This is amendment No. 35, to insert, "(3) The Commission shall ensure that fees for different classes of application or review request are not prohibitive."

There have been so many lovely tributes here this afternoon to our friend and colleague, John Bruton. I would have known John since 1997. I first met him in the Ashbourne House Hotel where, I think, there was a Fine Gael cumann meeting on and I could hear this laughter coming from one end of the bar. Everybody knows what John sounded like when he laughed. He had a ferociously infectious laugh. Somebody then introduced him to me that night. I have known him since that time. When I ran for politics in the general ele…

A happy St. Brigid's Day to everyone. I hope each and every one of us takes on a piece of her character today, whether that be her strength of character, her kindness, her fearlessness or her compassion. If we can learn from her, we will learn many good qualities. Once again I am calling for a debate in the House on the CA+ Convention, the pandemic preparedness treaty in development by the WHO's Intergovernmental Negotiating Body. This treaty will have a significant impact on future governmental approaches to healt…

I am aware. It is all the more reason for people to attend.

I wish the Deputy Leader luck on her selection.

Today is 31 January. This day in 1984 is one that I and, indeed, the people that knew and loved Ann Lovett and the community of Granard will never forget. It is much talked about in the media today because it is the 40th anniversary. I saw a comment on X this morning from the National Women's Council, once again using Ann's death as some sort of political football. I do not think anybody can ever understand the pain, hurt and trauma the people that loved and knew Ann and the community of Granard have suffered. It i…

Hear, hear.

The Digital Services Bill 2023 is weighty legislation, as is often the case with Bills that give effect to EU regulations. It covers quite a lot of ground and contains a mixed bag of provisions that cover consumer protection and the regulation of advertising algorithms to content moderation and the combating of child sex abuse material. Some of these provisions are obviously deserving of our full support but others have the capacity to give rise to grave concerns. The stated goal of the European Commission's DSA is…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Neale Richmond, for coming to the House. I am disappointed not to see somebody from the Department of Transport here this afternoon but I thank the Minister of State for coming into the Chamber. Somebody from the Government coming in is better than nobody, I guess, so I thank him for coming in today to deal with this matter, which is of great importance to the people of Thurles, the whole of County Tipperary and the surrounding counties. The route for a bypass road for Thurles …

I thank the Minister of State for the response. In regard to the last line of the response, that the strategic grant allocation 2024 will be notified to local authorities as part of general grant allocation process which will be issued in the coming weeks, I hope this particular development will be part of that. This is of interest to the Thurles municipal district council and to the public. It is to be hoped it will allow them to be prepared for the meeting with the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, tomorrow. We…

The Residential Tenancies Board reports that there are approximately 520 approved housing bodies in Ireland with a stock size of more than 30,000 homes. These bodies tend to deal with the housing needs of either a particular geographical area or a particular demographic, including families on low incomes, households with special needs such as older persons and people with disabilities, homeless households, and persons in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction or a combination of both. While recognising that many o…

I echo everything Senator Boyhan said. The representatives from the AILG and LAMA have been very firm about having their representation on these new policing committees. Before Christmas, the Independent Group Members - Senators Boyhan, Craughwell and I - tabled a motion. Part of that motion was that we undo the attacks on the powers of local councillors and ensure the members of local authorities will have equivalent powers and representations on the new safety partnerships, as they currently have on the joint pol…

Now that is funny.

I will speak on amendment No. 80, in my name and that of Senator Craughwell. It requires that the chairperson of every safety partnership in each administrative area in each local authority shall be an elected member of a local authority. It seems that Fianna Fáil, with its late amendments, which I absolutely welcome, is playing catch-up. I am glad it tabled them but I would really like the language to be a little stronger.

I really do welcome that but the wording should state chairpersons and vice chairpersons of the safety partnerships "shall be" members of a local authority. That would cement it for the Minister today and our members throughout the country. There was much talk earlier about the community safety innovation fund. I welcome the €3 million from the Criminal Assets Bureau, but the suggestion in this regard was made by an independent county councillor in County Louth, Paddy McQuillan. Indeed, a number of independent coun…

I thank the Minister for her engagement. I also thank Senator Ruane who has put huge effort into this Bill. We are only interested in this particular section of the legislation because it has a major effect on us. My heart is in local government and every councillor in the country knows that. I have to be their voice here today and that is why I am pressing amendment No. 72, which clearly states that at least one elected public representative of a local authority shall be a member of every community safety partners…

I ask the Minister to clarify if that is five men and five women or is it just any ten members?

I move amendment No. 72: In page 104, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following: “(b) at least one elected public representative of a local authority, shall be a member of every safety partnership in each administrative area of each local authority;”.

I am calling for a debate on the children of Ireland who are failed egregiously by the State. A full debate will be needed to even touch upon all the failings of the Government and the Minister for children. Since 2017, 62 migrant children have disappeared from State care after arriving in Ireland alone. Twenty of those disappearances were in 2023. These children left, or more likely were taken from, Tusla accommodation. We do not know where they are. We do not know who they are with and what is being done to them,…

No.