If we do not laugh, we will cry.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." This is simple legislation. It is a small step to support victims and survivors of sexual violence. It comes directly from the experience of victims and survivors. This is their Bill. It is a testament to their courage, persistence and strength to deliver change for others. In particular, I thank Sonya Stokes, Leona O'Callaghan and Shaneda Daly, who worked with me on this Bill. I welcome them and others who will be joining us in the Public Gallery for this debate t…

I thank every TD who has contributed to this debate this evening and the many TDs who contacted me in the course of the day to indicate their support for this Bill. I also thank the Minister and Government for allowing this Bill to pass on Second Stage. There are issues more important that political games. It would have been possible for Government parties to play political games and table a delaying amendment, and I acknowledge that they did not. I also acknowledge that the Minister stayed for the entirety of this…

The decisions by previous Governments to remove all services from Monaghan hospital has proven to be absolutely disastrous for the health services across the region. It has been a battle a day ever since to establish new services at Monaghan hospital. The most recent battle was in relation to an MRI scanner, that eventually we are told will be in place over the next 18 months, which is still far too long. I am asking the Minister that we do not have to go through the same rigmarole and process to get what is blatan…

I invite the Minister to go back and read her statement and those of her predecessors about an MRI scanner at Monaghan hospital and several other issues. She is right. There have been staff increases in Monaghan hospital and services have increased in terms of provision. Every single one required a sustained campaign to force the Department and the HSE to see logic. When it came to the minor injuries unit when Monaghan hospital was operating at the lowest operating hours anywhere in the State, we had to fight tooth…

The Minister had to be dragged kicking and screaming.

Deliver it. We have none in Monaghan.

Because she is not giving an answer.

Hear, hear.

We do not like partition; that is the problem.

I have often said that our farmers deserve three things: fair prices, a fair CAP, and fair play. On all three, successive Governments have failed. On prices, we still have the diktats coming from factories and retailers, and we have never got a stranglehold on the conglomerate interests that are controlling the prices received. On CAP, we now have a situation where farmers are receiving fewer payments but are being asked to do more and more every year. What do I mean by fair play? The first thing I mean by that is …

Hear, hear.

The question I keep asking is what this Government has against motorists and people in rural communities. People in constituencies such as Cavan-Monaghan have no choice but to use their cars to get work, do their grocery shopping and bring children to childcare or after-school activities. There is no alternative to using the car, but it is getting more and more expensive to do so. The Government is actually making people's lives harder. The cost of car insurance, for example, went up more than 9% last year. We now …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt ar an Bhille seo. One of the key problems within the justice system is the length of time that it takes for court cases to be heard and that often means that victims and their families are forced to wait far too long to get justice. There are particularly lengthy delays in respect of sexual violence cases, which of course increases the trauma for victims. It impacts on the abilities of victims, survivors and their families to get about rebuilding their lives. Court delays contri…

I welcome this debate on international protection but I am very conscious that it could be taking place in very different circumstances. The backdrop to these statements could, but for the grace of God, have been multiple fatalities as a result of the arson attack in Drogheda. I want to be unequivocal in stating that there can be absolutely no tolerance for racism or racist attacks. Nobody should be in fear for their safety or their children's safety. The message must go out loud and clear that racist attacks on an…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt i bhfabhar Éire aontaithe. I believe passionately in Irish unity. It is the reason I got involved in politics. The partition of our country was a historic injustice and we have an obligation to undo that injustice. What gives me hope is the huge excitement I see all over the island at the prospect of unity. That excitement is particularly shared by younger people because they know they have the opportunity in this generation to make a united Ireland a reality. Therefore, this is…

That is not true.

Hear, hear.

Among those who felt let down by last week's budget were people with disabilities and their families. Those families are used to the parties in government failing them but once again, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael did not even try to prove them wrong. Disabled people feel the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis. They suffer as much as, and arguably more than, all the others who were last week abandoned by a horrible and cruel budget. Disabled people also face costs that most of us do not. There is a recognised cost of d…

The Minister knows there has been huge concern for many years about the potential impact the Mercosur trade agreement would have, in particular for Irish farmers. I would appreciate if he could outline to the House the engagements he has had at an EU level in respect of the Mercosur trade agreement.