Ireland has seen very positive jobs growth in recent years, and we are now at virtually full employment. However, announcements like this show that we can never become complacent and take any jobs for granted. It shows that there are challenges in certain markets that are beyond the State's control at times. Inflationary pressures, energy costs and the recent increase in US tariffs have created additional challenges for businesses across the country. The Minister, Deputy Burke, can assure the House that the State w…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to bring this Bill back to the Seanad where it was initiated. This Bill is the latest in a long series of measures enacted to modernise and improve public accessibility of the Statute Book and secondary legislation. It is vital that laws and regulations in Ireland are fit for purpose and regularly reviewed and updated. The amendments in group 1 are minor technical amendments and reflect recent changes to ministerial titles. Amendments Nos. 1 and 3 update the ministerial titles…

The amendments in group 2 relate to the removal of the 1685 order from Schedule 1, instruments to be retained. These amendments follow on from Committee Stage in the Seanad and very constructive engagement with Senator Boyhan, the Genealogical Society of Ireland and the Office of the Chief Herald in the National Library. Amendment No. 2 removes the 1685 order from Schedule 1, instruments to be retained, and amendment No. 7 inserts the order into Schedule 2, instruments to be revoked. These are minor technical amend…

The amendments in group 3 are minor technical amendments. Amendment No. 5 substitutes "Department" with "Minister" in Schedule 1, Part 2 on page 9. Amendment No. 6 substitutes "Department of" with "Minister for" in Schedule 1, Part 2, on page 10. Again, all the amendments in group 3 are minor technical amendments and do not fundamentally change this Bill at all. I hope we can agree to them.

I thank everybody who has worked on this Bill. An awful lot of work went into this and it has been ongoing for a number of years. I thank all of the officials in the Department who have worked on it, as well as officials in the Law Reform Commission, who have given a lot of their time. Blood, sweat and tears went into this. It has been a huge insight into history as well. It is really nice that we have been able to capture a lot of those historical and interesting times in the Seanad and the Dáil. Many of Members a…

I thank the Deputies for giving me the opportunity to discuss the Government’s position on Second Stage of this Private Members’ Bill, the Ministers and Secretaries (Attorney General) Bill 2023. At the outset, I remind Deputies, as Deputy Bacik has done, that the Attorney General is a constitutional officer appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Taoiseach under Article 30 of the Constitution. Their role is to be the adviser of the Government in matters of law and legal opinion. The Bill contains pr…

I think it is here. Is it not here?

I am so sorry.

Somebody can provide that. In the meantime, do you want to photocopy my one?

I thank the speakers who have contributed. We all agree that the State should act in the public interest, broadly construed, in pursuing litigation and should consider the broader public interest before taking certain procedural steps in litigation. This is the reason the Government approved the adoption of State litigation principles two years ago. They serve as guidelines in the conduct of litigation by the State. The 15 litigation principles inform how the State views public interest in the context of litigation…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That” and substitute the following: “Dail Eireann resolves that the Transparency and Social Value in Public Procurement (Bill 2024) be read a second time this day 24 months, to allow for consideration of the complex legal issues in the Bill and how they interact with the Companies Act 2014 and the EU’s eForms (electronic procurement notices) Implementing Regulation; and also to allow for the European Commission to have completed its revision of the Public Procureme…

I thank Deputies for their engagement on the Bill and in particular Deputy Farrell who worked on it. It has been useful to have the opportunity to discuss public procurement on the floor of the Dáil, important considerations for it and how the Government can ensure better services for the people who come here to live and work and who are born and live here. It is important that we make sure that public procurement is in the best interests of all our citizens. Public procurement is a key priority for the Government.…

I thank Senator Lynch for tabling this Commencement matter, which I am taking on behalf of An Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris. The passport service is successfully meeting current demand for passports. To date this year, the passport service has issued more than 536,000 passport books and cards. As the Senator said, last year was a very strong year in terms of the number of passports delivered. The customer service hub is responding to almost 12,000 phone and webchat queries every week. The passport online service of…

I thank the Senator. Demand for passports is increasing. That is happening throughout the country and in the Senator’s region too. Given that Cork Airport, Shannon Airport and Farranfore Airport are in the region, I can appreciate that there are people who want to be able to collect and go straight to the airport, but the message from the passport service is not to rely on an urgent turnaround time and to apply on time. Demand for passports is, as I have said, increasing quite dramatically. Due to the Department's …

I thank the Senator for raising this really important issue. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Health and I have been provided with a script which I am sure will be provided to the Senator. I am quite concerned because the situation the Senator has outlined does not tally with some of what is in here. Let me read what is in here in relation the Senator's very specific question about opt-out procedures. What the Department has advised is that the national screening service advises that any woman may rem…

Every year, 250 women in Ireland are diagnosed with cervical cancer and, sadly, around 90 lives are lost to this disease. It is something the Government takes very seriously. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is very passionate about it. Ireland is on track to eliminate cervical cancer in just 15 years, by 2040. That will be remarkable progress that will save lives. Cervical cancer, as we know, is among the few cancers that can be effectively prevented with vaccination and cervical screening. This is why it is…

I thank Senator O'Loughlin very much for raising this matter, which provides me with the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth and to outline to the Seanad and the Senator's constituents the current position on the major building project at the Curragh Community College in Magee Barracks in Kildare. As she outlined, this project is a very important school building project for Kildare. She spoke about schools in Kildare town and Newbridge being under pressure and the extra capacity…

I absolutely hear the Senator on this. She wants to know when students will be able to walk into the school. Unfortunately, I cannot answer that today. We must make sure that the tenders that come in are valid and are awarded correctly. Then the construction phase must be entered into. I am sure that is something the Minister will keep the Senator informed of. Certainly, the Department will work closely with the school management to make sure that happens in as timely a fashion as possible. The Department continues…

I thank all Members in the House for what was a really interesting discussion on this really important issue. Like my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, I am pleased the Government has not opposed this motion. The Dáil’s engagement on diaspora matters is always welcome and it was really positive to have such good engagement today. Every day, we see the value of the sustained investment in our communities abroad. That was evident in the response of the Irish community to the Covid pandemic, a response…

I thank both Deputies for raising this cross-party Topical Issue which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. I thank them for raising this issue. I was in Limerick city only earlier this week with Senator Maria Byrne and the issue of crime was raised with me by Limerick Chamber of Commerce. Like all decent citizens, I strongly condemn gangland criminality and, in particular, intimidation and threats using firearms and other lethal weapons. People have a right to live safely and feel safe in the…