Today in Australia, there is an outright ban on children under the age of 16 accessing certain apps on mobile phones and smartphone devices. They ran a campaign to protect their children and to ensure their mental health. Various forms of online abuse that children are subjected to on a daily basis are now treated equally in law. What the authorities in Australia have done is harvest the data and left it there. As young people turn 16, they will be able to access it again. I am not in favour of outright bans on pho…

I welcome the Minister to the House. I thank him for the work and effort he has put into bringing forward a comprehensive social welfare and auto-enrolment Bill. I compliment him again, as I did before, on the new funds of €1.15 billion that he has added as new measures across this area. It is important to say that due to the €10 increase in all core social welfare payments, no one got left behind. There is a €5 increase in the fuel allowance, which goes from €33 to €38 from January 2026, and the expansion of the f…

I propose to suspend until after the Dáil vote.

Next Tuesday.

Tomorrow morning at 9.30.

I have been listening to the debate and, on the back of Senator Stephenson's contribution, I heard something different. What I heard the Minister of State say - I hope she will correct me if I am incorrect - is that this period is to ensure that the medication has worked and that the person has had time to recuperate so that any decisions made are made in the best interests of the individual. If I have heard the Minister of State incorrectly, I ask her to please clarify.

It is good to see the Acting Leader in the chair. I concur with my colleague, Senator Conor Murphy, in relation to having a debate or conversation on the new national tourism policy that was launched during the week in Mullingar. I compliment the Minister, Deputy Burke, on the work that he and his Department have put into it. Coming from Portumna, as I always tell Senators, on the banks of the Shannon, I am on the fringes of the Hidden Heartlands, but just inside in the city I have the Wild Atlantic Way. I jokingly…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, for being here. I am sharing time with Senator Paul Daly, ten minutes and six minutes.

My colleague Deputy Paul Daly and I are glad of the opportunity to speak to the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2025. I want to start far away from Acts and Schedules. I want to start in a kitchen along the Shannon on a wet night when the rain is hammering on the roof and the phone pings with another yellow or orange warning. The first thing people do is check the OPW app and the Waterways Ireland app and then ring a neighbour to ask what it is like at the bridge in Portumna. They might look out acros…

That is okay. We have to speak honestly about the financial cost and how it feeds into the fear. Dealing with or getting insurance can be impossible for homeowners. When we strip everything back, we have the uncomfortable answer about the laws from the 1930s and the related guidelines. In 2025, the Shannon is still being managed by means of a legal framework that was written in the 1920s and 1930s. I refer, in particular, to the Electricity Supply Board (Supply) (Amendment) Act 1934. The real day-to-day rules are i…

I thank the Minister of State. Is it okay if I share some time?

I can only speak? Okay. I thank the Minister of State for his genuine response and for bringing the human element into his response as well. I had read through the speech and I am glad that he blended our contributions into his response as an acknowledgement of the richness of the contributions that were made here today. This is only a start. This is opening a conversation. The conversation that was brought to the floor today in response to this amending Bill on Second Stage was around flooding and about the two fl…

I welcome the Minister to the House again this afternoon for the continuation of Committee Stage of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024.

Amendments Nos. 16 and 17 are in the name of Senator Keogan, but as she is not here, they cannot be moved.

This will be a two and one.

Senator Ruane, we will certainly adhere to that now. We are just getting the Standing Orders. It was a two and one. Just give us a moment, please. Thank you.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, "That No. 12 be taken before No. 1", therefore putting the Electricity Supply (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2025 before the House. I brought forward this Bill so that, I hope, later in the week we might be able to reach Second Stage. The whole purpose of the Bill is to address the water levels around the River Shannon which have not been changed since 1934 when Ardnacrusha was put in place. I am seeking to bring forward this Bill and to have a robust debate on it. For far…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to reduce restrictions on the power of the Electricity Supply Board to carry out works concerning the levels on the Shannon Lakes (Lough Derg, Lough Ree and Lough Allen), to amend the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1934 and to provide for related matters. I thank the Leader for allowing me to move the Bill this evening. It does not pretend to solve on its own the issues with River Shannon flooding. Rather, it is a practical legislative …

On Thursday.

I thank the Minister of State for being here this evening. I thank my colleague, Senator Casey, for previously raising an issue in relation to the Affordable Housing Act 2021. It generally excludes applicants who have previously owned a property from the first-time buyer allowances and grants. Perhaps we can look at that in the future. The Act recognises certain exemptions under the fresh start principle whereby an applicant may be treated as single for housing purposes if their marriage or civil partnership has le…