I thank all Members who contributed today. Senator O'Loughlin welcomed the record sports capital announcement for Kildare and nationwide. I concur with the Senator's remarks. Senator Lombard also raised the same point. It was a good day for sports clubs, communities and grassroots clubs across the country to get that much needed injection of funding. The Senator also raised the apartment remediation scheme. I understand the constraints there with houses not being included. Perhaps a Commencement matter to the Minis…

My apologies. I understand the frustration expressed by Members. It is a privilege to serve and to be Leader of the House. I would have liked to get this Bill sooner. We had engagements before the summer. We know the challenges in the Bills Office. It has taken the Government four years to get the Bill to this Stage. The risk of it not passing before the Government finishes its term would be a massive failing on its part. I am sure that it is not perfect in every aspect but, certainly where I am living, planning is…

The Senator is correct in that I am inferring what I think the Tánaiste means by that.

We have a request in for the Tánaiste to come before the House on the issue of the Middle East. It is to be hoped we will get a date for that. It will give an opportunity to raise issues that are connected to the defence space. I am trying to get a date for the Tánaiste but the Senator will appreciate it is difficult with diaries given all that is going on and the budget coming up.

The Senator will know my views on that. We are massively underfunded.

We are on the same page, absolutely.

We have many years of underfunding and under-resourcing to catch up on. As well as wanting to do more than just get to a low base, we want to increase what we can do. We have a big gap to bridge. It will take time but the will is there to do that. Crucially, the support from our citizens is there to do that in terms of increasing defence spending by the State. The Israeli friendship group was dealt with adequately by Senator Craughwell. Diplomacy and keeping channels open are important. The Senator has made his vie…

I propose a suspension until 7 p.m.

Welcome back to everybody. The Order of Business is No. 1, Planning and Development Bill 2023 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 3.15 p.m. and to adjourn at 9 p.m., if not previously concluded. The sitting shall be suspended from 6 p.m. to 6.45 p.m.

I thank all Members who contributed to the Order of Business on our first day back. I extend a warm welcome to our good friends from the British Embassy, Jeremy Wilmshurst and his colleague, Ellen O'Donoghue Oddy. They are most welcome to the Visitors Gallery. Senator Fiona O'Loughlin expressed her deepest sympathies, which I echo on behalf of the House, to the family and community of Robert Deegan, who lost his life fighting on the front line in Ukraine. He was a former Army Ranger in the Irish Defence Forces and …

Perhaps that is the case. They are fine things to be proud of. We are all proud of our country. Perhaps there are things that are outdated and need to be updated. They may not be top of the list in terms of dealing with the challenges within a sector and therefore they may not have been spotted heretofore. Senator Currie raised an issue on which I am not fully up to speed, namely, the changes to the train timetables in Dublin. I take on board the Senator’s comments regarding the level of feedback she has received i…

If I could finish - nobody has a monopoly on that particular legislation. There were concerns around the hate speech element of that legislation.

Would the Senator like a response?

I did not interrupt when the Senator was speaking. There have been concerns raised about the hate speech element of the Bill by many Members of the House, across all parties. The Minister has stated she does not have a consensus to move this element of the Bill and will deal with it at a later stage but she does want to advance the hate crime element. We will have a debate on it, presumably when the Department requests me to schedule the legislation and I look forward to that debate. I put concerns on the floor of …

I move: That the Bill be recommitted in respect of amendments Nos. 626 to 647, inclusive, 713, 716 to 719, inclusive, 760, 761, 765, 766, 769 and 771 to 775, inclusive.

Tomorrow morning at 10.30 a.m.

It is quite difficult to hold the Bill when standing because it is so large. I have listened to many of the contributions. There is much food for thought in what has been said. I am conscious that the Bill has been four years in the making, so it was not brought here in a rush. However, it contains a great deal. I will respond to some of the comments made by Senator Higgins and Senator McDowell on the planning statement. I take on board Senator Gavan's comments on the night-time economy. I would also like to see a …

I have forgotten where I was.

Senator Boyhan is very good.

The Senator is a fantastic colleague, as always, and is very helpful. I have a few follow-up comments. I listened closely to the Minister of State's response. I thank him for referring to the comments of everybody who contributed. My ears always prick up when I hear Ministers talk about rural planning and then about water quality and septic tanks.