You might as well throw in “grotesque” as well.

I thought the Senator had said "national school" there.

Senator McDowell will lead. With the agreement of the House, we will share time.

Like the philosopher of old who heard the fine speech that went before, I think I should just tear up my notes. It is very hard to disagree with anything Senator McDowell has said. One of the things that makes me uncomfortable about hate crimes legislation, as is proposed, is that it in some way creates a hierarchy of victimhood, suggesting that some crimes are less serious than others and some are more serious than others. That is the danger with amnesties. The point must be made and accepted that to some degree t…

I would like to follow up on and commend Senator Ned O'Sullivan on what he had to say about antisemitism and the decision by author Sally Rooney to refuse permission for her novel to be translated into Hebrew. Perhaps somebody needs to remind her that Israeli people are normal people as well. Perhaps this is an example of when virtue signalling can actually turn quite vicious, wittingly or unwittingly. It is in that context that I wanted to raise the recent 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Aft…

That is true. We can always call out foolishness or, at least, I hope we can in this House. There is a lot of it abroad in the culture at the moment.

Agreed.

There is a big difference.

I have just come from chairing an online event entitled, Countering Human Trafficking in Ireland, hosted by the all-party Oireachtas Life and Dignity Group. We heard from two experts, Ms Sunniva McDonagh, a member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, and Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab. Given Ireland's low, tier two or "watchlist" status in the Trafficking in Persons, TIP, report I am sure the House will agree that this is an issue that needs the attention of Oireachtas Members and the Government. The eme…

Since there is honey going around, we can draw the obvious conclusion.

Would it be timely for us to have a debate on the ongoing progress of our vaccination programme against Covid-19, in particular, and of course with other vaccination programmes in mind as we enter the flu season? There are many important issues to discuss, such as the issue of the booster vaccine, the ethical question around the developing world and its need to access even first vaccines for its people and where we fit in and what kind of decisions we should be making as a first world country in regard to that. It …

I am pleased to second this Bill. It is a long time since I have been before the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and as she is a member of the Government I want to put something on the record of this House. I believe it very important that our Government is represented at the interdenominational service in Armagh on 21 October. I do not believe it has been made clear whether the Government is going to be represented. If the Government is represented, I hope that-----

The Minister is the person who should be there because she would certainly represent this country and the Government with dignity and decorum. I just wanted to take this opportunity to put that important point on the record of this House. Sometimes it is the only way one can get the ear of the Minister. This Bill needs to pass today. It should not be subject to a nine-month delay and there are two reasons for this. The Bill previously passed in the Seanad, which is a commendation of the good work of former Senator,…

Okay. The registration of a will is optional, not compulsory, and that is necessary because we do not want a situation whereby the failure to register a will would invalidate it.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Sometimes the facts speak for themselves. In an election in August 2020, Alexander Lukashenko got 80% of the vote. This is his sixth term in office, having first been elected in 1994. This is a man who relies on fear in order to stay in office. Any voices of dissent, whether online or in the streets, are found, beaten, jailed and tortured. There are 650 political prisoners in Belarus today. Indeed, the mass demonstrations in the months after the 2020 election are no longer taking place …

Does the Minister mean Russia?

Having listened to the two Government speakers so far, I could easily be persuaded to give way so that we could hear from the Minister of State, Senator Hackett. I think everybody would want me to sit down if the Minister of State wished to get to her feet. What it brings out is the complexity of these issues. Those of us from rural Ireland are very concerned that as we go forward to take the measures we must take to mitigate the effects of climate change, not just in our own country but particularly with the poore…

I am over 50 now David. Gambling with Lives is a charity in Northern Ireland that has begun an important pilot programme to bring the message of the problem of gambling addiction to young people in Northern Ireland, where it is a particular problem. We also know that it is a significant issue in the South. Senator Ward and others are to be commended for their Bill banning betting on the outcome of the national lottery, which proceeded last night, as is Senator Wall for his proposed Bill to restrict gambling adverti…

The only flashing light will be the pilot light.

I will stick to the races.