While I know I started with the National Women's Council of Ireland report, which is the most recent report that looks at DSGBV, inter-agency issues come into emotional abuse, child sexual abuse and neglect. We must remember that gardaí often see a lot more of the community than many others and are a vital source of support for the work of social workers and referrals, so it involves that broader piece. While there are benefits and positive developments under the joint working protocol, it is inconsistent. If often…

I will try to speak quickly and leave as much time as I can and hopefully I will not leave anything out of my own speech. Georgina Roberts was one of our witnesses at the committee and was herself born through surrogacy. She said that the best way to make children secure in their identity as surrogate born people is to make their parents secure in their identity as parents. That really throws it down to us in this House to provide that certainty and security. Members will have heard many people saying today that th…

On a number of occasions I have raised the need for special provision for people with epilepsy during State exams. We are about a month out from the leaving certificate and there is no clarity received yet from the Department of Education on what will happen to individuals who have a seizure during exams. Can the Government commit to providing clarity as a matter of urgency?

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995, and to provide for a more effective legal aid system. Before I address the Bill, as this is my first chance to speak in the House today other than on the Order of Business, I wish to mark Armenian Genocide Memorial Day, which was observed yesterday. In light of the continued threats to and invasion of Armenia by its neighbours, it is important that we mark and remember that day. Last week, the House discussed th…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Yesterday I met constituents from the Not Our Fault campaign outside the Dáil. They are seeking emergency funds to carry out essential remedial works to their apartment complexes that are needed right now. While I welcome the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage's proposed apartment defects scheme, it is my understanding it will not be operational until 2024. In the meantime, many of the complexes are literal death traps with works needed now. Residents are facing huge increases in insurance bills th…

I welcome this initiative. Anything we can do about the horrendous crime of human trafficking is welcome, particularly because the simple reality is that in Ireland, for a long time, we have not been doing enough on human trafficking. Most victims of human trafficking remain unidentified and unknown. Even when victims come forward there is a gap between people claiming to be victims and those who are formally identified as victims. Then there is a further gap between people who are identified as victims and prosecu…

Our courts and justice system face many challenges arising from increasing levels of demand, the increasing complexity of the work and the consequences of underinvestment over the years. I agree wholeheartedly with the Minister that an independent, impartial and efficient Judiciary and courts are critical to our democracy. In many ways, we are very lucky in this country to have an independent, efficient and impartial Judiciary. The simple reality is that we do not have enough judges to deal with the demands of our …

I welcome that the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has managed to reduce the fees for many people using childcare but the reality is that many families using childminders are still excluded from these supports. In my constituency, there is a mix of people who choose childminders who are excluded from these supports and people who cannot access crèche places who would not choose a childminder but are forced into that because of the lack of crèche spaces. When will a solution for th…

I raise again, as many others have, the issue of school buildings. That so many Deputies have stood up to raise this today shows that it is a very significant issue. The Educate Together Secondary School in Harold's Cross that the children of many parents in my constituency attend was included in lot 6, which was due to go to tender in December but that tender process has stopped. At the moment, Harold's Cross has substandard prefabricated classrooms, no PE facilities and no dining area. These works also need to pr…

Once again, the Attorney General's advice has been given as a reason not to act. The Attorney General's advice has been suggested as one reason not to extend the eviction ban. I call on the Government to publish this advice because there are plenty of learned barristers out there who say it is perfectly constitutional to continue the eviction ban. I call on the Government to publish this advice and let us test it. Better yet, let us continue the eviction ban and test it in court. Legal opinion only becomes legal fa…

Yes, there has been yet another attack on gardaí doing what they could to protect the good people of Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard. There is disgust and revulsion in the community because of the attack. The words of the Garda Representative Association come to mind. It has stated gardaí feel vulnerable on the streets. We have seen a 25% decline in the number of gardaí in the area in the past few years. If gardaí do not feel they have other gardaí standing beside them, they will feel vulnerable, which will affect t…

I thank the Minister for his response. Several Ministers have come to Cherry Orchard to see for themselves what is going on. The Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Deputy James Browne, and the Minister without Portfolio, Deputy Helen McEntee, have done so. They announced the implementation board which the Minister mentioned in his response but very little has happened. While there may be stuff happening behind the scenes, it is certainly not impacting or filtering through and the community is not neces…

The National Transport Authority, NTA's roll-out of BusConnects has been, to be blunt, a bit of a mess. In my constituency, residents are losing the services they like without any clarity as to when the improved infrastructure to make the bus service run effectively will be in place. The 58 is due to come once an hour, which is not sufficient. The number 60 comes once an hour, leaving people without effective public transport. I will be raising this directly with the Minister for Transport, but I want assurances th…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Broadcasting Act 2009 to provide for greater public access to the RTÉ archives. RTÉ is Ireland’s national broadcaster. It is an important part of our cultural landscape and of our national memory. It is a keeper of a vast and wealthy cultural and historical archive. RTÉ already has a public service obligation. For a variety of reasons, it is very important that we protect public service broadcasting. In this regard, I welcome the work th…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Rent pressure zones were originally introduced to protect areas where households are having the greatest difficulty finding affordable accommodation. According to recent reports, pretty much the whole country fits that definition. Will the Government commit to using the rent pressure zone legislation to roll out a general protection to all renters from spiralling rents or even commit to reviewing legislation to provide greater protection to all citizens from spiralling rent pressure?

There are many positive things in the Bill. The use of body cameras will be a very important improvement for An Garda Síochána in terms of its members' safety and the safety of the community. These represent a technological advance that we should welcome. I spend a lot of time talking about parking in bus lanes. Automatic number plate recognition is essential to combating that. This is an issue I have brought to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications and the Minister always tells me it is an issue for …

It is not in the Bill, but the Minister has-----

The flow of my nice video for social media has been broken, but that is all right. Where was I? Even if facial recognition technology does work, and it does not, it opens the door to mass surveillance and threatens the rights of citizens in the EU. That brings me back to the point about balance. Facial recognition technology is something that needs full pre-legislative scrutiny. It is not something that can be added as an amendment on Committee Stage. The pre-legislative report of the Joint Committee on Justice sai…