I thank Members for their contributions to this discussion on drugs policy and acknowledge their interest in and commitment to this issue. The Government is fully committed to a health-led approach to drug use. We believe people with problematic drug and alcohol use should be treated with compassion and care. The citizens' assembly made 36 recommendations, which will next be considered by the Oireachtas. Recommendation No. 17 calls on the State to introduce a comprehensive health-led response to the possession of d…

I am pleased to bring this Bill before the House today. The purpose of the Bill is to fully implement Regulation 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and European Council on a single market for digital services, commonly referred to as the EU Digital Services Act. The EU regulation has direct legal effect in all member states. Consequently, the obligations it places on regulated entities are directly applicable and require no further implementation in national law. The Digital Services Bill 2023 is a technical meas…

To recap, the purpose of the Bill is to provide for the full implementation of the EU regulation on a single market for digital services. It is an indispensable component of a pioneering regulatory framework to protect EU users of digital services and their fundamental rights online. The framework will rebalance the responsibilities of users, online platforms and public authorities, placing citizens at the centre. It represents a sea change in the EU's ability to protect society from illegal online content and disi…

I thank the Deputies who have indicated their support for the Bill and all those who contributed to the Second Stage debate today. I thank them for their considered and useful input. Research, innovation and the skills and talent that are produced through those processes are central to the social and economic development of our country. The agencies, through their work to date, have ensured that we have a breadth of talent across a multitude of areas. It is those talented individuals who are the key to forging new …

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)( a ) and 178(1).

I thank Senator Higgins for raising this matter. Graduate entry medicine is open to students who have already completed an honours undergraduate degree in any academic discipline and achieved a minimum 2.1 award in this degree. Students pursuing graduate entry medicine programmes do so as a second degree course and, consequently, are not eligible for free fees, funding or student grants. It is important to state that this is also the case for all other degree courses. The State currently has no role in providing fe…

I thank the Senator and I will make her views absolutely known to the Department. The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland is a major priority for our Department. I want to assure the Senator that it is our key objective to try to continue to make improvements for all students including general entry medicine students. It does require both Departments to be at the table and we are working on it. It does raise complex issues that need…

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I thank everyone in the House for the opportunity to have this debate and for their contributions throughout. It was great to hear such a passionate discussion on science. This is a discussion that we would encourage not just us in this House to continue having, but everyone around the country, especially those who work with children. It is so important to encourage and instil a curiosity and enjoyment of science from a young age. The Minister, Deputy Harris, mentioned earlier that we launched the quantum strategy …

Since February 2022, as part of the whole-of-government response to the war in Ukraine, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has supported approximately 100,000 people who have sought temporary protection in Ireland, over 80% of whom have sought State-supported accommodation. On average, approximately 650 people per week seek accommodation from the State. In addition, Ireland and many other European countries are experiencing a significant increase in people seeking international …

The State has a legal obligation to assess the claims of those who seek international protection and, in that time, to provide accommodation and supports in line with the recast reception conditions directive, given effect by Statutory Instrument 230 of 2018. Under the temporary protection directive, 2001/55/EC, beneficiaries of temporary protection receive accommodation or access to means to source accommodation, if needed, as well as access to the labour market, social welfare income supports, education and medic…

I thank Senator Wall for raising this important issue for discussion in the House. I want to be completely clear that the development of any child with a disability to reach his or her full potential remains a matter of utmost importance for this Government. I am aware that the provision of a timely and effective assessment process that works for children and families is an area of ongoing focus for my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration a…

I thank the Senator for providing me with this opportunity to speak on this very important issue. I fully agree, and I know it is a view shared across government, that children who are seeking assessments of need must receive them in a timely manner. Funding has been provided to the HSE for additional posts in recent years to enhance the capacity of the children's disability network teams, CDNTs, and shorten waiting times. The overall funding in recent years provides for nearly 800 whole-time equivalent posts, incl…

I thank the Senator. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Charlie McConalogue. The TAMS provides grants to farmers to build and-or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings. TAMS 2 closed to applications on 16 December 2022. This extremely successful scheme has paid out more than €427 million in respect of 35,778 payment claims, with processing of claims continuing weekly. Following the success of TAMS 2, the scope of the scheme and the number of investments av…

TAMS has been a very successful scheme since its inception. TAMS II provided more than €427 million to farmers to encourage modernisation and it is envisaged TAMS III will be just as successful. The level of uptake in tranche 1 of TAMS III proved the interest farmers have in improving animal welfare and contributing to climate change. The success of the scheme and the large number of applications involved led to increased processing times. Priority approvals are issued to tranche 1 applicants who require slurry and…

I thank Senator Seery Kearney for providing us with an opportunity to update the Seanad on this important matter. At the outset, I would like to assure the Seanad of this Government's commitment to support homeowners and residents of many apartments and duplexes with defects. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, fully acknowledges the stress that is caused when defects arise in these buildings and, indeed, homes. Since the receipt of the Government's approval in January o…

I again thank the Senator for raising this important issue and allowing me to assure the House of the Government's commitment to deal with the issue of defects in apartments and to assist homeowners who may find themselves in difficult financial circumstances. Progress is being made. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, ably assisted by the Housing Agency and the local authority sector, has been working collaboratively to design a fit-for-purpose scheme that meets the needs of homeowners while …

I thank Senator Daly for raising this important issue. The NPWS is responsible for the implementation of the Wildlife Acts and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, both of which prohibit the spreading of invasive species. In addition to this national legislation, EU Regulation No. 1143/2014 on invasive alien species also provides for a range of concerted EU-wide measures to be taken with respect to listed species of Union concern, known as the Union list. Together, these instrumen…

Invasive alien species are acknowledged as one of the five main drivers of biodiversity loss globally. It is vital that we continue to mobilise resources across sectors to tackle these species. While eradication of species is not always possible it is important that work is undertaken to manage and control invasive alien species is co-ordinated and effective to mitigate the threat posed to biodiversity. It will operate on a national scale with the involvement and co-operation of key stakeholders at local level will…

I thank Deputies for their valuable contributions. We all know these terrible circumstances are of huge interest to the House and the people of Ireland. I first want to echo the horror Deputies have expressed at the tragedy unfolding in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory as we speak. There can be no excuse for this level of brutality and bloodshed. I want to restate that I unequivocally condemn the initial attack by Hamas on Israel and the systematic targeting of civilians, including young children and t…