It is too cosy.

Courtesy is a secondary virtue when people are being tortured.

And I have made mine.

I only want to ask the questions.

Tacaím go huile is go hiomlán leis an méid atá á rá ag mo chomhghleacaithe anseo. Ní bheadh sé ciallmhar dá mbeadh dualgas ar an Stát leibhéal áirithe seirbhíse a sholáthar do lucht labhartha na Gaeilge ach go raibh saghas éalaithe agus cúlaithe i gceist toisc go raibh siad ag fáil na seirbhísí trí chonradh ó ghrúpa nó ó eagraíocht sheachtrach nach mbeadh an dualgas céanna orthu. Ní luíonn sé le ciall. Ba chóir go mbeadh an caighdeán céanna i gceist agus nach mbeadh bealach éalaithe ag aon eagraíocht Stáit ó chomhl…

Teastaíonn uaim tacú leis an moladh seo. Mar a dúirt mo chomhghleacaí, ní bheidh sé soiléir céard is brí leis an bhforáil seo, nó céard gur chóir go mba bhrí leis, muna ndéantar leasú den sórt seo. Cén chaoi ar féidir tomhais céard go díreach atá á dhéanamh muna bhfuil sé soiléir gur ceist airgid atá ann i ndáiríre? Tá sé tábhachtach go mbeadh 5% den chaiteachas ann don earnáil meáin chumarsáide Gaeilge agus sin an t-aon rud dáiríre gur fiú leis. Táim ag siúl le leasú an Aire Stáit a fheiceáil ar an gcéad Chéim eil…

Tacaím leis an moladh seo. Tá sé ciallmhar. Tá dul chun cinn á dhéanamh leis an mBille seo chomh fada agus a bhaineann sé le gach rud, i ndáiríre, agus chomh fada agus a bhaineann sé leis na spriocanna maidir le hearcaíocht don tseirbhís phoiblí, leis an bplean náisiúnta le bheith á mholadh agus gach rud mar sin. Ní féidir dul chun cinn a dhéanamh, áfach, mura bhfuil spriocdhátaí soiléire ann. Ní féidir dul chun cinn a dhéanamh má tá gealltanais ann ach mura bhfuil spriocdháta soiléir i gceist leo. Léiríonn sé cé c…

Tacaím leis an leasú seo ó Shinn Féin. Nuair a smaoinítear air, tá sé dochreidte nach mbeadh dualgas ar dhuine atá ag obair i ról chomh tábhachtach le garda i gceantar Gaeltachta a gcuid gnó a dhéanamh agus déileáil le daoine eile trí Ghaeilge más gá agus nuair is gá. Is é sin an bunchaighdeán ar chóir dúinn a bheith ag leagan amach. Bhí díospóireacht cosúil leis seo againn cúpla bliain ó shin ag Comhchoiste na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus na nOileán. Bhíomar ag cur ceisteanna ar údaráis Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gailli…

Hear, hear.

I support everything that my colleague, Senator McDowell, has just said. I was going to bring the matter up. In our debate on the Northern Ireland protocol yesterday, I mentioned that there had been very little public consideration of the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union, its relevance to costs and the element of delay that it brings into the consideration of legal matters affecting Irish people. This is not to deny that the Court of Justice of the European Union is necessary but we think very lit…

I compliment everybody involved with this report. Its recommendations are all reasonable and important. Many would say more is needed and there are areas where the report has not gone and perhaps it should have gone. This is an evolving process as we become more aware of the trauma those who report sexual violence suffer and we are all aware we must always work to ensure people are not traumatised again by the system that is supposed to do justice in the end to all parties. We must work hard against anything that c…

I will exercise the old Seanad privilege of saying things that people might not necessarily want to hear. I see myself as a cultural nationalist and I want to add my voice to those paying tribute to the late Austin Currie for all the good work and good things he did. When we have these discussions we should be aware of groupthink. Dealing with the British authorities is particularly challenging at this time and there are some things that cannot be defended, but we sometimes slip back into an old anti-Britishness in…

I welcome the Minister of State and compliment her on the good work being done. I know that there are many challenges and that there is road to go. I also compliment Senator Garvey on reminding us of the importance of trees. They are indeed wonderful and we should think a lot about them. I would like to see that furniture. I do not know how rough it is but it would certainly be better than what this pair of paws would produce, I am sure. I remember being in Rome a number of years ago and visiting the Basilica of Sa…

I welcome the Minister to the House and I will pay attention to his response and to the other speakers after me, although unfortunately I cannot be here for the remainder of the debate because of another commitment. I am not just here to defend the right to protest in a range of circumstances but I am also here to defend decent people who want to save lives. Listening to Senator Seery Kearney, I was thinking of an organisation I am aware of and support called Community Connect, which reaches out and in practical wa…

I support Senator Buttimer's request for a debate on the media and broadcasting. That would certainly be timely. There are two issues I would like to raise with the Leader. The first concerns the leaving certificate. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Skills is currently looking at the issue of leaving certificate reform. The development of syllabi is ongoing by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA. There are many concerns among science teachers and science academics about the devel…

I agree with what Senator Kyne has said. Perhaps Passport Express should be renamed "Passport stopping at all stations". I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for mentioning the mass for the late Sir David Amess today, to which people of all faiths and none are welcome. It is no harm at this point to thank all those who made this possible, including the British ambassador, who will address the congregation after communion today, and the Australian ambassador, who I believe will be present as well. The Leader will forgive…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. This is a simple, one-issue Bill which deserves support from any Senator who has a genuine interest in solving the student accommodation crisis. It would prohibit, for 15 years, any application for the change of use of student accommodation to either residential accommodation or to a hostel, hotel or any other kind of tourist or short-let accommodation. As the Bill is drafted, this would also prevent such accommodation from being used in any kind of Airbnb-type letting arrangement…

Codail, a laoich dar thugas grá, codail go sámh i m'bhánbhaclainn, tusa mo rogha fear Fáil, thatr rí na bhFiann is a chóir fairis - Codail, codail, a chúl na lúb, le faobhar na hoíche, codail, a rún. As Senator Ned O'Sullivan said, Máire Mhac an tSaoi - and Brendan Kennelly - represented the best of our tradition, writing and communicating as they did in our two main spoken languages. The only contact I had with Máire Mhac an tSaoi was when seeking her permission to use the poem that Senator O'Sullivan recited on a…

This will not do. The Minister of State and Senator Cummins sounded like they wanted to scream but they would not dare to do so. They are like two flight stewards who have discovered that the pilots are taking the flight to London and on to Paris and they want to shout and scream and tell us all they are crazy but they are afraid that they will panic the passengers. It is obvious that despite their measured tones they are horrified at the direction things have taken. I note that towards the end of his speech the Mi…

I know that, but the Minister of State's tones are measured. Does it not want to make you scream? This is a bizarre, crazy and irrational situation. We need to hear the Minister of State say that. The old phrases about selling ice to Eskimos, sand to Arabs or bringing coal to Newcastle spring to mind. Importing peat to store it next to a bog would be laughable were it not so serious an issue. One might say it is "No Latvian matter". As we know, harvesting in Rathowen and elsewhere all but ceased as a result of the …