I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to the Chamber and congratulate him on his appointment. I welcome him back to this House to which he has given such great service over the years. I listened to Senator Clifford-Lee speaking about the MetroLink. She made the point, and is possibly correct, that from the point of view of Swords, which is an area in her would-be constituency, it could be transformative. I put on record what has happened to date. To date, we have spent over €300 million planning this pr…

-----for this transformative trip to Ranelagh. My public life will be well and truly over by the time that happens.

The opportunity cost of going ahead with MetroLink is vast. The things we will not be able to do because we are making that choice are numerous. The huge improvement we could make in the capital's transport system is enormous and it is not going to happen now because all of our money is going to go into this single line from Dartmouth Square in Ranelagh to Swords via the airport. At the oral hearing, Colm McCarthy, an experienced economist, set out the very small difference it will actually make for passengers comi…

The OPW can get the Senator very cheap ones.

On this occasion, I wish to mention Ivan Farmer, a distinguished member of our staff who is about to leave us and go to Brussels for an important position. I wish to put on the record my group’s deep gratitude to him for all the work he has done for this House over the past five years. I raise the point that the south aspect of this House is, at night-time, adorned in the national colours of Ukraine. Senator Frances Black mentioned the occupied territories Bill. The occupied territories Bill was moved originally in…

Two motions are being discussed before the House but if one is taken, the likelihood is the other will not be taken. That structure is forced upon us by what happened in this House approximately six months ago. Members of this House, particularly the newer Members, should know that on St. Brigid's Day 2018, Leo Varadkar came in here and promised us a vast raft of reforms. Every single one of those reforms he abandoned and betrayed. None of them have happened at all, not even, as the Cathaoirleach will know, the one…

I congratulate the Leas-Chathaoirleach on her appointment. Although I had no hand, act or part in it, nothing gives me greater pleasure than to see her where she is at the moment. I welcome the Minister as a colleague and a friend, and as a person in whom I have the greatest confidence that his period as Minister will be effective and carried out with tremendous skill, and also that he will bring the public with him in the difficult task he has. As he said, this particular motion has no downside. We are simply givi…

I drove them away.

Ar son na gComhaltaí Neamhspleácha sa Teach seo, is mian liom comhghairdeas a bhronnadh ort, a Chathaoirligh, tar éis duit a bheith tofa mar Chathaoirleach arís. The Cathaoirleach mentioned in his few words a number of things that go to the heart of our function in this House. One of them is being part of the democratic function of the State. It is the case that the process of reform is slowly taking place on this occasion. The two constituencies that I, Deputy Higgins and four other Senators represent will no long…

I echo the sentiments of gratitude to Mr. Martin Groves, his staff, the ushers and all the other people in Leinster House who have looked after us so well over the past four and a bit years. We are truly in their debt. I will be saying other things about the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission later, but I note that, in the explanatory memorandum to the Bill we face today, the commission did not even bother to take out the paragraph seeking permission from the Government to print the Bill in the first place. It sli…

I listened carefully to what Senator Boyhan said. In order that the Minister will be ready for the Committee Stage amendments, I draw to his attention the following provision in section 28 of the 2023 Act, as inserted by section 5: "A person shall not sell by retail, or cause to be sold by retail, a nicotine inhaling product to a child." The same provision applies to cigarettes and other tobacco products by way of section 28A, to be inserted by section 6. Section 5(3) further provides: (3) In proceedings against a …

It is nonsense.

New Zealand changed course after an election.

It is wrong.

So what? It is nonsense already.

The Minister will be back here before 2028 if he is returned to office and will be saying sorry for getting it wrong.

We are guillotining it today, but it is probably rubbish.

I ask the House to read carefully what is provided in this section, which states: (1) A person shall not sell by retail, or cause to be sold by retail, a tobacco product to a person under the age of 21 years. (2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence. (3) In proceedings against a person for an offence under subsection (2), it shall be a defence for such person to prove that the person under the age of 21 years to whom the alleged offence relates produced to him or her— (a) an age card, (b) a pa…

Somebody will be in here and say that it was nonsense, that Senator McDowell was right, and that we are changing it because it is rubbish. Who knows? They may say-----

On any ordinary construction of this new offence which is being created, it is a nonsense to say that it means anything other than if a 19-year-old produces a driving licence showing him or her to be a 19-year-old, he or she can legally purchase tobacco from a tobacco retailer. That is the law.