I thank Senator Ruane for her dedication and hard work for mothers and their babies, not just today but in the last Seanad as well. She has worked hard to bring justice to the victims and their forgotten children. Today in the Dáil there was an apology around institutional ill-treatment. The State has always had scandals. This evening, why give an apology in the other House and come in here and not support a Bill that also talks about institutional ill-treatment? I cannot figure it out. However, I will move on and …

Hear, hear.

Other Senators spoke about the tragedy over the weekend when we lost seven members of society due to car crashes. One young woman was knocked down and six more people were injured, including a child. In 2007, in my first time to ever be in a national newspaper, I was referred to as a smash crash girl; a young woman who had broken her two arms, two legs and two ankles in a really serious car crash in the year 2000. I know from first-hand experience after numerous operations, spending time in critical care and spendi…

For the past seven months, I have worked closely with the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, OPLA, on a detailed and careful Bill to tackle fake sexual images created by artificial intelligence, AI. Other parties have brought forward strong and important ideas on this issue. My Bill builds on that work and adds extra tools to protect people. It makes it a clear crime to create fake sexual images of a person using AI without the person's consent where it causes him or her harm. It also makes it a crime to ask o…

I am. I will see how it goes. I will give Senator Higgins one minute or five minutes. I will say a few words, if that is okay. May I share my time with Senator Higgins?

I thank the Minister of State for being here. When I first came into these Houses, I had a wee girl who was five months old. She is now six years of age. I remember those early days. As a member of the Traveller community, I knew that my child was at more risk of cot death than the children of the other women in the unit with me. I felt overwhelmed at being a first-time mother and as a woman from the Traveller community, not feeling good enough. I had Billy before I came to this House. I remember trying to go to th…

I rise to speak about mental health, Traveller mental health and health in general. Under the previous Government, Travellers were promised stand-alone budget services for Traveller mental health. Unfortunately, none of that has carried through for our community in the past six years. One in 11 deaths is caused by suicide. An all-Ireland health study was carried out over 12 years ago within the Traveller community. That health study needs to be updated. Pavee Point is looking for resources and funding to be able to…

I second the Bill. We had a briefing in the audiovisual room last week. As Senator Black said, many county councillors and Senators attended that meeting. Senator Ruane wrapped it all up for me last week. As Senator Black said, Senator Ruane could not get over the fact that county councillors did not have administrative supports or an assistant. This time last year, Senator Black and I introduced the Bill in the Seanad. Last week, we listened to representatives from LAMA and county councillors speak of the work the…

No, they did not.

No, they were not. A county councillor told me that today out of his own mouth. There is Senator Kyne over there and me here. If I did not have the support of my parliamentary assistant, PA, I would not be able to come in here to deliver a speech. None of us would be. We could deliver our speeches, but we need PAs to do the graft work. Why should Senators and TDs have them when county councillors do not? The majority of people in this House are voted in by county councillors, including the Senator who said that the…

Please God, all going well.

We are not looking at this as a loss. Rather, through no fault of the Minister of State, it is just how the Seanad has been doing business this year. It is something we have to take up as Senators to make this House as productive as it was in its previous term.

Yes, I just have to take a call. It is from the crèche.

Excuse me. It is not incorrect.

It is not incorrect. Do not put lies down on my neck. I spoke to a county councillor who told me-----

Bullshit. Absolutely not.

It is not incorrect; I know for a fact that is it not incorrect. Why is he allowed to say that I am giving incorrect information?

What about the three grand they had to give back last year? What about the three grand?

Will we get an opportunity to come back?

Can I come back on the incorrect comments that the previous-----