Deputy Daly has referred to the amendment. While it is short, its wording is important to ensure as much consultation as possible in determining the policing priorities of the authority. I want to comment on the Bill in a more general sense. In March, I spoke about this Bill and said its importance cannot be overstated. This remains the case. In the main, the amendments are minor but necessary alterations to the text of the Bill. The Bill creates a modern framework for policing and will modernise our police force, …

The Minister said we put down no questions to him last Thursday. I had tabled oral questions to him but, unfortunately, they were not selected. That is not my fault.

I am losing my time while the Minister is arguing with somebody else.

Deputy Funchion was talking about people who could not even get rent support. House prices in Limerick are higher than ever. Rents and homelessness figures are higher, and every aspect of housing in the State is failing. The average rent in Limerick is €1,645 on average, which is up €400 since 2020. According to Daft.ie, the only two properties available to rent in Limerick today were a one-bedroom property in the city for €1,200 and a two-bedroom property for €2,500. The Minister referred to the houses he opened y…

I want to speak in support of amendments Nos. 12 to 14, inclusive, under section 17 of the Bill. As it stands, the timeframe for imposing surcharge penalties is too long, and the surcharge is too low for it to have any real standing for companies of scale and resourceful companies. The 5% surcharge should be imposed within the first two months of non-payment. The 10% surcharge should be implemented after two months of non-payment, and a 50% surcharge imposed on those who neglect to pay after six months. These measu…

In April, the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment published its report on the general scheme of the co-operative societies Bill. As part of that report, there were 27 recommendations. One was on the re-establishment of the co-operative unit within the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Will the Minister confirm if the Department is giving consideration to this proposal? Can we anticipate the re-establishment of this unit?

I thank the Minister of State. As he said, co-operatives can sustain employment in situations where, as I said, jobs would otherwise be lost. They are jobs that would be lost not because the business is untenable but because they were not generating enough profits as expected by stakeholders. Co-operatives are often a way of giving control to local communities, stimulating the local economy and building regional and local wealth, but these co-operatives need support and training. It is my view that we should look t…

Increasing the knowledge and information would be welcome because there is concern and a lack of clarity about what co-ops are. Historically, co-ops have been vital to key sectors of our economy. They have shown that they work, when considering agriculture and credit unions, for instance, among others. Internationally, co-ops have been successful across Europe in a wide range of sectors, including banking, insurance, retail and agriculture. As I said, it is important, not just with regard to co-ops but as we come t…

I want to put on the record that I have written previously to the Ceann Comhairle about the Minister or Minister of State responding to Topical Issue debates. I mean no disrespect to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell. My understanding has always been that if the Minister was not available, we would be advised of it in advance or a Minister of State from that Department would come to the House. I wrote to the Ceann Comhairle on the previous occasion this happened. It was on the same issue and here we are again…

No disrespect is meant to the Minister of State.

I want to put on the record that no disrespect to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, is intended. I will be writing to the Ceann Comhairle again. We should have received notification that neither the Minister nor a Minister of State from the Department of Health would be here. This is the second time in a row this has happened to me. As the Minister of State is aware, on Friday, 23 June, HIQA published its report of an unannounced inspection that took place at University Hospital Limerick on 21 and 22 Februar…

I thank the Minister of State. I am on record as saying I acknowledge that work is being done at the hospital, with a 96-bed unit being built as we sit here. Nevertheless, that will deliver only 48 additional beds, as the HSE itself has stated. Single-occupancy beds would be the better way, not least because our hospital has suffered over the years from infections and cross-contamination, so that would be useful. Two other 96-bed projects are in the ether but we do not know their status. I do not believe the Govern…

Under the social pillar of the Limerick regeneration framework implementation plan, we have what is called the economic and social intervention fund. While the Limerick regeneration plan has been a disappointment in many aspects since its launch in 2009, the social intervention fund has had a highly positive impact on many families, people, communities and projects across the city. It has changed and saved lives; that is how important it is. A total of 180 projects receive financial support from this fund and suppo…

It is the economic and social intervention fund that is part of the regeneration programme for 2023. The fund is due to end at the end of this year. We do not know what is going to happen next year with the 180 projects to which funding is provided.

We have mobile phones going off-----

There was an amendment in the name of my colleague, Deputy O'Reilly, that was ruled out of order. We have a letter from the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy Catherine Connolly, to that effect. I wish to speak on this amendment if the Minister of State agrees. We were not going to push the amendment but we did want to put it down and we may finesse it in the Seanad and bring the amendment again. This amendment seeks to ensure that maintenance and champerty do not apply to dispute resolution proceedings as a new subsect…

As schools throughout the country close their doors for the summer, parents, teachers and students can look forward to a well-earned break and some recovery before the cycle starts again in late August. I salute our primary, post-primary and third level educators for the work and support they have offered our learners over the past academic year. Being an educator is a tough but at the same time, I am sure, a very rewarding job. As the summer approaches its conclusion, schoolbook lists will be issued, school unifor…

I welcome this opportunity to speak on the Bill. It is a Bill of necessity and good practice. It is probably one of the most overused quotes at this stage, but what Martin Luther King Jnr. said in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" - that "justice too long delayed is justice denied" - remains true and relevant. Facing a court appearance, be it as an accused, a witness or a victim, is a stressful time in a person's life, especially for the victim, assuming he or she has survived. It can often be worse for the familie…

This is a timely and necessary motion when we consider the state of our health service and the failure of the current Minister for Health who, unfortunately, is not in the Chamber to make any meaningful steps to address this crisis. University Hospital Limerick, UHL, has been operating in a crisis, and has been for the entirety of Deputy Donnelly's time as Minister. Indeed, it has been in crisis since Fine Gael closed down the emergency departments in Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Hospital without delivering additio…

Four years ago, the people of Limerick voted in a referendum, along with people in Cork and Waterford, on the issue of the directly elected mayor. In Limerick, it was successful. To date, we have seen no legislation. It begs the question as to whether the Government is serious about this. Can the Tánaiste confirm to us when we will see the legislation and, more importantly, when will the election take place? I truly believe that if we get this legislation right and if we deliver a directly elected mayor, which the …