I move amendment No. 2: In page 7, to delete lines 23 to 28.

Now.

Now.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2022 back from committee, to be taken without debate on conclusion of the Order of Business; No. 2, Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2022 – Second Stage, to be taken at 3.15 p.m. and to conclude at 4.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated for the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed six minutes …

These people have come to our country to seek refuge.

I can but the Senator is making unfounded allegations against people who have come here to seek refuge from war-torn countries. They have nowhere else to go.

The Senator cannot just make stuff up either.

There is.

I thank colleagues for the variety of topics that have been raised. I agree with Senator Dolan. It is not just post Covid; we have always been known for being very giving as a nation. Through the years, there have been plenty of stories, similar to hers of that community going to Ethiopia, of Irish people going to build schools for the blind across most of Africa or south-east Asia. Long may it last. I thank her for raising that. Senator Maria Byrne raised the need for a long Covid clinic at the regional hospital i…

We need to be conscious of the language we use and if we are really concerned-----

-----that should show in our language. That is all I am saying. We can continue to have grown-up conversations about it. Senator Kyne asked me to send a letter to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with regard to Coillte pensioners. I will do so today. As I noted already, Senator Malcolm Byrne began by talking about the little boy who we hope will recover very soon.

I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2022, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 10th November, 2022.

I so move.

To be honest, I do not know how we can share five minutes between three of us. I will talk today about safer, stronger communities. To my mind, the only way to achieve this is to have more gardaí. I stand today on behalf of gardaí and to say on the record that the HR system and recruitment process of An Garda Síochána is absolutely and utterly broken. Those are not my words but those of superintendents throughout the country. Since 2019, we have had a steady decline in the number of gardaí going through Templemore.…

As the Cathaoirleach said, our guests are very welcome. I apologise as I do not know any Irish Sign Language. I thank the guests for attending today and Senator Boyhan for bringing them in. I congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Carey. It really must be the honeymoon period if they are in Leinster House during their honeymoon. They are very welcome. I wish them a long and happy life together. The Order of Business today is No. 1, Personal Injuries Resolution Board Bill 2022 – Second Stage, to be taken at 4.45 p.m. and to conc…

I have four minutes and four full pages of notes on what was presented to me so if I do not get to everybody I apologise but I will try to touch on the main topics. I am happy to accept the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator O'Loughlin and I will take up her offer too. We will withdraw her amendment and I will come back and see if we can find time to debate it if that is okay with the Independent Group. One of the biggest topics that was raised is our support for An Garda Síochána. What we witne…

That is what we need to concentrate on, not just at our level but at every level of society and in the Government, particularly our Ministers and the Cabinet. A young man is in hospital today with staples and stitches in his head from being beaten with his own torch the other night. Two female gardaí who were in Cherry Orchard a couple of weeks ago have not gone back to work yet and there is no sign of them doing so. The Garda in Balbriggan is down nearly 10% on the quota of its employment figures because its membe…

The other thing that was brought up by many Senators is the ugly scenes we saw in East Wall the other night. They are not unique and we have seen them in other parts of the country in recent years. Senator Ruane talked about how difficult it is to have those conversations with people you care about because there is a growing sense among people and not just those - and I do not know who they are except maybe two or three personalities who we know from the media - who we call the far right, as if there is some loomin…

Other colleagues raised other issues, which I will come back to at a later date.

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak. I pay tribute to the conveners of the Bill, Senators Ardagh and Buttimer, and the entire team on the cancer committee who have worked hard to address a matter in Ireland that is not just an anomaly but is life-altering and life-halting. I find myself agreeing more and more when Senator Gavan speaks in this Chamber, which is a worrying situation to find myself in.