I acknowledge the Taoiseach's outlining of the action plan for mother and baby home survivors. We on the Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth have been working through a number of issues in this area, including improving the information and tracing legislation to deal with many of the concerns and issues of survivors of mother and baby homes and those who were adopted. I welcome the announcement of the new national centre on Seán MacDermott Street. I also welcome the Taoiseach's provis…

I commend Deputies Cian O'Callaghan and Whitmore and their colleagues on bringing forward this important Bill. The Labour Party offers its strong support for it. All of our thoughts at this time are with the people of Ukraine, who are enduring the horrific bombardment of the brutal Russian invasion. Other speakers have pointed out that this Bill has an application for the many people fleeing to our shores seeking refuge and who may be at risk of exploitation by unscrupulous landlords. We all are very conscious of t…

I commend my colleagues, Deputies Nash and Duncan Smith, on proposing this important motion. I am proud to speak in support of it. I also pay tribute to our colleague, Senator Sherlock, who has done so much to enshrine a right to flexible working in law. I acknowledge how fortunate we all are to be able to stand here in a peaceful parliament debating this issue while bombs are raining down on the people of Ukraine. We stand in solidarity with them at their darkest hour. As Deputy Howlin says, Covid has changed the …

As we debate and celebrate International Women's Day in this peaceful corner of Europe, we all think of the women and children fleeing the brutal bombardment from Russian forces in Ukraine, and we think of all those in Ukraine suffering and enduring under the horrific invasion that is unfolding before us. We are entering the second week of it and we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and in condemnation of Russian aggression. As we celebrate International Women's Day here at home, we can reflect on our …

As we debate this Bill, the people of Ukraine are suffering the brutal invasion and bombardment by Russian forces. We are seeing the deaths of children and civilians. That makes us all reflect on the importance and privilege of being able to debate legislation in a debating chamber in a parliament in a peaceful democratic republic. We must all reassert the true value of democracy. The war in Ukraine reminds us all not to take that for granted. I wanted to preface my remarks with that. I know that feeling is shared …

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories on behalf of the Labour Party. The recent report of Amnesty International that we are debating was unequivocal in its findings as to the extent of land seizures, unlawful killings, restrictions on movement, denial of citizenship of Palestinians and other breaches of international law by the Israeli state. Indeed, the Minister referred to those breaches of international law. The report documents …

First, on behalf of the Labour Party, I welcome the establishment of these two citizens' assemblies. We are glad to see this being carried out, but we are also anxious to see progress being made on the citizens' assemblies on drugs and on the future of education. Indeed, my colleague, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, has been to the fore in seeking clear indications from the Government and particularly the Taoiseach on the timeline for the establishment of a citizens' assembly on drugs. We know what a serious and severe problem …

I am glad to speak on behalf of the Labour Party in a debate that purports to address twin crises - the climate crisis and the cost-of-living crisis. I have indeed spoken previously about these twin crises that we are all facing in society. All of us across the House are hearing from constituents, families and individuals about the astronomical increases in the cost of living and the bills that everyone is experiencing, in my constituency of Dublin Bay South and elsewhere too. People are telling me about the increa…

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on the national retrofitting scheme and to very much welcome it. I think there is a broad welcome for the scheme. It is undoubtedly a win-win to see a national retrofitting programme. Many of us on the Opposition benches had indeed been looking for this to be rolled out for some time, so it is most welcome. I thank the Minister and his officials for the briefing last week with Opposition spokespersons, which I certainly found very useful. Clearly, there are enormous benefi…

In my role as Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality, which has been charged with the implementation of the 45 recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality, my colleagues and I are getting under way to commence public hearings at the committee. We are conscious of the timeframe we have been given by the Houses of the Oireachtas of nine months from the start of public hearings and conscious that there has been some highlighting of the role of citizens' assemblies and the need to take…

Can the Taoiseach give any commitment on the timeframe for that?

I am delighted to have the chance to speak on this important Bill and I commend Deputy Carroll MacNeill on her initiative in bringing it forward. It is really important that we are debating this very timely legislation and it is really good to hear the very honest contributions to the debate from the men and women who have spoken. When I was first elected to these Houses in 2007, to the Seanad, I was pregnant with my second daughter. It was shocking to me how difficult it was to accommodate a baby within these prec…

Why has there been such a serious delay in legislating to provide for safe access zones around healthcare providers and maternity hospitals where abortions are carried out? This legislation has long been promised by the Government. Indeed, the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, promised it back in 2018 when we were debating the abortion legislation. A Private Members' Bill to provide for safe access zones to protect women and healthcare staff will be debated on Committee Stage in Government time in the Seanad…

This is a very serious report and I again raise the urgency of providing this important legislation to protect women and healthcare providers.

I will speak on the amendment as we are on Committee Stage. I support the amendment, on behalf of the Labour Party. It relates to an issue I raised during the Second Stage debate on the Bill, namely, the need to ensure adequate integration of renters into the proposed framework in the Bill. Clearly, the rebate for householders will be welcome, but we have criticised it as being inadequate and merely a drop in the ocean when we see the soaring cost of living crisis that so many households are facing. On Second Stage…

I ask the Minister whether his Department will commission an audit of buildings and teaching practices in third-level institutions to determine the accommodations that can, and must, be made to enable greater access to students with disabilities.

I am delighted to hear the news hot off the press that a space survey will be carried out by the HEA and that the Minister will launch the new phase of capital investment calls later this week. It is welcome that will include this emphasis on universal design principles. What both I and the Labour Party spokesperson on higher education, Senator Hoey, have been hearing is that many students and potential students who are not even counted in figures kept by universities and colleges on students with disabilities requ…

I thank the Minister. The NCBI told us recently that lack of access to curriculum and learning materials is one of the main factors preventing students with visual impairments from reaching their potential. Building on the remarks of the Minister, it also reported that the number of students with disabilities in third level is growing, which is very welcome and largely to do with the successful access programmes and disability offices and centres such as the inspirational centre at Trinity College Dublin to which h…

I welcome the opportunity to speak for the Labour Party on this Bill and to express our disappointment that this is what we are seeing from the Government as a way of addressing the crisis in the cost of living that is sweeping across the country and affecting every community. As we are coming through the crisis of the pandemic, the Government has to confront the twin crises of the climate emergency and the cost-of-living crisis, which has manifested so strikingly and seriously for so many families, households and …

I am glad to speak for the Labour Party on this important Bill. I am grateful to my colleague Senator Hoey, who is our spokesperson on higher education, for giving me the benefit of her insights. Obviously, I too have a strong interest in this area, having served a number of terms as a Senator for Dublin University. I am also very proud of my long association with the law school in Trinity College where for many years I taught and carried out research and administration, which is an important part of any academic j…