I call on the Tánaiste to discuss Ireland's role in the upcoming Summit for the Future. In September, the UN implemented the UN Pact for the Future and it is expected to be signed by participating countries next month. Action 18 is an innocuously titled "Building and Sustaining Peace". In reality, it calls on member states to censor their populations. Action 18 calls on nations to address the risks to sustaining peace posed by disinformation, misinformation, hate speech and content inciting harm, including content …

Hear, hear.

I express my sympathies to the Fianna Fáil family on the death of Mary O'Rourke and to the Fine Gael family on the death of Councillor John Naughten. All of the county councillors and political families in their counties are in grief at this time. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to the effect that No. 1 be taken with debate. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties, ICCL, under the tenure of the proposed new appointee, backed the passing of the hate speech Bill, which would have devastating consequence…

I want the Minister, Deputy Foley, to come here to address this House on the junior cycle SPHE curriculum and explain to the parents of Ireland what materials are taught to 12- to 15-year-olds in our schools. We need clarity on it. Every WhatsApp group in the country has watched videos over the weekend in relation to it. The material used and approved by the NCCA, and the delivery of teacher training by Oide at DCU, must be put under the spotlight here. If the media are not going to do it, us politicians need to do…

I second the motion.

I support Senator McDowell's amendments. It is important to keep the aspect of the remit of the family court in the Oireachtas for accountability purposes. It is crucial in reviewing this legislation that we acknowledge the countless family law practitioners and the Bar Council, who have stated that this proposal to add divorces, judicial separations and cohabitation applications to the workload of busy district judges would lead to a greater delay and more interim hearings, which would add to an eventual legal cos…

I call on the Minister for Justice to come in here to discuss Garda numbers and Garda personnel in general. You would not think we would be talking about this, judging by the number of gardaí outside this building today, but we have a serious problem. On Thursday, 19 September, at 3 p.m. in the Balbriggan area, a crash involving a lorry and a car occurred. The Garda was called but no officers arrived at the scene. The owners of the vehicles involved were forced to manage the traffic impeded by the accident while wa…

Today's budget allocates expenditure of a staggering €105.4 billion, yet it offers very little for the average citizen or indigenous businesses. Where is the Government's support for the risk-takers, entrepreneurs and small business owners in this country? The hospitality sector, including our beloved restaurants, is left to fend for itself. The Government is not interested in assisting or empowering the many small and medium businesses across the country. The vintners' federations rightly labelled the budget a dis…

I call for a debate with the Ministers for Health and Justice on concerns about human trafficking and the vulnerability of those engaged in commercial surrogacy. University College Dublin, UCD, released a report earlier on prostitution websites. It has been covered by RTÉ and in the Irish Examiner and the headlines do not make for good reading. One states, "Concern women and girls exploited in online sex trade across Ireland". That should be shocking enough, given it relates to children. The other headline reads, "…

I will move it.

Yes.

I move amendment No. 107: In page 54, after line 30, to insert the following: "PART 4 AMUSEMENT HALLS AND CASINOS Application of this Part 65. (1) This section shall not have effect in any area unless there is for the time being in force a resolution under subsection (2) adopting it for that area. (2) A local authority may by resolution adopt this section in respect of the whole or a specified part of its administrative area and may by resolution rescind such adoption. (3) A resolution shall not have effect unless …

I move amendment No. 108: In page 54, after line 30, to insert the following: "Control by local authorities of amusement halls and casinos 66. (1) Gambling in an amusement hall shall be unlawful unless the amusement hall is situated in an area a resolution has been adopted by a local authority in accordance with section 65 . (2) No licence shall be granted by the authority in respect of an amusement hall where gambling would be unlawful by reason of subsection (1) . (3) In this section, "amusement hall" means any p…

I move amendment No. 109: In page 54, after line 30, to insert the following: "Exemption for National Lottery 67. Nothing in this Part prohibits or affects the activities of the National Lottery.".

I formally second the proposal on Senator Martin's Bill. I call on the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to debate the redress of homeowners affected by the defective concrete blocks crisis. I commend Councillors Farren, Beard, Devine and McGee who ran successfully for the 100% Redress Party in the local elections in June. Mica and freeze thaw were blamed for the problems causing the properties to crumble, but this was based on a desktop study with no scientific evidence. The science is now provin…

Senator McDowell wishes to speak.

I am just allowing him some time.

Hear, hear.

I support Senator Ruane's amendments. It is vitally important that consoles and gaming devices are included in this legislation. They are what young people are using today. Whether it is an Xbox or a PlayStation, you can gamble online with those very easily.

I call for a debate regarding the content of the SPHE curriculum, an issue which has recently come to light regarding the portrayal of Irish families in the SPHE schoolbook, ironically titled All Different, All Equal, in which a deeply offensive and stereotypical caricature of what it means to be an Irish family is portrayed in the most condescending, baffling and unrealistic way. The Irish family in this book is not only outdated but also harmful. It suggests that if you love the GAA, run a family business, play I…