We should not look at the SUSI grant purely through the lens of financial means but also in the context of people's environment, situation, disability, ability and the professional background of their family members. There could be a kid who has, for their entire life, gone to a DEIS school that only has two kids a year go on to college who will be refused access to third level education based on means because their two parents may just have normal, everyday average-person jobs, but their income is slightly over th…

I welcome the Taoiseach to the Chamber. Reference was made to the decrease in poverty rates during the pandemic. It is understood that decrease in child poverty rates was linked to the economic measures during the pandemic. According to Central Statistics Office, CSO, data, there were 671,000 people living in poverty in 2022. Of them, approximately 188,000 were children, while an additional 247,000 children were living in households experiencing deprivation. The at-risk-of-poverty rate for individuals and household…

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. The concerns I intend to lay out in my contribution today have been well aired by many of our colleagues in the Dáil and by representatives from civil society and the wider public throughout the course of the debate on the Bill. The concerns that have been raised about privacy, fundamental rights and civil liberties are legitimate and it is important that we take the time over the coming weeks to tease them out to ensure the Bill includes adequate and robust protections and sa…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I begin by commending Senator Black for consistently shining a light on what is happening in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. I extend thanks on her behalf to Senator Chambers for scheduling the debate prior to the summer recess. The recent invasion of Jenin refugee camp by the Israeli military represents a significant, but not unexpected, escalation of Israeli violence within the occupied Palestinian territories. Twelve people were killed, some of who…

I will not use all my time because I am not going to repeat points. Everything that has been said about why the Bill is necessary has already been said. I am interested in getting the Minister of State's response to some aspects of this. I am a bit confused about the logistics. We have a Minister who is not in the room, who we have just been told wants a delay of 12 months and needs time. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has been mentioned a few times, yet we are here with the Minister of State. I wonder what power s…

Let us be realistic. It is very hard for an independent Senator to get a Bill through a load of Stages. The next time Senator Clonan gets to advance a Private Members' Bill could be six or ten months down the line and this Bill is to be stalled for 12 months. We are going into a general election. By the time the Senator gets another slot for a Private Members' Bill, it will probably be October and everyone will be in an election frenzy. I do not understand what is going to happen in the 12 months. This is an area o…

I second the amendment.

I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “ “Act of 2022” means the Electoral Reform Act 2022;”. Amendment No. 1 is a technical amendment which defines references to the Act of 2022 as meaning the Electoral Reform Act 2022, which we propose to reference within amendments Nos. 11 to 13, inclusive, in the proposed functions given to the Electoral Commission. Amendment No. 11 seeks to address a core issue with the Bill, which is that the provisions of section 8 of the 1937 Ac…

On a point of order, we are speaking to amendments. We have only an hour and we have many amendments to get through in that time. This is Committee Stage and not Second Stage.

Hear, hear.

These first amendments are not about expanding the register. A lot of time was spent talking about this aspect. We put a lot of work into scrutinising legislation and proposing amendments, trusting it reflects what we are about to do. It feels like there is a desire here, though, to say things on the record concerning what is being done on reform and what has happened already in this regard, but not to actually engage in the meat of this work. Regarding the expansion of the register, under this legislation as curre…

That gives me much more comfort. There was far more detail there regarding the processes that are needed. I am happy to withdraw the amendment and resubmit it on Report Stage. I would not have been able to do so if the Bill had gone through the Houses sooner. I did not graduate from Trinity until 18 months after I became a Senator, so I would not be here to debate the legislation had such a Bill made its way through.

I move amendment No. 3: In page 3, lines 18 and 19, to delete “as determined by the Minister” and substitute “as provided for by law”. Amendment No. 2 is a technical amendment to insert ""Act of 1947" means the Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) Act 1947;" into the definitions section. I will come to my amendments in this grouping in due course. If we are serious about Seanad reform and giving every citizen a vote for this House, which they value - they saved it in 2013 - we will need to look at those vocational pane…

I am not sure whether the other elements of the Bill will come up in discussion of the amendments. If they will they can come up then, but if not-----

To respond to what the Minister said, I feel much more comfortable about how the legislation will be in relation to this constituency. I am happy to withdraw this amendment at this point. It would be beneficial to hear what the other concerns are because they will inform later amendments.

In drafting its legislation, I urge the Government to engage with those of us in the Civil Engagement Group, CEG, who have been championing this issue since we were elected in 2016. Doing some of the heavy lifting and ensuring that legislation addresses all concerns before it even hits the Chamber is always welcome. I accept the Minister’s comments. We look forward to engaging and working on the Bill.

I will withdraw the amendment but reserve the right to resubmit it.

I move: “That Seanad Éireann: recognises that: - seeking asylum is a fundamental right under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol; - every person’s right to seek asylum in a safe country is enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights; notes with concern that: - an estimated 27,000 people seeking refuge have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea since 2014; - the estimated figures for those dead or missing are reported to be gre…

I am sharing time with Senator Black. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, to the House. The Civil Engagement Group has tabled this motion because for a long time we have been deeply concerned about the way in which Europe has hardened its borders over the past decade, in our capacity as both European citizens and European parliamentarians. As Europeans, this hardening of borders is being carried out in our names. The tragic deaths we have seen in recent weeks in the Mediterranean Sea are directly relate…

I also note that many European politicians decried the role of traffickers in the shipwreck that occurred near Greece this month. Let us be very clear; the best way to combat trafficking is to ensure safe routes so that people can have their asylum claims heard in Europe. If safe routes were provided, traffickers would have no business model and so it is the duty of Europe to provide those safe routes. This leads us to a fundamental question. Why do we, who are born in the safety of Europe through absolute moral lu…