I thank the Minister of State for coming in again this evening. I thank Fine Gael for putting forward this motion. Care for our most vulnerable citizens is such an important topic. I am proposing two amendments, however. I have moved amendment No. 1 but I will speak to both amendments. In the first amendment, I ask the Government to abandon the proposals set out in the Green Paper on Disability Reform put forward by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, last year. It is an absolutely despicable document. It is outrageous…

I did not want to interrupt Senator O'Loughlin, but I wish to raise a point of order. These amendments were submitted last week and were accepted, and there is an elision raised here that in some way they cannot be debated, discussed or voted upon. I want guidance on that.

It is to elide what we are talking about here. This is a motion about care and caring, and the State's responsibility is to vindicate the rights and not to elide or engage in elisions about who is responsible for what or when.

I did not want to interrupt the flow of speech, so I came in at the end. I thank the Acting Chair for his patience.

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

So that is a "No".

The Disability Bill was a "No" as well. Every initiative that has been put forward-----

There is no ambition.

I watch my child deteriorate every day and I am powerless to intervene. There are tears shed in my house every week. I am sorry that the Minister of State is upset but I make no apologies. My intention was not to hurt her feelings. The trauma, pain and suffering of parents, including those whose children are being paralysed for lack of intervention, is immeasurable and yet no Minister came in here this morning for a Commencement Matter debate. There is no monopoly on tears. I am sorry that I upset her but I make no…

I move amendment No. 2: After the last paragraph under “calls on the Government to:”, to insert the following paragraph: “- , in light of the wording in the amendment to the Constitution on Care in the proposed new Article 42B, to immediately ratify and implement the optional protocol on the UNCRPD.”.

Can I propose that we divide time? There is no guarantee that I will get to speak.

I thank the Tánaiste for coming in to make his presentation and I thank Senator Craughwell for sharing his time with me. I really welcome the establishment of this tribunal. As we heard in the debate in the Dáil last week, particularly in the contribution of Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, it is an extraordinary achievement to get a fully sworn public tribunal and that is the achievement of the Women of Honour and the members of the Defence Forces Justice Alliance who are here today. They came out in September 2021 and ide…

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that Committee Stage only of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 be taken today and that the Remaining Stages be taken next week. The context for this, which Senator Craughwell will elaborate on, is the manner in which very important legislation is being guillotined. It is not only guillotined with respect to the time we have to debate matters but also by way of timetabling. Even if amendments were suggested and considered reasonable by the Governme…

It is being pressed.

Tairgim leasú a 2: I gCuid 1, I leathanach 7, línte 5 go 8 a scriosadh agus an méid seo a leanas a chur ina n-ionad: “Admhaíonn an Stát go dtugtar taca don Stát, ar taca é nach bhféadfaí leas an phobail a ghnóthú dá éagmais, de bhíthin cúram laistigh den bhaile agus lasmuigh de agus laistigh den Teaghlach agus lasmuigh de. Uime sin, déanfaidh an Stát bearta réasúnacha chun tacú le cúram laistigh den bhaile agus lasmuigh de agus laistigh den Teaghlach agus lasmuigh de,”, agus I gCuid 2, I leathanach 7, línte 12 go 1…

Yes. I thank the Acting Chair. I am conscious of the time pressure for other Senators who wish to speak to other aspects of this care Bill. I reiterate what I said during last night's debate. The wording is, as proposed by the State on Article 42B: The State recognises that the provision of care, by members of a family to one another by reason of the bonds that exist among them, gives to Society a support without which the common good cannot be achieved, and shall strive [this is the word that has been used] to sup…

I just want to make a general observation to echo what Senator Higgins said. Notwithstanding the differences of views and notwithstanding the time constraints and the compression of this process. I do appreciate the listening ear. I felt that we at least had the opportunity to raise those concerns here. I appreciate the Minister's bona fides in this regard. I know the debate may have become heated from time to time, but I hope he would not infer from that any personal criticism. I thank the Minister's colleagues as…

I congratulate my cousin Senator Norris on his resignation, which took us all by surprise for all of the reasons set out here. I also want to mention Senator Ó Donnghaile and wish him and his family well. Senator Norris has been a great inspiration for me. I remember back in the mid-1980s as a student in Trinity College - before the development of Temple Bar, when the city centre was a dark place - encountering him in a horse and carriage going up Dame Street. He was shouting out the door "roll up for the Bram Stok…

I ask for the Minister’s forbearance as I intend to speak to the Fortieth Amendment of the Constitution (Care) Bill 2023. Ironically, the reason I am asking for the Minister's forbearance in this regard is that I have a caring commitment myself this evening. I will not be able to be present later to discuss it in the slot allocated to it. I will look at the record for his response. The proposed care amendment is a lost opportunity. It is not consistent with the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Gender Equal…