Thankfully I have been back playing football for a while, so I am still match fit and was able to bounce back this morning. It was good fun. At the end we had a brief presentation from Lev from the Irish Homeless Street Leagues which I have been supporting for some years. A few years ago, we developed a bid to host the Homeless World Cup here in Ireland. We were shortlisted for selection and then Covid arrived. Obviously, we were not able to progress that because the Homeless World Cup has not happened. We will nee…

He can quote Rihanna.

I want to raise the issue of the mid-term review of the national drugs strategy, NDS. There are four community voluntary networks and each of them is designated as a core constituent of the NDS. They are all due to be removed from the oversight committee. I think this is one part of what has been, for a number of years, an attempt to dismantle the community voice, dissent, agency and advocacy from all structures within that Department. We say that there is no rationale to it but I feel having listened to people on …

I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: “(b)by the deletion of subsections (4), (4A), (5) and (6),”.

I completely accept that. That is democracy, to allow the speaker to speak. I thank the Senator. Before explaining the purpose of each amendment I want to dispel any misconceptions surrounding these amendments. The purpose behind these amendments is to create a fairer, more just and rehabilitative focused justice system, not a let-off system. I could not make the last debate and I went back over some of the comments made. Some of Senator McDowell's comments confused me in regard to the reference to crack cocaine in…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I will, yes. What brings this Bill before us today is minimum sentencing in regard to the Firearms Act 1964, specifically in regard to minimum sentencing legislation and the Ellis v. Minister for Justice and Equality case. Without rehashing the details of the case, with which I am sure Members are all familiar, this amendment would ensure that should any judge deem it fitting to suspend a sentence due to the details presented before him or her, he or she would be allowed to do so. C…

I hear what the Minister of State is saying about what the Bill is intended to do. I am sure he can appreciate that, as someone who cares about this area, I try to find any possible way into the conversation and to amend the legislation. I wonder whether the Minister of State could explain a little more the reason the section in question has to come under the suite of measures. Logically, if a person has a minimum sentence, he or she has to serve a minimum amount of time before any form of release. If the person is…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following: "(ii) the deletion of subsections (4), (4A), (5) and (6),".

I move amendment No. 3: In page 4, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: "(ii) the deletion of subsections (4), (4A), (5) and (6),".

I move amendment No. 4: In page 4, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: "(ii) the deletion of subsections (4), (4A), (5) and (6),".

I move amendment No. 5: In page 4, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: "(ii) the deletion of subsections (4), (4A), (5) and (6),".

I move amendment No. 6: In page 5, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: "(b) by the deletion of subsections (3C) and (3D),".

I move amendment No.7: In page 5, line 11, after "subsections" to insert "(9), (9A), (10), (11),".

I move amendment No. 8: In page 5, to delete lines 14 and 15 and substitute the following: "8. The Criminal Justice Act 2007 is amended by the deletion of section 25.".

I thank the Independent Group for tabling this motion. I, too, was in the privileged position to visit Taiwan. In the lead-up to the visit, I spent a lot of time doing research, especially in the areas of interest to me. While looking into the education system in Taiwan, I became aware of the Sunflower Student Movement, about which I read with great interest. It was a wave of youth activism that swept across Taipei in March 2014 in opposition to a planned free trade pact with China. It was led by students and acade…

I echo the sentiments expressed by the previous speaker on secretarial assistants. In the previous Seanad we all signed a cross-party motion to bring change in this area, but the change has not come. We only have to look at the Bill I introduced which was discussed during Private Members' business yesterday, and which was drafted by my secretarial assistant. That is the level of skill, input, knowledge and experience that goes into our offices. Secretarial assistants do a lot, but on a secretarial assistant's wage.…

If we cannot introduce quality pay based on experience and expertise, then how can we promote our ideals in a wider sense in terms of society and democracy? We must fix what is happening in-house. Regarding gender-based violence, I met with a woman last night from the Tallaght community. I knew of her many years ago, but I had not heard much about her for years. She has experienced a huge amount of trauma throughout her lifetime, but I will not go into that on the floor of the House. In the past eight weeks she was…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I thank the Minister of State for joining us. I thank my colleagues in the Civil Engagement Group for their support and for allowing this business to be taken in our group Private Members' time, particularly in the context of the recent COP26 climate conference. I also thank Sebastian McAteer, who drafted the Bill and has been involved in every stage of its journey to date. I also thank my secretarial assistant, Tadhg Browne, for his ongoing support in preparation …

Small businesses are not included.

It refers to more than 50.