I thank the Minister of State. We know the work that is done on the ground. However, there is a danger. That is why I think we should use our EU Presidency. I am talking in particular about the north west. It has been downgraded to a lagging region within the EU. It is in areas like that we know there are challenges in respect of employment opportunities, building sustainable communities and promoting green ethical farming. All of those matters come under the CAP budget. It must be ensured that we have this commitm…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Dillon. Youthreach and community training centres, CTCs, provide educational opportunities for young people when mainstream education fails to meet their learning needs or is not suited to those needs. These learners often come from hard-to-reach communities and communities that are excluded and often live with disadvantage. In Youthreach and CTC programmes, learners aged between 15 and 21 work towards achieving Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, levels 3 and 4 qu…

I thank the Minister of State for his response, which is very disappointing. It is an insult, and 7% is an insult. Section 56, section 10 and section 39 workers, Tús workers and Citizens Information employees all got the settlement of 9.25%. The latter are funded organisations as well, but the Government is saying that 7% is acceptable. The WRC ruled in favour of SIPTU in respect of the claim of 9.25%. It is very insulting that the Government has gone back to say that the workers should accept 7% when the WRC has i…

I echo Senator McCormack's request for a full debate in this House on domestic and gender-based violence. Such a debate is long overdue. I want to talk about a different issue. Last week, I had the privilege of welcoming a group of learners from the Sligo and Leitrim community training centres to Leinster House. There are more than 31 community training centres across the country. They cater for young people whose needs were not met in school or else school was unsuitable for their needs. These learners engaged act…

The Labour Party wholeheartedly welcomes this legislation. It is a testament to the bravery and resilience of the French family, who have campaigned so strongly for this absolutely necessary legislation. Their advocacy for Valerie's legacy and for her children has been powerful and moving to see. I thank David and Veronica, who are in the Gallery. We hope to see this Bill being progressed quickly. We also need to make sure that this legislation is watertight. It is vital that we get this right. With this in mind, I…

I offer condolences to the Minister of State on the passing of his siblings, one of whom I knew, Matt.

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

I have just heard the good news about Senator Ahearn. I congratulate him. I am delighted for him. All of his family are very welcome. It is great news. No better man. He deserves it. Well done. I want to raise the recent welcome news about having repeat contraception prescriptions for women. I would urge repeat prescriptions would happen for people who use HRT. This is something I am affected by, which is why I wanted to bring it up. The people in my local pharmacy in Sligo asked me to raise the fact that between 1…

Tairgim leasú Uimh. 1: Ar leathanach 13, idir líne 3 agus líne 4, an méid seo a leanas a chur isteach: “(7A) Féadfaidh an tÚdarás leas i maoin agus réadmhaoin a cheannach nó a fháil ar mhaithe le tithíocht, seirbhísí, nó áiseanna sóisialta nó cultúir a chur ar fáil ar cibé téarmaí agus faoi réir cibé coinníollacha is cuí leis.”. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Labhair mé faoi seo an tseachtain seo caite. Ba mhaith liom labhairt faoin leasú seo a chuirfeadh feabhas mór ar chearta daoine a rugadh agus a tógadh sa Ghaelt…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I dtús báire, fáiltím roimh an obair atá déanta aige ó ceapadh ina Aire é. Is mór an trua é seo a chloisteáil, áfach. Tá díomá orm nach dtacóidh an tAire leis an leasú seo. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil fadhbanna móra maidir le tithíocht sa Ghaeltacht. Tugann an leasú seo níos mó deiseanna don údarás freagraí níos praiticiúla agus níos dírithe a bheith aige do na fadhbanna tithíochta atá os a chomhair. Tá a fhios agam nach n-éireoidh leis an leasú ag an am seo, ach gabhaim buíochas leis…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I will raise this today because it is very personal to myself. I have osteoarthritis in both my knees. It has been gradually getting worse. I will give some figures about it. More than 577,800 people are living in Ireland with chronic joint pain and restricted movement as a result of osteoarthritis. People living with osteoarthritis experience a much poorer quality of life than those without. I have unfortunately learned this. I was lat…

I thank the Minister of State. Given her husband's condition, she knows about this issue. It is a condition that gets worse as it goes on. Times have definitely changed with regard to treatment, and it is now done through education. Both my mother and father have had knees and hips replaced. However, my mother would have been told not to do any exercise, whereas we are at least told that much now. What is interesting with the GLA:D programme is that because it is a group exercise and it is done in primary care cent…

Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit as a post nua. When the topic of autonomous weapons comes up for discussion, as it increasingly does, many people of my age get a flashback to the Terminator films, which saw a time when travelling cyborg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was sent back to 1984 to assassinate Sarah Connor. The AI identifies and kills women called Sarah Connor in the knowledge that it will eventually get the right one. It seemed very far-fetched to me when I was growing up in Bandon in County Cork in 19…

I again raise the issue of funding for local government. This month's meeting of Sligo County Council heard that due to the war in the Middle East, the costs of road-building materials have increased by 25% to 30%. We all see the impact of it through the rising fuel costs, but often we do not think about the effect of the rising cost of by-products, such as petroleum tar, on local government. My former colleagues in Sligo County Council were told by the director of services that because the price of material costs …

I am sharing time.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I pause to remember Jennifer Poole and Valerie French. I welcome Joe, Jason and David to the House and thank them for all of the important work they have done. I also thank Fianna Fáil Senators and TDs for bringing forward this important legislation. The Labour Party is very happy to support it. The idea at the heart of the Bill is a simple one. People should have a chance to find out if their partner has a history of domestic violence. We can all agree that this is a very worthy and se…

I move amendment No. 6: In page 7, to delete lines 8 to 10. The Labour Party really wants to see infrastructure improved. We recognise there has been a serious deficit in infrastructure and infrastructure projects in this country but we do not think this Bill addresses the root causes of that, which include poor planning, weak oversight and lack of staffing in relevant Departments. Overall, we cannot support the Bill. Not only do we believe it grants too much power to the Minister, and we are not simply talking abo…

Can I come back in?

Yes.