The Minister is welcome to the Chamber. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I approach the Bill with a great degree of caution and circumspection, as it warrants. I have substantial personal experience in helping children from troubled homes and situations. I recognise the great difficulty and complexity that comes with such issues, especially in how we legislate on them. In this case, there are a number of tensions that merit consideration as it progresses to Committee Stage. First is the role of the …

I agree.

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. It is great to see the Minister here. I wish to raise a matter that, while it may appear technical on the surface, has very real consequences for ordinary people. I call on the Minister to make a statement on the need to move towards a more universal system where all taxable Department of Social Protection payments are automatically reported to the Revenue Commissioners. At present, our system is inconsistent. Many Department of Social Protection payments are already reported to Rev…

I thank the Minister for engaging with me on this issue. He stated that only 18,000 are affected, but informing people is not the same as designing a system that works for them. The system should not depend on whether a citizen happens to understand the technical distinction between reported and non-reported payments. Where the State can take care of this issue, it should. It is as simple as that. These payments are complex, and the complexity is being pushed onto the citizen, which is neither acceptable nor effici…

I congratulate the new Leader. I welcome Laura, Daniel and Jamie, his father and his siblings, to the Gallery. He will do a great job in the future. I wish to raise the issue of the handling of the aftermath of the Creeslough tragedy, which, I believe, warrants serious examination by this House. Last week, I attended a meeting in the audiovisual room at which I heard directly from victims' families. What they had to say was, quite frankly, appalling and compels me to speak not just about the tragedy itself but also…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit ar an tráthnóna breá seo. I felt I had to say something in Irish after hearing the beautiful Irish of Senator Kelleher. I broadly support the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) (Amendment) Bill. This is necessary and timely legislation. The nature of terrorism has changed dramatically in recent years. It is no longer confined to organised groups operating in defined territories. It is decentralised, digital, international and often embedded within networks that operate across bo…

I add my voice to the comments made today by Senators Mullen, Gallagher, O’Reilly and McCarthy on the new Bill introduced by Sinn Féin to eliminate the three-day waiting period before receiving an abortion, and to express my sadness at its being passed on Second Stage last night. With the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste standing back on this issue, it is very worrying. It is very worrying because there is no real evidence that there is broad public demand for this reform. In fact, most Irish people, even those who are i…

It was caving in.

You never listen to the pro-life campaign voice.

I was not expecting to be up so soon. I support many of the provisions the Minister is introducing in this Bill. We have been rolled into this House so many times regarding the extension of the permanent regulatory basis under which licensed premises may provide outdoor seating on public lands. The Government gave more than €20 million to provide the hospitality sector with outdoor seating during Covid. Every six months we had to come in here and extend the power, so I am absolutely delighted with this measure, whi…

Hear, hear.

I welcome my intern Noel Monahan and his mother and grandmother, Nessa Teehan and Angie Teehan. Noel has been an intern in my office over the last six to eight months. He has been a valuable asset to my team and I thank him for his contribution. I want to raise an issue that warrants urgent attention from the House and from the Minister. Last week a young mother named Grace died by suicide after spending more than a year trying to be reunited with her infant son who was removed into care shortly after his birth. He…

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

I rise to address two issues arising from recent debates at local authority level which point to deeper problems in how we approach governance and accountability. The first comes from Kerry County Council where councillors debated whether the State should collect data on the nationalities of those on social housing waiting lists. What is most striking here was not the proposal itself but the reaction to it. We heard claims that even asking for this data or discussing it would somehow fuel tensions or contribute to …

I know, but that does not matter. I saw the Acting Leader coming in today, out of breath. He is doing a very good job and I want to acknowledge that.

Hear, hear.

I rise today to echo the concerns raised by other members of both Houses on the recent Tickets.ie fiasco where the company in question went into liquidation with no warning. Even the festival organisers were unable to receive the ticket revenue that has already been paid by thousands of attendees. It is estimated that over €1 million collected on behalf of over five major music festivals has now vanished, leaving the organisers on the hook and unable to pay the staff, suppliers and musicians. Several major festival…

I rise to address the recent International Monetary Fund, IMF, report warning of the impact that artificial intelligence, AI, could have an on employment in this country. I must say that it represents a stark warning to the Government. The IMF has stated that AI could affect more than 40% of the jobs in Ireland and that Ireland is more exposed than most advanced economies to these risks. That should set alarm bells ringing, yet what do we see at the same time? We see major layoffs already happening. Meta is cutting…