Today, there is going to be a meeting of the HSE drugs group with those living with Friedreich's ataxia and their families, who have travelled to Dublin. They are desperate for Skyclarys to be made available on the scheme. The drug is the only one that can slow down the cruel and debilitating disease that is Friedreich's ataxia. I have spoken on this before. I hope today brings an end to the fight of these families for access to the much-needed drug. I also raise the issue of legal aid. We are confronted yet again …

These amendments, in essence, make provision for a use-it-or-lose-it clause. Amendment No. 6 states: "An alteration of a permission referred to in subsection (3) shall be considered a material alteration if substantial works have not commenced 2 years from the point the permission was granted." We need this use-it-or-lose-it clause because we have a situation where people are receiving planning permission but are not actually commencing that permission. Now they will be allowed to extend the permission further on a…

I want to raise the issue of the number of women who have been killed since the beginning of this year. It is disturbing and devastating that eight women have now been killed in Ireland, which is higher than the total number of women killed in 2025. Forty women have been killed in Ireland since the tragic killing of Ashling Murphy in 2022. Women do not feel that they can flee. There are no appropriate housing supports. We still have many counties without a refuge. Even when women are in a refuge, where is the long-…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 11, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: " "Service" means the Public Appointments Service;". My amendments within this group largely deal with the establishment of the board. The Minister of State will have seen these amendments when my colleague, Deputy Gibney, submitted them in the Dáil. They are about governance and trying to strengthen the governance of the AI office to ensure its independence. Under the current drafting of this legislation, I do not think there is …

The Minister of State brought up the August deadline. We have actually had two years to transpose the directive, so we are now on a deadline, but the Bill could have been introduced earlier. I know that the two-year period was for officials to work on transposing the legislation, but the problem is that if we only get the legislation delivered at the end of term weeks before the transposition deadline, it makes matters difficult. I know that the officials do huge amounts of work in all Departments when it comes to …

I move amendment No. 3: In page 13, line 34, after “foster” to insert “ethical and responsible”. My colleagues' amendment No. 4 is the same. The Bill includes the word "foster" and we would like it to include "ethical and responsible". The Minister of State will be familiar with this amendment from the Dáil because my colleague, Deputy Gibney, tabled it. I do not know why we are not pursuing it. This seems like a straightforward amendment. It seeks to strengthen the Bill such that when we talk about fostering AI in…

I also wanted to speak to amendment No. 5. I apologise, I had not realised it was in this grouping. This is for the regulator to be able to publish its reports publicly. I think the Minister of State mentioned in the Dáil that the Bill already considers a number of provisions designed to ensure transparency and accountability in the performance of the office's function, including requirements to prepare a strategy statement and an annual report, both of which would be published. That is great but having a publishin…

I move amendment No. 5: In page 14, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “(f) prepare and publish, in such manner as it sees fit, reports including reports on any research undertaken, sponsored, commissioned or assisted by it,”.

I move amendment No. 8: In page 15, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “Establishment and membership of Board 12. (1) The Board shall consist of such and so many members (not being more than 11 and less than 7) as the Government determines. (2) Of the members of the Board, not less than 3 of them shall be men and not less than 3 of them shall be women, and in a case where there are 10 or more members, not less than 5 of them shall be men and not less than 5 of them shall be women. (3) Each member of …

I move amendment No. 10: In page 16, between lines 1 and 2, to insert the following: “Recommendations for appointment of members of Board 13. (1) A member of the Board shall be appointed by the Government. (2) Where a vacancy arises, or is anticipated will arise, on the Board, the Government shall, for the purposes of identifying persons and making recommendations to the Government in respect of those persons for appointment as members of the Board, invite the Service to undertake a selection competition. (3) The S…

I move amendment No. 13: In page 16, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following: “Conditions of office of membership of Board 14. (1) A member of the Board may at any time by notice in writing to the Government— (a) resign from the Board, or (b) in the case of the chairperson, with or without resigning from the Board, resign from the office of chairperson. (2) A resignation under subsection (1) takes effect on the date specified in the notice to the Government, or on the date on which the Government receives …

Maybe the Minister of State could speak to why we have chosen to pursue a different process from that for other independent State bodies, such as the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, the Data Protection Commission, DPC, and Coimisiún na Meán in this. I was speaking to amendment No. 13 but, actually, all the amendments in that list - amendments Nos. 14, 16, 18 to 26, inclusive, 29 to 31, inclusive, 33, 46, 74, 75 and 89 to 91, inclusive - relate basically to the same concepts of making sure the pro…

In answer to one of the points made by the Minister of State, I still do not understand why we would not follow models like IHREC and the DPC. The Minister of State has not answered the rationale. I appreciate that some bodies might operate with this model but the Minister of State has not explained the rationale for not copying the model for those important regulatory bodies that we have in Ireland like Coimisiún na Meán, the DPC and IHREC. I do not understand why a different process is being chosen here. I do not…

Yes.

I move amendment No. 14: In page 17, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “Casual vacancies in membership of Board 16. (1) If a member of the Board resigns, dies or ceases to hold office (otherwise than by effluxion of time), the Government shall, as soon as practicable, appoint a person from among such persons as are recommended by the Public Appointments Service in 6 in accordance with section 13# to be a member of the Board to fill the casual vacancy so occasioned. (2) A person appointed under subsect…

I move amendment No. 16: In page 18, line 25, to delete “The Minister may remove a member of the Board from office if he or she is” and substitute “The Government may remove a member of the Board from office if they are”.

I move amendment No. 17: In page 18, to delete lines 34 and 35.

I move amendment No. 18: In page 19, line 1, to delete “Minister” and substitute “Government”.

I move amendment No. 19: In page 19, line 2, to delete “Minister” and substitute “Government”.

I move amendment No. 20: In page 19, line 8, to delete “Minister” and substitute “Government”.