I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, to delete lines 18 to 32 and substitute the following: 12C. (1) Where a person (in this section referred to as the ‘convicted guardian’) who is a guardian of a child is convicted in the State of the murder or manslaughter of a person who was, at the time of the commission of the offence concerned, another guardian of the child concerned the Child and Family Agency shall, as soon as practicable but not later than 3 months after the conviction or any extension of that period under s…

We have gone back and forth on this and the Minister has given all the information. I still feel nervous about having to wait for Tusla, that it is not obliged to make an application, for transparency reasons. Tusla does not have to answer to anyone if it chooses not to come forward. As it currently stands, there is a discretionary test that could limit applications where reasonable cause is not established. I will let the Minister come back to me on it and I will not press the amendment.

Yes.

I move amendment No. 6: In page 8, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “(7A) (a) Notwithstanding subsections (1) to (7), this section shall not apply, or shall apply with such modifications as the court considers appropriate, in a case where the convicted guardian was convicted of manslaughter and the court is satisfied that— (i) the act giving rise to the conviction was committed in self-defence, or (ii) at the time of the commission of the offence, the convicted guardian had been subjected to domestic…

No.

Yes.

I move amendment No. 16: In page 11, to delete lines 29 to 32 and substitute the following: “12I. (1) An application to the court for an order under this Part shall not be made in relation to the child concerned other than on notice to— (a) each guardian of that child (including a victim guardian within the meaning of section 12D), and (b) the next of kin of a deceased guardian of that child, where that deceased guardian died as a result of an offence referred to in section 12C(1)(a); provided that a person shall n…

I move amendment No. 19: In page 12, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following: “(1A) Where a guardian ad litem of the child, another guardian of the child, or a relative of the child (being a person who would be entitled to notice of proceedings under this Act) is of the opinion that anapplication under subsection (1) ought to be made in the best interests of the child, he or she may request the Child and Family Agency to make such an application. (1B) The Child and Family Agency shall consider any request …

What I have in my hand is the new Women's Aid report. It is fairly stark reading. I did not have a stapler big enough to staple it together. It is 160 pages long. This is just for 2025 and things are getting so much worse. I am calling for an urgent debate on domestic abuse and what we can do. This report is really frightening. It is the lived reality of women and children in Ireland today, but what is more frightening than what is in the report is that these are just the disclosed cases. We know that the statistic…

Sinn Féin welcomes the progression of this legislation. We are eager to work with the Minister to ensure it is as robust as possible. I want to start by paying tribute to Valerie, a woman who should have been turning 49 this year. As other Senators have mentioned, she was violently killed by her husband in 2019 when she was 41 years old. Valerie was a mother of three children, a caregiver and a professional therapist. My thoughts are with her children and all of her devastated family as we debate the various Stages…

I move amendment No. 11: In page 15, to delete lines 1 to 8. These amendments relate to the civil power. What is important here is that in April 2026 the Minister said that the Defence Forces should be deployed to assist An Garda Síochána removing the fuel protest blockades. There was uproar in the country about this. This was a serious escalation at a time when the Government should have been focused on de-escalation. This is where there are serious concerns in the community. A few weeks later, out of the blue, we…

I move amendment No. 13: In page 15, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following: “Review and annual reporting on operation of Part IIIA 40D . (1) The Minister shall, in respect of each calendar year, carry out a review of the operation of this Part. (2) A review under subsection (1) shall include an assessment of the exercise of powers under sections 40A, 40B and 40C, including the frequency and circumstances of their use. (3) The Minister shall, as soon as practicable after the completion of a review under s…

I wish to speak to amendment No. 17. I support the amendments tabled by Senators Harmon and Black. The Minister has listened to this at length in the committee and in so many debates. I understand that it is like Groundhog Day. He hears the same thing over and over again. The issue is not going away because women, men and everybody who needs to attend counselling feel so strongly about the damage it would do if we keep this practice in place. I urge the Minister to act. I know he has listened to Hazel Behan, who is…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House which gives me a chance to discuss this issue. I am delighted that this Commencement matter has finally been accepted at the fourth time of asking. I am raising an issue relating to STEM funding. I raised this issue following growing concerns across County Laois and the midlands regarding the future of the STEM education programme and in particular the funding of the STEM engagement officer role. A few weeks ago, we were all celebrating the incredible success of…

I thank the Minister of State. He has made the case for the benefits of the STEM education programme even more clear from his remarks. The benefits it has for students are absolutely fantastic. I have to say, however, there would be an awful lot of students, teachers and parents absolutely devastated across the midlands if this funding were not due to be replaced with something else. I am asking - pleading, really - that the Minister of State goes back to the drawing board on this one and tries to see whether there…

I raise again the issue of STEM funding for the engagement officer in County Laois and concerns for the future of STEM education programmes. The last time I raised this matter in the Chamber, the Leader told me to submit a Commencement matter. I have done so three times and three times a Minister has refused to come into this Chamber to address why this STEM funding is being discontinued and what we are going to do about replacing it. This is really important, not just in rural schools but in urban schools as well.…

Sinn Féin will oppose this motion on the basis that the Government has unnecessarily chosen to opt in on an Article 4 basis rather than Article 3. Sinn Féin supports robust measures to combat firearms trafficking - of course we do - but we will not support a broken-down legislative process that surrenders democratic scrutiny and strips future Governments of their legislative scrutiny and legislative sovereignty. Once again, the Government is rushing to opt in to an EU measure under Article 3 of Protocol 21 when a p…

Not agreed.

I am really delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this today. I have to say that every time Senator Clonan speaks, he educates me. He speaks extremely well in the way he articulates things. I just want to take a moment to say that. He was talking about his friend Patrick in 1985 and how much we have come on from then. He mentioned that the song "Sign o' the Times" came out in 1987, which was the year I was born. It just tells us how much we have come on but how hard that journey has been for people. We have…

I am sharing time.