On a point of information, as with many things the Senator has said, what he has just said is entirely false. The evidence was presented from the HSE. It was not referencing civil society groups. It was a considered, formal submission to the Oireachtas by the HSE and it referenced widespread feedback from its own employees, doctors and nurses throughout the country. The record will show that when this was presented, the Senator went on to describe not just the Government as corrupt but the HSE as a corrupt institut…

I will not respond on behalf of myself but the Senator has described me, the Government and all sorts of people as corrupt and liars and in the pockets of people for some bizarre reason. As the Minister for Health, I must object to the Senator describing officials within the HSE, and by association my Department, and our own doctors and nurses as corrupt. The Senator has just very clearly asserted on the record that the HSE has produced a false document under pressure of Government. He stated it very clearly and it…

-----I must be very clear on the record that while I am not interested in Senator Mullen's accusations against me or the Government, his accusations against my officials, against the HSE, against doctors and nurses, and against first-person testimony by GPs here, and that it is somehow cooked up and being brought by identifiable officials in the HSE as a lie that the Government is pressuring them to do, are simply outrageous. I know he will not retract these accusations and I would not waste my time trying, but it …

It is a public document.

The Senator can google it.

The Senator can google it. It is there.

I want to bring us back to what it is we are doing with this legislation. I would like to read first-person testimony from a Dublin midwife: Dear Stephen, I am a midwife working in a Dublin maternity hospital. Every day I am faced with anti-abortion protests. This morning I am looking at six men, for most of the time they are men - very rarely do I see a woman. They are being peaceful but I find it very upsetting that they are allowed stand so close to us. What is happening with the exclusion zones? Surely I can co…

We have spoken to the amendments concerned with protests outside the Oireachtas, a situation which is protected very clearly within the Bill. There is a dark irony to an argument around allowing people freedoms being made from the perspective of a tradition that has deprived people, including women and gay men and women, of freedoms in our country and did so successfully for a very long time. There is also a dark irony to being lectured by individuals from that tradition on the need to respect people's freedoms. Th…

I thank the Acting Chair. I think we can all see on the record of the House exactly what was being proposed. Anyway, the first time I was compared to or linked in some way to Nazism and fascism was when I was rolling out the Covid vaccines. This is the second time now, when we are just trying to ensure that women can get access to health services without being intimidated. I also wish to make it very clear on the record that Senator Mullen may have understood and thought I was adding some of my own words to the tex…

This is a significant and memorable day. This legislation delivers on an important programme for Government promise, namely to establish safe access zones for women and service providers right across the country. Safe access zones will now become a reality in our country. Once this Bill is signed into law by the President, it will protect service users and providers. It will allow women in Ireland to access legal health services without fear of intimidation or harassment. It will ensure that our friends, colleagues…

We have discussed it. I am good, thanks.

Amendments Nos. 6 and 8 relate to religious expression. I regard the amendments as unnecessary and I am proposing to reject them. There is no expressed prohibition in this Bill on prayer, silent or otherwise. The primary intention of the legislation is to prohibit conduct aimed at impeding access to or otherwise influencing decisions in relation to termination of pregnancy services and specifically then, only within 100 m of service providers. In addition to that, no offence can be committed until a warning has bee…

I thank the Senator for tabling the amendments. The matter raised in the amendments is being debated in the Dáil, as the Senator stated. It got significant debate on Committee Stage in the Select Committee on Health. I understand the rationale and intent behind these proposals but cannot accept the amendments. An Garda Síochána has indicated it is not possible under the current configuration of the PULSE system to centrally record warnings. It must be remembered that the Garda has a long and proud record of enforci…

I want to take the opportunity to warmly welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Colm Burke, to the Department. I am delighted for two reasons. First, he is going to bring huge energy, knowledge and passion about healthcare to the role. Second, he asked some of the most difficult questions at the health committee, and now he will have to answer those questions rather than asking them. I think that is definitely a plus. On a serious note, I am really delighted that the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, is going to be j…

The Acting Chairperson might remind us of what amendment we are on.

Speak to the amendment.

Are you speaking to the amendment, Senator?

Are we speaking to the amendment, Chair?

I would like to respond before Senator Mullen comes in.

I acknowledge the contribution from my friend and colleague, Senator McGreehan. I have never heard more powerful testimony and a more obvious reason for this Bill. Put simply, what she said is this is about creating a safe space for women and their partners in sometimes very difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, people are opposing this and saying they will not create a safe space or respect any distance. They will not respect any privacy or dignity. When women are in the kind of situation that Senators McGreehan…