The Deputy should not interrupt.

The Deputy should allow the Minister to speak.

The Deputy should allow the Minister to speak.

Deputies should please calm down and allow the Minister to finish.

The Deputy should please allow the Minister to speak.

Deputy Doherty should please not interrupt.

I call Deputy Cronin. The Gallery must be silent.

I will suspend the House for five minutes.

I call Deputy Cronin.

Thank you, Deputy.

On a point of clarity, Salient Ruling 751 states that the Gallery must be silent at all times. They were asked twice to be silent and they continued. Therefore, there was no option but to have them removed. Everybody has the right to speak here, to be heard and to be treated respectfully. It goes for the Members in the Chamber and for those in the Gallery.

I welcome the news that the general scheme of the criminal law and civil law Bill 2025 has now received Cabinet approval. Will the Minister commit to the removal of the provision that allows for counselling notes to be used in all legal proceedings?

I thank the Minister for that comprehensive answer. I understand fully the conflict he will face in trying to balance these rights. However, I want to point out the purpose of counselling notes. These notes are confidential. The are about helping victims on the road to recovery following a very traumatic and harrowing experience. The very idea that these notes could be exposed to the accused side, or indeed be used by the DPP to prove a case, is traumatic for them. Many counsellors, groups and victims have come to …

I fear I am being repetitive on this issue. However, I am very passionate about it because I am aware of the trauma it causes victims. While I understand the legislation will give power to the judge to use his or her discretion on whether to allow these documents to be accessed by any defence team, it will be very subjective. It will put the victim in the position, prior to any trial, of entering into the zone of the unknown and potentially having his or her details relived in court. That in itself could be an impe…

I raise the lack of a driving test centre in Drogheda town. Louth Deputies have beaten a path to the RSA over the years and have continuously raised this issue in the Chamber. All they have ever received are generic replies stating that the Office of Public Works, OPW, and the RSA are continuing to try to find a suitable site. It is on record that a number of these sites have been proposed, yet nothing seems to please the OPW or the RSA. It beggars belief that despite the suggestions from various TDs, including my …

I welcome the opening statements by the Taoiseach and Ministers which recognise the threats faced by businesses and people at a global and national level. President Trump's "liberation day" did not come as a surprise to anybody. As the Minister for Finance outlined, deglobalisation has been under way for some time. One did not have to be a financial wizard to realise that the tariffs were simply not good news. Thanks to its strategic location, skilled labour force and cross-border connections and links, County Lout…

I welcome the news that the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act will be commenced in the coming days. Following that, I welcome the news that the secondary legislation required for these regulations will also be enacted shortly thereafter. These regulations cannot come soon enough. The establishment of the chairs and the committees are sorely needed in counties like Louth. Without going into a history lesson on crime in County Louth, to say that we, as a Border county, have had a unique relationship with cr…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. It very much reflects my own thoughts regarding these community safety partnerships. As I said at the outset, these cannot come about quickly enough. The partnerships are part of the community and policing coming together to work for the betterment of the community. Towns like Drogheda are now on the cusp of returning to their former glory. The town has always been vibrant and once attracted people from near and far. We need …

I ask the Minister, in respect of the women's health action plan, what are her intentions and what are the plans, particularly when it comes to endometriosis, as it affects nearly 155,000 women in this country.

I thank the Minister for the recognition of this very important issue. As she said, it has wide-ranging effects on women. Some can live with it day to day; others live in chronic pain. We have to highlight as well that many women have to go abroad in order to get some of the surgical treatment, so I welcome the fact that we will focus on this and get the surgical treatments for these women closer to where they live, because every mile they do is a mile in pain for them.