I move amendment No. 4: In page 18, to delete lines 8 to 11 and substitute the following: “(2) This Act shall come into operation on such day or days as the Minister may appoint by order or orders either generally or with reference to any particular purpose or provision and different days may be so appointed for— (a) different purposes or different provisions, and (b) notwithstanding the generality of paragraph (a) , the commencement of section 9, insofar as that section relates to the insertion of Chapter 1A of th…

I feel rather like the rugby player who got the ball just before the try line and threw it over the line. I acknowledge the huge work Deputy Troy put into this legislation. He engaged in a lot of consultation previous to this. I thank Deputies O'Reilly and Shanahan, who have been especially engaged with this. I also thank the committee and Senator Mullen as we proceed to the Seanad. I thank the officials involved who are present, John Maher and Anne Barrett, as well as the team in the Department, who are continuing…

I, too, welcome the guests in the Gallery and I thank Senator Gallagher for his contribution, for his ongoing interest in this issue and for his good wishes. Senators will recall that 2021 was a record-breaking year for foreign direct investment employment. Total employment in IDA client companies now stands at 275,384, which was up over 29,000 on the 2020 figure. Growth in the regions was particularly buoyant, with 53%, or 133 projects of the 249 investments won by IDA, going to regional locations. Employment grow…

I assure the Senator I will certainly look forward to working him and other Oireachtas colleagues towards promoting this advanced building solution. Its construction is a major win for Monaghan. Having a site that is ready for go for any potential investor will put it well ahead of other locations. As the Senator noted, there is a proud tradition of enterprise in Monaghan, and the collaboration I mentioned with the third and fourth level institutions and the easy access to transport hubs, for both air and sea trave…

I thank Deputy O’Reilly for the question on the proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence, CSDD, which was published by the European Commission on 23 February 2022. It addresses corporate behaviour and due diligence processes for the companies within its scope. The proposal focuses on establishing a system within company law and corporate governance to address adverse human rights and environmental impacts arising from companies' own operations, their subsidiaries' operations and their valu…

As I said earlier I will personally meet representatives of the ICBHR and the other bodies in the coming weeks. SMEs are not within the scope directly but may be indirectly affected. Deputy O'Reilly confirmed what the thresholds are. We currently consider these thresholds to be appropriate. While I hear the Deputy's criticisms, it should be noted that the cohort of companies within those thresholds accounts for some 50% of the annual turnover of all the companies within the EU. It is important to ensure that the ri…

To be clear, I am not saying that anybody should be absolved of any responsibility in regard to human rights or in regard to the environment. It is about the appropriateness and the effectiveness of the regulations. As I said, 50% of companies with the biggest turnover in the EU will be affected by this directive. We need to make sure that in its implementation it is effective and that it actually does what we want it to do, rather than it being an ineffective piece of work that does not actually achieve. My concer…

I thank Deputy Flaherty for his question. As the House knows, regional development is at the centre of IDA Ireland's current strategy, Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021-2024. Under this strategy the IDA is targeting half of all investments to regional locations which aligns with the objectives of the programme for Government. Specifically, the IDA is targeting 25 investments for the midlands region, including Longford, in the period from 2021 to 2024. Longford, as Deputy Flaherty has said, is already hom…

I will work with Deputy Flaherty and all of our Oireachtas colleagues from Longford to ensure that this happens. In addition to that, the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, investment of €10.4 million in the Camlin Quarter in Longford town, the rural regeneration development fund, RRDF, investment of €1.1 million in Granard, along with the investments in Ballymahon through the very successful Center Parcs project, demonstrate a whole-of-county approach that is essential for attracting FDI. In recent wee…

We want to see this done right across the country and that is why the Tánaiste has prioritised within the Department the investment in the regional property programme. I am more than happy to go to Longford to meet Deputy Flaherty and the officials from the local authority. Longford County Council has an excellent chief executive. We trained him well in Mayo before we sent him to Longford. I am happy to work with everyone involved in attracting more investment to the regions.

Cuirim fáilte roimh na leasuithe. Táimid ag iarraidh dul ar an turas céanna agus an dearcadh céanna a bhaint amach ach níl mé in ann na leasuithe seo a ghlacadh mar gheall ar na cúiseanna a luaigh mé an tseachtain seo caite agus a leag mé amach i mo litir oifigiúil a sheol mé chuig an Seanadóir. Níl an bunús dlí láidir mar is é an chéad uair a tháinig na leasuithe seo os ár gcomhair ag na céimeanna seo. Ní raibh seans againn iad a scrúdú ar bhonn pre-legislative nó sa Dáil. Freisin, táimid buartha faoi chúrsaí cost…

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh Ghníomhach, agus buíochas libh as ucht fáilte a chur romham chuig an Teach seo. I thank the Senator on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, for the opportunity to address this issue. As the Senator has acknowledged, I do a lot of work with West on Track and we are very much aware of South East on Track and indeed the work of Councillor Whelan on this matter. As the Senator indicated, rail services on this line ceased in 2010 under an agreement made between the Nati…

On behalf of the Minister, I thank the Senator for his comments and his ongoing interest in this important issue and the ongoing interest of many Members of this House in rail expansion. I know that Senator Cassells, in particular, is passionate about the Navan rail line. The Minister wishes to assure Senator Byrne that the potential of rail connectivity from Rosslare to Waterford is being fully considered as part of the strategic rail review. As I have said previously, the review is unique in that it is being cond…

I thank the Senator for outlining Donal's story. The Senator might send me on the details so we can pursue it. It definitely sounds like it would be worth pursuing. I have a general response on the general query. The Department of Social Protection provides a wide range of employment-related supports, for all jobseekers, including people with a disability. The back to work enterprise allowance offers support to people receiving certain social welfare payments, including disability allowance, to develop a business w…

On behalf of the Minister for Transport and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this debate on accessible, affordable and reliable public transport. In both the motion itself and the contributions I have heard from individual Deputies during the debate, we can see the range of challenges and opportunities but also the progress that has been made to date. I believe we are all in agreement about wanting to provide a comprehensive public transport network that se…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am replying to this Topical Issue debate on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion who could not be here this evening. It provides an opportunity to outline the current position regarding the recent changes to the assessment of need process and on the roles and responsibilities of the National Council for Special Education and schools. The AON process is provided for under the Disability Act 2005. Assessment officers under…

Again, I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this issue but I would draw his attention to the fact, and he would know this, the Education Act 1998 requires schools to identify and support the education needs of all of their students and to use school resources to provide for those education needs. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, has set out guidance and frameworks to assist primary, post-primary and special schools and classes in the identification of educational need. Since 2017 an…

I thank the Deputy. I convey the apologies of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, who regrets she cannot be here for this matter owing to another commitment. She recognises that SLAPP proceedings are a significant potential threat to freedom of expression and to public participation, both in Ireland and internationally, particularly in respect of investigative journalism on matters of public interest. The programme for Government commits to a review of Ireland's defamation laws, as do the Depart…

I thank the Deputy for that final comment. As we prepare to reform our defamation laws, further remedies are available to journalists and activists who are subject to harassment when carrying out their work. For example, harassment within the meaning of section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997 carries a maximum penalty of up to ten years in prison. Any assault causing harm on any person is an offence under section 3 of the same Act. A person convicted of such an offence would be liable on su…

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of the relevant local authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on these roads are funded from the council's own resources supplemented by State road grants. I know from the Deputy's contribution there was an intense rainfall event in County Tipperary over a short period of time. I am aware that the flooding affected properties over quite an area. Unfortunately these severe weathe…