I thank my Labour Party colleagues, Deputies Howlin, Nash, Smith and Ó Ríordáin, who have spoken so eloquently on this Bill. I will pick up where Deputy Ó Ríordáin finished; this is a matter of gender equality. I thank colleagues across the Opposition who have supported this Bill and who have seen it as a measure to introduce better provision for women in the workplace in particular. I said earlier that about 14,000 women in Ireland experience pregnancy loss each year. This does not just affect women; it affects th…

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and thank the Minister for taking this issue. I have raised the condition of facilities and infrastructure at the Enable Ireland Sandymount School. I put on record that while I welcome the presence of the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, I am disappointed the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte is not here to take this issue and I know that was a matter of the Ceann Comhairle’s making. I have engaged with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, on this and she has a very particul…

I am sorry.

I thank the Minister of State for the update but it is simply unacceptable that four areas of the building are out of use and have been thus since September. For some administrative reason, the emergency works scheme cannot provide funding for full roof works so this is now being put off, potentially until the summer, meaning that the children will not have access for the full school year to four rooms. This is not a large building so the children are being deprived of a very significant part of the their facilitie…

I wish all in the House a happy new year. The Minister and her Government are presiding over an abject failure on housing. This failure is devastating, particularly for those 13,514 people, including 4,000 children, who are in homelessness. That is a record figure and a shameful record. The housing crisis is also impacting on the hundreds of thousands of young adults living out of childhood bedrooms and the many thousands who are emigrating to Australia and other countries every year to find homes of their own. It …

No amount of spin can hide the reality, which is that we are just not building enough houses. The Minister's answer acknowledges that. Construction industry stakeholders themselves point out that without credible targets, we simply will never meet the delivery we need to do for our growing population. We have heard it from across industry, with the Construction Industry Federation confirming over the weekend that there is capacity and a need for up to 60,000 new builds per year. As I have been hearing from the Taoi…

I support the call for a debate on Ireland joining South Africa in the case against Israel. That is a crucial ask. I will return to that on Questions on Promised Legislation but we need that debate and, if possible, to agree cross-party a motion on Ireland joining South Africa in that case. Can I ask about a Private Member's Bill that we in Labour are putting forward tomorrow evening in the House? The Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021 would provide for paid leave from employ…

I raise again the proceedings under way in the International Court of Justice, ICJ, under the genocide convention. Yesterday, I contacted all party leaders on both sides of the House seeking signatures of support for a cross-party motion on Gaza, drafted by the Sadaka organisation, which calls for Irish support for the South African case against Israel. In 2021, this House made history when it spoke with one voice, representing the will of the people of Ireland, in condemning the annexation of Palestine by the Isra…

Tairgim leasú a 2: I leathanach 4, línte 11 go 14 a scriosadh, agus an méid seo a leanas a chur ina n-ionad: “(a) in subsection 1° of section 3 of the Irish text, by the deletion of “Ós ar an bPósadh atá an Teaghlach bunaithe gabhann” and the substitution of “Gabhann”; (b) in subsection 1° of section 3 of the English text, by the deletion of “, on which the Family is founded”;”, agus I leathanach 5, línte 12 go 15 a scriosadh, agus an méid seo a leanas a chur ina n-ionad: “(a) i bhfo-alt 1° d’alt 3 den téacs Gaeilg…

I thank the Minister for his response, which has been helpful. I agree that the text in the Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023 is a vast improvement on the current text in Article 41, in that it enables the recognition of family units beyond those based on marriage. We have all acknowledged that. Cohabitees and single-parent families will be recognised for the first time and that is hugely welcome. The Minister referred to the recommendations in the citizens' assembly report and the g…

With respect, we have established criminal laws against bigamy and polygamy. Presumably that will also be part of this. I do not think there is any reality to Deputy McNamara's points because we have such established law already.

How could it be moral if it is based on a relationship that is illegal in Irish law elsewhere?

We changed the Constitution

But we also have established case law that states that polygamous marriages are incompatible with the understanding of marriage in Ireland and the Irish Constitution.

That is what-----

That is what I-----

With respect, I also put questions to the Minister.

I will speak to our amendment, which is amendment No. 2. I very much welcome the debate and the introduction of a Bill to amend Article 41 in respect of two things - the current sexist language within it, which refers to a woman as having a life within the home and mothers as having duties within the home. The language in Article 41.2° of the Constitution has long been regarded as outdated, anachronistic and sexist. It is based upon gender stereotypes which should have no place in a contemporary constitutional text…

I thank the Minister for the very full response. I think he has given us some helpful insights, particularly into the rationale for the wording chosen and for moving the clause into a new article 42B. That is certainly very helpful to hear, but just taking up that last point about "strive" or "endeavour", there is not much between those two words. I would say again that the wording that the Oireachtas joint committee unanimously agreed is in fact preferable to either "strive" or "endeavour" because we said the Stat…

What about the friendship bond? That came up in our hearings. It is perhaps the most expansive way of defining "family" but it is clearly not covered in Article 42B.