Do you know what I mean?

Too right I did not.

I should have been able to come in when I came in.

I am adhering to the Standing Orders.

We cannot both be adhering to them if we are doing different things. I am adhering to the Standing Orders. I invoke Standing Order 55 to ask that the question is put to the House for many reasons. It is clear that the Bill is being filibustered. An enormous amount of work from other Senators has gone into the Bill to table amendments that are constructive to the debate. It is embarrassing to the Seanad and the work of this House that people are watching. They can see exactly what is happening. Repetition is happeni…

Who is the Acting Leader in the absence of the Leader?

Who did the Leader appoint as Acting Leader?

I move amendment No. 50: In page 71, to delete lines 5 and 6. This suite of amendments seeks the deletion of the provision in multiple sections of the Bill that prevents certain public representatives from questioning or expressing an opinion on Government policy or the objectives of such policy. This provision usually arises in circumstances where the public representative is called to appear before an Oireachtas committee. It is our view that this is an incredibly restrictive provision that prevents Oireachtas jo…

We need-----

Hear, hear.

No-----

There was no-----

I did not-----

I was going to report progress, or the Minister was, because all those interventions actually interrupted the amendments, so-----

It was adjourned without the person who was engaged on the amendment reporting progress.

I move amendment No. 20: In page 29, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(b) community development;”. Amendment No. 20 seeks to insert experience and expertise in matters connected to community development to the list of types of subject matter expertise that may qualify someone for appointment to the board of An Garda Síochána. At present, the Bill provides that only persons with expertise in the functions of the Garda, organisational governance, management and public administration, or financial ma…

I thank the Minister for accepting amendment No. 22. It is a good addition to the Bill, especially given what I said in my contributions regarding facial recognition. It gives me some comfort to know it will be there. On amendment No 25, the Minister knows that I take regard not of the crime that someone has committed but rather the length of time since that crime was committed. If someone has committed a crime, whether it be murder, a summary offence or a crime the person did or did not end up in prison for, it is…

I move amendment No. 21: In page 29, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(b) human rights and equality matters;”.

I move amendment No. 22: . In page 29, line 21, after “management” to insert “, data protection”.

I move amendment No. 25: In page 31, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “(5) Nothing in this section shall preclude an individual with previous convictions from serving as a chairperson or ordinary member of the Board.”.