I propose, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders or the Order of the House today, the statements on fuel protests will conclude at 7 p.m. if not previously concluded; and No. 2, the Health Information Bill 2024 - Report and Final Stages, shall be taken at 7 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 1 whichever is the earlier. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The Order of Business is No. 1, Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2026 – all Stages, to be taken at 11.45 a.m., and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 1.45 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government and the time allocated to the debate on Second Stage is not to exceed 40 minutes, with the opening remarks by the Minister not to exceed fiv…

I thank the ten Senators who contributed this morning. Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about the historic legal judgment in the US regarding a case taken against big-tech companies by the parents of a minor. It was fascinating to listen to the judgment and the reaction to it As the Senator pointed out, the judgment is significant. It is a milestone decision. There are going to be implications across the world, and rightly so. In this case, the jury found big-tech companies guilty in relation to the design of the product …

I add my voice of welcome to the Greek ambassador. I had the pleasure of visiting Olympia, the home of the ancient Olympics, which is a very special place indeed. We have to remind ourselves that the Irish Special Olympics is coming up in June. I know we support all of our athletes from all over the island of Ireland who will then be taking the opportunity to compete in the next Special Olympics World Summer Games, which will be in Chile. Athens actually hosted the 2011 Special Olympics. I had the opportunity to go…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this Commencement matter, which relates to the need for a dedicated town bus for Newbridge and its environs. I want to outline first why Newbridge, one of the fastest growing towns not just in County Kildare but, indeed, in the country, urgently requires a dedicated local bus service to serve those who live within the town and, of course, those who visit it for work, leisure or to shop. Newbridge is now a major regional centre. It is home to a large population of…

I also welcome our guests and I hope they have an enjoyable and interesting day in Leinster House. I thank the Minister of State for her response and I am absolutely clear that the Minister has responsibility for policy and funding, which I would argue are the most important parts, and that the NTA has to provide the service. To be fair, I thank the NTA for its regular updates and the opportunity to engage with it always. In any year it has a number of events in Buswells Hotel and Richard Kelly is the Oireachtas li…

The Order of Business is No. 1, International Protection Bill 2026 - Committee Stage (resumed), to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business and, if not previously concluded, to be brought to a conclusion at 4 p.m. by one question from the Chair which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by Government.

We have had nearly a record attendance, and it is good to see so many Senators remaining in the Chamber for their response as well. We had 22 Senators speak, so I thank all of them for their contributions this morning. Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about being in London at two important events during the St. Patrick’s recess. One of these involved Tesco Ireland, which was supporting small indigenous producers through a Love Irish Food element. I have no doubt that this was a great promotion of Irish foods. It was inter…

I will talk a little about all of the celebrations all over the country yesterday for St. Patrick's Day. We are incredibly lucky that it is a feast day celebrated all around the world. People come together to celebrate Irish culture, music and tradition. Buildings in cities turned green. There were festivals. It is a day that highlights a sense of joy and community. It showcases the very best that we have in volunteers and in our community and sporting clubs. The parades I attended in Kildare were particularly good…

The Order of Business is No. 1, statements on Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, to be taken at 11.45 a.m. and conclude at 1.15 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes each, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes each and the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate.

I thank the 13 Senators who contributed to the Order of Business. I also welcome our very important guests in the Gallery. Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about the horrific situation in Iran and the Middle East that we are watching unfold in front of our eyes and we are all very concerned about. Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about her concern, which we all share, about the ordinary citizens, the civilians, of Iran and the surrounding countries who are being impacted and, indeed, have been impacted for many decades. The Sena…

I extend my welcome to all our guests who are here. I also wish to be associated with the Cathaoirleach's kind words in relation to former Senator Tony McKenna, who has left an enduring legacy in education and inclusion. I offer my very deepest sympathy to his family and the Fianna Fáil family in Tipperary. Yesterday, I spoke about the horrific situation we saw over the last few days in the Middle East. It is good news that at least some flights are resuming today. Having been in touch with a number of people who w…

I live among women who are in poverty and who feel disenfranchised and disadvantaged. I hear their stories every day, and I am proud to represent them here today. The theme for International Women's Day this year is "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls." There is another campaign with the theme "Give to Gain", which is really important in terms of what we can all do in order to bring other women along with us, empower them and give them a better life. Because it is International Women's Day, we obvious…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Curley. I welcome the Minister here. We all appreciate the opportunity to speak about this important issue because, no more than those in the Dáil, many of us have addressed this over the last over week or two, both on the Order of Business and through Commencement matters. I always use the term "school communities" in talking about education because there are so many pieces to the jigsaw of the education of a young person. Of course, parents are the primary educators but the scho…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for choosing the Commencement matter today and I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, for coming to the Chamber to deal with it, which I greatly appreciate. Today is such a lovely day. It is dry and the skies are blue and we would be forgiven for forgetting all about the really bad weather we had at the start of the year with all of the rain. There is something in us Irish that we tend to be positive and not to look back. However, it is really important that we set everything up…

I acknowledge the OPW is funding two engineering staff in Kildare County Council to support delivery throughout the county. I accept it is not feasible to deliver all flood relief schemes concurrently due to constraints in relation to personnel, etc. However, I was very clear that I was looking for a timeline for Newbridge and the Minister of State did not give me this in his response. I ask him for that. I acknowledge he is saying the Government is committed to progressing the schemes under the NDP. I also mention…

The Minister of State has a pairing arrangement.

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate it.

I add my voice to the welcome for the Bulgarian ambassador. I congratulate the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA, and its president, Damien Ryan, general secretary Brian Lawlor and executive. We had a really excellent evening on Saturday. A number of Fianna Fáil Senators and I were delighted to be there to support the local authority members from all around the country. It is the 20th year of the LAMA awards, the 40th year since the establishment of LAMA and the 100th year of IPB Insurance. As a result, the…

The Order of Business is No. 51, motion 1, regarding online safety, to be taken at 11.45 a.m. with the time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours.