I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his comprehensive report on the work of the Office of Public Works and the priorities and progress statement. I also thank him for his drive and enthusiasm since he became Minister of State in this area. I will single out three projects I am associated with. First, the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin is the jewel in the crown, the greatest oasis, rated as the best - outside of Edinburgh - botanical gardens in the world. I trained there for a number of years and k…

Today, I want to take some time to thank Fórsa trade union and its members. I wish its members well. It is now in its second day of its three-day annual conference. I also wish the Taoiseach well as he addresses the conference today and engages, hopefully, in a two-way, respectful dialogue with the members of the trade union. Many Members will see Fórsa magazines in the corridors of Leinster House. I go and get them. I engage with them. I think it is a very credible organisation, and I want to support them. It is i…

I want to be concise in what I say. I wholeheartedly agree with my colleague Senator McDowell. This is as much about how the decision was communicated as the decision itself. I have raised this issue time and again. I am looking at the letter here, dated 14 May. This is not the way to do business. It is not the Minister's fault, per se , but I will come to him in a second. I welcome him and his officials to the House. Parliamentary democracy is at the core of this and this sort of thing undermines confidence in par…

There are only two more speakers.

There are only two more speakers.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this important Commencement matter. I join him in welcoming the Minister of State to the Chamber. I have asked for the Minister to make a statement on when Ireland intends to ratify the optional protocol to the United Nations convention against torture. As the Minister of State knows, Ireland signed that convention in 2017 and is the only EU country yet to ratify it. To give some background, this came about as a result of some ongoing engagement with the Mental Health Bill th…

That is very encouraging and succinct. I like the responses to Commencement matters that come from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration because they are clear. There is a great sense of clarity about them. We now have a timeline that the Minister of State has confirmed to the House, which is great. It is 12 months. It would be ideal if it could be a bit shorter but clearly there is a lot of work to do. It has to go through both Houses so there are a lot of bits and pieces to that and I understand t…

RTÉ will air an "RTÉ Investigates" programme titled "Inside the Care System" tonight at 9.35 p.m. I am highlighting it in the context of our debate on the Mental Health Bill last week and other areas of welfare. "RTÉ Investigates" spent the last year inside the family law court system documenting an unfolding crisis in the care of Ireland's most vulnerable children. It is described as heartbreaking, with the potential to cause lasting damage. In the documentary that will air tonight, we will hear directly from youn…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. Initially, I asked for this debate on the basis of the follow-up inspection report relating Mountjoy Prison for the period 28 April to 2 May 2025. I want to reference that here, because it is important. The inspection report was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in last month. As a result, we have been given the opportunity to raise it in this House. I am not going to go into the litany of abuses that have been set out or the photographic evidence contained in th…

On behalf of all Senators, I can say that we greatly respect that hands-on approach and the direct contact with us.

I concur with what Senator Gallagher said. I sit on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food and these issues are debated weekly, but I think there are good reasons for it. Certainly, within the European Union, it makes sense that we do business. That is just a general comment. I would welcome a debate in this House, but I think there are many reasons for this situation. We advocate for trade and competition, of course, and therefore we must engage with competition, certainly within the member states.…

I welcome the Minister. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Seanad Leader's Office for facilitating this additional hour of debate. It was expected to wrap up last week but a number of people did not get to speak. Thank you for facilitating that. We are talking about the response to the Government's statement in terms of the fuel and the challenges around that. At the very outset, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fisheries and indeed the equestrian sector - we must not forget that, particularly in the heart…

For those listening in here, as opposed to those who are in this Chamber, what we are doing today now is considering the Order of Business. That is our function here under our Standing Orders and under the regulations and precedents that govern the conduct of Seanad Éireann. Today we have one proposal under the Order of Business and that is submitted by the Leader's office, which is No. 1, the Mental Health Bill 2024, Report and Final Stages. So people outside who are tuning in, this proposal is that this Bill will…

I welcome the Minister of State and her officials. I thank her for the rationale around these amendments. I hope we can conduct our business as speedily as possible. We have done all the bits of debate. I can only speak for myself, but I do not envisage much more. I thank the staff of the Minister of State for facilitating us with the small, brief and concise explanatory memorandum. That helps us to digest the information and get through a lot of it. I also want to put on the record my thanks to the Bills Office. I…

I note what the Minister of State has said and put on the record of the House. It is consistent with the briefing note we all received. My takeaway from it is that the Minister of State is telling us these amendments are about being compatible with the Child Care Act, about having regard to Tusla and its current status, and about the balance between the right of access and the work of Tusla as an advocate, because it is a legitimate advocate in many cases, and parents. This is my understanding of it. I also underst…

I ask the Acting Chair to read into the record the reason for this amendment being ruled out of order because it is important we put it on the record of the House.

Is there a reason for doing that?

Okay.

I wish to move amendment No. 41. Senator McCarthy has agreed to second it. Perhaps the Acting Chairperson will clarify that. It is in this group of amendments.

I know that. I will speak on it.