First, I congratulate the Minister on his elevation to the leadership of the Green Party and I wish him well with that. We are here to make statements on migration. When I see it and read it, it gives me the chills because I have a fear of any further stoking of the hate and the activities that we have seen in our country in the last year and a half especially, which have just been appalling. They are reminiscent of scenes from television from the North in my childhood. It really is quite appalling that people are …

The criminal legal Bar has a greater proportion of women working in it than any other area of law. It is the most poorly paid of the legal sectors. There is a fundamental injustice in that and that women are left to the side to tolerate and take on whatever is going. The criminal Bar is fundamental to our Constitution. It is the place where heinous crimes and the standards of society and what is acceptable and unacceptable are tried. It is the place where people who may be accused in the wrong need good legal repre…

The fact needs to be emphasised that there is a public perception that barristers are extremely well paid. A very small minority are extremely well paid; the vast majority are not. They struggle in the same way and, in fact, are in a life, no more than ourselves in politics but even to a greater extent, of precariousness. Barristers can work extremely hard unpaid hours on a case but by the time that case gets into court there are other things going on and they have to hand it over to someone else to collect fees. A…

Let the Minister of State continue.

I want to be associated with the sympathies for our former colleague, John O'Mahony. I concur with the statement by Senator Kyne regarding childcare. We need statements on the order of this House. The fact is childcare facilities are pulling out of the core funding scheme, regardless of the Department's assertion that it is so effective. This time last year and the year before, I sought support for services and was told that the sustainability fund was the answer to everything. However, when I put down parliamentar…

The debate will follow the normal pattern with ten minutes for the Minister, ten minutes each for the group spokespersons and five minutes for all other Senators. The Minister will then be called to reply not later than 2.05 p.m and will be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate. The Minister is welcome.

I am loath to interrupt the Minister but I need to greet our visitors. I apologise to the Minister, but he will get whatever time he needs. I welcome the members of the Ballyduff Lower bridge club, who are guests of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. We also have two private guests who are here as guests of Deputy McDonald. I thank the Minister. He has the floor.

I know from tabling Commencement Matters on this issue that the Minister has been working on the legislation for a very long time. Well done to him on delivering it.

I welcome the Enniscorthy active retirement group, whose members are here as guests of the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne.

Before we move on to the next speaker, I welcome the guests of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and Deputy Martin Browne to the Seanad. As naloxone has been mentioned, I note that the members of both the Joint Committee on Drugs Use and the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth will all undertake training here in the coming weeks on the administration of naloxone.

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

The Minister of State is very welcome, as always. I am raising this Commencement matter on behalf of Fatima Groups United, which operates in the F2 Centre in Dublin 8. It has the most magnificent facility as part of the whole redevelopment of Fatima. In it, every room is chock-a-block with services to the community. It really lives up to what it does. The group ran a pilot programme for 32 children aged four to 18 that was very successful. It was for families in the Dublin 8 and 12 areas, principally families who w…

The Minister of State made a good point. I do a legal support clinic at the F2 Centre every fortnight and I am always amazed by the sheer use of it by the local community and the creativity of the support. People identify needs in the local community and then they do their best to professionally meet those needs. A professional was recruited there previously and paid a salary to provide a service to parents. It was a professional intervention. From a qualitative analysis, this programme would have stood up to any a…

Good.

How dare the Acting Chair cast aspersions on us or what we have to say.

We are wasting time talking about rubbish instead of getting on with what we should be doing.

This is important legislation to children who need care and parents who want to access the workplace and other places and need their children cared for. I welcome this legislation. It is important we extend our funding model for childcare to the extent that we ensure childminding is recognised for the professional service it is. Childminding has come an awfully long way in the past 30 years. It used to be that the woman down the road cared for children, whereas now there are people who are educated in childcare and…

Gabhaim míle buíochas and I send my best wishes to Senator O'Hara. I congratulate the Deputy Leader on taking up the leadership of our party in the Seanad as well as assuming the role of Deputy Leader of the Seanad. I am delighted and say that from four years' experience of Senator Kyne being an extraordinary and very supportive colleague. I rise today to ask for statements in this House with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, who is the Minister in charge of the State counselling services but also of the funding of or…

I commend the Minister of State and officials for the amazing work. The engagement with the Oireachtas committee has been fantastic. I commend my colleague, Senator Cummins, on his leadership within our party in this area. He has been insightful in his contributions and a great advocate and colleague. I welcome this Bill. It is critical, exactly as described. We need an coimisiún pleanála to be efficient in how it operates and fully resourced to make sure that we meet the timelines set down in the Bill, that we hav…