I would like to add my voice to all those who have expressed condolences with the Murphy family, to Ashling’s friends and boyfriend and to the wider Tullamore community. The vigils held across Ireland for Ashling were also for every victim of gender-based violence, for the 244 women who have died violently since our records began and the 18 children killed with their mothers, for the thousands of women who are raped and sexually assaulted, and for the women and children who have had to flee their violent homes. We …

Before I begin it is important to address some of the comments from Deputy Murnane O'Connor on what she called "misinformation" related to the disquiet around the sealing of the archives back in October 2020 and the insinuation there that it was the Opposition drumming up false information or misinformation, as she called it. However, all she has to do is Google it-----

-----and she would find the disquiet from survivor groups, the Opposition and all of the public came from direct quotes from the Minister and his Department about sealing the archives-----

-----and she can look at that on the gov.ie website.

Look at the gov.ie website Deputy.

At the outset, it is worth noting the group of people this Bill refers to have endured an especially nasty and dehumanising form of abuse from the State that continues to a certain extent to this day. I refer to forced family separation along with practices of illegal adoption, the falsification of records and the imposition of secrecy on women and children. The State, as well as religious organisations and others, denied individuals their identity. It assaulted their sense of belonging and personhood from the day …

Why did individuals and groups have to make another submission, to share their story again only for it to be ignored in many instances, again? The committee report was published on 14 December. On 12 January, the Bill was published. That is just 14 working days, not to mention the Christmas disruption. Therefore, how much consideration was actually given to the recommendations of the committee? This is not about the committee but about the voices of survivors and their advocates. All of our recommendations are base…

I thank Sinn Féin for enabling this further discussion of gender-based violence. In recent weeks, we have seen the acknowledgement that domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a national social problem. The tragic killing of Ashling Murphy and the visceral response from every community, city, town, village and even townland, obliges us to respond swiftly, meaningfully and tangibly. Violence against women is a perpetual pandemic and one that never recedes or fades away. It has always been with us. In this disc…

This Bill is deeply troubling and morally wrong. It is an attempt to undermine the will of the Irish people. It is trying to legislate on medical best practice. This is not only inappropriate, but also incredibly disrespectful to women and doctors. Ultimately, it is a move to control women’s bodies. We are not going to return to those days. The eighth amendment and all it represented was decisively dismissed by the Irish people. The only question for this House now is how we can ensure best medical and caring pract…

I am sharing time with Deputy Cahill. I welcome many aspects of the motion, as I would welcome any change that will improve animal welfare and afforestation. Regarding the phasing out of fur farming, it is fair to say this is a case of the law catching up with societal changes. The majority of people are deeply uncomfortable with the idea that an animal would be raised for the purpose of using its fur or skin. While there was a time this was acceptable and fur clothing was sought after, we have moved on. As a count…

In the past two weeks we have learned that two eating disorder hubs have been delayed in Dublin. The 2018 strategy aimed for 16 specialist treatment hubs throughout the country. There are currently three operating for the entire country. As the Taoiseach knows, I have continually raised the fact there are also only three adult inpatient beds for eating disorders in the entire country. Also, no funding was allocated under the national eating disorder treatment plan for 2020. Of the €1.6 million allocated in 2019, no…

The report sets out the stark reality facing the Irish fishing sector, which is in the eye of the storm that is Brexit. In the hundreds of headlines and news reports on Brexit, fishing is not mentioned enough. Despite the massive impact of the ongoing change, coastal and island communities' livelihoods depend on the sea and they are often overlooked. The Irish fleet has lost more than 15% of its annual quota, which is compounded by supply chain disruption to and from the UK, as well as transport links with continen…

I hope the Minister of State has been briefed on the severe flooding in Bantry yesterday as a result of Storm Barra. From early yesterday morning, when the storm made landfall, the fire brigade and Cork County Council were out doing everything they could to prevent flooding. Substantial parts of the square were flooded, with more than 20 premises affected. Most challenging is the fact this is the fourth time Bantry has flooded in 18 months. In the words of Danielle Delaney, chairperson of the Bantry Business Associ…

Any acceleration of the process will be essential in getting the badly needed flood defences. I will take up the Minister of State's offer to meet us on the matter. Bantry and the wider community of the town need permanent flood defences as soon as possible. In the meantime, the town needs additional support to deal with the inevitable flooding it faces. I have previously raised the point that a proactive engagement with the community during the consultation phases, one which is based on a partnership model, will h…

How were the proposals for the payment rates under the mother and baby institutions payment scheme arrived at? One of the most disgraceful aspects of the Government's redress scheme for survivors of these institutions is the payment rates. Mothers who spent less than three months in an institution are to receive a mere €5,000. These women could have endured human rights violations such as forced family separation and abuse. Given that many of the proposed payments are contrary to the consultation with survivors, wi…

The Minister did not answer the question of how the Department arrived at the rate of potentially €5,000 for forced family separation. The proposed scheme is deeply flawed in many ways. The startling inadequacy of the proposed payment amount stands out. It is still unclear how these rates were decided. The figures suddenly appear in the interdepartmental group's report which was chaired by an official from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. A group of civil servants sat down an…

I agree with the Minister that no amount of money could compensate for it, but €5,000 is an insulting amount. One would get more in a compensation claim for a slip or a fall. The Department ran a consultation process inviting survivors to participate and many of them found the strength to do so in good faith. Why then were so many of their recommendations for redress ignored? The survivors called for an immediate interim payment, enhanced pension or periodic payments and additional sums, based on separate categorie…

Briefly, on that issue, I suppose it highlights the need for the repeal review to happen. Large trawlers of over 18 m are operating in inshore waters. This is an unsustainable practice. It is a significant issue for inshore fishers, the marine tourism sector and those concerned about coastal ecosystems. I am still regularly getting reports of those large vessels operating extremely close to the shore around west Cork and beyond. As the Tánaiste will know, this form of fishing is supposed to be banned. The Governmen…

This Friday is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the day to promote the rights and well-being of people with disabilities and celebrate their contributions to communities and society. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue for debate. The optional protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD, allows individuals and groups to hold states to account for failures to uphold their rights. Ms Sinéad Gibney, chief commissioner of the Irish H…

I thank Minister of State. Of anyone in government, I do not doubt her commitment in this area. However, I am concerned at the conditionalities Departments keep putting up that supposedly block ratification. In 2015, it was the intention to ratify the convention and the optional protocol together. By 2018, however, it was just the convention. We then had to wait until after the first reporting cycle under the convention, which, at the current pace, is still years off. In response to pressure on that hurdle, the emp…