I thank the Cathaoirleach and welcome the Minister, Deputy Naughton, to the Seanad this evening. I am delighted to bring the Education (Leave for Injuries) Bill to Second Stage tonight in the Seanad. It has been a long process to even get it to this point. I believe the Government will not be opposing the Bill on this Stage. I am thrilled about that and I know the campaigners in the Gallery are really delighted about this too because we have been waiting for progress on this for a long time. It really is welcome. W…

I acknowledge all the contributions from Senators, including Senators Cosgrove, Stephenson, Noonan, Clonan, Scahill, Kennelly, Nelson Murray, Ní Chuilinn, Crowe and Tully. I hope I have not forgotten anyone. I also acknowledge the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and the comments she made, as well as those of Senators Ryan and Conway. It is significant that this Bill is being brought through the Seanad initially because we are a House that has more potential for collaboration. I refuse to be cyn…

Next Tuesday.

Is the Government codding itself? What planet does this Government live on if it thinks it is solving this housing crisis? Context is everything. At present, over 17,000 people are homeless in this country, of whom 5,500 are children. There has been a 100% increase in rents since 2016 and the average rent in Cork is now €2,200. To buy a house in this country, it costs over eight times the annual salary. Earlier a Senator said that people of a certain vintage will remember when the housing supply was better. I sugge…

I second the motion.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to the House. I commend my colleague, Senator Nessa Cosgrove, on leading on this motion and for all the work she has put into it. I am proud to be part of the cross-party group of Labour, the Social Democrats and the Green Party here in the Seanad. This is sending a powerful message today from Seanad Éireann that we need comprehensive care for mothers for the year following childbirth, not just the first six weeks and the initial period. It is really welcome that the …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I welcome the guests in the Gallery and thanks and congratulations to Katelyn Cummins for all the work she does. She is a real ambassador for people in trades and apprenticeships. I myself am the daughter of a carpenter, so this issue is close to my heart as well. It goes without saying that we have to improve the diversity in terms of those taking up apprenticeships, not just in terms of gender but in terms of different abilities and those from different backgrounds. We know in I…

I take this opportunity to thank the Minister of State for all her work on this and her engagement here. It is a substantial Bill and there are a large number of amendments. Amendment No. 352 on advocacy services was ruled out of order. Could it be read into the record why it was deemed to be out of order?

I echo the sentiments from colleagues. I thank the Minister of State and her officials for all their work on this legislation. We look forward to Report Stage and further discussion there. It is clear that this is an issue we care about and one that people care about. I thank the organisations that have contacted me about this, particularly Mental Health Reform which is present here today, and others. It is important we get this right. When you put those 19 and a half hours into that context, it has been a long dis…

I welcome the Minister of State. It is not before time that we are having this discussion in the Seanad. The Minister of State's brief is extremely important and the Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence, of which I am a member, is important as well because there is so much work to do in this area. Two hours and six minutes is my daily average time spent on Instagram. That is the app I use the most and I was quite shocked when I looked into my insights. That is 730 hours per year that I spend on that particula…

It is important and timely that we are having this debate here today. It is imperative that we invest in our Defence Forces and particularly in our defence personnel. This a matter of national security. The Labour Party has supported reaching level of ambition 2 for the Defence Forces. We need to know what is happening in our territorial waters. We need to know what is happening in our airspace, particularly in the current geopolitical environment. This includes drones and undersea cables. However, we can invest in…

This morning, I wish to speak about the young scientist awards. It was my first time attending the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition this year and it was incredible to see the level of talent and projects from across the country. I congratulate the overall winner, but I also want to specifically mention several awardees from Cork city: Cian Manning and Jonathan Varughese from Coláiste An Spioraid Naoimh, Conall Conroy and Mícheál O Cróinín MacMathúna from Coláiste An Spioraid Naoimh, Holly Forde and Saoirse…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I support the comments of my colleagues Senators Cosgrove and Black in relation to this. To be clear, there was no mistake in the wording of these amendments and they have the support of Mental Health Reform, representatives of which are in the Public Gallery today. The purpose of these amendments is to eliminate the use of a person's potential risk to others as a stand-alone justification for involuntary detention and treatment as this criterion does not align with established hu…

I move amendment No. 50: In page 25, line 19, after “person”, to insert “to a material extent”. These amendments aim to introduce a requirement that involuntary treatment be of benefit to a material extent in order to be justified in line with the text in the 2001 Act. While the Government amendments introduced this threshold for involuntary treatment, it is not required for voluntary detention. That is why we tabled amendment No. 50, which proposes the insertion of the phrase "to a material extent" after the word …

I echo Senator Black's comments and questions. We welcome Government amendment No. 37. This will provide greater clarity on the rights of children aged 16 and older and will ensure greater parity with their physical health treatment rights. As a result, we will be withdrawing amendment No. 38 because what it seeks to do is accomplished by amendment No. 37.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, "That No. 10 be taken before No. 2". This relates to a Bill I am seeking to introduce today on leave for injuries for teachers and special needs assistants in our classrooms across the country, namely, the Education (Leave for Injuries) Bill 2025. This Bill was drafted in conjunction with Fórsa trade union, the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, and the campaigner Sophie Cole who is based in Carrigaline in Cork. Ms Cole suffered life-altering injuries in the…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to establish standards for any scheme maintained by the Minister for Education and Youth relating to the provision of leave of absence for teachers and special needs assistants who suffer certain injuries; and to provide for related matters.

Next Tuesday.

I am proud to second this Bill for my colleague, Senator Cosgrove. I commend all of her work. She has been an advocate for workers' rights and young people throughout her whole career. This goes to the heart of what the Labour Party is about. I am proud to see that this Bill is supported by trade unions, student unions and youth organisations across the country. I note that our Cross-Party Group in the Seanad, comprising me and Senators Cosgrove, Noonan and Stephenson, have used every one of our Private Members' sl…

I wish to raise student accommodation. It is December 2025 and we were promised that a student accommodation strategy would be published this year. It was said it would be published in the summer, then in December, and now we have confirmation it will not be published until 2026. This has not been a priority for the Government. This feeds into the wider housing crisis. There is a lack of purpose-built accommodation and students are suffering from the cost of living as well. Technological universities cannot borrow …