Can I group amendment No. 16 with amendments Nos. 20, 21 and 25?

Amendments Nos. 16, 20, 21 and 25.

I reiterate I do not believe that this should be controversial. Throughout this debate, we have heard repeated reassurances that CETA does not undermine the State's right to regulate. If that is truly the Government's position, there should be no objection to placing that protection directly into Irish law. The concern many people have is not theoretical. We have seen globally how investor dispute mechanisms have been used against environmental protections, energy transitions, public health measures and democratic …

I move amendment No. 17: In page 4, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: “(4) The Minister shall publish, as soon as practicable, any application for enforcement under this section, any award made pursuant to such application and any settlement entered into by the State in respect of such award.”. I will keep it short and sweet so we can move on. The amendment just proposes that the Minister publishes any application for enforcement under this section, any award made pursuant to such an application and…

I welcome the Minister of State. I cannot deny that I am disappointed again that the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is elusive when it comes to appearing in this House. Since being elected, I have consistently raised the issue of roads funding in counties Cavan and Monaghan. Roads across both counties are in a critical condition. Potholes, cracks and crumbling surfaces are accepted as normal. People pay their motor tax, carbon tax and tolls every day, yet they are driving on roads that are substand…

The Minister of State's answer is interesting as it is just a definition of all the schemes and resources available. It does not tackle the actual issue. The Minister told councillors there would be a substantial increase in funding when, in fact, there was a decrease. Those are the facts. The Minister also said there would be an announcement before Christmas, but it did not happen until February. Councillors and Oireachtas Members continue to constantly raise this issue, but it feels like our calls are falling on …

If nothing is done, the roads will continue to deteriorate and it will become a bigger issue, as it did yesterday. There has still been no answer to the question I asked.

The Government's housing policy has become increasingly skewed towards large developers while ordinary families who are trying to build a home are left carrying the cost. People who want to build a modest home beside their parents or on a family field are being hit with a wall of costs before a single block is laid. Connection charges can run into the thousands. A standard water connection from Uisce Éireann costs €2,000. Wastewater charges are up to €4,000, or more. ESB connections are a huge cost, if you can get …

I commend Mr. Flanagan, Sinn Féin and Mr. Mullooly on the work they did in helping to secure a referral of the EU-Mercosur agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union, CJEU. I also commend Mr. Mullooly on his appointment as a full voting member to the agriculture committee. With four Irish MEPs holding voting rights on that committee, we expect big things and a strong position for the next CAP reform. I ask them to prioritise generational renewal, protect family farms and ensure young farmers can afford…

Women have faced violence, harassment and discrimination, precisely because we are female. Yet now, women who defend sex-based rights-----

-----are mocked, shouted down and branded hateful. Irish people believe in dignity and respect for everyone, but they also want fairness in sport-----

-----to safeguard sexes of bathrooms and changing rooms-----

-----and to protect children from irreversible medical procedures.

There is something special about Ireland when the sun comes out. People head to the beaches and to the back of the wardrobe for their sandals and we swap dinners for salads. Across towns and villages people gather outside their local pub after work to chat, relax and soak up the sun but these meeting places that hold communities together are disappearing. The Vintners Federation of Ireland has warned that rural pubs are facing a massive threat unless the Government acts in budget 2027. Since 2005, 2,200 pubs have c…

The Minister is very welcome and I am delighted to be here to be able to speak. I thank the Acting Chair for sharing out the time. College is about deepening our education but it is also a rite of passage. It is where young people fly the nest and start to get their independence. They learn to manage their budget for themselves and it is when they realise their washing does not magically get clean. The Government's student accommodation strategy at least acknowledges the scale of the problem, and that is good. It e…

I move amendment No. 3: In page 6, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following: “ “journalistic privilege” means the right of a journalist to protect the confidentiality of sources and unpublished journalistic material in accordance with Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights;”. I thank Senators Boyhan and Clonan for co-signing these amendments. I understand Senator Keogan will also be speaking in support of them. It is essential to insert a definition of "journalistic privilege" into the Bill. …

I want to speak to amendment No. 31, which the Minister said was not necessary. The amendment seeks to introduce an inter partes hearing where a search warrant is being sought in relation to journalistic material or material capable of identifying a confidential source. In plain language, this means that where the State wishes to search a journalist's home, workplace, phone or files, the journalist or media company employing them should, wherever possible, have the opportunity to be represented before the warrant i…

Talks are taking place today to prevent further ambulance strikes. That alone shows how serious the crisis has become. Ambulance workers are taking industrial action because they are burnt out, overstretched and feel they are not being listened to. A recent article in The Anglo-Celt highlighted the concerns of a whistleblower who works in the ambulance service locally. Rosters seen by the newspaper showed there were six shifts per week where no paramedics were rostered to work in Cavan town station. We also know cr…

The Minister of State is welcome. I recognise the good work he and the OPW are doing but the public is fed up hearing about waste in the OPW. I hope that is something the Minister of State will focus on. Every few months there seems to be another headline, another figure and another project that has gone badly wrong: €20 million spent on leasing buildings that are lying empty; €300,000 on a bike shed in Leinster House; the security hut; and over €4.2 million spent on a children's science centre that was never built…

I raise an issue concerning Ardgraigue, Barroughter and Clonmoylan bogs in County Galway. People who signed up to the restoration scheme and received a payment were promised an alternative bog but have received nothing. The payment for them has stopped and they still have nowhere to cut turf during a fuel cost crisis. A second issue is that the families who chose not to sign up to the scheme, but have been prevented from cutting turf because of a High Court injunction sought by the Department against a turf-cutting…