It will adjourn at 4.30 p.m.

As it is a 20-minute slot, I might run on a bit on the next day. I will get to bridge the two parts of the debate when we resume. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023. I acknowledge the immense contribution of Dr. Vicky Conway in scrutinising the legislation. The Bill is better for it, and there is no doubt that her legacy will carry through in the context of the many incredible contributions she has made to Irish legislation and policing reform through…

The Taoiseach may have seen videos on social media in the past fortnight showing the demolition of a family home in Newtown Cunningham as part of the existing defective block scheme. The family have had to move their children to a new school due to the inability to source rental accommodation in their own community. They are still paying a full mortgage on what is now a pile of rubble. They are also paying rent. They sent me an email with an engineer's breakdown of costs and the costs recovered under the defective …

They are the good guys.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this important proposal. Last year, the Commission proposed to add the violation of EU restrictive measures to the list of EU crimes and the proposal that is being put to us today is for a directive on the definition of criminal offences and penalties for the violation of Union restrictive measures. Before I speak about this, I have to agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett. We contrast the European Union's reaction to the absolutely wrong invasion of Ukraine with…

I have been highlighting the importance of community banking for some time and have called on the Government to expand the remit and authority of our credit unions to provide community banks. Credit unions are an important part of Irish society and many families rely on them to provide loans for family essentials such as cars, education and house repairs. There is a trust between families and credit unions, a trust that has been lacking with banks for a long time. At this point, banks are too far removed from local…

I am happy to support this motion and I commend Sinn Féin on bringing it forward. Like every other part of our health services now, the ambulance service is in crisis. I wonder at this stage if it is deliberate on the part of the Government. Is it preparation for privatisation that we are seeing in such inaction across the board? It is rule 101 in the privatisation book that one runs down services so much that citizens will accept anything as a solution, including that the private operators will surely do it better…

I am glad to see the Minister for Health is here because I have another question for him. I have raised issues around aspects of diabetes services many times over the past three years. The answers the Tánaiste and his predecessors gave on the floor of the Chamber have been generic. The promised follow-ups hardly ever happen. On 18 October last year, the Tánaiste told me the following in relation to rolling out insulin pump services at Sligo University Hospital: "I am not so sure it is a funding issue but I will hav…

How many more times does he think I will have to come here and raise this issue before the people of Donegal and the north west see any action?

It is a good job I was in a wee bit early. It is more than a year since the rushed, two-day pre-legislative scrutiny process relating to the general scheme of what became the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022 took place. On 15 and 16 February 2022, the Joint Committee on Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth heard from key stakeholders, including disabled people, on the provisions in the proposed Bill. At the time, there was significant concern from disabled people about the i…

Unfortunately, the Minister’s response lacks any definitive dates on when people can expect this Act to come into being. At this stage, and given the fact the 2015 Act has been passed and the Bills had to be rushed through the Houses, it is sad that people cannot have a date they can work towards to ensure they can be ready for the Act coming into being. This Act will make a huge difference to people. The Minister and I can make mistakes. We are allowed to do so and to make our own decisions in relation to those mi…

I had to raise them.

The key issue is to have a date for implementation. I acknowledged in my opening statement the fact the Minister delayed the introduction of the Bill due to the concerns of the Opposition. However, even with that delay built-in, did the Government sit on its hands and wait for legislation to be passed? A lot of things could have been done to get this implemented. People are waiting for this. I know the Minister is aware of that and that he is concerned about it, but people have been waiting a long time. They have w…

I was keeping a very good eye on the time.

In respect of the motion on the war in Ukraine, this was discussed at the Business Committee last week and it was agreed that it would be put back to be considered by this week's Business Committee. This is coming completely out of the blue without any consultation with members of the Business Committee. We have not seen a motion and there is no text in respect of that. I submitted amendments to the previous motion that was put forward. It appears that this is a Government motion. What is the situation? We do not e…

No, it has not.

To clarify, the motion was circulated at 12.43 p.m. as the discussion was taking place. How can a motion be circulated to members in that way?

No, it is not.

A point of information has to be put forward. With all due respect to you, a Cheann Comhairle, and to your interpretation of what happened at the meeting, you were not there. Through no fault of your own, you were not there. That is not the interpretation of what happened at the meeting last week. I was there, as were other Members. Amendments were put forward to the wording of the motion. A suggestion was made that we could have a minute's silence, rather than a motion that would be acceptable to everybody. It was…

Carrickfinn Airport in west Donegal has been regularly voted one of the most spectacular and scenic airports in the world. Unfortunately, the service currently available to the public leaves a lot to be desired. There have been constant delays and cancellations of flights, sometimes without notice, which is worrying for people who depend on the service, particularly cancer sufferers who rely on it to access treatment in Dublin. Many patients cannot sit for long periods on bus journeys to attend clinics. The air ser…