I thank the Minister. I will go back over the criteria for free travel. One can get a free travel pass if one is in receipt of disability allowance, blind pension, carer's allowance or invalidity pension. Leaving out the domiciliary care allowance is an anomaly in itself. It is quite unfair. The domiciliary care allowance is provided to parents and guardians of children under 16 who have a severe disability and who require substantially more care and attention, which involves more costs, than a child of the same ag…

I welcome all of these changes but I will go back to the issue. These children are under 16 years of age and have severe disabilities. Their parents and carers are put to the pin of their collar both financially and emotionally. Allowing them a free travel pass would not only ease the financial burden, but ease the transition. As I was saying previously, this is particularly the case in urban areas. It is no good to anybody in a rural area because we do not have a sufficient transport system. This should be a prior…

There is no doubt that everyone has come into the Chamber to talk about the RTÉ programme. As a daughter who had a father in residential care, and as a sister who has a 55-year-old brother in residential care with Lewy body syndrome, I actually could not watch the programme. Like many people who have a parent or a member of the family in residential care, we are often overridden by guilt. Even when it is the best option for our loved ones, we often wonder whether it is the best solution or whether we could have don…

The Deputy should allow the Minister to speak.

The Deputies should allow the Minister to conclude.

The Deputy should not interrupt.

The Deputy should allow the Minister to speak.

The Deputy should allow the Minister to speak.

Deputies should please calm down and allow the Minister to finish.

The Deputy should please allow the Minister to speak.

Deputy Doherty should please not interrupt.

I call Deputy Cronin. The Gallery must be silent.

I will suspend the House for five minutes.

I call Deputy Cronin.

Thank you, Deputy.

On a point of clarity, Salient Ruling 751 states that the Gallery must be silent at all times. They were asked twice to be silent and they continued. Therefore, there was no option but to have them removed. Everybody has the right to speak here, to be heard and to be treated respectfully. It goes for the Members in the Chamber and for those in the Gallery.

I welcome the news that the general scheme of the criminal law and civil law Bill 2025 has now received Cabinet approval. Will the Minister commit to the removal of the provision that allows for counselling notes to be used in all legal proceedings?

I thank the Minister for that comprehensive answer. I understand fully the conflict he will face in trying to balance these rights. However, I want to point out the purpose of counselling notes. These notes are confidential. The are about helping victims on the road to recovery following a very traumatic and harrowing experience. The very idea that these notes could be exposed to the accused side, or indeed be used by the DPP to prove a case, is traumatic for them. Many counsellors, groups and victims have come to …

I fear I am being repetitive on this issue. However, I am very passionate about it because I am aware of the trauma it causes victims. While I understand the legislation will give power to the judge to use his or her discretion on whether to allow these documents to be accessed by any defence team, it will be very subjective. It will put the victim in the position, prior to any trial, of entering into the zone of the unknown and potentially having his or her details relived in court. That in itself could be an impe…

I raise the lack of a driving test centre in Drogheda town. Louth Deputies have beaten a path to the RSA over the years and have continuously raised this issue in the Chamber. All they have ever received are generic replies stating that the Office of Public Works, OPW, and the RSA are continuing to try to find a suitable site. It is on record that a number of these sites have been proposed, yet nothing seems to please the OPW or the RSA. It beggars belief that despite the suggestions from various TDs, including my …