First, I would like to extend my sympathies to the Bruton family, Finola and our colleague, Richard. Whenever death comes, it comes suddenly, even if there is a long lead into it. We are never prepared for it. It is no secret that I grew up in a staunch Fine Gael family. My father was a blueshirt to his marrow. He was a sadly misguided man who drove me into the Fine Gael Party as a young man. Until I was enlightened in 2012, I stayed in the Fine Gael Party. My abiding memory of John Bruton is of VAT on children's s…

Can the Senator tell us what the book costs?

What about getting off homework?

I am wearing my pin today for Lá Fhéile Bhríde. It is fitting that today, one of the strongest women in Irish representation, Antoinette Cunningham of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, is retiring. Antoinette leaves behind some fantastic achievements, including access to the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court for members of An Garda Síochána. She will be a tough act to follow, and any of us who have watched interviews over the years with Antoinette will have seen that she is a toug…

Hear, hear.

I hope Senator Ahearn will forgive me but Castlebar, the home of my mother, was noted today as the best town in Ireland for work-life balance. As a west of Ireland man, I am delighted to note there is such a place outside County Tipperary, although I am sorry to have to inform Senator Ahearn of that fact. The referendums that will take place on 8 March are causing me a great deal of concern. I refer to the misinformation that is being put out. For example, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is on record in The Irish Ti…

I am aware of that.

I am seeking a debate on the McKenna judgment being respected by both Houses and any other agency funded by the State.

We have an obligation to tell the truth. As I stated, Article 41.1.1° places marriage on a different bar or level from a durable relationship. It is there in black and white for everybody to see. Article 42B offers no practical support for families with disabled people. What happened here during Commencement matters this morning is outrageous and indicative of the way this House is treated by the Government all the time.

They might help us if they learn about government.

The Minister of State is welcome to the House. There are some very serious issues with the Digital Services Bill that to date have not received enough attention, like the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 that preceded this. That Bill managed to sail through the Dáil with very little opposition. I come at this from a very clear perspective. In my first week as president of the Teachers Union of Ireland I had to cope with one of our schools where two 11-year-old kids com…

I and, I am sure, all members of my group join others in expressing sympathy to the Connor family. It is a tragedy to lose somebody in a road traffic accident. Two and a half years ago, after the cyberattack on the HSE, I started to involve myself in matters cyber. Initially, I worked with Louth and Meath ETB. That spread out to the University of Galway, Munster Technological University and many other education centres around the country. I have had the honour of leading two delegations to Estonia to visit CCDCOE, …

With respect to time, my colleague, Senator Clonan, wants to speak. Must I share time with him or will the Acting Chairperson allocate time to him?

That is fair enough. I will share time with Senator Clonan. I welcome the Tánaiste to the House for this important debate. I also welcome the veterans who are here. They clearly had to go through quite a lot of personal strife to get us to where we are today. I welcome the appointment of Ms Justice Ann Power, who is a judge of international standing. I wish her well in the work she is about to undertake. I congratulate the Tánaiste on picking somebody of such standing to chair the tribunal. I was going to ask the T…

There was an attempt to abolish this House in 2013, before I was elected here. I worked hard during that attempt to save this House, as did many people. My colleague, Senator Clonan, has put forward an amendment to the Order of Business today which I am seconding. It proposes that we do not take anything more than Committee Stage of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023. I can understand that there are times when legislation is urgent and needs to be passed through the House quickly but this is a to…

I will be calling a vote on the Order of Business today. This cannot go through and if it does, I sincerely hope we get a public lashing for the way we are abusing the democratic system.

Never.

So, you have succeeded.

It is no more than a scam.

No, it is not.