According to the briefing paper, the legal advices are that there is no legal or practical impediment to opting in to this proposal, but that does not mean we should not scrutinise why we should opt in to it when we are not obliged to. The approach of the Government more and more seems to be to opt in to all these proposals when requested and this proposal is the latest example. The impression given in the paper is that it is an innocuous and administrative change, but what exactly is the proposal? The briefing tha…

It is very frustrating for newly qualified speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists who have taken unpaid placements and attended interviews in Athlone at their own expense to still be in limbo, having been offered jobs during the summer but not having had a chance to take them up. A three-card trick has been played by the Government in announcing the embargo has been lifted. It is doubly frustrating for those therapists and for families to see staffing levels in Kerry of 37% for…

There was a significant opportunity in this budget, particularly in light of the Apple money, to make a sizeable difference in people’s lives, especially in County Kerry. The lack of ideas or of working for the common good is not surprising, given that the Government spent €10 million trying to prevent the money from coming to the State in the first place. This budget will not help children with autism in Kerry who are effectively being denied an education, nor will it help them obtain a GP or give hope to parents …

I thank the Minister of State for his briefing. While reform of this legislation is required and is something that we have previously called for, it is important for a balance to be struck. I thank the Library and Research Service for its briefing document, which, as usual, is excellent. I note in that document the comments of a previous Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Charles Flanagan, who said that defamation law in Ireland essentially seeks to balance three different rights, which are protected under b…

That is not what the media said when they appeared before the media committee.

Before I mention CAMHS and aspects of the Bill, I wish to raise the situation regarding the Ocean View nursing home in Camp, County Kerry. I attended a briefing by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation earlier. One of the calls in its pre-budget submission was the operation and delivery of long-term care and to reverse the privatisation of long-term care. As the Minister of State may be aware, the situation in Ocean View is that its registration has been revoked by the HSE-----

By HIQA, and the HSE has now come in and is the current provider of care. HIQA did commend Theresa Winter and all her staff for providing first-rate care for the residents there. All the staff in that nursing home are directly employed by the HSE now. The families have received letters. I have a copy of one here which says that it was necessary to make alternative arrangements for the residents who have been there. One has been there for more than 20 years. Think of the disruption. I attended a meeting yesterday wi…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a thabhairt do na hoifigigh ón Roinn agus go mór mór don Teachta Aonghus Ó Snodaigh agus do na daoine eile atá ar an gcomhchoiste, daoine cosúil leis na Teachtaí Connolly, Ó Cuív, agus Ó Murchú. Tá a lán oibre á déanamh ag daoine i gCiarraí ar son na teanga. Is iad sin daoine cosúil le Páidí Ó Sé agus a fhoireann ar Chomharchumann Forbartha Chorca Dhuibhne; Treasa Ní Mhainnín in Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne; Orlaith Ruiséal i Tús Maith; na …

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an bhfoireann in the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, OPLA. The work of this office is crucial to ensure that Private Members' Bills are produced and it offers us an important resource. Obviously, Government has an advantage when it comes to policy and legislative reform, given the resources available to it. The OPLA plays an important role. The complexities of the issues involved in drafting this Bill, the re…

I am sharing time with my colleagues. I thank them for their contributions. I also thank the Minister of State and her officials. We, too, would hope to work with the Government. I note some of the issues the Minister of State has raised. I await with interest the review or report which is going to be published presently. I understand what she is saying about the difference in risk profiles. I think that probably the vast majority of cases will be of a similar level but that is certainly something we can tease out.…

This is a liquorice allsorts type of Bill. Some of it is very straightforward but it covers the broadcasting Bill and legislation on personal injuries, firearms and international protection. It proposes reducing the years of experience required to be a member of the tribunal from five years to two. Having been someone who was two years out from being a qualified solicitor, I have concerns that this might cause difficulties in the long run as regards decision-making and potential judicial reviews. It is unwise to re…

I mentioned earlier my slight concerns over the experience given to people going to sit on the tribunal of two years post qualification for solicitors and barristers. It may cause trouble. It is a short time to prepare someone to adjudicate on serious issues. I understand the need to have more people in there working but am not sure lowering it to two years is the way to go.

In the interests of brevity I will keep it short. We of course support the right of some members of An Garda Síochána and the fire service, notwithstanding the additional shift work, if they wish to continue on serving, and also we respect the union position. We of course have concerns about some of the sections that unilaterally grant the Minister power to amend the retirement age at any time. There should of course be agreement with the unions before Ministers would implement any changes to superannuation by regu…

We all need a functioning justice system. I, too, acknowledge the presence of members of the Bar Council. I support their call for restoration of the FEMPI-era cuts to their fees. I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the direction of An Garda Síochána. Following changes to the management model, a community engagement superintendent is supposed to provide leadership to deal with local crime, antisocial behaviour and road traffic law enforcement but there is currently no such superintendent in counties Longford or Mayo,…

Many things about this case are extraordinary, including the errors by the Courts Service; the freedom afforded to a man with numerous convictions in Lithuania and in Ireland to be out and about and committing more crimes; and gardaí stating they were not trained to check court outcomes and that being acceptable. All these circumstances led to the fateful night when Shane O'Farrell lost his life on roads he knew well. Extraordinary love and compassion have been shown by the O'Farrell family in their determination t…

There is no getting away from the enormity of the challenge that faces us in dealing with domestic, gender-based and sexual violence. I recall working in the courts and dealing with quite a few cases where there were breaches of barring orders, protection orders and the like. It was the exceptional case, probably only 5% of cases, that actually went forward to conviction and the giving of evidence. It was only in cases where there were a lot of supports and extra supports given to the person who had made the compla…

I thank the Minister for her comments and her indication of some of the new amendments that will be included in this Bill relating to judicial counsel, certificates of naturalisation and safe third countries. It is important, in the context of recent debate, that if there are safe third countries, it had been indicated we would be looking at what our nearest neighbours are doing. However, it is also important to take into account what the UN and Human Rights Watch are saying about those countries, rather than only …

I raise the proposed work stoppages next week by barristers. Last October, in an announcement referring to budget 2024, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, stated: I am... pleased to have secured funding of €9 million to make progress in increasing the fees payable to legal professionals for criminal legal aid by 10% in early 2024. In conjunction with [that] increase... the intention is to build on the strengths of the criminal legal aid scheme while addressing any issues relating to how it is structured. Engagement will…

I thank the Minister for the reply. Years ago, when there were massive delays in payments, many barristers left the system for a long time. By and large, the system works fairly well but barristers have been increasingly frustrated over the past nine months. I understand that these things take time, but for years now barristers have been told this is a decision for the Department of public expenditure, and that is why we originally submitted our case to that Department. All the barristers are requesting is that the…

I will speak about Tralee courthouse. We can take it as read that Tralee town centre is a priority, as are all town centres. I know that some of the Ministers and Ministers of State, including the Minister of State with special responsibility for heritage, are lovers of historic buildings. The courthouse in Tralee is a part of the folklore of the town but since 1989 the plans to refurbish it have not been used. A refurbishment of the existing building could keep it in the historic town centre location for evermore.…