I thank the Minister of State very much for coming into the House. I welcome the extension of the reduction in excise duty. One of the fundamental problems in this country is that the Government is taxing fuel too heavily. While the Government has extended the reduction in excise rates, it has only kicked the can further down the road until 1 August. It still plans to increase excise duty on the cost of petrol and diesel five times before the end of the year. It should be telling people to enjoy the one-month exten…

I second the amendment.

I raise the issue of electricity prices. We have heard over and over that Ireland has the highest electricity rates in Europe. However, it may surprise the Leader to know that Ireland has the second highest household electricity prices in the world, second only to Bermuda. We should think about that for a second. Households in Ireland - hard-working families - are paying the second highest electricity prices in the world. At the same time, the ESB, a semi-State body, has made almost €3 billion in after-tax profits …

I raise the ongoing refusal of the National Driver Licence Service to accept cash payments from people. I simply cannot understand how a State agency can continue to ignore clear Government policy on this issue. Successive Ministers for Finance have made their position clear. Michael McGrath called on the NDLS to reverse its policy, and the national payment strategy of the Minister, Deputy Jack Chambers, reaffirmed that essential public services provided by the State, or on its behalf, should accept cash. Yet here …

I move amendment No. 9: In page 5, to delete lines 32 and 33 and substitute the following: “(i) inciting by its express terms, or that could reasonably be construed as inciting by its express terms, persons to commit a terrorist activity, or”. I welcome the opportunity to speak to amendments Nos. 9 and 12. I begin by making one thing absolutely clear. These amendments are not about weakening our response to terrorism or making it harder to prosecute people who genuinely encourage or incite terrorist acts. Everyone …

I move amendment No. 12: In page 6, to delete lines 1 to 3 and substitute the following: "(b) such distribution or publication gives rise to the reasonable apprehension that the commission of a terrorist activity could thereby result by reason of the communication expressly and directly inciting the commission of such activity.".".

In just over three weeks' time TDs and Ministers will go on holiday. They will not be back in the Chamber until the middle of September. That is not news to anyone but what will surprise people is that on 31 July, while they are all away and the Dáil is in recess, the Government will restore excise duties on petrol and diesel. Last week the Government voted to increase the cost of fuel by 27 cent on petrol and 32 cent on diesel. This will place immense pressure on households that are already struggling to get by. P…

We in Aontú welcome the Bill and the protections it seeks to put in place for children who have already endured unimaginable trauma. The level of cross-party support for this legislation speaks to the shared goal of putting children’s interests and well-being first. I particularly acknowledge the tireless work of David French, along with that of his sister, Veronica. David’s advocacy following the murder of his sister, Valerie, has helped bring us to this point. No child or relative should have to face the addition…

Is amendment No. 10 grouped with amendments Nos. 1 to 3?

Yes. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this amendment. I agree with Senator Ruane. My amendment is pretty straightforward. It seeks to ensure that the Minister will, within 12 months of the commencement of this legislation, report to the Houses of the Oireachtas on "the operation [and impact] of the provisions relating to ... incapacitant spray" in prisons. Prison officers have an extremely difficult job and they must have the ability to protect themselves. When I raised this issue on Second Stage, the Minister…

I move amendment No. 15: In page 18, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following: “(ab) Before imposing a sentence of imprisonment of 24 months or less, the court shall expressly consider the suitability of a community service order and shall record its reasons where it determines that such an order is not appropriate in the circumstances of the case. (ac) In considering whether a community service order is appropriate, the court shall have regard to the rehabilitation of the offender, the interests of victims…

I press my amendment.

I also wish to be associated with the expressions of congratulations to Senator Ahearn. If the last two weeks have been anything to go on, he will do a really good job. Last Thursday, I attended a meeting of the Cavan and Monaghan Hospital Campaign Group, where people gathered to share stories of their experiences of hospitals in the Cavan-Monaghan area. It seems to me that a pattern is emerging across all the hospitals in the country. I say this after having listened to people recount stories in here. We are heari…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber. I welcome the overall intention of this Bill but I too have reservations, similar to Senators Keogan and Higgins. Terrorism remains a real threat across Europe and beyond. It is important that our laws are updated to deal with the new challenges we face, particularly in relation to online radicalisation, recruitment and terrorist financing. However, I wish to hear the Minister of State’s thoughts on the section on public provocation. No one wants to see peopl…

I will talk about local authorities and councils, and address some of the comments made by the Tánaiste, Deputy Harris, earlier this week about derelict houses. It was a low blow to attack local authorities and councillors for not doing enough. I wonder has he forgotten that local authorities get their policy from Government. Dereliction is a massive and complicated issue. Our local authorities have been doing the best they can with the resources available to them. There can be problems with ownership, titles or re…

The Minister is welcome. I acknowledge the amount of work he does. He is always in here passing legislation and that has to be acknowledged. I support many of the overall aims of the Bill, particularly section 7 on protecting counselling records, but I am disappointed that such an important issue has been bundled into a miscellaneous provisions Bill alongside a range of unrelated matters. The question of counselling notes deserves legislation in its own right. For survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse, th…

I was shocked at the comments of Deputy Richmond last night. After attending the annual conference of the International Planned Parenthood Federation on Monday, he has committed to doubling its funding from the Irish taxpayer. There is something incredibly colonialist about the West's tendency to eagerly fund abortions in developing countries. I remember a time when Ireland would send food, water and clothing, but now we pay for impoverished mothers to abort their children. The constant push for more abortions from…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in on this very important issue. I too welcome this long-overdue Bill. Introducing regulation and independent oversight for private, home support providers is absolutely necessary to protect vulnerable adults, who are essentially inviting strangers into their home to care for them. That is why I would like greater clarity on how inspections will work in practice. Unlike residential settings, these services are delivered in private homes. How will HIQA ensure standards are ma…

I wish to speak about the events in Belfast recently. I am very concerned about the way events are being reported on after the attack in Belfast and in the context of the riots. Our role as politicians and legislators should be to talk about the difficult cases, the gaps in our legislation and how policy is shaping the state of our country. It cannot be the case that if we speak about violence in this country, such as an attempted beheading or a woman being killed in Galway, there are claims that we are adding to t…

Tonight in the Dáil, Deputies will be speaking on Report Stage of the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. Within that Bill is a really important move to recognise counselling notes as legally privileged material. It is incredibly violating for victims of sexual abuse to have their counselling notes essentially handed over to their abuser and their legal team. I was listening to Paula Doyle on "Liveline" yesterday and I commend her courage in speaking out about the abuse she suf…