I welcome the opportunity today to raise the matter of the future funding for Kilkenny LEADER Partnership and, indeed, all local development companies and networks across the country. I acknowledge the incredible work of Kilkenny LEADER through the LEADER programme and also through social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, funding. Every day, it supports rural businesses, helps people to enter employment, provides education and training opportunities, and does a huge amount of work strengthening s…

There is obviously the issue around ring-fencing at the EU level but regardless of how the negotiations manifest in Brussels, we can make our own national commitment to ring-fencing for the local development companies network, LCDN. The LCDN is seeking an additional €10 million to sustain SICAP funding. That was its recent request. The Minister of State has outlined the importance of the work it is doing.

Al regulation has been a long time coming. It is one of the most pressing challenges we face. It has changed the way we work, our entire understanding of the world and our ability to discern truth from fiction when we see what AI can produce. It is good we are discussing regulation and this directive is finally being transposed but I want to express serious concern about the manner in which this is being done. It is being rushed through with very little parliamentary scrutiny, despite our having years of lead time …

I thank the Minister. I, too, acknowledge David French and his family, who have fought so hard in tragic circumstances for his sister, Valerie. No family should have to suffer like that and certainly no children should ever have to suffer like that. I will speak specifically to amendment No. 19. It is designed to make sure that no child falls through the cracks and to provide a pathway for those closest to the child, their guardian ad litem or relative, to ask Tusla to look at the case because they believe action i…

Going back to amendment No. 19 and the second part of it, which is around the request, the Minister said there would be circumstances where giving out the information that might be associated with someone making a request to understand why a case was not being brought forward would potentially put people at risk. Will he outline the procedures provided for under the Bill in that instance? The amendment refers to providing reasons for the decision to the person who made the request. I appreciate what the Minister sa…

I find this Bill an incredibly frustrating and cruel way to deal with legislation given the really good initiatives we have, such as the provision of redress for gay men by disregarding their historic convictions under the archaic laws that criminalised homosexuality in Ireland, which I wholeheartedly endorse. We have the ban on sex for rent, which I also wholeheartedly endorse, alongside some incredibly problematic measures such as the one on counselling notes, which is going to be the focus of my speaking time to…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I welcome the Bill being brought forward by Senator Alice-Mary Higgins and my Civil Engagement Group colleagues. It is powerful and pertinent legislation. It is calling for a moratorium on the design, production, sale and use of autonomous weapons. It is in line with calls from the UN to introduce international legislation to ban their use outright. These weapon systems, which include advanced drones to target and apply force, operate without any human oversight. They a…

The Social Democrats support this Bill to provide for the regulation of home support services. The statutory right to home care is something that we, as a party, have long advocated for. I acknowledge that this regulatory framework plays an important role within that. The legislation is long overdue. The current situation whereby home care services remain unregulated is simply not tenable. The absence of any oversight, minimum standards or regulations for the sector has undoubtedly put vulnerable service users at r…

I acknowledge Jason and Joe Poole and all their tireless advocacy. It is testament to how hard they have worked for their sister and daughter to get this over the line. I thank them very much. I acknowledge David French for all of the work that he has done for his sister, Valerie. The Social Democrats welcome this Bill. The introduction of a register has a potential to act as a crucial safeguard for women suffering from abuse. All too often women are killed by men. Frequently, it is their former or current partners…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, to delete lines 22 to 26 and substitute the following: “(4) A draft of the designation order shall be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas,and the order shall not be made unless a resolution approving the draft has been passed by each House.”. I thank the Minister for coming in. I want to touch on something Senator Boyhan said around an insult to parliamentary democracy. I want to reiterate my disappointment and frustration around the waiving or pre-legislative scrutiny for t…

On amendment No. 4, it is slightly more modest in its requirements and it is a bit of a fall-back option if, as I assume, amendment No. 2 will not be accepted. It is important to know what projects are designated as critical and what criteria qualify them for this status. Obviously there will be concerns around people prioritising developments - and I am not saying it about this Minister by the way, just to make that very clear - but it is how we decide where priority projects take place, for example. As I said bef…

On the point on pre-legislative scrutiny, I think in the Standing Orders it is a maximum six or eight weeks. It would not be months and months for pre-legislative scrutiny to take place. It could easily be done, and at the Minister's request it could be expedited to three weeks. I just want to get that clear. Again, when there have been so many enormous projects it is about getting experts in and actually having that opportunity to discuss with them, so that when we are coming in here and introducing amendments the…

I know, but that is the implication of it. It is one of our roles as legislators, and that is the way the Oireachtas is set up, to bring experts in, to get expert advice and to spend several hours looking over that with them. It would not take months.

I move amendment No. 4: In page 5, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “(5) The Minister shall lay a report before Dáil Éireann on the rationale, criteria, decision making process used to draft the designation order as soon as may be after it is made.”.

I oppose section 7 in its entirety as it displaces or disapplies our domestic climate legislation and it does not comply with essential functions of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015. Why have this Act and why sign up to the Paris Agreement if we are going to ignore our commitments to lowering carbon emissions and keeping global temperatures within safe limits? We are legally bound by the Paris Agreement and yet we are explicitly ignoring it within this Bill. Are we abandoning our climate objec…

I move amendment No. 8: In page 7, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “ Report on permitting process 9 . The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before Dáil Éireann on the feasibility of streamlining permitting processes for large infrastructure projects, so as to identify what permits can be applied for concurrently in order to save time and reduce costs.”. The permitting process, instead of improving in recent years, has only got worse. It can take years to get …

I wish to press the amendment.

I move amendment No. 9: In page 7, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “Report on net contribution clauses 9. The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before Dáil Éireann on the potential impacts of introducing net contribution clauses to public construction contracts, so as to facilitate greater competition and access to smaller engineering and architecture firms.”. The effect of this amendment is to increase opportunities for smaller construction firms. Currently,…

I am pressing the amendment.

I raise the appalling new figures that have been released by Greyhound Racing Ireland revealing that 63% of the racing greyhounds born in 2021 and 2022 that have been retired from the track are already dead. To break this down, the figures provided to the Minister for agriculture show that, as of April this year, 57% of the greyhounds born in 2021 that remain in this country but are no longer racing are dead. That is a total of 3,300 dogs. The death rate is even higher for 2022. A staggering 74% of the racing greyh…