I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Before I get on to the Bill, I want to say I am disappointed but not surprised that the Government is going to delay this Bill by nine months. Nitrous oxide is an epidemic and will only get worse in the next nine months. The Minister's amendment tonight is symptomatic of this do-nothing Government. There is no urgency and no action. It is delaying this life-changing legislation simply because it is a Sinn Féin Bill. This is no way to govern. I am sure the Minister'…

I just want to thank everyone who spoke in support of this Bill. I thank Deputy Crowe in particular because, in fairness to him, he did a hell of a lot of work on this Bill to make sure we protect the children and the end-user is not criminalised. I thank the other Opposition parties whose members spoke in support of the legislation, including the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, Independent Ireland and Deputy Paul Gogarty. As was said, this is a common-sense Bill and it should be allowed to go on to Committee S…

There is huge demand for proper and reliable public transport. Homes are being built in my area without adequate parking. The idea is for the residents to use public transport but it is simply not there or it is not reliable. I am one of the commuters in my area who would love to get the bus and public transport in here every day but I cannot rely on it. Will the Minister give me the reasons for the delay in certain critical public transport infrastructure despite having all of the necessary planning permission in …

There are another couple of issues that I would like to raise. Major transport projects are at risk of being delayed due to the huge demand already placed on the energy grid, and we have seen reports this week in the newspapers. The Government's support for building more data centres will put more pressure on the energy grid. As we stand, 25% of all electricity in Ireland is consumed by data centres and this could increase to a minimum of 31% under the Government's plan. Putting data centres before the national int…

Speaking of things we want in Dublin Mid-West, I would like to touch on DART+ South West. There was some commentary on that this week. That DART service will bring passengers through Clondalkin, Adamstown and Lucan. It was first granted permission in 2024. Construction was expected to take place this year but has been pushed out to 2030 at the earliest. This project would enable 20,000 passengers to travel each way every hour. That will be absolutely fabulous for the people of Dublin Mid-West if it is delivered. We…

I agree with the Minister that last year was an absolutely terrible year for road deaths in our country. The number of road deaths has been steadily increasing. What steps is the Minister of State taking to reduce road deaths and improve road safety?

I join the Minister of State in extending thoughts and deepest sympathies to the 190 families whose loved ones lost their lives on Irish roads last year and the three people who have died so far this year. These are not just statistics and numbers; they are real families who had real lives and it has a big impact on entire communities. There is a crisis level of fatalities and collisions at the moment. I commend the Garda roads policing unit on its work on detection and enforcement but it needs proper resourcing. I…

I will return to drug driving. A number of people have contacted me about people driving cars while inhaling nitrous oxide through balloons. This behaviour is idiotic and dangerous. The people doing that need to cop on. Nitrous oxide is commonly known as laughing gas. It cuts oxygen to the brain and is an extremely dangerous substance generally; behind the wheel, it is absolutely lethal. I was on a debate on "Prime Time" with a colleague of the Minister of State recently and we heard of the death of a young man by …

Artificial intelligence is playing a bigger role in society today. While it has some benefits, I do not always see artificial intelligence as a force for good and I will give an example. South Dublin County Council has a system in place, and I know Deputies Shane Moynihan and Gogarty are well used to using it, whereby elected representatives can contact South Dublin County Council on behalf of constituents and get a written response which we are able to send to our constituents. Before Christmas I noticed some very…

Good timing. Give me a second.

I was trying to give Deputy Cummins a nod there. This is the third vaping Bill we have discussed. Another is on the way. This piecemeal approach is not working. A comprehensive Bill that encapsulates everything the Minister of State is looking to do in one Bill would have gone through the Houses much more quickly. While we are waiting for these Bills to be passed, our communities are suffering. In Clondalkin village, the proximity of vape shops to schools is a major issue. A person only has to walk around Clondalki…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 13, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following: “(c) the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (5): “(5A) In carrying out the powers conferred by subsection (5), the Minister shall— (a) ensure that a review of the financial supports to disadvantaged communities, identified in the Pobal HP Deprivation Index, that are affected by crime, is conducted in public consultation with individuals and stakeholders, (b) ensure that such a review is undertaken every 24 mont…

-----Cape Verde, in the World Cup. This is where I have a problem. The other problem I have with the likes of the FAI getting that funding is that it has a lot more capacity and manpower to be able to fill out the form to enable it to get the funding. I am on the boards of a number of front-line community organisations and we just do not have the capacity to fill out cumbersome forms. I expect that the Minister will not accept this amendment. I will ask him, if possible, to consider how we can help front-line commu…

The Minister did not reference what I asked. If he cannot accept the amendment, will he have a look at the forms-----

-----in order to allow front-line community organisation to compete with the likes of the FAI? They cannot compete with the manpower and expertise of organisations like the FAI when it comes to applying for funding. I am on a couple of boards in my area, including the Clondalkin addiction support programme and the Clondalkin Equine Club. The Clondalkin Equine Club is one example of a group that keeps young people off the streets. It is an urban horse programme. It has one part-time manager and there is a voluntary …

You would want to get into it yourself, then-----

You fucking muppet.

I thank Deputy Whitmore for bringing this legislation forward. I heard her on the radio this morning. You could hear that she is coming from a really good place on this and the passion she has for it. It really comes across and the Deputy is pushing an open door with this legislation when it comes to me. We need regulation. In any industry, when there is no regulation, it can lead to a wild west situation where anything goes. This is particularly worrying when it comes to animal welfare. The legislation around curr…

I have brought forward at least two pieces of legislation here this year and there have been timebound amendments to them, so we need to have a bit of urgency on this as well.

Earlier today, I received information that the State has spent over €7.2 million of taxpayers' money to defend the State against the families of children with disabilities who have not received an assessment of need under the statutory timeframe. In 2022, the High Court ruled that the Government broke the law by providing 90-minute assessments instead of comprehensive assessments of need. Since then, there have been 932 legal cases taken by parents of children who did not receive assessments of need under the 2005 …