I am pleased to introduce this Bill to the House and I look forward to today's debate on this important legislation, which is required to commence the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 in full. That landmark legislation will bring to an end wardship for adults. The State will move away from an outdated and disempowering status approach to persons with capacity difficulties to a new functional model that will place the will and preference of a person at the core of the decisions that affect his or her lif…

I thank Senators for their contributions and their support in passing this critical legislation. The move away from wardship is long overdue. It represents a huge step forward in further aligning Ireland with our commitments under the UNCRPD. Senators have spoken very eloquently about how the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act was passed in 2015 and for seven years we have seen no action. We have not seen those important provisions implemented. To be honest, I still cannot get a good explanation of why that is…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: — having regard to the enactment and subsequent commencement of the Institutional Burials Act 2022; and — noting that a draft order to be made by the Government, prepared in accordance with section 7(1) of the Institutional Burials Act 2022, has been duly laid before Dáil Éireann on 26th August, 2022, together with a Statement of Reasons for establishing an Office of Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam; and approves the draft Institutional Burials Act 2022 (Director of Authorised In…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. They were absolutely right to recognise the pivotal role Catherine Corless has played in this. We would not be here today but for her dogged persistence in highlighting what happened in Tuam. The Deputies are right to credit her with dragging the Irish State to this place today. The passing of this legislation was a lengthy process, one that involved very substantive engagement with the joint committee and significant amendments in both the Dáil and the Seanad. When I v…

I thank Deputy Durkan for raising this important matter. It is of huge significance to the family involved. I am not aware of any of the circumstances of this case. The question submitted to me related specifically to guardians ad litem , which have a very narrow remit. From what the Deputy has described, I am not sure how much of it directly covers the situation. The situation raised is a broader issue relating to the operation of the family court. Even though it is the family court, it is more a matter for the Mi…

I thank the Deputy. Obviously, there are clear lines of responsibilities between me as the Minister and Tusla as the agency that answers to the Department. I cannot direct them to take certain actions but perhaps if the Deputy would communicate some details about this case to me I can ask if agency staff have any concerns about the processes here. This is as much as I can do to intervene. I can do that. Obviously, we have to leave their decisions. I am also very aware that this is a court decision. Unhappy as the D…

The purpose of this Bill is to reform the existing guardian ad litem system which is unregulated and ad hoc . Currently guardians ad litem , or GALs, may be appointed by the court for children who are the subject of proceedings under the Child Care Act 1991. The existing legislation is silent on a number of key issues. For example, the status, role and functions of GALs are not defined. The qualifications and experience necessary to act as a GAL are not set out. There is also no requirement on a court to appoint a …

I will respond briefly. I am conscious that we have some amendments to dispose of, and I would like to have the opportunity for them to be discussed. This legislation is very important. The GALs provide an important service, but the big problem with them right now is the inconsistency in their appointment. I have seen the figures, and I am sure they were shown during the pre-legislative scrutiny phase as well. There is a geographical lottery in terms of whether someone can get a GAL appointed to them. That is unten…

We are not going to be in a position to accept the two amendments being put forward. With regard to amendment No. 1, our position is that the use of the word “represent”, which the Senator seeks to insert through the first amendment, could be interpreted to mean active representation by a GAL. This would conflict with the policy position that a guardian ad litem is not a party to the proceedings. The functions of the GAL, as set out in the Bill, are to ascertain the views of the child and to make recommendations to…

It is.

It is important in this situation too. I am satisfied that the statutory functions of the GAL, as set out in the Bill, make clear that his or her role is to assist the court and to be a resource to it. I am unable to accept this amendment because it would have a detrimental effect on parents who want to call a GAL as a witness and on the basis that the substituted text is already provided for – to a stronger degree, I would argue – and therefore unnecessary.

I thank the Deputy very much. There has been an increase in the number of Ukrainians arriving in Ireland across June and July. We think this may be related to the increased targeting of civilian infrastructure across Ukraine. Last night 12 people died in a missile attack on a city in western Ukraine. We are still responding to a wartime situation. A subcommittee of Cabinet Ministers will meet this afternoon, as the Deputy said. My Department has been working very closely with other agencies including the OPW, HSE a…

More than 2,000 displaced Ukrainian persons are being housed in pledged accommodation at the moment, both vacant and shared, and that number is growing. I recognise that the process is not moving fast enough and that will be one of the issues we will discuss at our meeting later. It is important to recognise that we have grown our accommodation capacity. The State is accommodating 30,000 Ukrainian refugees-----

-----along with 12,000 people seeking international protection. That is a total of 42,000 people. We were accommodating 7,000 people at the same time last year. The change in scale and the extent to which our capacity, need and how we have increased our capacity to accommodate people has to be recognised as well while always recognising that we need to do more.

I agree with the Deputy on our moral responsibility but also our legal responsibilities to provide accommodation for Ukrainians who are displaced persons under the EU temporary protection directive and those seeking international protection while their application is being adjudicated on. International protection is incredibly important and we must make sure there is confidence and strength in that system. There are people fleeing wars in Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria who need the support of international protection…

I thank the committee members, and particularly the chair, Senator Flynn, for their comprehensive report which raises many key issues and makes a number of really important recommendations which will require work across all Departments and agencies of the State. Travellers in Ireland have faced, and continue to face, systemic racism. I will take this opportunity to reaffirm my commitment and the commitment of the Government to ensuring equality for Travellers and their full and equal participation in Irish life. We…

As the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has said, Ireland has been profoundly challenged over the past two years with the global pandemic, a war in Europe and a once-in-a-generation spike in inflation. This Government has managed those enormous challenges and at the same time has delivered new and reforming policies that improve life for people and families across this country. It is on the basis of that track record that I will vote confidence in this Government. Within my own Department, we are investing €221 m…

I move: That Dáil 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 the European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to accept the following measure: Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No. 514/2014 laying down general provisions on the Asylum, Migration …

I thank all Members for their engagement on, and their contributions, to this issue. I wish to take a few moments to restate the benefits of opting into these amendments to the AMIF programme. The fund will help to support a broad range of programmes in the area of asylum, migration and integration in Ireland and the State's response to the Ukraine crisis. It is my intention to build on the success of the 2014-20 AMIF programme and, if I receive approval today, to opt into these amendments. Some of the projects to …

Senators will be aware that this is an omnibus Bill. It is part of the cross-Government domestic response to the crisis in Ukraine with legislation covering my Department and measures related to the work of the Department of Justice and the Department of Transport. The Bill also addresses matters relating to the Stardust inquiry. I thank Senators for facilitating this time-sensitive legislation. I will outline the main provisions of the Bill. Part 1 deals with standard provisions. Part 8 deals with the Stardust inq…