I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I move amendment No. 150: In page 126, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “(7) An tÚdarás shall not prepare or adopt and issue guidelines, codes or policies to designated institutions of higher education concerning the implementation of a policy or objective of the Minister or the Government unless— (a) the Minister has given a direction in writing to An tÚdarás to prepare guidelines, codes or policies concerning the implementation of that specified policy or objective, and (b) a draft of the directi…

I move amendment No. 151: In page 126, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “(7) Where a designated institution of higher education departs from guidelines, codes or policies prepared under subsection (1), it shall be afforded an opportunity to provide an explanation as to the extent of and the reasons for such departure.”.

I welcome the Minister to the House. I thank the Fine Gael team for putting forward this important motion and using Private Members' time to discuss this issue. I and a number of colleagues debated this problem in a Commencement matter with the Minister. I welcome the chance to discuss this issue again. This problem is still massive in my area of south Kildare, as mentioned by other colleagues. Unfortunately, things are not getting much better for those who find themselves in this situation. I watched a piece on "P…

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

The Minister is very welcome to the House this afternoon. This is one of the biggest issues, if not the biggest issue apart from housing, that I have received representations on in my office over the past couple of weeks. I am sure colleagues are in the same boat. The issue is parents are seeing their children left at the side of the road; that is the bottom line. Whether we like it or not, that is what is happening throughout south Kildare and its bordering counties of Laois and Offaly. I will relay two quick quot…

I thank the Minister for her reply. We cannot wait for reviews. Colleagues have said that. As for the example I gave the Minister of the incident involving the child, she is a special needs child. I did not say that in my initial contribution. She is losing school days because she cannot get to school, but the school bus is going past her door with five to six empty seats on it. We need to contact those operators and ask them how many people are on their buses and how many spare spaces they have. We need to ensure …

I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome the recent 20% reduction in fares, as I have done previously, and the introduction of the youth travel card. Both changes are helping commuters and will make a difference but, as we all know, more is needed. The reason I tabled this matter is to once again highlight the totally unfair, penal and discriminatory difference in train fare prices between train stations in south Kildare and train stations inside the short hop zone. I welcome the creation of a focus group by…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. As I said in my opening remarks, I appreciate what the Minister has done with regard to the forthcoming youth travel card and the 20% reduction in fares. Unfortunately, commuters in south Kildare will still be getting into their cars because doing so saves them €500 a year. In fact, some are saving €150 or €200 a month. I have some figures from the NTA for the Minister of State. They show that 23,458 adults bought tickets from Newbridge train station in 2021. This is an …

I welcome the Minister. I acknowledge, as colleagues have, the Government's continued efforts to deal with the unjustified war in Ukraine and how this country has stood up and stood out in supporting the displaced people of that democratic country who have ended up in this country in their thousands, seeking our support. As colleagues have said, the Government and communities need to be acknowledged for the tremendous welcome given to the Ukrainian community that has sought shelter on our shores. This legislation s…

I second the amendment.

I move amendment No. 82: In page 51, to delete lines 26 to 32 and substitute the following: “(4) (a) Nothing in subsection (2)(a) prevents a broadcaster from broadcasting, or a relevant media service provider from making available, party political programmes provided that an unfair preference is not given to any political party— (i) by a broadcaster, in the allocation of time for such programmes, or (ii) by a relevant media service provider, in the positioning of such programmes in a catalogue of the relevant servi…

I am filling in for my colleague, Senator Sherlock. I welcome the paragraph the Minister has inserted but we have a question about the definition of "party political broadcast". We are seeking the inclusion of this further provision on that. I would welcome a comment from the Minister.

I second the amendment.

I move amendment No. 84: In page 52, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “(ba) in relation to broadcasters only— (i) that the broadcast programme material, taken as a whole— (I) adequately reflects the participation, and (II) is responsive to the interests, of members of all groups (defined by reference to gender, sexual orientation, disability, colour and socio-economic status) within the community, (ii) that, in relation to broadcast news and current affairs programmes, taken as a whole, there is eq…

We tabled this amendment following a Bill with which the Minister may be familiar that my colleague introduced this week on the amount of time allocated to females in broadcasting. As we all know, it is a very serious imbalance, and the amendment attempts to address that. We will try to progress the Bill my colleague has introduced but, in the meantime, we are seeking that this amendment would be made.