It is great to see Senator Pauline O’Reilly in the Deputy Leader’s chair. I hope it is the first time of many. I raise the issue of multi-denominational, co-educational secondary schools, particularly in Dublin Central. When I was growing up, there was no multi-denominational, co-educational secondary school there, and it is more than ten years since I supported a campaign for such a school. This morning, I met people from Clonturk Community College, a secondary co-educational, multi-denominational school based in …

Happy Lá Fhéile Bríde to everyone. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le Seanadóir O'Loughlin. Today, I am thinking of everybody who is struggling with the enormous challenge of trying either to buy or rent a home. It is very frustrating and stressful for people. Last week we had the publication of the second quarterly report on Housing for All, the Government's €20 billion plan to deliver more than 330,000 affordable, social and private homes both to purchase and rent over the next decade. It is a massively import…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House today for this debate and for all the work that she and her Department are doing. It was her intention anyway to come forward with the new policy. I have a lot of confidence in her to deliver a new strategy. It is a strategy that needs to be holistic. All of the answers do not come from the Department of Justice, but that Department and the Minister have the task of leading on this. I extend my condolences again to the family, friends and community of Ashling Murphy and …

I commend my colleagues, Senators Malcolm Byrne and Wall, on the work they have done on this issue and all the Senators who I hope will support this Bill unanimously. I hope the Minister of State has come here with open ears and with a spirit of embracing this initiative from Senator Malcolm Byrne, which is supported by the Fianna Fáil group and, hopefully, by Members across the House. I was first elected to Dublin City Council in 2004. It is the largest local authority in the city. I speak on this subject not just…

I welcome the approval by Government for the development at O'Devaney Gardens. For more than a decade, the site at O'Devaney Gardens has been plagued by political and planning arguments. For all of that time there has been nothing but dereliction and antisocial behaviour on that site. Today's announcement means that in the next quarter of this year, not in ten or 20 years' time, construction will commence in respect of more than 1,000 A-rated social, affordable and private homes, a community crèche, a community cen…

I thank the Minister of State for his attendance. I seek clarity from the Department of Education on the provision of a permanent school building for Gaelscoil Áine, Glasnevin. Gaelscoil Áine is a wonderful multidenominational Irish-language-based primary school. It was established more than three years ago and is temporarily located on the first floor of Whitehall College of Further Education on St. Mobhi Road, adjacent to Na Fianna GAA Club and other community facilities. It is a wonderful primary school. It has …

I appreciate that the Minister of State has been sent here to respond on this issue. I acknowledge, and the school acknowledges and is very appreciative of, the support the Department has given in the setting up of the school and the fitting out of Coláiste Chaoimhin to meet its needs in the immediate term. I find it very disappointing that the Department says two things in this reply. First, it says that it is on the job, it has identified a site and it is working to secure that site. I appreciate the confidential…

Today, the State Examinations Commission, SEC, will be meeting to discuss the arrangements for the leaving certificate and junior certificate examinations this year. I want to support the Irish Second-Level Students Union, and secondary students generally, who are very unhappy with the arrangements that are being put in place for the leaving certificate this year. I support their call, which the Leader has also sought, for the hybrid option to be put in place. I believe that the students need fairness, clarity, an …

I express my sincere commiseration to the family, friends and pupils of Ashling Murphy. Words can never adequately express our sympathy, sadness or anger. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis. While the whole country is convulsed and repulsed by Ashling's murder it is important that we remember that in the past 15 years 236 women have been killed in Ireland violently. One in four women in Ireland have experienced abuse from their partner. In 2020 alone, 855 disclosures of sexual abuse were made to Women's Aid service…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in to respond to my Commencement matter which seeks a date by which a team will be appointed for the design of a critical care wing for the Rotunda Hospital on Parnell Square. The Rotunda is the world's oldest maternity hospital. It dates from 1745. More than 8,000 babies a year are delivered there. One in six of all babies in the country is born there. One in four of all premature neonatal babies is born there. There has been a 10% increase in demand at the hospital over th…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I fully acknowledge and value the commitment the Government and the Minister of State have given to the Rotunda. I also acknowledge the significant funding that has already been provided but I am disappointed with his reply. It is very disappointing that we are at the end of this year without a design team being announced. This tender process commenced at the start of this year and engaged not just the hospital, the HSE and staff within the Department, but external priva…

Sadly, no Dubs feature among the hurling all-stars, but we are getting there. Na Fianna are certainly doing their bit to get us there. I want to refer to the campaign that is running for special needs assistants, #RespectforSNAs. Fórsa is championing a campaign on behalf of 12,000 special needs assistants who are seeking recognition and respect for the role they play in the education system. Special needs assistants play a vital role, not just for the children but also for the teachers and parents. Their presence a…

I welcome the announcement of the completion of the review of the national childcare scheme by the Minister with responsibility for children. Particularly welcome is the Government's decision to adopt a number of the recommendations, specifically to ensure an additional €270 million in funding is provided for childcare services, which money will be used to control fees which for many families are a second mortgage and a barrier to paid employment for parents; to improve pay and conditions for workers, which is very…

No country has been as affected by emigration over the decades and centuries-----

Indeed, since 1800 more than 10 million Irish people have emigrated. I, therefore, welcome the decision that was taken by the Government to introduce a programme in January to regularise the undocumented migrants in this country. This is a welcome and important decision. It will give an opportunity to people who live in our communities or work in our shops, restaurants and care facilities, or deliver stuff to our doors to come out of the shadows, hold their heads up high and take part as full citizens in society.

The decision is very welcome and must be championed by all Members.

I commend everybody who campaigned for it so that is the Migrant Rights Council of Ireland, many NGOs and many individuals. It was a very brave decision to campaign for this because many of these people live in very vulnerable situations where if they get sick, they are frightened to ask for help or if they are victims of crime, they are reluctant to go to the Garda or any authority figure. I commend the Government and everybody who campaigned for this. I wish the best of luck to all the applicants in January. It w…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. I feel we are standing very close so I apologise. I do not want to crowd him but this is my allocated seat. It is a coincidence that the Minister is coming to the Seanad with this legislation today considering the storm that is attacking our island. Our thoughts are with all the coastal communities that are being battered by Storm Barra. Thankfully, we seem to be getting away with it so far here in Dublin. I thank all the emergency services under the command of the Mini…

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of meeting students from Dominican College on Griffith Avenue. I had a great discussion with Dearbhla Lawlor and Toby Long. They are leaving certificate students and among the subjects they are studying are politics and society. As part of their leaving certificate course, they undertook a research project to identify and analyse the social and political implications of an issue that affects society today. The issue they chose to investigate and report on was LGBTQI and youth h…

I would like to express condolences and sympathies on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group to the families and individuals who lost their lives in the English Channel. It was a really tragic event and all our thoughts are with the individuals. We ask the acting Leader to write to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and our MEPs in Europe to emphasise again to them the desire of this House and all the citizens of Ireland for the EU to take a strong role in providing safe routes to security for those who desperately need the…