Now.

The Minister is welcome back to the House. I wish to comment on his concluding remarks on his term as Minister and his ambitions in that portfolio. As everyone in this House can see, his work ethic and enthusiasm for bringing change are admirable and very much welcome. I commend him sincerely on that. Fianna Fáil very much supports this Bill. As the Minister outlined, it responds to a wide range of challenges in the justice system. It is very practical legislation covering a wide range of areas. It delivers a range…

Next Tuesday.

Next Tuesday at 1.30 p.m.

In May 2018, the Irish people decided to repeal the eighth amendment to the Constitution. We all fully accept the decision of the people on that date. Forming a huge part of that decision was the three-day mandatory reflection period or cooling-off period from one consultation to the next. I am disappointed that Sinn Féin is the latest party to come forward to propose to remove that three-day mandatory wait. We are moving the goalposts on the people. We asked them to vote for something. We gave them the detail and …

I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on combating firearms trafficking and other firear…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I welcome our good friends from Roscommon to the House this afternoon. I promise that I will not mention the football match against Monaghan last weekend. Beidh lá eile acu. On behalf of Fianna Fáil, I welcome and support the motion the Minister has put forward. The proposed firearms trafficking directive aims to introduce an EU-wide framework with common definitions for firearm offences and penalties, support stronger co-operation between member states and improve the collection and us…

Now.

I move: "That Second Stage be taken today."

With the permission of the House, I would like to share time with Senator O'Loughlin.

The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, is very welcome back to the Seanad to discuss this very important matter. I put on record again my appreciation for the vigour, the enthusiasm and the determination that he has brought to this portfolio and the changes he is bringing in. They are all very important, including the particular issue we are discussing here this afternoon. I thank him on behalf of us all in the House. I would also like to welcome and acknowledge the presence of Jason and Joe here and to commend them as …

Hear, hear.

You have to buy the ticket if you want to win the prize.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Troy, go dtí an Teach inniu. Prevention is better than the cure is an old adage that is as true today as it ever was. This is particularly relevant with regard to health and well-being. Every year, the health budget increases. Treating illness is an incredibly expensive business. It makes sense perfect sense to spend on preventative measures and to support people who are trying to stay healthy. More people in Ireland today are living with obesity, diabetes, heart diseas…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response to my question. As he outlined, this particular initiative makes perfect sense. What we are talking about is prevention rather than cure. If we can encourage, where possible, more people to take up gym membership, whether in swimming pools or wherever, that is a good thing. It can be quite costly to be a member of a gym - €500, €600 or €700 per annum - but it is hugely encouraging to see so many, young and old, taking up gym membership. Giving them someth…

I thank the Minister of State.

I was struck by a report published by Michael McKeon of Teagasc recently. Mr. McKeon cited research carried out by Dr. Breda Smyth into farmer mortality rates to highlight the poor state of farmers' health in this country. Some of the findings of the report were stark and alarming. It found that farmers experience a five times higher incidence of cardiovascular issues, five times higher incidence of cancer and seven times higher mortality rates in the working age range compared with white collar workers. Mr. McKeon…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta McConalogue. The Minister of State is very welcome. I thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to be here. I attended a meeting of the local sports partnership at the Monaghan Peace Campus last Friday, where two schools, the Model National School and St. Macartan's College, gave presentations. The Model National School gave a presentation on road safety, and St. Macartan's College gave a presentation on social media. The St. Macartan’s school principal is a ge…

Go raibh maith ag an Aire Stáit and I thank the Minister of State for his response. The presentation made by the principal of St. Macartan's College, an all-boys secondary school, last Friday is one of the most powerful presentations that I have heard in all my years in this House. Everyone who was present was saddened, shocked, alarmed and fearful of the effect that social media is having on schools. The principals and teachers in all schools are at the coalface in that they are dealing with the effects of it on a…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire ar ais arís chuig an Seanad um thráthnóna. I welcome the Minister back to the House this afternoon. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Group, I welcome this debate and very much support the Bill. We firmly believe that everyone deserves to feel safe in their home, in their community, on our streets and on public transport. To achieve this, citizens must have faith and trust in An Garda Síochána to effectively tackle crime. Providing gardaí with the technologies needed to deliver an effective p…