Thank you.

Hear, hear.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an ardent supporter of empowering local government, whether through greater technical and financial support or by granting greater powers to local authorities. However, while I support this Bill in spirit, after consulting several councillors, I will raise some questions and give constructive feedback. I and councillors to whom I have spoken find the Bill, though brief, to be very ambiguous. Since this is a general debate, I hope our discussion today will steer us in a good direc…

That is true.

I would like to address two things, the first of which is a recent report from the Ombudsman for Children warning of the rise of so-called extremism among the youth. The first thing to say is that extremism does not appear out of thin air. It is a response, a backlash, to a deteriorating situation in this country. Furthermore, when we look at what has been labelled as extremist among the legitimate cases, we too often find views that most people for most of history would have called common sense. This is the Govern…

I acknowledge the historic nature of today's visit by President Zelenskyy to Ireland. It is right that we stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia's aggression. Ireland has offered sanctuary to more than 120,000 Ukrainians since 2022 and 85,000 Ukrainians still live here today. That is something we can be proud of. So many Ukrainians have come to Ireland for sanctuary. While here, they have contributed to our society through their hard work. I have worked at first hand to welcome those wh…

I want to revert to the Minister of State on something she said about dietitian teams for eating disorders. She mentioned that there are 15 teams. Are they for adults or children?

Why is it not working for the children? Why is there not one single bed tonight for a child suffering with an eating disorder?

Sorry, but I am talking about children who are dying. It is awful. I hear about this all the time. There are children dying in hospital waiting for CAMHS. They receive medical intervention but medical intervention is no good when a child is actually dying. What services exist for children with eating disorders? There are none. There is not one bed available. I am not being dramatic.

I am not; I am telling the Minister of State-----

-----that I deal with this all the time.

There is not one bed available for a child with an eating disorder to access services today; there are waiting lists for beds. That is not good enough while children are dying. I have encountered the worst case in Ireland. The child is 16 and the HSE is recommending that she be put into St. Loman’s psychiatric hospital. That is not good enough. I deal with teenagers all the time. I specifically set up a mental health project in my town because I could not get services elsewhere for the people in my area.

I could not get CAMHS for the children. They must wait for two years, if they are lucky, to get on the CAMHS list. That is not good enough. Children are being failed when it comes to access to mental health services. A child with bad eating disorders cannot get beds straight away. That is the reality of what is happening. Will the Minister please check with her Department?

I can tell her it is happening.

I know Cherry Orchard.

I have had a child in Cherry Orchard.

Certainly, I spoke out earlier about children who were in hospitals or medical settings that were not suitable for their needs. I know what Cherry Orchard does and I know the great people who work in Cherry Orchard. I fostered a young child for over a year who spent some time there before she came to me, so I am well of the work done in Cherry Orchard. I am also aware of Lois Bridges because another child I fostered attended that facility. I am aware of the facilities that are available at this moment in time. Howe…

I attended that launch last week in Tiglin with Senator McCarthy. I was blown away with the work that is actually done in Tiglin, not just in that area but throughout this country. We are in the Ha'penny Bridge, so to speak, in relation to the work Senator McCarthy does daily with people who are on the margins in this country. I commend him on the work he does every single day. I wish to address the motion that will be before us to extend Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021 yet again. This Act was brought…

Extremely.

I welcome the Minister to the House again. He is probably the most active Minister for justice we have seen over the past five years, since I was elected to the House. I wish him well, always, in the work he does. He plays a major role in how our society is going forward. Today we have been asked to rubber=stamp Ireland's opt-in to two major EU programmes, the internal security fund and the asylum migration and integration fund, for the period 2028 to 2034. On the surface, these sound sensible. There is money on th…