I have not yet spoken to this group of amendments but like Senator Craughwell I have listened to the lengthy debate we have had. I have certainly found some powerful arguments on both sides. In response to some of the Government Senators, I say that this is not just a technical Bill about a database. The debate has really illustrated how much more important this debate is and how much more important is the substance of the Bill for the many people affected by it. This database refers to records and personal informa…

The Labour Party Senators oppose section 2 and propose its deletion for the reasons I outlined, both on Second Stage and earlier on Committee Stage, our concerns regarding the need for the legislation and the concerns others have expressed on preservation of the archive. It is important to see a commitment to establishing a dedicated archive in which could be housed all historical records, databases and findings of other commissions into institutional abuse also. Senator Sherlock has strongly advocated siting such …

I move amendment No. 12: In page 4, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “(3) Neither this Act nor the Act of 2004 shall operate to prevent the Agency from processing, or authorising the processing, of information— (a) for archiving, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes, in accordance with section 42 of the Data Protection Act 2018, or (b) by providing information about a deceased person to a brother, sister, son, daughter, nephew, niece, grandson, granddaughter, grandneph…

I thank the Minister for his response. It is disappointing to hear that he is not prepared to accept any of the amendments given how crucial this core principle is. Again, he referred to the 2004 Act. That is not set in stone and we can amend it. The whole purpose of this Bill, as the Minister said, is to disapply it in a particular way to enable the database to be sent to Tusla. Clearly, we can disapply it, amend it or make exceptions to the general rule that applies only to this particular commission. We do not h…

I move amendment No. 22: In page 5, line 8, to delete "(other than the database and related records)". I have moved the amendment on behalf of Labour Party Senators but other colleagues have also signed up to it. It seeks to delete the words "other than the database and related records" from section 5 because the Bill will provide that the database and related records of mothers and children be given entirely to Tusla without the Minister keeping a copy. I am conscious that the Minister indicated, in response to Se…

I move amendment No. 24: In page 5, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: “Application of the Data Protection Regulation 6. (1) Article 15 of the Data Protection Regulation applies without restriction to the evidence and documents deposited by the Commission with the Minister under subsection (2) of section 43 of the Act of 2004. (2) In this section, “Data Protection Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016.”.

I move amendment No. 25: In page 5, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: “Minister to publish an Index to the Commission’s archive 6. (1) Within four weeks of the Commission’s deposit of evidence and records with the Minister under subsection (2) of section 43 of the Act of 2004, the Minister shall lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas an Index to all of the evidence and records so deposited. (2) The Index to which this section relates shall be anonymised to the extent necessary and proportionate to …

We have discussed the amendments at length but we have not talked about the section at all. This is the rogue section, one might say, the section on the other, unrelated matter of amending the Judicial Council Act 2019 essentially to extend the deadline for preparation of the draft personal injuries guidelines. I have no objection to the extension. I have seen the letter from the President of the High Court, Ms Justice Mary Irvine, setting out the grounds for seeking the extension. All of us want to see these guide…

We are discussing amendment No. 30. I support Senator Higgins's amendment, which is crucial because it relates to the issue of rights of information, which is something that we have spoken about throughout this debate. It also relates to the question that I asked the Minister earlier about giving us a timeline for the publication of the information and tracing legislation which he promised and which would give comfort to so many people who have contacted us and whose stories have been so sad to hear. Senator Higgin…

I thank the Minister for engaging with us over more than seven hours of constructive debate. We all acknowledge the Minister's comments on the index and his movement and engagement on some of the amendments we tabled. It is disappointing that the bigger issue of access to information has not been addressed in the Bill. We will work with the Minister to try to ensure we get decent information and tracing legislation through the House. It is disappointing that the Bill has been rushed in this way, and we have made th…

I want to second Senator McDowell's proposal. I know Senator Boyhan's name is also on it as a seconder. If needs be, I am happy to second it on the basis that, as Senator McDowell has said, we are very concerned about the way in which the Bill is being rushed through and the projected ordering of Committee and Report Stages for Friday. I know that has not yet been ordered by the House. That will be put by the Leader on Friday morning. The many thousands of emails we have all received in recent days shows the level …

I welcome the Minister to the House and acknowledge his comments on our shameful history, as a society, of treatment of women and children over many decades, in particular of those citizens who were incarcerated in homes like the mother and baby homes and so many other institutions. In my previous life as a practitioner, I had the privilege of representing many survivors of abuse before the Residential Institutions Redress Board. I learned from so many of them of the terrible injustice they suffered in those instit…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, to the House and thank him for taking this motion. I commend Senators Mullen and McDowell on initiating the motion. I am glad to support it on behalf of the Labour Party Senators and, indeed, we co-signed the motion along with other colleagues across the House. It is important that we do so to show solidarity with the Uyghur people and make these calls on the Government both to condemn unreservedly the oppression of the Uyghur population and to call on China to bring …

I ask the Leader for a debate on the disability motion that is listed as the sixth motion on the Order Paper for today, which has been proposed by us in the Labour Party with support from Sinn Féin and the Civic Engagement Group. I thank all colleagues for signing up to it. This is a cross-party initiative, which was also introduced in the Dáil last night, seeking to ensure a cross-party approach to the hugely important issue of disability rights and services. Colleagues on all sides will be aware of the enormous p…

I welcome the Minister of State and I ask the permission of the House to share time with my colleague, Senator Wall. I will take five minutes and he will take three minutes.

It gives me great pleasure to second this motion on behalf of the Labour Party. It also gives me great pleasure to speak following my colleague, Senator Sherlock, who has spoken so eloquently to propose the motion. She has done an enormous amount of work on pushing for the introduction of the right to paid sick leave. As we state in our motion, it is extraordinary that Ireland is one of only five countries in the EU without a statutory sick pay scheme. Some 22 EU member states have such a scheme in place. It is ver…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is a beautiful Chamber, as the Minister of State has said, and it is lovely to be here. The matter I have raised is the need for the Minister for Health to make a statement on the situation regarding St. Mary's Centre Telford, Dublin 4, and the care of persons currently depending on the centre's services, along with his Department's plans to prevent such future situations arising in Irish nursing and care homes. I know the Minister of State will be well aware of the …

I thank the Minister of State for her very strong reply. I have raised this matter in the Seanad a number of times but I am grateful to the Minister of State for responding so directly on it. Clearly, there is an issue with regard to the provision of care to vulnerable persons beyond the specific issues affecting St. Mary's. In the context of St. Mary's, I am grateful to the Minister of State for setting out the background. I am shocked, although not surprised, to hear just how little notice was provided and that t…

I would like to second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed my colleague, Senator Ó Donnghaile. I agree with the sentiments he expressed about the unfortunate news of the Bus Éireann decision. I also wish to express my serious disappointment at the demolition in the very early hours of yesterday morning of 40 Herbert Park, the home of The O'Rahilly, for the reasons others have expressed. If anyone is in any doubt about the historic significance of the house, I suggest he or she listens to the excellent p…

I welcome the Minister to the House and I commend Senator Norris on proposing this important Bill, which I am delighted to speak in support of on behalf of the Labour Party. I commend and pay tribute to Senator Norris for his immense commitment to persisting on this issue. In the previous Oireachtas term, I spoke in support of the motion the Senator tabled on this same issue on 10 July 2019 in a different political, economic and health context. He has moved the debate forward by bringing that motion to the House la…