was launched in February 2022. It restates the Government’s commitment to making Ireland a well-resourced, modern and coherent regulatory framework for digital technology. Advances have been made across many fronts in this regard. We are committing the resources needed by our regulators to operate successfully. For instance, the Government has approved an allocation of €2.7 million to my Department for 2023 to fund Coimisiún na Meán in its lead role for implementing the EU’s Digital Se…

It is definitely worth considering. In order to achieve that aim we need to put our best foot forward, particularly regarding the Digital Services Act. We are preparing to have effective and ambitious implementation of the Digital Services Act to ensure that Coimisiún na Meán has the appropriate resources. Inevitably, there will be teething problems. We need to be ready and flexible to deal with those should they arise. I acknowledge the extraordinary work of my officials in the digital unit in my Department across…

I thank both Deputies. It is good to see Deputy Ring in the Chair. For the information of the House, the country-of-origin principle means that the business activity is regulated in the EU by the member state in which it is established. That has been a core principle of the Single Market, which came into existence 30 years ago. It goes back to the pre-digital economy. That continues to be something not just for the Single Market but also for the digital Single Market. Ireland strongly believes that companies will h…

Táim an-sásta a bheith sa Seanad chun an Bille tábhachtach seo a mholadh. The Bill transposes Directive (EU) 2020/1828 of the European Parliament and the European Council of 25 November 2020 on representative action for the protection of the collective interests of consumers. This directive requires member states to have a mechanism for consumers to seek collective redress when they claim to have been harmed by a business through breaches of certain EU consumer laws. The directive aims to ensure that consumers have…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, and Councillor Murphy. He is welcome to give this speech. The legislation is good news for consumers. It is equally good news for business because it recognises responsible traders and holds to account those traders who flout consumer protection laws. I am confident that once the legislation is enacted, it will strengthen consumers' efforts to correct malpractice by traders. It will do so by providing consumers with a mechanism to take a collective action against an e…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gceathrar Seanadóirí as a ráitis. I thank the Senators for being here on a Thursday and for their contributions. Senator Sherlock did not miss the substance, but I think it is important that we proceed, and that we have this Bill in place. We are continuing to place pressure on the Department of Justice. Senator Gavan referred to the Multi-Party Actions Bill 2017 introduced by Deputy Ó Laoghaire. There was also a report on multi-party litigation in 2005. It is frustrating. I share Senator S…

I thank the officials in my Department and everyone who has been involved in the work on the Bill. Regarding the amendment, as Deputy Quinlivan, as Cathaoirleach of the committee on enterprise, knows the whole issue of champerty and maintenance is being considered by the Law Reform Commission. We probably should have kept the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, here. A report is due on that and that will place the issue of champerty and that whole area into a context we can proceed with, so we are not cold to t…