Cuirim fáilte roimh an Tánaiste go dtí an Teach. I, too, am a veteran of the Defence Forces. I served overseas and came under sustained periods of fire when I was overseas but that was nothing compared with the anger, fire and reprisal from people who engaged in that well-known practice of shooting the messenger. Essentially, as has been pointed out in the IRG report, anybody who raises concerns about sexual harassment and sexual assault in the Defence Forces has become the target of reprisal. There is a kind of rh…

In preparing these notes, I am not referring in any way to the sentiments expressed by Senators Ward or Kyne. I agree with absolutely every word that my good friends and colleagues, Senators Ward and Kyne, expressed here today. I really welcome the full statutory inquiry and I also welcome the fact that An Garda Síochána will now investigate allegations of sexual assault, including those that were made over the weekend among troops forming up for service overseas, which, frankly, is bizarre and unusual, given the t…

Hear, hear.

For the record, I will mention a social media message that was posted last night by Senator Keogan. It refers to certain officeholders in the State, including the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. On my behalf and that of Senators McDowell, Boyhan, Craughwell and Norris, I wish to publicly repudiate the tone, content and message contained in that post. It will raise feelings of alienation among many people we have welcomed to this country. That includes everyone from bus drivers to shopkeepers, to the highest officeh…

I commend the proposer, Senator Mullen, and the seconder, Senator McDowell, on putting forward this Bill. I agree with Senator Ahearn that it contains a lot of common sense. In a previous life back in the 1980s, as a young primary school teacher, I was involved in many extracurricular activities with pupils. I was horrified to note that, in later years, when my children were in primary school in the 2000s and mid-2010s, new rules meant pupils were not allowed to run or explore their environment to the same extent. …

Yesterday the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces stated that he was not aware of the level of sexual harassment and sexual violence in the Defence Forces until he spoke to the Women of Honour. The Defence Forces knew since 2000 about the prevalence and the extent of sexual violence throughout the organisation. They knew from the PhD I wrote, which was published in 2000, that one in four females was a target of sexual assault. This was confirmed by an independent Government inquiry in 2003 by the study review grou…

Hear, hear.

I thank the Minister for coming in here today. I thank my colleagues in the Seanad for proposing this motion and for the work that they have done, notably Senator Seery Kearney, who has done great work in this area, and Senator Ward. I have seen Mr. Mick Finnegan. I live not far from where I have often seen him standing on the footpath. I salute him and commend him on his bravery and moral courage. He should not have had to do what he has done. I will expand on that. When I read the report and look at the recommend…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I am seeking a statement from him on Department of Education Circular 0038/2007. The circular applies to primary school children who have a specific speech and language disorder. I raise this matter because the circular, which dates from 2007, needs to be updated. It is 16 years old. It consists of three paragraphs. The introductory paragraph sets out the criteria for admission to a special class and states that the child must satisfy the diagnostic criteria fo…

I appreciate that the Minister of State has not heard my four-minute contribution until this morning. However, I know that he has heard me. As parents and carers in Ireland we are confronted with a situation where progressing disabilities in the community has failed. I received an on the record statement to that effect from the former CEO of the HSE, Mr. Paul Reid. For children like Harry, this is their only opportunity to blossom, develop and grow. I am asking the Minister of State to please change that one cruel …

I echo what Senators Boyhan and Higgins have said in support of the amendment and ask the Minister of State to consider them. The Valletta Convention and the Malta Convention contain some comprehensive definitions of what constitutes archaeological, cultural and architectural heritage. While there is a task in the context of transposing and transcribing that into the Bill, it is worth doing because we have no shortage of paper and print. We are a nation that is not short of words. It is not an insurmountable task. …

I wish a happy International Women’s Day to everybody, and particularly to my female colleagues here in the Seanad and throughout the Oireachtas. I was away at the Scottish Parliament last week at meetings and I did not get a chance to congratulate Deputy Holly Cairns on her appointment as leader of the Social Democrats. That is a great development. Equally, I am delighted to see Deputy Mary Lou McDonald as the leader of Sinn Féin, Deputy Ivana Bacik as leader of the Labour Party, and no pressure to Senator Lisa Ch…

Yes, very soon, and also in Fine Gael and in the Green Party. I firmly believe that our very survival and everything that confronts us, including awful global conflict and climate change, are the very expressions of patriarchy, and our survival and the survival of the planet is really at this point a matter of the empowerment of women and girls all around the world. It is a better way to conduct all of our affairs. On International Women's Day, I want to take the opportunity to welcome the Government's announcement…

Well said.

I move amendment No. 1: In page 7, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 7 of Principal Act 7. Section 7 of the Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (2): “(3) A person convicted by court-martial in a military court should be subject to all of the same notification requirements outlined in this Act as a person convicted of the same crime in a civilian court.”.”. I thank the Minister of State for attending. As he may or may not be awa…

The Secretary General of the Department of Defence, Ms Jacqui McCrum, is a person of considerable ability and of the upmost integrity who has come to the Department and the role from a background in international finance and banking. I know that she would not mind my saying that she cut her teeth in international finance and banking in the city in London during the 1990s. I imagine, from a gender equality perspective, it would be like spending time in Jurassic Park with all the predatory creatures you might find th…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. I came here to listen to the contributions because it is an historic moment. On the day before International Women's Day, I, like my colleagues, remember Vicky Phelan and the contribution she made. As an observer of this process, it is great to see the collaboration between different parties in our Parliament - those in opposition and those in government. That spirit of collaboration in the public interest and for the public good is welcome, particularly given the polar…

I commend this amendment Bill. In my experience of dealing with gender-based violence over the last 23 years, I have learned that one of the significant features of it is the chilling effect the offence has on its reporting. Further to that, it is also my experience that prior to the advent of the terms "cancellation" and "cancel culture", in many cases where a person reports domestic or gender-based violence of any nature, they immediately are confronted with hostile scrutiny, isolation and cancellation. The word …

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for attending. Given the date that is in it, I hope it will not be a case of there being no love lost between us at the end of the proceedings. I hope to enter this interaction with a solutions-based focus. The reason I am raising this Commencement matter is the problem in recruiting and retaining personal assistants, which I am sure has been brought to the Minister of State's attention. Personal assistants help disabled citizens and the elderly, as part of a home care …

I thank the Minister of State for that. What she said about the permits is interesting because when my son's service collapsed in 2021 I tried to get a sense from the different care providers about what the issue was. Initially they thought it might have been Covid-related, which might have had a chilling effect. However that is definitely a positive development. That will help. To reiterate, the model offered by such groups as Home Care Direct is actually working. I know because we had no problem recruiting my son…