I too welcome the Slovenian ambassador. It was lovely to meet him and of course his team. I know that when James Joyce lived in the nearby city of Trieste, there were many visits across the border. I spent a night or two in Slovenia - not unexpectedly - and had a really lovely experience. Happy Independence Day to all of you and to all the Slovenians who live here in Ireland. The Order of Business today is Nos. 1 and 2, motions regarding the continuance of certain provisions of the Offences Against the State (Amend…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. We are getting away lightly this morning. Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use and the report it brought out yesterday. Many meetings took place and 161 recommendations were made, which hopefully will help to guide us to a health-led approach, which is important. I thank Senator Fitzpatrick and to all who served on that committee. I also thank the members of the citizens' assembly, chaired by Paul Reid, for their work. I thank all those who gav…

I am thinking of all of the Poole family now. Jason has become someone that I know well at this stage. We have become friends. I am thinking in particular of Nevaeh, Jennie's daughter. Just before we came in, Jason was chatting about the family and where they are at. He said she had her last day in primary school and her graduation but it was a really difficult emotional day for her because she was one of the few there not to have her mam. That is a very difficult place for anyone to be in but Nevaeh can rest easy …

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I have no doubt that aside from his professional commitment to this, it must have a personal impact on him as well. I thank him for prioritising it. My former Seanad colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, was very much to the forefront in drafting a Private Members' Bill. I would like to thank her for all the work she has done. That is not to take away from the Minister of State, Deputy Troy's absolute commitment. He prioritised this and I thank him. This is s…

I second the motion.

I thank my colleague Senator Fitzpatrick for proposing this motion, as well as our colleague, Deputy Paul McAuliffe, in the Dáil who has done extensive work on this matter. As Senator Fitzpatrick has outlined, many of the Dublin councillors in particular have been involved in helping to develop a policy that would absolutely support, in their instance, the city of Dublin. What we are proposing here is something that possibly could be brought in right around Ireland. Again, it would be totally up to those who are el…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, for coming to the House - in fairness, he is always ready to step up and serve in whatever way he can - but I am disappointed the Minister for Defence is not taking this Commencement matter. I have tabled a number of Commencement matters about the Curragh over the past year and the Minister has never come in to take any of them. I had the opportunity to speak to her briefly about it, as well as communicating via numerous emails. The situation in the Curragh is absolutely …

I certainly welcome the continued engagement with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which has undertaken an initial scoping and I believe this is the way forward. I am also pleased to hear that there was a meeting between the Department of Defence and the National Parks and Wildlife Service on Wednesday last and the fact that it was positive. This cannot come soon enough. My strong message coming back from here is that those appropriate next steps will not only be identified but will be implemented. It is of…

I formally congratulate Senator Ahearn on taking up his position. I had the opportunity to congratulate him on Thursday in his absence, but it is important that I do it again, particularly in the presence of Laura, Jamie, Daniel, his dad and his siblings. It is a great honour indeed for him. I have always found him to be very fair, very engaging and very receptive. He absolutely has the ability to make decisions, and that is something we all have to learn. Also, he has a great presence about him. Meeting dignitarie…

I extend my warm welcome and congratulations to the ambassador. It is lovely to have her here again. It is a lovely country. A delegation from the Joint committee on European Affairs visited Luxembourg recently and was very impressed by all whom they met and all that they saw. I was not part of the delegation but we look forward to the continued friendship between our two countries. The Order of Business is No. 1, Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, which is changed from Crimin…

You call and we will be there.

I thank the 17 Senators who contributed on the Order of Business. As Deputy Leader I add my voice to the congratulations to Senators Ahearn and Byrne. In the month or so since the by-election in Galway, I have been working closely Senator Ahearn. We have worked very well together and I look forward to that continuing. It is also really important we have co-operation not just between the two Government parties that are in coalition but that we have co-operation and work effectively with the leaders of all the groupi…

The part of the hospital that has 14 step-down beds and 40 staff is closing. That is very concerning because step-down beds are hugely important and are keeping the beds open for those who need acute and emergency care. While we have people who are not able to go home and live independently for a short period, we have to have step-down beds. The Senator said that the fact that clinics, doctor on call and ambulance services are also located there means it is a very important part of Drogheda and she is right that we…

In terms of the comment, you used the words "caving in".

Sinn Féin had every right to bring this motion forward. It was a separate motion. The similarity with the Social Democrats' motion was the issue of the three-day wait but there were two separate motions. Sinn Féin, or any party, has the right to bring in a motion it wishes to have, so we cannot condemn anybody for bringing a motion in that is within Standing Orders. Senator Murphy O’Mahony spoke about Men’s Health Week and the fact men are sometimes slow to get things checked out. The motto of the campaign this yea…

It gives me great delight to welcome my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Ardagh. It is the first time I have had the chance to address her formally and officially as Minister of State. As a former Senator, she has a special understanding of, and support for, the Seanad. I wish her well in her important portfolio and congratulate her. On behalf of Fianna Fáil, I welcome this debate. Fianna Fáil will not oppose the Bill. I acknowledge that the motivation for this Bill is grounded in humanitarian pri…

The Leader and many of the Senators present will have listened to me speaking about the much-needed second bridge for Newbridge. Today, I feel like shouting from the rooftops that we have been awarded upwards of €20 million to make sure this bridge becomes a reality. It will be part of the southern outer orbital road and the €20 million is for the bridge over the River Liffey and a 795 m strip of road leading up to it. I thank the Ministers, Deputies Browne and O'Brien, for their engagement on this over the last ye…

As the Minister knows, just over five years ago, on 17 April 2021, Jennie Poole was killed in cold blood in just seven seconds by her former partner. Jennie had done all the right things. She had finished the relationship when she saw signs of domestic abuse and coercive control. Jennie's family, much bereaved, started a campaign at that point to make sure her legacy would live on. Jennie was a much-loved daughter of Jackie and Joe, and Joe is with us this evening. She was a much cherished sister of Jason, David, C…

Next Tuesday.

Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.