I was going to come in on amendment No. 15.

Amendment No. 15 seeks a report on the restoration of the right to retire at 65. This right is fundamental to our social contract. For several years now, we have been bombarded by messaging around how unaffordable our current pension system is. We are being steadily primed by conservative voices to accept the degradation of something so fundamental to our comfort and dignity as humans, namely, the right to retire. We have been repeatedly told the slow erosion of our pensions is not an ideological matter, rather mer…

I move amendment No. 13: “ Report on extending eligibility for long-term carer’s qualifying contributions 46. (1) The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas and the Joint Committee on Social Protection a report on options for extending eligibility for long-term carer’s qualifying contributions to those who spent less than 1,040 weeks providing full time care to a relevant person or qualified child. (2) A report under subsection (1) shall co…

I move amendment No. 14: In page 25, between lines 30 and 31, to insert the following: “Report on expanding recognition of long-term carer’s qualifying contributions 46. The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas and the Joint Committee on Social Protection a report on options for expanding recognition of long-term carer’s qualifying contributions such that they may be recognised not just for the purposes of accessing the State pension (contr…

I move amendment No. 15: In page 30, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: “Report on restoring right of persons aged 65 years to retire on State pension (contributory) 48. The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas and the Joint Committee on Social Protection a report on options for restoring the right of persons aged 65 years to retire on State pension (contributory), including analysis of options to fund such a measure through in…

I move amendment No. 16: In page 30, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: “Report on equality impacts of deferred pensionable age 48. (1) The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas and the Joint Committee on Social Protection a report on the distributional and equality impacts of the deferred pensionable age, in particular an analysis of how such a measure will impact different types of workers of different income levels. (2) A rep…

I understand the voluntary nature of the proposal and that every scenario cannot be legislated for but I am thinking of households comprising a widow or a man on his own, where the only payment coming in is that person's pension and there is no pooling. In that scenario, the man may not have had the type of job where he could pay into a pension. He may have worked a very working-class job for his entire life and may wish to retire at the age of 66, but is told he can get a higher rate of pension voluntarily if he w…

I agree with Senator Moynihan's comments about the importance of protecting people’s home addresses. The Minister of State is welcome to the House. There has been much discussion about the role of the new Electoral Commission in devising these boundaries. I will not rehash what has been said. I will be tabling amendments on Committee Stage which do not relate to the Schedule but to substantive procedural issues and the ways we should look to improve the process. We should reflect on the number of Members allocated …

I am sorry to interrupt but if you have never been elected, you will have not a constituency office.

I move amendment No. 2: In page 21, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “(iv) drug or alcohol use.”. I welcome the Minister. Amendment No. 2 seeks to insert, in page 21, between lines 25 and 25, the phrase "drug or alcohol use". It is a simple amendment which seeks to add drug and alcohol use to the definition of what constitutes vulnerability in the context of the Bill. Section 9 provides that one of functions of An Garda Síochána is to prevent "harm to individuals, in particular individuals who are …

I withdraw the amendment with the right to resubmit on Report Stage.

I move amendment No. 3: In page 21, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “(iv) advanced age and social isolation.”. I withdraw the amendment with the right to resubmit on Report Stage.

Are amendments Nos. 4 to 6, inclusive, grouped?

I move amendment No. 4: In page 23, line 18, to delete “Minister” and substitute “Independent Examiner”. This amendment seeks to replace the responsibility for deciding whether a matter relates to policing services or security services with the independent examiner of security legislation. In the Bill as drafted, this responsibility lies with the Minister for Justice. It is our assertion that it should not be for the Minster for Justice to determine whether a matter is one of policing or security. Leaving this deci…

The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland suggested that the new office could act as an adjudicator in circumstances in which questions or disputes arise in respect of policing and security services. In the Bill as drafted, the independent examiner is not empowered with this function. Will the Minister clarify why this provision was not included in this Bill and consider accepting the amendment to ensure the office is equipped with this function and independence so it can achieve its aims? Amendment No. 5…

I move amendment No. 5: In page 23, to delete lines 20 and 21 and substitute the following: “(4) In reaching a determination under subsection (3) , the Independent Examiner shall consult with the Minister, and other relevant persons and bodies so determined by the Independent Examiner.”. I withdraw the amendment with the right to resubmit on Report Stage.

I will speak to amendment No. 8 first. This is a simple amendment which seeks to include a specific reference to equality matters and the need for equality to be upheld within the principles of policing. As drafted, the Bill provides that policing services are to be provided "in a manner that protects and vindicates human rights". This is a welcome provision but would be made stronger again if it included a specific reference to the need to uphold equality. This would ensure individuals whom we know are subject to …

I understand that the principles may be there but I sometimes wonder, in a collective sense, where the ideology is in respect of the community. We can say "community" but there is still a separation that happens. For me, it is about putting on the record that there cannot be a division of what that is and is not. Beyond that, while the policing principles have been expanded to include community safety, there is no definition in the Bill as to what community safety means. Should the Bill have a definition of communi…

I move amendment No. 8: In page 23, line 28, after “rights” to insert “and upholds equality”.

I move amendment No. 9: In page 23, line 29, after “the” to insert “fair,”.