Yet, the Tánaiste is on record stating unequivocally, “We don’t need to have that kind of debate in Ireland”, in relation to how gender-critical women found their voices in the UK and began to speak out against the erosion of their rights, identities and spaces as a result of the changes brought about by radical trans activists. In addition, the pronouncement that the most undemocratic thing one can do is to try to shut down debate is made at the same time as the Government is expected to make no amendments to what…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I appreciate that.

I corrected the record.

Yes.

I thank the Minister of State for coming in today. I was one of the Senators who requested this debate. It is remarkable the amount of work our local authority members have had to endure and do over the last number of years. Since June 2019 to today we have had Covid to deal with and we have also had the Ukrainian crisis. Each and every one of those members, and their communities, has stepped up to support the Government in the measures it introduced, whether in the Covid crisis or the Ukrainian crisis. With that i…

Councillors should be treated the same as elected Members of the Oireachtas. If I may, I want to refer to a report I produced.

It is to do with councillors' training allowance. Some councillors do not get the same amount of training allowance as others do.

I will give him my report.

On a point of order, the Minister of State has been comprehensive in his replies and I thank him for that. Did he refer to the issue of security and CCTV?

I ask him to please mention it again, just to clarify the matter. I thank the Minister of State.

I thank the Cathaoirleach.

About 28 years ago, I visited Ghana in Africa. If I had known then what I know now, I might have behaved differently. I was a young mother trying to keep an eye on my two children. At the time, Africa, and particularly Ghana, was very poor, and every time you left the hotel, children would gather around you, begging for money, sweets or something else. While I was staying at that hotel, I witnessed a number of elderly and middle-aged men coming back to the hotel with children. Of course, back then, there was no Int…

The Minister is welcome back to the Chamber. I will begin by saying there is no great secret about my opposition to this Bill but more than that, it is no secret that the vast majority of people in Ireland are opposed to it. We know that because the Government's own public consultation was met with 73% of respondents opposing the Government's plans to crack down on what can and cannot be said in this country without fear of prosecution. Most people would think that such overwhelming opposition to Government plans w…

On a point of order, is the Senator referring to age-appropriate material-----

We are here until 5 p.m. The Minister is all right.

I did not put my name to this because I have certain concerns regarding children. I have been a foster parent for the past 12 years. I am on my last year. I am taking a break after this. She is doing her final exams tomorrow and, please God, I have got her to a stage in life where she will be able to plough her own way forward, so I have a huge interest in the mental health of children and teenagers. However, we cannot overlook the impact of Covid on our children and teenagers. This is something that needs to be lo…

If it is the case that a child needs better supports or families need proper supports, Tusla or other agencies can work with and support the families to have a better family life. Those are the concerns I would have but I am not too sure whether the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, is the Minister to answer these particular questions on health.

All right. Obviously, this is to do with mental health and well-being and the guidance counsellors will cover mental health and well-being as well. I would welcome the Minister of State's input on that too.

I call for a debate on the World Health Organization’s digital health initiative, which was recently launched. While the aim of this strategy may appear noble on the surface, it is essential we carefully consider the risks it poses to civil liberties, personal autonomy and the sovereignty of European Union member states. The WHO states it is going to take up the European Union system of digital Covid-19 certificates to establish a global system that will help to facilitate global mobility and protect citizens throu…

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