I thank the Minister of State. I welcome his clarification that the anomaly exists that those cars under section 31(2) will be older and yet we will be asking newer cars to come off the road. It is an anomaly. It is a very significant purchase for many taxi drivers. The Minister of State finished his contribution by saying that it was done for the uncertainty that exists in the market. There is always going to be uncertainty around supply and around the delivery of new vehicles. As we move into an era where e-cars …

I express my condolences to all those who have died in recent weeks in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. I join in the growing chorus of Irish voices inside and outside this House who cherish the principle that attacks intentionally directed against a civilian population or against individual civilians who are not taking part in hostilities are wrong. They are unacceptable. They are a breach of Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and war crimes. This is why we should una…

That must explain why the Deputy went into my time, but anyway. The budget was a really important step in the journey. If you think the last time a Fianna Fáil Finance Minister made a budget speech, it was the late Brian Lenihan, and he was in many of our minds when Deputy Michael McGrath stood to propose the finance element of the budget. One of the main reasons was that, as the previous speaker said, there were such difficult decisions the last time a Fianna Fáil Minister for Finance stood up to speak. Those less…

I thank the Minister and Minister of State for being here today. I will preface this by saying I would not normally speak on this kind of industrial relations issue. I believe that industrial relations matters are best dealt with in a negotiation room. They are often best dealt with in advance of strike action, although I fully accept that the right to strike and use of strike action is an important tool for workers. If that is my principle, why am I standing up here today? The reason I am standing today is that th…

That is shocking.

Is this about scoring points or supporting people?

Is this about scoring points or supporting people?

He should tell the truth.

I am sure the Tánaiste will join me in sending our condolences to the family of the lady who was killed in a hit-and-run incident in Phibsborough yesterday evening, which involved the large-scale closure of the Phibsboro area. While it was a tragic incident that resulted in this closure, it was not an unpredictable scenario that a large part of the city would have to be closed following an unexpected incident. Yet, this morning, no major incident traffic management plan was in place. That was evident to many commut…

I welcome the child poverty unit and the report that it issued. I met the Society of St. Vincent de Paul last week. It reported that in conjunction with the elimination of fees for schoolbooks and the increase of €100 in the back-to-school allowance, it had seen a 20% reduction in requests for assistance in regard to the return to school. It is an example of how Government measures can assist with child poverty. The Taoiseach is aware that we have many measures in place. These include the social inclusion and commu…

As the Ceann Comhairle has said, the housing adaptation grants are a well-understood tool that many of us in our constituency offices or during our time in local authorities would have used to support people to stay in their homes and avoid adding to the requirement for more permanent residential supports. It is one of the more successful schemes that local authorities operate, in that it supports people to live independently. ALONE and other agencies, however, have highlighted that several local authorities could …

I agree with Deputy O'Dowd. I think of Willie Bermingham, the founder of ALONE, who established that charity to transform the lives of people who were forgotten. For every person who receives these grants, their life is transformed. However, this also means that for every person who does not receive a grant, their life is limited. We must ensure the financial steps are in place to address that. I have no doubt the review deals with some of the other obstacles people face. Increasingly, it is difficult to hire trade…

We have seen a big debate in recent weeks on the funding of childcare places. There is a realisation that a one-size-fits-all solution does not fit for every circumstance. One area that is of real concern to me is childcare services that operate in disadvantaged areas and have a very high number of sponsored places. Some 30%, 40% or 50% of their places could be on the sponsored place scheme. There are no parents' fees to top that up. Many of those are in my area, including Our Nursery in Ballymun. People from that …

As a Government TD who has supported housing, I welcome the 69 new units which will be developed in Cappaghfinn and launched by Fingal County Council very soon. The real regret is that in order for anyone to access that estate, for the cathaoirleach of Fingal County Council to cut the ribbon or for me to attend the opening ceremony or indeed for many of the families to enter the estate and to live there they would have to travel through the Heathfield estate. We all know the issue of estates that have not been take…

The Ceann Comhairle got in ahead of me. I was going to make the same point but it comes with more force-----

When the point is made from the Chair, it is more helpful. I ask the Minister of State to reflect on that. I take his comments in the tone they are made because what they are essentially saying is that often in Ireland we do not devolve enough responsibility to local authorities and that we do not give them the powers to pursue it. What he said is that this is a matter for both the executive and the elected members of the local authority. I would expect it to first follow through on the procedures that are availabl…

The report puts a different context on the debate which we have been having in this House for many years. Unlike other Deputies, I do not believe the annual renewal is a circus or a performance; it is a genuine level of oversight built into the Act. There is no doubt but that it is not one that is robust, that has constitutional protections and so on, but the fact the Act has to be renewed each year provides a level of oversight and an opportunity for it not to be renewed. I think of the times we have come through …

Like the other speakers, I welcome the progress we have made on this issue. I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, on how he has approached it. I think he has listened to people in communities and Deputies across the House in different parties about what is needed on the ground. He has also delivered in real terms. There are an additional eight youth workers in Finglas south, my area, but many more are needed. The Minister of State came out and met that service and the children and young people be…

The efficiency of the House has meant things have moved quicker than I expected. I wanted to speak to some of the earlier amendments.

I appreciate that. From a general perspective, I appreciate the enormous work the Seanad has put into this Bill. I also commend the Minister. This Bill deals with a wide range of topics to do with road traffic. At its initial publication, I was most interested in section 5, which deals with scrambler bikes. My only comment around this amendment and the others that are before us is that I wish to see speedy implementation of this Bill. I do not want to see any delay. I see Deputy Conway-Walsh in the Chamber. Deputie…