I will use this opportunity today to speak about the eradication of child poverty. Many of my colleagues in here are also members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Equality. We spent a lot of time looking at ways and listening to external organisations about ways to eliminate child poverty and about political choices. Instead of giving €750 million of a VAT cut to restaurant chains, we could have introduced a second tier of child benefit. There are many examples where political choices are involved …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. This is a timely motion. I thank the Sinn Féin Senators who brought it forward for giving us the chance to discuss this most fundamental issue in the House. As someone who lived and worked in the North before and after the Good Friday Agreement – I worked across all communities – and who is from the Border region, I have a strong interest and belief in the successful reunification of our island. We all know that the Ireland of today, North and South, is greatly changed from that o…

I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome the opportunity to speak, but I am also disappointed that the Government's amendments came so late in the day A total of 300 amendments is an awful lot for such substantial and important legislation. This Bill is going to affect the lives of some of the most vulnerable groups in society, as the Minister of State well knows. The amendments have arrived too late in the day for us to be able to properly scrutinise them. It is disappointing that we are not able to give th…

I move amendment No. 7: In page 15, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: “ “chemical restraint” means the use of medications with the primary intention of controlling a person’s behaviour or of restricting, preventing, or otherwise limiting their freedom of movement;”. Amendment No. 7 will insert a definition of "chemical restraint" into the Bill. Together with amendments Nos. 27, 28, 155 and 301, it would take the important step of including critical safeguards around the use of chemical restraint in t…

To follow on from Senators Ruane and Boyhan, the use of sedatives in psychiatric settings must balance therapeutic intent and the rights and dignity of patients. This is why we need a comprehensive review. The guidelines resulting from such a review would provide clarity for clinicians and safeguard patents' rights and would enable the Mental Health Commission to assess current prescribing patterns. A comprehensive review would produce clear results.

We in the Labour Party, like my colleague said, will definitely not be supporting this Bill. There was talk here about a strong economy but one in five children are still living in homelessness. After this budget, households across Ireland will be 2% worse off. The worst part of this is that one in five people are on low pay in Ireland. We are lauded as one of the richest countries in Europe but one in five are on low pay, and this has been going on for two decades. That figure is from the European Commission. The …

Bunaíodh Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré in 1996. Is í an t-aon Ghaelscoil i gContae Shligigh. Tá an scoil ag feidhmiú ó 1998 ó chlubtheach CLG Naomh Muire agus i deich seomra réamhdéanta atá ag dul in aois. Tá na háiseanna thar a bheith bunúsach agus faoi chaighdeán, níl halla tionóil ann, agus tá costais ard fhuinnimh á n-íoc ag an scoil. In 2006, the Department initiated site acquisition via OPW offices for a site to be purchased for a new Gaelscoil in Sligo. In 2009, at the school initiative, nearby land was zoned for co…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht an fhreagra which contains positive news. We do not know if the school is included within the 80.

That it will---

That would be wonderful. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Mar a deir an seanfhocal, “Téann focal le gaoth ach téann buille le cnámh”.

Like many of my fellow Senators have said, today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Al Jazeera reported last week that nearly one third of women worldwide have faced sexual or partner violence. One in three women in Ireland has experienced domestic abuse, and 277 women have died violently in Ireland since 1996. While certain cases hit the headlines – the murder of Ashling Murphy springs to mind, as does that of Stella Gallagher in Cork last week – most cases do not make the news or …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Bill at hand makes a focused and specific policy change. It is really significant and deals with big questions. Overall, we completely welcome it as a party. It deals with what is like to be an older person in the workplace and responds to the demographic realities of an ageing population. It touches on the need to give each and every older person the freedom and support they need to live their lives as they see fit with dignity and purpose. The Bill takes a small step for the…

I also welcome the opportunity to speak on this today. The success of the Irish film industry over recent decades is something we in the Labour Party are very proud of. It was mentioned earlier how our very own Michael D. Higgins was the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht who re-established the Irish Film Board in 1993 and had the foresight and vision to put in place the building blocks of our successful film industry with tax incentives, training initiatives and other measures. Those State supports at th…

Recent weeks have sadly seen a disappointing rise in reckless commentary from politicians of various parties on the issue of migration. This motion tonight gives us the opportunity to discuss and debate the reality rather than the dog whistles. It gives us the opportunity to acknowledge that migrants to and from Ireland have contributed significantly to their new homes. We have been able to provide a place of safety to thousands of people fleeing war, persecution and oppression because it is our duty and it is the …

I express my sympathies on the tragic loss of the five friends in Dundalk. I extend my sympathies to their family, friends and the wider community. It has been a weekend of very mixed emotions. I want to express huge congratulations to the Irish football team. Like Senator Brady, I remember Italia 90 well. There is a new boy in town. The boy Roy must move over for the boy Troy. It is an amazing success. As another Senator said, it is great that a younger generation can see what we witnessed when we were younger and…

I do not oppose any investment in the ESB infrastructure - it is very welcome - but what I am concerned about, and what I do oppose, is where this investment will go and what the money is to be spent on. I will speak in support of the amendments tabled by both Senators Collins and Higgins. All their amendments are really well thought out. They make a lot of sense and they have put a lot of work into them. I really hope the Minister of State listens to these amendments because there is a very palpable feeling in the…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Ursuline College in Sligo was founded in 1850 and is celebrating its 175th anniversary, on which I congratulate the staff and all the students. I worked in the college for 17 years as a youth liaison worker and my daughter is a student there so I have a big interest in the college. If one looks at a photograph of the school from its early days one can see a very recognisable and beautiful structure. Much construction has taken place through the years. The school has worked rea…

I thank the Minister of State for the response but it is very disappointing. I note the line "it is not feasible to give an indicative timeline for delivery." I appreciate that there are lots of capital projects happening. I hope that the Minister of State can relay to the Department that there is an urgency due to the real fear of the lapse in planning permission. Over the 11 years since the new school project was recommended, €500,000 has been spent on the repair and maintenance of the old buildings. Also, these …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I echo my fellow Senators' sentiments that we welcome that there is going to be rapid investment in ESB Networks, but it is about how and where this is spent and how it relates to the rest of Government policy. I will talk in particular about my own area and securing the supply in parts of the north west, which is the area that has been most severely affected by outages over the past 12 months. It means ensuring in the medium term that power lines are clear of possible disruption from f…

My amendment is along similar lines to that of Senator Nelson Murray. It is an easy fix. This amendment would repeal the common law rule that, where it is proven that a defamatory statement has been published, then general damage is automatically presumed. The right to defend one's good name in front of a jury is of course fundamental, but we must accept that something has gone wrong when retailers are facing legal actions for what are manifestly non-defamatory statements. Whether it is asking for a receipt, refusi…