I move amendment No. 1: After "further recognises that:" to insert the following paragraph: "- given the requirement for unanimity or qualified majority at EU level, and the longstanding unwillingness for certain EU member states to respond appropriately, it is essential that Ireland and other likeminded EU Member States take all possible actions at the national level and this should include, but is not limited to, implementing without any further delay a full and comprehensive ban on all trade with the illegal Isr…

I welcome this motion. There is no doubt that the EU-Israel Association Agreement has to be suspended. That is the clear, necessary and legally grounded conclusion from everything we have witnessed. I had the privilege to host a briefing in Leinster House with some of the authors of the Sadaka report, Without Values: None of It Matters, which is an important and forensic analysis of Palestine and Ireland's EU Presidency. I encourage every Member of this House to read it. It is on the Sadaka website. The title alone…

This is not boycott legislation.

On a point of order-----

On a point of order, I want to let the Senator know that the occupied territories Bill is not a boycott Bill. The pre-legislative scrutiny we carried out in the foreign affairs committee saw a unanimous vote that we can add both goods and services. The spin and scaremongering about people losing jobs has not been honest. That is not the truth. In Spain, it did not happen. There were no jobs lost in Spain. I want to put that on the record. This Bill is not a boycott.

I second the amendment.

I want to put on record my disappointment yesterday with the Government's announcement on the occupied territories Bill. What has been proposed is a partial ban. It is a ban on the importation of physical goods from the illegal Israeli settlements, that is, the dates and olives grown on stolen Palestinian farmland. It is welcome as far as it goes but it deliberately excludes trade in services. The technology companies, tourism platforms and digital and IT firms that sustain those settlements are being let off the h…

This week, Irish citizens on a flotilla sailing in international waters were detained. I know one of them personally, namely Dr. Margaret Connolly, a GP and a woman of conscience. She was among at least 11 Irish citizens detained by Israeli forces after the Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted in international waters, 70 nautical miles off Cyprus. Before her vessel was boarded, she recorded a video message in which she said, "If you are watching this video, it means I have been kidnapped from my boat in the flotil…

I want to make a few general points relevant to this section and the purpose of this Bill. I fully agree with the comments of Senators McDowell, Stephenson and Harmon. The role of the Irish courts is being shamefully diluted through this legislation, and I honestly have not heard one single good reason for that. Throughout this entire debate, the Opposition, civil society organisations and expert networks like the Irish Coalition for Business and Human Rights have raised the very chilling effect that ISDS, ICS and …

The point I made is that the Minister of State quoted the so-called safeguards from the Canada trade deal or other previous agreements but the legislation before the House is not limited to Canada or Vietnam or Mexico. It will open up investor courts for any future trade deal with any country in the world, with or without those safeguards, by simple ministerial order - no primary legislation or real debate needed. That is a fact. Second, the key point the Minister of State did not address in his response is who wil…

Do we not need a quorum?

I agree with Senator McDowell. We have to challenge the ruling that this amendment is out of order on financial grounds. I think the Minister is saying that this needs a money message. That is wrong and I will say a little on the reason I think it is wrong. This amendment does not appropriate funds. It does not create a scheme, establish an entitlement or set up a new body. It imposes a recording obligation on an existing power. Gardaí already stop and search. All this amendment asks is that when they do, they note…

I second the amendment.

Obviously, I support these amendments. We all know that the technical precision in legislation of this kind is obviously not a minor matter. It is the difference between a law that holds and one that can be undermined on procedural grounds. When we are dealing with an arms embargo, the question of who can authorise or inspect and enforce is absolutely foundational. Vague or inconsistent definitions create gaps that can be exploited, whether by design or by default. This Bill is very important because of what is hap…

I second the amendment.

We are at a moment where the international rules-based order is under profound strain. The ICJ has issued clear findings, as my colleague has said. The UN Charter has been breached. If our legislation responds only to the specific and the named while ignoring the systemic, we are not upholding international law, we are selectively applying it. Selective application is not a principle; it is politics dressed up as law. The International Court of Justice, the highest court in the world, has found it plausible that ri…

I second the amendment.

Hear, hear.

I am delighted to hear that representatives of Family Addiction Recovery Ireland, FARI, are before the Joint Committee on Drugs Use today. It is an unbelievably brilliant organisation. It is the umbrella organisation for family members who have somebody they love with an alcohol, drug or gambling problem. I am sorry that I will not get over to Buswells Hotel for the press conference because I will be in the Chamber. The work FARI does is fantastic. I want to put that on the record. We must take into consideration, …

The Minister is very welcome to the House. I want to talk about amendment No. 116, which replaces a section that outlines a huge range of duties that representatives for minors have. It is obviously welcome that it covers a wide range of responsibilities such as helping them through the screening process, meeting with the minor personally, taking into account their views and helping them to provide biometric data, lodge an application and prepare for an interview. It is concerning that the Bill allows for an indivi…