I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter. The Minister sends his apologies for not being able to attend. I did read Mark Kelly's article. The Senator is right; it does make for interesting reading. Ireland ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 2002 and signed the optional protocol to the convention, OPCAT, in 2007. OPCAT obliges signatory states to establish a system of inspections of all places where persons can be …

To give further clarity to the House, in preparation for its future role as the inspectorate of places of detention, the current Office of the Inspector of Prisons, OIP, is participating in the Council of Europe NPM forum and attending the NPM workshops. The OIP is also engaging with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission to designate a co-ordinating body of the multi-member NPM in the general scheme. Stakeholder engagement is ongoing and has commenced with An Garda Síochána as well as the existing Garda ac…

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter and congratulate her on her briefing in the audiovisual room yesterday. Well done to her for her advocacy. I know she had 14 ambassadors in support but she is right. Refuges save lives but they are not for long-term living. I share completely her views. The Minister sends his apologies for being unable to be here today. He thanks the Senator for raising the important matter of the examination of the use of properties seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau as move-…

I again thank Senator Comyn for raising the matter. She is right. She has initiated the conversation here. She is also right about post-refuge care and a move towards independent living. She eloquently outlined it. I agree that it a multi-sectoral, multi-Department and multi-agency approach is required. I know the work that is being done in my city of Cork. It is a whole-of-community response - the Government, the local HSE and other agencies are involved, including the Department of justice. Senator Comyn is corre…

I thank Senator Crowe for raising this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The Minister for Transport is responsible for overall policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. As Members will be aware, once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII, under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for TII, which ultimately delivers th…

I thank Senator Crowe for raising the matter. Barrier-free tolling is something we need to explore. We have seen how successful it can be. The Senator referenced other parts of Europe that have introduced it. We need to take into account emissions and the waste of diesel. Despite the fact tolling may not be popular, it helps to fund maintenance and ongoing work. We have seen the benefits of tolling for our roads. I will bring the remarks of the Senator back to the Department in the context of toll revenue being red…

I thank Senator Andrews for raising this important matter. The Minister would like to thank him for raising the matter in the Seanad. I fully subscribe to his point that there is no place for discrimination in any shape or form in our society, in particular on the basis of disadvantage or socio-economic status. That should be unacceptable in our country today. However, it is fully recognised that despite the great progress we have made on many social issues, people in Ireland can often, as the Senator outlined, fac…

I again thank Senator Andrews for raising the matter. To be fair, I do not have a timeline for him in terms of the Government's amending legislation. It is important that the issue is examined thoroughly. I am not saying this to kick the can down further because there are potential costs. There is also a proposed wording. As I said in my reply, there must be no unintended consequence and clarity and certainty need to be given. It is also important to recognise the Government is considering recommendations of the re…

I thank Senator Murphy for raising this matter. I also thank Senator Duffy who has been working with him on this. I will bring the suggestions he made to the Department. Some consideration should be given to them because Senator Murphy is well versed in the matter. The important point for the Government is that bringing existing vacant and derelict buildings back into use as homes is a priority for the Government and a central element of our housing plan. Significant progress has been made in addressing vacancy. A …

Senator Murphy made some very interesting points that require us as a Government to listen. I reassure him that we are committed to addressing the issue of vacancy. I thank him and Senator Duffy for their advocacy and work in this regard. We know the success of the vacant property grant - we have seen it throughout the country. We should always look at how we can improve the effectiveness and delivery of the scheme. I will bring Deputy Murphy's points back. It is worth saying that it is not proposed to introduce a …

I thank Senator Byrne for raising this issue. The Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Troy, has been delayed and apologises for not being here to take it. Senator Byrne has significant interest in this matter and has raised it repeatedly in the House. I thank her for the work she is doing in that regard. This is an important issue, and the Senator is right to highlight the anomaly in terms of pricing. Also important are the year-round piece and the piece around low-income families. The points the…

Again, I thank Senator Byrne for raising this very important issue. I appreciate the importance of it for so many people. She is right that skin cancer is prevalent, and we are seeing that much more now with climate change. She is right that sunscreen is an important part of safeguarding our skin against sun damage and skin cancer. Her advocacy this morning stresses not just the value of wearing sunscreen but also that we need to be a bit more hands-on and take a more common-sense approach in the context of VAT. Su…

There are also statements in the Dáil Chamber.

I know.

How do I follow that commendation of Senator O'Reilly? I genuinely thank him for his work. Is cúis bhróid é a bheith i láthair na Seanadóirí. Gabhaim míle buíochas le gach Ball a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht an-tábhachtach seo ar Lá na hEorpa. Tá an Rialtas agus go mórmhór an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Byrne, ag aontú go bhfuil sé ag obair, go cothrom le gach ballstát eile, as ucht méadú na hEorpa. In congratulating every Member of the House who spoke today, I am conscious, as Senator Conway said, that we are ten year…

The matter of screening is a matter for our authorities. I am sure every person who comes into the country will continue to be screened in the way they should be. None of us in any way support the awful killing and treatment of people by the Israelis. We have been very clear on that. I know it is an important issue and I take the point. I struggle on this somewhat. One part of me wants to boycott Israel coming and another part of me, as a sportsperson, recognises that sport brings people together. However, I take t…

Hear, hear.

Tax and spend, Pearse.

Tax and spend, Pearse.

Hear, hear.