Why are they going on strike?

Tá an-áthas orm labhairt faoin rún seo anocht. Tugaim féin agus Páirtí an Lucht Oibre tacaíocht don rún seo. Táim an-bhródúil as ár dtraidisiún maidir leis an neodracht sa tír seo. Nuair a fhéachaim ar Aerfort na Sionainne agus ar an méid atá ag tarlú le blianta anuas maidir leis, ba cheart go gcuirfeadh sé náire ar an Rialtas. It is clear that there is widespread support for our tradition of military neutrality. One need only to look at an opinion poll to see that. My concern around the triple lock does not relate…

This country should not be politically neutral in the face of illegal wars, whether they occur in the Middle East or Ukraine. I do not believe we ever have been. However, in this more unstable, unpredictable, dangerous and violent world, our military neutrality is more important than ever. It has deep support among the Irish people. Every opinion poll states that. It has been a centrepiece of our foreign policy since the Second World War. It has enabled us to play a unique role on the world stage. It has been an ac…

The Deputy is over time.

Deputy Gogarty is due to be next, though Deputy O'Flynn is not here.

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the next weekly division time.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy John Paul O'Shea - To discuss the waiting list for orthopaedic procedures in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in Cork. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss measures to tackle the huge increases in energy prices. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the need for improvements to the Dublin to Rosslare rail line. Deputy Gary Gannon - To discuss…

Thank you, Deputy. You are over time.

Thank you, Deputy. You are over time.

Hear, hear.

I thank the Minister for her considered response. We need to get rid of voluntary contributions and move to generic school uniforms. This is something that has been done in the UK. It is much more cost-effective and efficient because the average cost of sending a child to primary school in this country is now €1,794 and the average cost of sending a child to secondary school is €2,928. With our ever-increasing digital world, apparently everything is online and it is somewhat impossible to be a member of society and…

It is inflationary.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and the staff for being so accommodating this parliamentary term.

I raise the issue of the community access support team, CAST, in Limerick, which has prevented 133 detentions under section 12 of the Mental Health Act and reduced the number emergency department presentations. It has responded to over 1,000 incidents. There is evidence for this and the University of Limerick published a report last week. It has been extraordinarily successful. It needs a dedicated core budget. It has been transformative in normalising a non-criminalising response to mental health. Will the Governm…

Hear, hear.

Do not worry. We need to have a debate this week before the House rises about the imminent report on Aughinish Alumina. There are up to 2,000 direct and indirect jobs at stake in Limerick. We cannot have a situation where the State is inadvertently complicit in the export of alumina to Russia. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Hear, hear.

It is absolutely reprehensible that planning permission has been granted for apartments on the site of the former mother and baby home at Bessborough. We have 19 mothers and 859 infants associated with Bessborough still missing. Now 140 apartments are going to be built on a mass grave. We need statements on this next week. The Labour Party has sought that. I have gone through the report myself. It is disgusting. Its language is callous. It minimises the horror and the suffering of the poor people who were incarcera…

I move amendment No. 1 to Seanad amendment No. 2: To delete paragraph (d), and substitute the following: "(d) without prejudice to section 43B(b), cooperation with one or more other law enforcement agencies in relation to the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences, being cooperation that is carried out— (i) pursuant to the Europol Act 2012, or (ii) pursuant to an international agreement or arrangement designated by the Minister by order for the purposes of this paragraph.". This Bi…

I thank the Minister of State for her response and welcome her to her new job. This is our first exchange on these issues. We are not instinctively opposed in totality to what the Government is trying to do here. We support the spirit of what it is trying to do. The issue that we have is as follows. The Seanad wording refers to criminal offences generally but it does not refer in a defined and narrower way to "arrestable offences", which is the term used elsewhere in the Bill. When the Minister of State referred in…