Amendment No. 15 seeks to delete a provision relating to the ongoing care of pregnant directive-makers where the High Court is deliberating on the validity and applicability of an AHD. In general, section 89 concerns the role of the courts in clarifying, where necessary, the validity and applicability of an AHD. In the first instance, it is intended that the informal process set out in section 85(5) would be used for such purposes but referral to the High Court is available where this process cannot produce a resul…

As Senator Mullen said, we discussed two issues on Committee Stage. One related to a situation where an AHD is silent, an accident has taken place and there is a question about how a determination has been made. Our meeting and subsequent engagements were useful. We discussed section 85(5), which deals with an informal engagement to ascertain the will and preference of a pregnant woman and if that is not ascertainable, what steps are taken, including recourse to a decision support representative and engagement with…

As a country, we are providing accommodation to 64,000 people right now, many of whom are from Ukraine. These are men, women and children who are fleeing the war there. However, over 17,000 are men, women and children who are fleeing wars elsewhere. Ukraine is not the only war on our planet right now.

There are wars in Syria, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Just as much as Ireland offers protection to women and children, we also offer protection to men because men are victims of torture and persecution as well. We will not make a determination on whether we protect someone due to his or her gender. We will make a decision-----

Section 149 originally provided for a full review of the 2015 Act with the exception of Part 8, which falls under the responsibility of the Department of Health. Through Government amendments tabled in the Dáil by me, this review will now include Part 8, which has been agreed with the Department of Health. This was an important broadening of the capacity to review and reflected issues that arose during the debates as well as engagements with representative groups. I understand that this amendment seeks to provide f…

-----in terms of when people have gone through an international protection application process. A determination will be made at the end of that.

The provision makes it an inclusive and broad review process. Initially, it will review how the legislation itself is working, but we are aware of the need to be inclusive and to understand how the legislation is operating in the wider context.

This amendment extends the cap on Circuit Court judges to 40, an increase of three. I am aware that the commencement of the 2015 Act will impact the Circuit Court, particularly in terms of the appointment of decision-making representatives under Part 5. All decision-making representative applications will go to the Circuit Court once the Act is commenced. When combined with the changes made to the nursing homes support scheme, we must acknowledge the increased caseload that will be generated for the Circuit Court. …

Amendments No. 23 and 24 ensure that there is clarity regarding the appointment of care representatives under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009, particularly those appointed after the enactment and commencement of this Bill. In that regard, this group of amendments chiefly improves continuity and transitional provision. Following commencement of the amended 2015 Act, care representative applications may no longer be made to the court under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009. However, care representat…

I will speak to each of the amendments in the grouping. While I understand the intent behind amendment No. 27, the current wording is problematic as it is not feasible or practical to specify in law that IHREC must extensively engage with all persons with a disability. This could lead to a situation in which IHREC undertook a detailed consultation process and, yet, becomes subject to a legal challenge from one person omitted from such a consultation. It would inevitably make a consultation process unworkable. It is…

I thank the Senators for their kind comments. It is an important day. We are today taking the second-last step towards consigning wardship to being a historical point rather than a lived reality. It is a Victorian institution but it remains a lived reality for thousands of people in our country today. That is no longer an appropriate mechanism to deal with the many sensitive, personal, technical and legal requirements that stem from a person whose capacity is diminished, and has not been for a long time. It does no…

I move: That Dáil 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 Dáil Éireann on 10th November, 2022.

I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, setting out the rota in which Questions to members of the Government are to be asked, Questions for oral answer, following those next set down to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, shall be set down to Ministers in the following temporary sequence: Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister for Rural and Community Development whereupon the sequence established by the Order of 30th July, 2020,…

I was deeply shocked to hear the harrowing allegations about children who were sexually abused in Blackrock College from the 1960s to the 1980s. I want to commend all those who have come forward on their bravery. It takes incredible bravery for people to relive such traumatic events in their lives, and in particular to do so in the public domain. Their bravery is important not only in the context of achieving a criminal conviction against those who committed these offences, but also in terms of encouraging others t…

I am committed to tackling disadvantage through high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible. The early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme, which enjoys uptake rates in excess of 95%, has removed barriers to accessing preschool education. Data from the Growing Up in Ireland survey show that more than 60% of low income families would not have been able to send their child to preschool without this programme. In addition, the national childcare scheme, NCS, through a combinat…

I am not sure about that €54.5 million. I ask that the Deputy clarify what that is because it is not from my Department. I would probably know if there was €54 million coming out.

The sum is not linked to tackling disadvantage. It is separate from that. We have a work programme. I recognised the issue of wraparound hours very early on and, in fairness, the Deputy raised it with me. We acted on it in our first budget. The two most recent budgets have focused on core funding and the delivery of NCS investment, which, I think we all agree, is welcome. We need to work on two other issues of priority for me, that is, the tackling disadvantage strand and seeing whether we can broaden the access an…

The hot meals programme is a pilot, but I do not think we will be able to universally apply the programme in its first year. Hot meals are provided where children are in services for the full day. However, this programme will look at children in sessional services such as three-hour services to make sure that they get a hot meal such as breakfast or lunch. I referenced AIM because it has targeted levels of support, recognising that not every service needs the same level of support. Our tackling disadvantage scheme …

In announcing the formation of Government, the Taoiseach announced his intention to have the co-ordination of disability-related issues handled by a Minister for the first time. The location of disability equality policy, which had previously been in the Department of Justice, and specialist community-based disability services in a single Department will facilitate strategic policy development, including implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, which Ireland ratified i…

I share the Deputy's frustration. She is on the Committee of Public Accounts. One of the key reasons that this has gone slowly is that after this transfer, for the first time, the HSE will be reporting to two masters. It will be accountable to the Department of Health for €20 billion of its budget and to our Department for €2.4 billion. I want to be able to ensure that, in next year's budget, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I get an extra €50 million to get people out of residential care. I want to be a…