I will not keep the House because it is important we finish the Bill. I thank the Government for bringing forward the Bill as quickly as it has done. I hope it will be passed by the end of this term. I live in an area with a lot of student-specific accommodation. It was not built to serve a particular need for students in the area but the developers were able to build it at a much higher density with lower standards than the apartments needed in the area for housing. They took advantage of the loophole for student-…

We all got the memo to go through how large a Bill this is. It is more than 700 pages. I wish to draw attention to the 1,200 amendments that were tabled at the select committee, which was only Dáil TDs. Not everyone was allowed in; only 12 TDs were allowed in. They put in a huge workload scrutinising this legislation. Members of that committee told me as they were going through it that they realised the Department, Minister and Government side were working collaboratively and recognised some of the flaws in the Bil…

The Labour Party is a pro-European party and we believe in the European project. We recognise the need to take collective action on an issue, which is faced not only by us but all countries in the European Union. We agree with the Government position that we do not operate in isolation when it comes to the issue of migration. While we may bluntly vote the same way as others later, we fundamentally disagree with those in Opposition who spout Eurosceptic talk about the unfounded threats to our sovereignty. A core pri…

I thank former Senator and former President, Mary Robinson. It is a pleasure and honour to have her here, although at times it may have felt like she was the Leader of the House taking the Order of Business. I welcome the former President back to the House and thank her for raising such important issues in her address. We are all so proud that her values and voice still represent us on the international stage. She has lived a life of advocacy from her involvement in the campaign to legalise contraception and divorc…

I raise the issue of Mount Street and the hundred tents removed this morning. As far as we know, the people there were sent to two unknown locations. There is a crisis with accommodation for international protection applicants in the city. It is the result of a decision by the Government not to house single men. The response seems to be that we will barricade the city street by street as people move. It is happening, essentially, because we do not have long- or medium-term accommodation for international protection…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I was delighted to see her appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs. I only lament that she will have a short time before a general election. Hers is one of the better appointments made by the Taoiseach a couple of weeks ago. On Europe Day I want to highlight not the benefits of European integration and investment, which many Members have spoken about, but the idea and concept of Europe as a peace project, and where it sits now in light …

I wish to raise the issue of the childcare crisis which we are seeing around the country, particularly in my own area. Places are nearly impossible to find and parents are paying insane prices for childcare and deposits to reserve a place in a childcare facility that is far away from their home and workplace. Staff are in insecure employment because of the insecure and unaffordable commercial model that we have. It is a pattern that we see in every part of Ireland. Parents deserve affordability, children deserve lo…

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I welcome Senator O’Hara. That was a very powerful first speech to the Seanad. I know he will make a great addition and be a great voice in this Chamber over the next year. I also pay tribute to Niall Ó Donnghaile. His absence is a huge loss to this Chamber. I hope to see him back in political life in some form in the years to come. He has very important perspectives and I do not think his passion for politics, equality and amplifying Northern voices, including the voices of Northern nationalists, has gone away. I …

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the introduction of this Bill as a step towards achieving a reduction in road deaths and, I hope, greater public safety on our roads. The importance of the Bill cannot be overstated at this moment as we have seen a 19% rise in road deaths in the past five years. It represents 184 lives lost, 180 families affected and 184 communities devastated by what could be an alternative if we had safer roads and safer driving. The dramatic shift we have seen in driver behaviour is extre…

It would be remiss of me not to wish An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, all the best as he resigns and embarks on a new chapter in his life. It is always a big day in the Houses of the Oireachtas when a Taoiseach resigns, and we were all taken aback today by the resignation of Leo Varadkar. Even though he and I come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, he was always a politician of conviction from his side. I wish him and his Fine Gael colleagues the very best as they embark on the difficult internal process of c…

I am sharing my time with Senator Flynn. I thank the Minister. I am delighted to see him and I welcome him to the Chamber. The statements on International Women's Day make me a little uncomfortable because, in the past few years, they have been very bound up in girlboss feminism or spend-money feminism. Listening to Senator Keogan, I was actually reminded of why the statements are so needed and important. We now seem to have a movement not back to traditional feminism but to traditional advocates for women who want…

I thank the Sinn Féin Senators for tabling the motion because renters are often overlooked in the debate on housing. They have come to the forefront now because they are paying sky-high rent while knowing every day that they are living in insecurity. Landlords can evict them if they sell up. Renters must wonder whether that eviction will then make them part of the 13,531 people who sleep rough on our streets. Living in such insecurity is financially, physically and emotionally exhausting. All kinds of people rent n…

I move: That Seanad Éireann: acknowledges that: - An Garda Síochána play a vital role in ensuring our communities are safe, law and order is upheld, and community well-being is maintained; - there is a crisis of morale within An Garda Síochána resulting in a significant number of Gardaí leaving the service; - there are real and growing concerns about safety in Dublin city centre across all demographics, gender, sexuality and ethnicity, with those from certain minority backgrounds feeling particularly threatened; - …