Regarding the tone of some of the amendments from the other side, there is very much an argument that developers are at fault. The tone is very much use it or lose it. Senator Boyhan mentioned the midlands. As a rural TD, I find that one of the biggest laggards in the housing crisis are the local authorities here in Dublin. I have followed one case, as I know the Minister of State has as an avid reader of the Business Post . It is a scheme of 103 apartments on the Old Naas Road, which were completed in 2019. They a…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is probably not his first time in here but I have been off for some months so it is my first time to see him here. I congratulate him on his role. It is great to see him getting to grips with it so quickly. If the weather was not so good I would have come out in a cold sweat when I saw the Bill on the schedule for today because, like Senator Boyhan, I spent 122 hours in committee trying to get this Bill to where it is at. I see some of the beleaguered officials are s…

I invite the Minister for justice, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to address the Bill.

I thank the Minister for a comprehensive summary of the Bill.

I understand Senator Stephenson is sharing time with Senator Noonan, if that is in order with the House.

I do not think that is appropriate.

That may be but I do not think it is appropriate to this debate.

I ask the Senator to be mindful of her language.

Senator, I ask you to withdraw that. You have absolutely no proof of what you are saying there. That is a scurrilous comment and I ask you to withdraw it, unless you have proof.

The Senator can withdraw it unless she has proof.

In relation to the architects of the Bill.

It is.

It is not a crime to come from a legal background.

I am going to ask you to withdraw that.

It is withdrawn, is it?

The Senator is over her time and she has gone on to different legislation.

We are dealing with defamation, so I will let one of the Senator's colleagues come in now.

You have gone on to the hate speech legislation.

You are out of time.

I call Senator Conway.