When it got into government it broke all of its promises. There were water charges and the housing assistance payment, HAP, and it invited in vulture funds. That is what it did. That is its record. The party can either argue whether those decisions were right, but it brought them in.

What did it do and where did it get?

It was warned about an impending crisis in housing supply, but disparaged the people who warned it.

Where did it end up? There were 75 social houses. The party turned off the tap for housing and broke the pipe.

It had choices to make, and it made them at the time.

We have turned the corner. There will be 30,000 new homes, the first affordable homes in a generation and more social housing.

The Labour Party should own up. Its vote collapsed not because it made tough decisions but because it broke its moral contract with the people.

I am pleased to bring the Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021 back before the House. This Bill has successfully passed all Stages in the Seanad with two amendments, and I would like the support of the House in agreeing to these changes. The amendments are technical in nature and do not change in any substance the Bill. The amendments are simply to reflect the change in the name of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, wh…

Amendment No. 1 is a Government amendment and proposes changes to be made to the Long Title of the Bill. The amendment is a technical amendment for the purpose of inserting two commas on either side of the phrase "by the Commission" where it appears in line 13 of page 5. The amendment was one of amendments to the Long Title suggested by Senator Ward on Committee Stage. I have asked my officials to consider these suggestions in consultation with the Parliamentary Counsel and out of that consideration arises amendmen…

Amendment No. 2 relates to the Long Title of the Bill, which gives a synopsis of what the Bill proposes to do and the legislation it proposes to amend. The amendment provides for the deletion of an element of the Long Title referring to the recommendation of the Group of States against Corruption, GRECO, of the European Council on the system of selection, recommendation and promotion of judges and the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member states on judges. Those recommendations are reflected in the…

Amendment No. 4 is grouped with amendment No. 16. Amendment No. 4 seeks to amend section 9 by replacing it. Section 9 provides for the membership of the commission and provides, in line with the Government programme, that the commission will be chaired by the Chief Justice. It provides for an equal number of lay and judicial members, four of each. The judicial membership comprises the Chief Justice, the President of the Court of Appeal and two nominees of the Judicial Council. Section 12 provides for a more detaile…

I thank the Senators for their contributions to this very important Bill. As I said, the provisions of this Bill have been carefully designed to strengthen and improve the system of managing and monitoring sex offenders. It is, therefore, a very important Bill. I thank the Senators for their contributions.

I thank the Deputies for their valuable contributions on this important Bill. I am pleased to respond to the debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris. The Minister and I are determined to make our communities safer through measures and supports to prevent crime and harm, particularly to individuals who are vulnerable and at risk. We are also committed to ensuring robust frameworks for governance, oversight and accountability of An Garda Síochána, as well as effective oversight of na…

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Justice, pursuant to Standing Orders 95 and 181.

I thank Senator Clonan for his contribution. However, I assure him that the requirements under the Sex Offenders Act apply equally to any person convicted of a sexual offence in a criminal court or by court martial. The 2001 Act requires that any person convicted of a relevant sexual offence must comply with the notification requirements. If a person is convicted of a relevant offence either in a civilian court or a military court martial, they must comply with the notification requirements. When a person is convic…

I certainly hear the Senator and his sentiments. I cannot comment on anything regarding the Defence Forces. I am here from the Department of Justice. I can say that the Sex Offenders Act 2001 and the Bill before us are clear that the sex offenders legislation applies as much, and equally, to a situation in any court, whether that court has criminal jurisdiction or is a court martial. The law is clear at the moment. Unfortunately, the amendment does not actually change the law but simply repeats what is already the …

These are simply administrative amendments. As Members will be aware, the Government formally agreed to change the name of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform with effect from 1 February. These amendments simply reflect that.

I thank Senator McGreehan for raising the very important issue of digital accessibility. The Senator worked very hard in this area before her term in the Seanad. She has continued that work as a Senator, as well as privately. The promotion of accessibility in all facets of life, including online, is important to ensure people with disabilities can fully participate in our society. Under the European Union regulations 2020, all public sector bodies are required to make their websites and mobile applications accessib…

Again, I thank Deputy McGreehan for raising this very important matter. Digital technologies play an increasingly important role in the way we live, learn, work and participate in the economy and in society. Digital technologies can and should make the lives of all of our people better, for example through the creation of new job opportunities, new and more efficient ways of working, greater and more equitable access to personal, social and civic opportunities and improved accessible and inclusive government servic…

I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for raising this very important issue. I know the good work she has done for a considerable amount of time in this area. The zero tolerance strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, which was published last June and runs to 2026, commits to doubling the number of refuge places within its lifetime. This will be the fastest ever expansion of refuge spaces and by the end of this strategy there will be more than 280 refuge spaces in the country. In addition, there will be deli…