We are not talking about writing a reference for a mother who took a packet of nappies because she is living in poverty. In most cases, these references are from relatives or former school principals who knew the offender 20 years ago, or from a GAA football manager or whoever. In the case of child sexual abuse and gender-based violence, they should be banned entirely because the people who carry out such offences are absolute master manipulators. They have groomed people, including adults and children, and fooled …

I was particularly talking about sexual and gender-based violence because it is a particular type of personal crime. These people fool judges as well. Let us be frank. Judges are not exactly top of the class. These references are designed to get people off. In the case of the two women I spoke to - and I know them - there were suspended sentences after character references were submitted. I want to ask about this oath of affirmation. Where was the oath of affirmation for the person standing in the witness box when …

They have.

I am not.

I welcome, on behalf of Solidarity, this Bill. It is the first Bill to advocate for sanctions against Israel. What has happened to Palestine and what is now happening to Lebanon and other countries Israel is attacking is an absolute shame on the EU and world leaders. What an indictment of the EU that, almost three years into a horrific genocide, not only does it not sanction Israel, it continues to give Israel a favoured trade status. What an indictment of capitalism generally that household name companies we all k…

Iran, sorry. Iraq could be next; anyone could be next. The Minister sees no connection between the two events, of course. Academic links have been mentioned. I absolutely agree. The Minister came out and criticised people for trying to break academic links; however, they are not academic links. Tecnium is a laboratory for weapons for the Israeli genocide in the aerospace and engineering arena. The Minister said she does not believe in BDS and clearly she does not. How else does she propose Israel is to be isolated?…

Just to make it clear, there are actually two matches. Many of us are saying "Stop the game" but it should be "Stop the games". I got an email back from Brian Kerr when I contacted him in relation to this and he made the point, which a lot of us are not emphasising, that we should not be playing Israel anywhere. We should not have anything to do with them. How can the Minister not see that? That was one solitary thing she could have done. We have to rely yet again on the ordinary people of this country to mobilise …

Eight years ago, we were pounding pavements and having thousands of conversations. We won the most important right to bodily autonomy for women in this country in history by means of the efforts of a grassroots movement. Now, some people seem to think that they can roll back that right. We are seeing signs of this even in the Dáil today in some of the comments being made. I want to talk about what the Government has said about legal nuances. In the context of someone travelling in the case of a fatal foetal abnorma…

-----because it supported Bríd Smith's Bill in the previous Dáil and now it is responding to the far right and other individuals who criticised it on the vote recently. Now, it is circling the wagons and women's rights have to pay the price. It really is shocking but it is good to bring clarity for people as to where parties stand. Let us be clear: decriminalising is to prevent women being criminalised as well for taking an abortion pill after 12 weeks or whatever in their bedroom. However, it is also to get rid of…

I have just come from the picket line on Davitt Road, where National Ambulance Service workers are on strike for 24 hours because the HSE has failed for six years to implement a 5% pay rise that they are due under benchmarking. It is not just the HSE, though. The Government is their employer. They are public sector workers and they are calling for the Taoiseach's intervention. The HSE has accepted upskilling and increased responsibilities for ambulance workers, so why is it a conscious policy to not reward essentia…

-----refused a pay rise it was because it was a deterioration in the service.

I do not know how the Taoiseach can look the leaders of some EU member states in the eye given their complete and utter disregard for what Israel is doing to the people of Palestine. I also want to mention Lebanon and the brutal methods being used there. One in five of the population has been displaced and a total of 2,846 people have been killed, 552 of whom were killed after the ceasefire. Villages are being razed with the methods learned in Gaza, such as the use of bulldozers. There is an illegal occupation of s…

Shush. People are going take the law into their own hands and organise a campaign. Stop the Game was launched last week. Many high-profile sports people, personalities and politicians are now gearing up to organise to stop that game, and I think it will be stopped. Would Deputy Ó Cearúil ever whisht, for goodness sake?

It was a ridiculous comment.

So?

You said it should go ahead.

And vice versa.

I meet them every day.

They do not.

During this whole discussion, there have been elements of déjà vu as regards Covid. I was not here but, like many others, I looked at the screen and saw the applause for nurses in the Dáil. It was the height of hypocrisy. There was applause but no pay rises. Long Covid supports have just been ended. Nurses were urged to go onto the front line. It was mainly nurses who suffered from that condition. I seriously wonder how nurses around the country, particularly those at University Hospital Limerick, and nurses abroad…