I hope so.

Is the Minister aware that the European Commission has sent a request to the State on this to ask us to tighten the laws? Is the Department of Finance prepared to pay the fines if we do not change the laws? There are proceedings in that regard that have been cited by the European Union. I draw the Minister's attention to the European Court of Human Rights verdict in the Handyside v . the United Kingdom case in 1976, when it was found that freedom of expression includes speech that offends, shocks and disturbs. That…

During a recent visit to Cork, the Fine Gael party leader and Tánaiste suggested that a Garda task force for Cork city would be a good idea. He made a number of announcements about it which were greeted with great fanfare but he did not give a specific date for when it would be established. There was neither a funding plan nor a full plan put in place. Meanwhile, Glanmire Garda station in a part of the constituency that I represent, on which over €2 million was spent on refurbishment, has two gardaí working in it a…

I am delighted to see Deputy Paul Murphy and welcome him back from his recent trip to Egypt. I was surprised when I heard Deputy Murphy saying how disappointed he was with Egypt and its Government because he was a number one supporter of the Arab Spring in 2011. I am surprised and shocked to hear that he does not support that regime now, a regime that he took to the streets and vehemently supported previously. What has happened? Oh, I know what it is - they took his phone off him. That is probably what is wrong. Th…

As the Minister may be aware, some schools throughout the country have told parents that they have to buy specific tablets up to the value of approximately €600. Some of these parents have been speaking to me. Those who have three children in secondary school have had to go to credit unions so that they can pay €1,800 for these specific tablets. The schools are sending out the information telling parents that the tablets have to be a certain make, model and particular type of brand. For a lot of people, it is not a…

I raise a matter of grave concern regarding the practical effects of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. While the Act was conceived with noble intent in the shadow of the experience of the Maurice McCabe case and his testimony, the reality for many whistleblowers across this nation is that the promised protection remains legally at odds with the lived reality of the legislation. Recent findings of the commission of investigation into the Grace case underscore this point. Despite protected disclosures having been m…

I thank the Minister for his reply but it is a bit like previous replies in that it does not really say much. How many people will come forward as whistleblowers and sign these non-disclosure agreements, and how many problems will be hidden and put under the carpet yet again, before 2027? If we did not have the likes of Vicky Phelan, who decided not to sign a non-disclosure agreement, we may not have ever known of the scandals and the number of deaths. How many things have been hidden in Tusla, the HSE or banking? …

Not for the whistleblowers.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I do not doubt the sincerity of his reply, but in the amendment put forward by the Department, 28 parts are exactly the same, cut and pasted verbatim from a previous amendment to a recent Private Member's motion. Five to six are unique in relation to the application because of the structure of the motion, ten are unique to the local authority element and ten are reworded from previous debates. I have no doubt about the Minister of State's personal sincerity but the am…

Hear, hear.

I highlight a serious contradiction at the heart of the immigration and passport system, which raises serious concerns for national security, consistency and public trust. I will start with the Irish passport system. Every Irish citizen goes through a rigorous process to get a passport. Parents applying for their child's first passport must submit the long-form birth certificate, photographic identification and proof of address, all of which must be signed off on by An Garda Síochána. It takes weeks, sometimes mont…

Are all the machines working?

Does the Minister believe it is acceptable that Irish passports and citizenship can be granted by his Government without proper documentation? That is the question here. That is what it is really about. All the Minister has done in his answer is to confirm that people can enter this country without identification, claim asylum and sign a sworn affidavit saying who they are without proving who they are and without us being able to check. We are not even counting these people. I put four questions to both the Ministe…

I thank my colleagues in the Sinn Féin Party who brought this motion forward. It is almost a carbon copy of the motion that was brought forward by my colleague in Aontú, a motion co-signed by Independent Ireland. I thank Aontú for bringing that motion before the House in recent weeks. There is merit in tonight's motion. The reality is that there are a number of disenfranchised people on this island who should be allowed to vote. However, there is a greater question, as my colleague, Deputy O'Donoghue, just mentione…

I rise today with a little bit of good news relating to my constituency in Cork. It is a red-letter day because we have just had information passed on to us about the development of the delivery of Tivoli, Dunkettle, Blarney and Blackpool stations. I welcome that. That will have a huge impact on my constituency across the north side. We have missed a beat when it comes to the Luas line in Cork. I see the project and the design that are there. There should be probably two designs. We are not connecting to Cork Airpo…

This month's update on the M20 Cork-Limerick project outlines plans for a new tolled motorway, with a barrier-free, distance-based tolling system, stretching from Blarney to Limerick. I want to specifically raise the concerns of the communities of north Cork, particularly those in Mallow, Blarney and surrounding areas, who fear that they may be penalised for everyday local travel. Given the lack of viable transport and alternatives in the region, will the Taoiseach give a commitment to the House that no tolls will …

It came out yesterday.

There are times in public life when a policy, however well-intentioned, by design, strays away from its original purpose. To my mind, the local property tax is such a policy. It is not fair and not a sustainable way of supporting local services. By its very practice, it is detached from the principle of equality and economic reality of many citizens. Let us speak plainly in this House. This exists today in our system and is a burden for some of our older citizens, men and women who have spent their lives buying or …

There is a moment in public life that demands more than ideology. It demands conscience, clarity and, above all, courage. The motion before us, brought by the Social Democrats, seeks to express opposition to Israel's war efforts by way of economic instrument, by targeting war bonds and financial ties. As a centrist, I approach this and other motions like this with deliberation of mind and a steady hand. I do not believe foreign policy should be conducted by slogan or that Ireland's voice would be made stronger by s…

Can the Taoiseach explain to the Members of this House how members of An Garda Síochána were deployed to recruit at IPAS centres, centres housing individuals many of whom have entered the State without passports or documentation and without verification of background checks? Some of these individuals may not be the vulnerable cases as the Government often portrays, yet gardaí were sent in and invited them to consider a career in Irish policing. The Tánaiste said this practice was not appropriate. Can the Taoiseach …