I welcome the Minister of State-----

The Leas-Cathaoirleach forgot to give them no homework.

The Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 seeks to establish the gambling regulatory authority of Ireland for the purpose of licensing and regulating betting, gaming, certain lotteries and the sale and supply of products and services relating to gambling. When it comes to extending powers of regulation in the private sector, as lawmakers, it is incumbent on us to be conservative in the constraints that we put on any industry. Problem gambling is, of course, a great concern. I strongly support the intent of the Bill to targ…

Is the Minister of State taking this question?

I thank the Minister of State. After the two recent referendums, we know we cannot trust the Government to be honest about the legal advice it is receiving. To quell the concerns of the Opposition and the public, will the Government publish the Attorney General's advice on the EU migration pact? It is a comprehensive document that runs to over 1,300 pages. It contains various categories of regulations that need to be followed in respect of future migration, the Eurodac regulation and changes that will made to it. W…

I thank the Minister of State. To be quite honest, I am very disappointed. While the Minister of State said that legal advice is provided to a private client, the citizens of Ireland are his clients. The citizens of Ireland need to know what the Attorney General's advice is. The Minister of State is the servant of the people of Ireland. They are the most important people when it comes to the Attorney General's advice. The Government let the people of Ireland down on the referendum on 8 March. It did not publish the…

I welcome the Kenyan delegation here this afternoon. My late uncle, who only passed away in the past couple of weeks, served as a Kiltegan missionary in Lodwar and Kataboi around the Lake Turkana area. He set up the fishing industry there. His name was Fr. Jim Brady. I welcome the European disability and parking card, which passed in the European Parliament. This card will allow for special access to public transport and other facilities for people with disabilities. This card will act as proof of disability status…

I welcome the Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023 and the importance of this legislation regarding people with disabilities. I commend Senator Clonan on being the driving force behind this and I was happy to move this Bill into the House in its initial Stages. This Bill would create a legal requirement to provide all supports listed in an assessment of need. It is highly disappointing that Ireland is currently the only country in the European Union that has no legal requirement to provide all of the sup…

This is a welcome development as since the last debate, the Government has given a commitment to ratify the optional protocol of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This would provide an accountability mechanism, were a person's rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities being violated. A UN committee would also be responsible for overseeing, over which the Irish Government would not be able to appoint people and this would create an accountability mechanism.…

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

The scenes on Mount Street yesterday were nothing short of a farce. They were the epitome and embodiment of the mismanagement and failure of the Irish asylum system. Only hours after the tents were removed from outside the International Protection Office, IPO, up to 50 new arrivals awaiting processing were then turned away. They were told there was no accommodation for the night, the office was closed and they could return the following morning. There were chaotic scenes yesterday at the removal of the tents. Garda…

I want to raise the issue of the Policing Authority Assessment of Policing Performance 2023, with a particular focus on child sexual abuse and child safety. As outlined in this policing report, the strategic approach to addressing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence has seen a significant transformation in the past few years. The establishment of the divisional protective services units and the renewed focus on responding to these crimes have led to increased reporting of incidents, particularly in cases of …

I second the amendment.

I am a little bit sorry to see this debate going the way it is at the moment, with neither colleague having respect for each other's view, which is a shame. This amendment provides an opt-out for general practitioners who do not wish their GP surgeries to automatically become a safe access zone by notifying the Minister of Health. We are aware that most GPs do not want to provide abortion and the majority are not offering abortions at the moment by exercising their right to conscientious objection. Therefore, I fin…

There has been no evidence to say-----

-----that this legislation is needed.

It can be managed within the current legislation we have if there are any violations in terms of protests. This legislation is not needed because if there are people in protests behaving badly, there is legislation to deal with that currently. Is there or is there not legislation to deal with that, Minister? There is. That can clearly be seen by the protest down in Newtownmountkennedy last weekend. There is legislation to deal with people behaving badly within society. They can be dealt with if it is turning violen…

Vótáil.

I second the amendment.