On behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank the Senator again for his comments. As mentioned, no decisions have yet been made to alter services on the Rosslare line. Currently, three train services run from Wicklow to Dublin during weekday morning hours. There are gaps of up to approximately five hours between consecutive services in the daytime. Instead of the current train pattern, the DART extension arrangements under consideration by the NTA would allow an hourly DART service from Wicklow town into Dublin …

The Minister for Transport, and for Climate, Energy and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, sends his apologies. Clean air is fundamental to our well-being and quality of life and is essential for the health of the environment on which we depend, hence the high priority given to improving Ireland’s air quality in the current programme for Government. Ambient air quality standards for Ireland are currently established through EU legislation which provides for a minimum level of health protection. New WHO air quality …

I again thank the Senator for raising this very important issue around air quality. I assure her of the Government's commitment to addressing the challenges facing Ireland in that context. The Government is committed to addressing this critical public health and environmental challenge through measures including the introduction of enhanced solid fuel regulations, increased support for local authority air quality enforcement and the implementation of Ireland's first clean air strategy. This further highlights the p…

There are many complex and interlinked reasons for the use of knives in the commission of offences. When some young people feel unsafe or under threat there can be a temptation to carry knives. Incidents involving knives tend to increase this trend and there are certainly no quick-fix solutions to tackling this type of behaviour, which is long-standing over many generations. Long-term, evidence-based strategies and local interventions by trusted youth workers are most effective as part of a wider strategic response…

We have had a number of conversations about a knife amnesty. The evidence, from the UK in particular, shows that it can have a short-term and not extensive effect because knives are so readily replaceable. In terms of it being an awareness issue, we would have to be very careful about how to manage it, if it were to happen. We would need to ensure it did not engender fear in young people and actually encourage some of them to carry knives if they think it is a bigger issue than it actually is. That is why we tend t…

The difficulty with it just being an awareness campaign is that it could terrify more young people and they may end up carrying knives, which is the last thing we want to happen. There has been an increase, albeit not very significant, in knife carrying in the country. There was an amnesty here in 2006, but it was only to hand in knives that were about to become illegal. The evidence from other countries is very mixed and seems to have a very short-term use. I can continue to have the conversation around an amnesty…

As the Deputy is aware, my Department is leading a programme of family justice reform set out in the first family justice strategy, published in November 2022. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I have set out an ambitious vision for a family justice system of the future, a system that will focus on the needs and rights of children and which will assist their parents in making decisions that affect all of the family. The plan outlines the steps needed to create a more efficient and user-friendly family court system …

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter relating to dedicated family law courts. He is certainly correct in that family law deals with very sensitive issues, often involving children or strenuous circumstances of extreme stress, and people deserve privacy, which in turn provides people with dignity in dealing with their very sensitive matters of family breakdown. That is why we are progressing distinct family law courts, as the Deputy has recommended, and I understand where he is coming from on this is…

This matter is one of many reforms being carried out by the Government, not least in the context of family law at the Circuit Court. There will be a family circuit court to deal with those special circumstances in proceedings that might make them more appropriate to be dealt with separately, and we will certainly aim to ensure that, in those circumstances where there might be a reduced family law workload for the Circuit Court with the district family law courts coming into being, there will be a ready accessibilit…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána and all gardaí have a role to play in community policing in the course of carrying out their duties. Community policing is also fundamental to the new Garda operating model that is being rolled out throughout the country and has been fully commenced in 13 Garda divisions. The new model will provide more front-line gardaí and increased Garda visibility and will deliver a wider range of policing services for p…

I do not have the 2019 figure.

I apologise to the Deputy and I will certainly undertake to get those figures for him because it was a straight question and the figure has not been provided. I agree community gardaí are essential. In terms of understanding local communities, while all gardaí are community gardaí, having dedicated community gardaí is essential to building up those relationships and a sense of trust in working with the local communities and also to being a point of contact when issues arise. Furthermore, it helps us understand what…

I fully agree with the Deputy. I spoke with communities in Dublin recently about ensuring consistency in who their community gardaí are, as there can be a high turnover due to gardaí moving on. We do not see the same level of turnover among juvenile liaison officers, who view their role as a longer term position. This issue can be examined to ensure consistency. The Deputy is 100% right that the community garda is the most important garda. Community gardaí are the linchpins and connecting points between what the re…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I am taking this issue on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, who is unavailable to answer this question today as he is abroad on official business. At the outset, it is important to note that, before the Department and Government commits public moneys to supporting the hosting of a major sports event in Ireland, a significant range of factors needs to be taken into account. These factors include the projected cost to the State, the expected economic benefits…

As previously stated, the Department is open to further engagement with Motorsport Ireland on this matter should the organisations engaging with the event promoter show that the hosting of the World Rally Championship in later years would be feasible. The Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, has informed Motorsport Ireland that his Department is prepared to consider supporting the hosting of the WRC in the years beyond 2025, if alternative hosting years are possible. He is also prepared to commit to an independe…

The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, has spoken previously on the topic of gender healthcare. He has acknowledged that this is a small and vulnerable group of people who need to have access to proper, appropriate and integrated care, including acute care and community care. He has also acknowledged that they do not currently have access to that in Ireland and has stated that he is determined to change that. In that context, the Minister would like to confirm that the HSE has recently appointed Dr. Karl Neff as cl…

I will bring the Deputy's comments to the attention of the Minister for Health. The issues raised in this discussion are important and the Minister wants the Deputy to know that all of us in this House want to assure the transgender community is given proper, appropriate and integrated care and support they need to live authentic, fulfilling lives. I certainly agree with that. The new model of care will aim to do just that. The development of the new model of care for gender healthcare services is expected to be a …

I move the following motions: That Dáil Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: Proposal for a Council Decision on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of an agreement betw…

I thank the Deputy, first for raising the tangential issues of the Law Society, the concerns about power of attorney, and the issue of the Tralee courthouse. I will bring those issues to the attention of the senior Minister. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, this debate relates to two Commission proposals on Council decisions which authorise the signing and a conclusion of an agreement between the European Union and Canada on the transfer of passenger name record data. It is considered desirable that Ireland av…

I am pleased to introduce the Court Proceedings (Delays) Bill 2023. Article 6.1 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides for the right to a fair trial in a reasonable time period. This right already has constitutional and common law standing in Ireland. This Bill will place it on a statutory footing and ensure that an effective and accessible remedy exists, if it is breached, as required by Article 13 of the aforementioned convention. Senators will be aware of the judgment of the European Court of Human …