After this Bill goes through Report Stage in the Dáil, when it goes to the Seanad, the Minister of State might look at this. Being convicted of a hate crime would have very serious consequences for any individual. I fear we could find ourselves in a situation whereby younger people and young adults find themselves being convicted of a hate crime. If they are convicted of a hate crime at, say, 20 years of age, and I know the spent convictions legislation may apply to it ultimately, it would have a very significant i…

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak in this debate. I support the legislation being brought forward by the Minister of State and commend him on doing so. We should acknowledge that our courts are as integral a part of the governance of this country as our Legislature and Executive are. All three of them are essential for the purpose of ensuring our democracy functions properly. All three of them are essential for the purpose of ensuring that we have a separation of powers and that the citizen is well served …

Everyone in this House is honest and mature enough to recognise that the housing crisis is a complex social and political issue. It will not be resolved-----

-----through motions of no confidence in the Government. It will not be resolved by politicians making unbelievable promises. It will not be resolved-----

-----by doing what politicians are great at doing, which is describing the problem. It is also wrong to suggest that some politicians in this House are more morally virtuous than others.

Emotion and empathy are significant in politics, but we cannot allow politics to be dominated by emotion and empathy. They play an important role but cannot dominate our discussions. The only way this issue will be resolved is by putting forward a plan and increasing the supply of housing has to be at the centre of any plan. The Government has a plan. It is called Housing for All. People in the House may not like it or may not think it is ambitious or radical enough, but the one great advantage people in this House…

There is an obligation on parties that think we are not doing enough in the context of Housing for All to bring forward their own legislative proposals-----

-----in this House. Otherwise, Housing for All is the only plan available.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important Topical Issue matter for debate. It has recently been announced that four school building projects have been delayed in the constituency of Dublin Bay South. It is absolutely essential that those building projects commence rapidly and without any further delay. Two of the schools are secondary schools that were established in the past five years, namely Sandymount Park Educate Together Secondary School and Harold's Cross Educate Together Secondary School. Bot…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I am sure she will agree it is regrettable that elected representatives have to raise such issues on the floor of the Dáil. It should be the case that these projects would proceed in accordance with the plans and expectations set out for parents and teachers. I was previously informed that part of the reason for the delay is the rising cost of building materials and inflation in the building sector and because prioritisation is being given to other capital projects in…

Cuireann sé an-áthas orm a bheith páirteach sa díospóireacht seo le linn Sheachtain na Gaeilge. Tugaim moladh don Dáil as ucht na díospóireachta seo a bheith ann agus deis a thabhairt dúinn ráiteas a dhéanamh faoi thábhacht na teanga agus staid na teanga inniu. Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis an Dáil agus na daoine sa Dáil agus gabhaim mo chomhghairdeas leis na Teachtaí atá anseo inniu ag labhairt Gaeilge sa díospóireacht. Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a chaitheamh ag caint faoi cheist an-tábhachtach i mo Dháilcheantar féi…

I thank the Taoiseach for his detailed and comprehensive response to this question. I welcome the fact that, after the publication of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland report, a decision was made that we would establish an implementation office within the Department of An Taoiseach. That showed the seriousness with which the Government was taking the implementation of this programme. Those of us who debate the justice legislation that comes before the House will be aware that a very significant am…

On a separate matter, I condemn in the strongest possible language the reprehensible and cowardly attack on and attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell yesterday in Omagh. It is difficult to think of a more cowardly attack than persons hiding in wait for a man who had devoted his leisure time to coach children playing soccer and then, when he was putting the soccer balls into the boot of his car, the cowards sneaked out and shot him. It was a disgusting and reprehensible attack. I hope he recove…

If there is going to be a debate about reform of the Office of the Attorney General, it is important that everyone in the House has a clear understanding of the functions, role and limitations of that office. As the Taoiseach indicated, under Article 30, it is clear that the Attorney General is an adviser to the Government. That is the Attorney General's sole function. The Attorney General provides legal advice to the Government and Ministers in order that they, in navigating policy decisions, can ensure they abide…

Regarding the report which led to these questions, let us recall that the Government asked the Attorney General to prepare that report. The Attorney General is not an independent agent who can operate of his own accord. He is not a principal; he is a person who responds to requests from the Government. He compiled the report, which the Government decided to publish.

I am sharing time with Deputy Costello. I welcome the introduction of this legislation. The Bill is the latest type of legislation that seeks to prescribe and specify powers to be exercised by members of An Garda Síochána. It is important that before we give significant powers to members of An Garda Síochána, those powers be debated by this House and specified in legislation. In the earlier parts of the 20th century, many of the significant powers members of An Garda Síochána had were ones that derived from the com…

The programme for Government commits the Government to step up funding for high-performance sport. The Taoiseach will be aware of one of our most successful sporting teams, the Leinster Rugby team, which, as the Taoiseach knows, plays its matches at home in the RDS. I know the Taoiseach has been there recently and he will no doubt be aware the condition of it is very poor. The grandstand there, or rather the Anglesea Stand, was constructed back in 1927. The ground needs to be refurbished. The RDS, which provides a …

Everyone in the House wants to encourage more people onto public transport. That is a commitment of the Minister and of the Government. Unfortunately, many people are deterred from going onto public transport, particularly at night time, because they do not feel safe. Have there been any discussions between the Minister’s Department and the transport providers on improving safety? I heard what the Minister said to Deputy O’Rourke about the NTA's antisocial behaviour specialist group but what is the Department doing…

I thank the Minister for his reply. It is worthwhile that we are discussing this important issue. I agree with him that obviously not all public transport has the threat of criminal activity or antisocial behaviour on it but unfortunately many members of the public are concerned about it. Last summer, my Fianna Fáil colleagues in Dublin and I did a survey of public transport users. There was a significant response. Over 1,300 people replied. Significantly, nearly 90% of them had experienced or seen antisocial behav…

The UK has a separate transport police. I agree with the Minister that it is not a good idea for this country. It would create tensions for An Garda Síochána and the country is not large enough to have a separate independent police force for public transport. However, we need to look for a dedicated unit within An Garda Síochána. This is primarily a matter for the Government and the Minister for Justice. We have a recruitment crisis in An Garda Síochána and I understand why the Commissioner may be hesitant about co…