Robert Schuman laid the foundations of a Europe built not on war but on cooperation and multilateralism. His vision was clear, that by sharing resources nations could ensure peace and prosperity for generations, which I acknowledge has been said by the Minister of State already. On Europe Day, while we celebrate the values of peace, unity and democracy that underpin the European Union, we must also confront the challenges threatening these very foundations. In countries such as Hungary, we see a worrying drift towa…

No. Let me finish. I am on my time. That is the move we are seeing in Europe.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I have spoken about this before. If we lead and if we get engaged in militarisation, we will be losing our credibility around peace. Ireland has such a profound role to play as a leader in peace, whether that is in Gaza or in Ukraine or whatever conflict we do not know is coming. We have had comments from Ministers - not in this Government but in the previous Government - that the triple lock is critical and essential to neutrality. We heard from Senator Murphy, and I am happy for us to h…

This week we will celebrate May Day and, as we all know, 1 May is International Workers' Day. In this context, the recent decision by the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and the Government to row back on the commitment to a living wage for all workers is particularly disappointing. This is not just a policy shift but a real message to workers that they do not matter to this Government. A recent poll conducted by the Business Post revealed that 63% of people in Ireland reported having little to no disposable income due t…

I am very happy that this Bill has come forward. I am delighted Fianna Fáil introduced it. I support the intention and essence of the Bill. As Senator Nelson Murray said, it would be fantastic to see it extended to hospitality workers. There are lots of data available to us. For example, a study from Galway indicated that 76% of hospitality workers experienced verbal abuse, 64% experienced psychological abuse and 15% experienced physical abuse. It would make a difference to them to be included. Senator Nelson Murra…

I certainly echo a lot of what Senator Cosgrove has said. Youth diversion from crime is fundamentally about prevention and addressing the root causes. I spoke earlier in the Chamber about root causes that can lead young people into criminality. We have to look at the root causes of any issue to actually solve it. Often these root causes are poverty, marginalisation, addiction, social exclusion, intergenerational trauma and systematic neglect of communities. When there is a failure to intervene early and support fam…

Many of us were deeply disappointed by the findings of the Farrelly commission on the Grace case. Grace is a 40-year-old woman living in the south east. A lot has been said about her in the media over the last few weeks. I take the opportunity today to speak directly to Grace, who is often missing from this discussion, despite the fact that she is central to this issue. Grace, you were failed over and over again by the State. You deserved love, protection and dignity but instead, those who were supposed to protect …

I thank the Minister of State for joining us today. As the Tánaiste said, we meet at a time of great global instability, not least because of the tariffs announced yesterday, because of ongoing conflicts and, as Senator Andrews highlighted, because of the genocide we are seeing unfold before our eyes. It is within this context that I reaffirm the importance of Ireland's commitment to peacekeeping and, within that, the integrity of the triple lock and working within the UN system. As the US, one of the largest globa…

I thank the Minister. After all the interventions we have heard here this afternoon, we can say the situation for childcare and for families is really bleak. I have spoken to women who had to put their child's name on the waiting list when they were four months pregnant. I have spoken to a plethora of women my own age who are delaying having their first child or subsequent children because they are so worried about the costs. The sky-rocketing costs reflect the fact the system is failing families. The Social Democr…

I thank the Minister. The housing challenges are widespread. We have heard that we are living in a housing emergency. Over 15,000 people are homeless, including over 4,600 children. We have a massive challenge around short-term lets. Airbnbs are blocking people from accommodation. We had the disastrous decision to remove the tenant in situ scheme. As the issue is so broad and given that I have so little time to speak, I will focus on an issue Senator Murphy spoke about, namely, Uisce Éireann and wastewater supply a…

I very much support the Bill the Civil Engagement Group has introduced. It puts Ireland in line with its international obligations. We would just be meeting standards by passing it. The permitting of the passage of weapons and ammunition through Ireland is quite disturbing and represents a potential facilitation of the genocidal actions of the Israeli state. Let there be no doubt about that. Senator Higgins has spoken about the mass graves of the healthcare staff. We saw images of them with their gloves on in the g…

I support Senator Ruane's intervention. I would also like the Minister to furnish us with a report on the cost-benefit analysis of using this type of appalling, heavy-handed policing tactics versus using a community mediator in instances like this. This type of policing is morally wrong but I also suspect it is more expensive for the State. The issue I want to speak on today is to do with rural Kilkenny, which is facing a transport crisis. A key private bus operator for the area, JJ Kavanagh and Sons, is reducing i…

Yes, I second Senator Harmon's proposal.

I am very supportive of this Bill, by and large, but I wish to raise one major issue. It pertains to forcing survivors of domestic violence to obtain the consent of their abusers. I know the Minister of State is aware of the point, as I followed the debate in the Dáil. The current process forces survivors of domestic violence to obtain their abusers' consent to file complaints about jointly held financial products. The data we have on domestic violence show specifically that in 2024 there were 65,000 incidences of …

I want to speak on an element around domestic violence relating to the allocation for specialist training. I would like to see a percentage of expenses charged under subsection 2(a) to be ring-fenced for specialist training on financial abuse detection. TASC's financial abuse programme has successfully trained in excess of 500 professionals, but without dedicated resources, we risk the FSPO missing critical warning signs vis-à-vis domestic violence.

Domestic violence and training.

I thank the Minister of State for the response. Really what I am talking about here is specifically how it relates to detection when we talk about an holistic response to domestic violence. I know it might fall traditionally for the Garda to respond to instances of domestic violence, but there is an onus on all different types of State-funded institutions to play a part in detection of that, whether that is vulnerable adults in terms of elder abuse or whether that is victims of domestic violence. There is a role to…

The Minister of State was going to respond to my first intervention when we reached section 9. I had spoken at the incorrect time.

I agree with what Senator Murphy has said about fear, coercive control and people being trapped in these cycles, and the importance of us having institutions that recognise, spot, detect and respond to this. We have options. We have protection orders, which exist in the Domestic Violence Act. Is there something that can be done in terms of using these protection order mechanisms and using exemptions already in money laundering legislation to address the issue of joint consent? The onus is on us. I know the Minister…

The Minister of State will be sick of me. There is also a component with this whereby the new cross-examination powers lack the safeguards for vulnerable witnesses. Re-traumatisation is a really common thing for survivors of domestic violence during financial proceedings. Perhaps we could consider the option of having examinations conducted through written submissions unless the complainant requests otherwise. The Minister of State might review this. This procedural protection would remove a significant barrier to …