Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Dublin South-Central · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“In a reply to a parliamentary question on MetroLink in April of this year, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, again stated his belief that the MetroLink terminus can facilitate any potential future MetroLink expansion to serve the south west, south or south east of Dublin should sufficient demand develop. That demand is already there.”
“A millennium and a half later, with Ireland serving as the President of the Council of the European Union, it is the same law we want to see enforced in the era of AI. In the words of the author Scott Turow, in paraphrasing The Atlantic's Alex Reisner, the bold future promised by AI has been "created with stolen words".”
“Tá roinnt samplaí anseo agam. Glacaim leis gur chuir an conradh agus BÁNÚ roinnt samplaí eile chuig an Aire ag léiriú an damáiste a dhéanfaidh sé sin. In ainneoin an méid atá ráite aige, i gceantair áirithe, tá coinníollacha ar leith ann ó thaobh forbróirí atá ag forbairt iliomad tithíochta faoi láthair.”
“Theft is being rewarded and creativity is being punished to the tune of €22 billion globally in music and film, according to the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers. The European directives are no longer fit for purpose because of the exemptions granted to train AI.”
“Cloisim é seo. Chuala mé é thar na blianta ó dhaoine a bhí ag iarraidh go laghdófaí teorainn na Gaeltachta. Bhí siad ag iarraidh díriú isteach ar na ceantair a bhí in ísle brí ó thaobh labhairt na Gaeilge chun iad a chaitheamh amach ón nGaeltacht. Bhí siad ag iarraidh go mbeadh an Ghaeltacht srianta go dtí ceantair ina bhfuil 50% ann.”
“Bhí líne den scoth sa leabhar Ag Caint Linn Fhéin , a scríobh Joe Steve Ó Neachtain, laoch an Ghluaiseacht Chearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta agus ealaíontóir ildánach, "Is é an croí atá i gceol na hÉireann a dhéanann náisiún mór den náisiún beag seo ar fud an domhain." Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam. Tír gan ealaín, tír gan chroí.”
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“Sinn Féin has listened and is acting on the needs of the Irish film industry. I hope the Government will support this Bill.”
“It would allow the Minister for culture to identify regions of low capacity and include measures in the industry development test for the section 481 tax relief to promote the development of audiovisual production outside the existing major production hubs, adding to the Minister's existing powers to apply conditions to the tax credit. This is the third Bill I have introduced in a few short months to deliver on the ten-point plan Sinn Féin set out last year for the film and audiovisual sector as part of our comprehensive arts policy. It is available to read online. Those Bills would end geo-blocking and partitionism in public service broadcasting and protect the rights of film workers and performers. The Bill I am introducing would support balanced regional development in film.”
“Screen Producers Ireland, which represents more than 200 companies engaged in audiovisual production across Ireland, put forward this common-sense proposal in its pre-budget submission for 2026. I welcome Luke Meany to the Public Gallery, who is here on Screen Producers Ireland's behalf, and thank him and his colleagues for the work they have done in promoting this concept. I also take this opportunity to thank the Bills Office and the Ceann Comhairle for facilitating this Bill and the five other Bills I have introduced so far in this term. I wish those in the Bills Office, the Ceann Comhairle and everyone else the best for the summer. This Bill is simple.”
“That is why, from 2019 to 2024, a short-term tapered regional uplift tax credit provided millions of euro to address additional costs of production in places where the crews and infrastructure are not as easily available as in Dublin and Wicklow. It is a shame that the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael Government let that uplift lapse without a long-term replacement. Other uplift schemes are welcome but do not address the regional imbalance. In its 2023 report, the budgetary oversight committee called for the regional uplift to be retained. However, the current Minister has stated that restoring the scheme is not expected to be viable due to the updated EU regional aid map.”
“Irish film needs State support, especially outside the major hubs, as is clear from the imbalance in how the industry's section 481 tax relief is spread. In 2024, 70% of recipient projects were based in Leinster and over 54% in the Dublin and Wicklow region alone, the major hub for film production capacity, with a total expenditure value of €402.9 million. As a Dublin TD, I say long may this investment last. However, compared with 62 projects in Leinster, there are only 13 in Munster, with eligibility expenditure of €25.5 million, and 11 in Connacht, with expenditure of €29 million, and just two projects in the remaining counties. Regional imbalance has long been acknowledged as a problem in the film sector.”
“Tagann an Bille seo sna sála ar ré as cuimse de scannánaíocht na hÉireann. Tréaslaím leo siúd go léir a bhí agus atá bainteach leis na héachtaí atá bainte amach leis na blianta beaga anuas. Cabhróidh Bille Shinn Féin inniu leis an dtairbhe a scaipeadh ar fud na tíre ar bhealach níos cothroime. Our job as legislators is to build on this tremendous success and to ensure that the benefits reach everyone and can be sustained into the future. Many in the film sector were disappointed when the culture Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, announced that he was axing the planned levy on streaming services, against the advice of the feasibility study. This levy could have provided €25 million annually for productions.”
“I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 to enable the Minister to identify regions of low audiovisual capacity and to include measures in the industry development test for Section 481 tax relief to promote the development of audiovisual production outside existing major production hubs. I am pleased to introduce an Bille Comhdhlúite Cánacha (Tionscal Scannán Réigiúnach a Fhorbairt) (Leasú), 2025. Irish film has gone from strength to strength in recent years. There have been Oscar wins and nominations. The success of "Kneecap", "Crá", "An Cailín Ciúin", "The Banshees of Inisherin" and other films has created much-needed employment and put Ireland on the world stage, agus ag déanamh cinnte de chomh maith go bhfuil ár dteanga náisiúnta i lár an aonaigh.”
“It should not, however, be up to voluntary groups and private companies to negotiate exemptions for tolls or the use of bus lanes. It should be the law of the land. I brought forward a similar Bill to exempt sea and river rescue teams, such as the Coast Guard, Civil Defence and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, RNLI, which are groups that save lives and were expected to foot the bill for tolls. Blood bikes also save lives and that is why I have put together this Bill. It is a simple and practical Bill. We should answer their call and ensure this legislation passes today and passes into law in the future.”
“Groups across the country provide an emergency medical transfer facility for hospitals, laboratories and other facilities. They collect donated breast milk and deliver it to maternity and children's hospitals while ensuring safe and suitable arrival. They collect blood samples from the homes of children with leukemia and return with their chemotherapy medication. That means sick children are not exposed to dangerous environments and parents are relieved of additional stress and time burdens. I applaud them. They fund all of this work through bucket collections, donations and sponsorship. I salute those who help and sponsor them, including Easytrip, which waives the tolls for blood bikes, ambulances and motorbikes.”
“It has nearly 140 volunteers, all with Garda vetting, Tusla Children First training, good distribution handling certificates from PLS Pharma, as well as the highest civilian training for motorcyclists. They say this represents the professionalisation of blood bike branches up and down the country, which is continuing apace. They are recognised and acknowledged by the other emergency services as one of their own. They are not, however, recognised by the State. Blood Bikes East supports 26 hospitals and nursing homes across the greater Dublin area and links in with the regional blood bike groups in a developing national network. Its representatives told me the organisation handles 6,000 calls annually, all of which are tracked and traced. That is just one group.”
“It stated that the legislation would allow its volunteers to focus on what matters most, which is saving lives, without the unnecessary financial and logistical burdens that are currently placed on them. I am grateful to the blood bike groups up and down the country that have shown support for the Bill. That is true of groups in Dublin, Navan, Monaghan, Mullingar and elsewhere. Many of them have contacted me in recent days to endorse the Bill. They have also shared with me their stories of what they do and have done in the past. To give TDs an idea of the work involved in a blood bike service, Blood Bikes East gave me an idea of its work as one example after I published this Bill. It told me that its members operate on a 100% voluntary basis.”
“Is laochra iad lucht na rothar fola agus thabharfadh an Bille seo aitheantas dóibh sa dlí le cinntiú go mbeadh feidhm ag aon eisceacht atá ann d’otharcharranna maidir le rialacha bóthair do na rothair fola chomh maith. Blood bikes save lives. This Bill arose because volunteers came to me to highlight that the current road traffic legislation provides no exemption from road tolls or from the rules that block them using bus lanes. Those exemptions exist for ambulances. They told me it would make their lives easier if the blood bikes could access bus lanes and have those exemptions. In response to this Bill, one of the volunteer groups, Blood Bike Leinster, stated that recognising blood bikes under the legislation is not only a matter of equity but also a step towards aligning with international best practice.”
“I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Roads Act 1993 and the Road Traffic Act 1994 to exempt blood bike operators from road tolls and from restrictions from which ambulances are granted exemptions, including access to bus lanes, in the performance of their duties, and to provide for related matters. Tá áthas orm Bille na rothar fola a chur faoi bhráid na Dála. Is Bille é seo atá ag iarraidh aitheantas a thabhairt faoi dheireadh don dream atá gafa leis an obair dheonach seo - obair ríthábhachtach a thacaíonn le sláinte an phobail trí fuil, bainne cíocha, samplaí agus uirlisí leighis a iompar ar fud na tíre chuig suíomhanna ina bhfuil siad ag teastáil go géar agus le práinn chun saolta saoránaigh a shábháil.”
“Leanann an fidleáil ar aghaidh. Tá bréagadóireacht, moilleadóireacht agus neamhaird á dhéanamh ag Fianna Fáil agus Fine Gael ar fhadhb bhunúsach pleanála sa Ghaeltacht agus níl moladh déanta acu sa reachtaíocht atá os ár gcomhair inniu.”
“Anois tá siad geallta faoi Nollaig na bliana 2025 ag an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, mar Groundhog Day nua, agus ansin beidh scagthástáil le déanamh orthu de réir dlí an Aontais Eorpaigh, agus comhairliúchán poiblí le déanamh ina dhiaidh sin. Bhí deis ann é seo ar fad a dhéanamh anuraidh san Acht um phleanáil agus forbartha nua agus theip air sin chomh maith. Diúltaigh an Rialtas do mholtaí Shinn Féin faoi phleanáil na ceantair Ghaeltachta agus ansin theip orthu an sprioc chéanna faoi phleanáil na ceantair Ghaeltachta a chur i gclár an Rialtais. Anois agus an Bille um Pleanáil agus Forbairt (Leasú) romhainn, níl faic molta sa Bhille faoin nGaeltacht. Tá sé fógartha maidir leis an reachtaíocht molta faoi chíos gearrthéarma - leithéidí Airbnb, atá ag slogadh siar na tithe sa Ghaeltacht - nach mbeidh feidhm ag na rialacha sin sa Ghaeltacht.”
“Gheall an Rialtas treoirlínte pleanála don Ghaeltacht mar réiteach. Sin a dúirt sé. D'aithin an Rialtas na fadhbanna agus gheall sé sin faoi Nollaig na bliana 2021. Theip ar na treoirlínte sin teacht ar an saol. Gheall sé iad arís sa chéad ráithe de 2022, roimh dheireadh 2022, go luath in 2023, i lár 2023, faoi Cháisc 2024 agus i lár 2024. Arís, theip ar an Rialtas. Dúradh ag an am go mbeadh na treoirlínte ag teacht go luath. Sa bhliain 2022 dúirt an Roinn tithíochta go raibh na treoirlínte críochnaithe acu agus go raibh siad ag fanacht ar Roinn na Gaeltachta. Sa bhliain 2023 dúirt an Roinn sin go raibh na treoirlínte críochnaithe acu agus go raibh siad ag fanacht ar an Roinn tithíochta.”
“County and city development plans are one of the few democratic functions where elected councillors retain full power despite the fact that over the years many Ministers in this House and developers in particular would prefer the councillors not to have that power. I do not oppose the Bill because there is a logic to it, but I do not see it having the effect the Minister expects. One of the issues with planning is the question of the Gaeltacht agus na treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta. Tá líon na gcainteoirí laethúla Gaeilge ag titim. Tá ceithre as gach cúig theaghlach Gaeltachta iompaithe ar an mBéarla agus tá an Rialtas ar nós Nero, ag fidleáil fad is atá Gaeltacht na hÉireann i mbaol báis. Tá bánú ar bhun sa Ghaeltacht toisc srianta pleanála agus géarchéim tithíochta agus níl faic a dhéanamh faoi.”
“This Bill is not as earth-shattering as was presented and may in fact not even deliver any new homes especially given the Minister's announcement at the weekend of new dog-box sizes. Very few developers will turn down the extra golden eggs laid by the Government for them and will start all over again. They will modify their plans rather than go ahead with plans and look for an extension as predicted in this, if they have been caught up in a judicial review. For years there has been a blame game about judicial reviews. Judicial review is quite an expensive thing for any residents' association to undertake, costing €50,000 at least. Most judicial reviews have been won on the basis of material contraventions of development plans.”
“The EU-Israel association agreement must be suspended, as I have called for in the House for more than a decade, particularly now that Israeli breaches have been confirmed by the EU's own review. The genocide planes flying through Shannon Airport and over our heads, with bombs destined to calculatedly kill innocent Palestinians, must be stopped and inspected. We must do all we can to stop the slaughter. Saoirse don Phalaistín.”
“Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union commits the EU to contributing to the strict observation of international law. Central banks are obliged, under Article 127 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to contribute to achieving such objectives. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and our Central Bank say it is against EU rules to have regard to international law and that it must continue to facilitate Israeli war bonds, which, in fact, the report last week of the UN special rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, stated had bankrolled the devastation. Her report outlines in detail how corporations are making a killing from the industry of death and occupation, including tourism services such as booking.com and Airbnb. The occupied territories Bill must include services.”
“In Gaza alone, 60,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel and more than 130,000 have been wounded in the space of 20 months. Israel is, without question, the principal source of regional instability in the Middle East, yet European Commission President von der Leyen, in her phone chat with the war criminal Netanyahu, signalled that the EU agreed that the state that Israel had just attacked - Iran - was the principal source of regional instability. The EU treaties are clear that utterance by the Commission President on foreign and security policy must be consistent with positions agreed by the Foreign Affairs Council, which means the Irish Government. Shockingly, I have not heard the Minister yet say whether von der Leyen acted outside of the EU treaties unlawfully, eroding our sovereignty.”
“One state stands apart as a uniquely dangerous nuclear rogue state run by a wanted war criminal facing charges of genocide before the International Court of Justice. It is a state engaged in acts of terror throughout the Middle East, including illegal occupation, settlements, apartheid, annexation, ethnic cleansing, the use of starvation as a weapon of war, the use of aid distribution centres as locations for massacres accounting for 80% of the casualties in the past two months, the bombing of hospitals, refugee camps, residential areas and schools, the targeting of journalists, acts of aggression in contravention of United Nations charters, attacks on neighbours, piracy on the high seas and even shooting at Irish soldiers.”
“There is a whole range of other aspects. The one concerning Kilmainham was corrected by my party colleague Deputy Máire Devine. The State was forced to act because the people moved in. It is the same in terms of Moore Street and many other places around the country that this and previous Governments sought to destroy. I urge people to support this. Outside the debate tonight, I urge the Government to rethink this, sit down and embrace other ideas. I was one of those on the Moore Street advisory committee and the centenary committee. In fact, I was one of those, like many other Deputies, who put forward many imaginative ideas, some of which were accepted and some of which were not. I was not hurt by that. I am hurt, though, by the fact that Micheál Martin thinks he can put first-class retail units into the GPO.”
“Let us remember that Easter Monday was the date the Rising started. The Rising did not finish in Enniscorthy on the day it started; it continued thereafter. There is a whole load of other inaccuracies. Sinn Féin was founded in 1905. I am sorry, but that is even before Fianna Fáil. Maybe the Minister does not know that history.”
“I appeal to it to stop fumbling in the greasy till and adding the halfpence to the pence, and encourage it to embrace the vision of a vibrant, visionary, inspirational, cultural, historical and artistic quarter, not just in the GPO but also in the area of the Moore Street battlefield. I ask the Government to correct history. The national monument now comprises 14-17 Moore Street but at one stage, until a previous Government went to court, the national monument comprised the whole terrace. The Government was forced to expand beyond 16 Moore Street, which it had first, only because of public pressure to include 14-17, and part of 18. The Government has denied 10 Moore Street. There is a whole load of other inaccuracies. Enniscorthy did hold out. It did not hold out until Easter Monday, but until the Monday after Easter Monday.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí ar fad a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht seo agus leo siúd san Áiléar atá ag féachaint ar an díospóireacht. Is léir go bhfuil gá le díospóireacht agus tá sé go maith go raibh díospóireacht againn sa Teach. Is trua go raibh orainn díospóireacht a dhéanamh de bharr an chacamais a tháinig as béal Mhicheál Martin. Tá deis againn díriú isteach ar an gceist seo. We have an opportunity. We should be considering the future use of the GPO. That debate should have started in this Chamber when An Post decided it was pulling out of the offices in the GPO. What has been presented thus far has shown, as Deputy Gannon said, a failure of imagination. We have set out our ambitious and unapologetically patriotic vision for the GPO. The Government has not done that thus far.”
“The GPO could form the heart of that 1916 cultural quarter, not only as a museum and as a space for artistic and cultural events, but also as the signature headquarters for a vast array of cultural agencies whose offices could be accommodated in its huge 25,000 sq. m expanse. Instead of the State paying extortionate rent to private offices to house public bodies like the Arts Council, Foras na Gaeilge and other agencies in offices spread across this city, we could save money and promote best practice and the cross-pollination of creative ideas by bringing them together under one roof, the roof that gave birth to the Republic. Tá tús curtha leis an gcath chun Ard-Oifig an Phoist a chosaint. The fight to save the GPO has started; a fight we intend to win for those who came before us and those who will come after us.”
“No other country that fought for its freedom would have a government that is so blatantly desecrating its hallowed ground, choosing the profits of private developers over the memories of those who gave everything for Ireland. Ireland’s revolutionary history is an asset to be cherished, protected and enhanced as a driver of regeneration. In any other city in the world, we would see visionary, ambitious plans to develop the GPO and the surrounding areas, preserving our rebel history with a national museum, arts and culture, education, tourism and homes to make it a living, breathing space. I have set out in my Ceathrú Cultúir 1916 Bill what a cultural historic quarter could look like, preserving the Moore Street battlefield site in its entirety and implementing the masterplan of the Moore Street Preservation Trust.”
“If that is the timescale for what Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael consider “accelerated delivery”, will any of us live to see the planned new museum in the GPO? The Government’s amendment describes their “accelerated delivery … to drive urban regeneration” in Dublin. That will surely come as a slap in the face to those communities who have waited 15 years, and much more in many cases, for regeneration of their decrepit and unsafe flat complexes, considering this Government is now withholding funding for those essential repairs. The betrayal of the GPO and Moore Street is symbolic of the betrayal of the ideals of 1916. We will not stand for this betrayal. Was it for a Starbucks that all the blood was shed? Or for Carroll’s Irish Gifts, no harm to them?”
“40 Herbert Park, home of The O'Rahilly, was demolished in a dawn raid for luxury apartments in 2020. The historic Moore Street terrace where the leaders of 1916 made their last stand after evacuating the GPO is left to rack and ruin, rotting under an accumulation of tacky phone repair shops and dereliction, with a green light from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to an English property developer, Hammerson, to demolish part of the historic battle site to build guess what? Another shopping centre. It is a case of delete, delete, delete. What of the paltry 1916 commemorative centre that was supposed to appear at 14-17 Moore Street to open in 2016 as part of the centenary events? We are still waiting.”
“Sinn Féin's motion calls on Government to ensure that no more of Ireland's republican heritage is subject to wanton destruction for private profit and that the full heritage and cultural potential is honoured and realised. The Government’s countermotion wants to delete that. It also wants to delete "the status of the GPO as a national monument defended in arms" and "the sacrifice of the men and women of 1916, who fought and died in the GPO, Moore Street, across Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland, so that Ireland may be free". As usual this Government wants to delete, delete, delete. Frascati House, home of Edward FitzGerald was demolished for a shopping centre in 1983. Nos. 124 and 125 Stephen's Green West, home of Robert Emmet, was demolished for an office block in the 1980s. No.”
“Ba dheis an rún seo don Rialtas seasamh linn agus deimhniú "that no part of (the GPO) be made available for private commercial profit", ach in ionad sin tá an Rialtas ag iarraidh na focail sin a scriosadh. Clambering around to find a rock to hide under Government TDs have tried to say that Sinn Féin would shut down shops nearby and around the GPO. Nothing could be further from the truth. We want to revitalise the area and bring people into this part of the city. We want the shops on Henry Street and GPO arcade to thrive. We want an end to the State-supported dereliction of the Moore Street battlefield site and the southside of upper O'Connell Street. We want to ensure no part of the General Post Office where the Irish Republic was proclaimed on Easter Monday 1916 is turned into shops and offices for private profit.”
“Another clanger from Micheál Martin’s pocket, the man who has backed the destruction of Sráid an Mhúraigh, Moore Street, and whose Government colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, only last week said the naming of the new children’s hospital in honour of the most senior-ranked woman of the 1916 Rising, Dr. Kathleen Lynn, who founded the first children’s hospital, was "too complicated". Of course, Fine Gael will back Martin's commercialisation of the GPO, given that it wanted the people of Ireland to commemorate the Black and Tans. Mar a dúirt Pádraig Mac Piarais ina dán "Mise Éire", "Mór mó náir: mo chlann féin a dhíol a máthair".”
“The people of Ireland are rightly proud of Ireland’s rebel history, ach go háirithe anseo i mBaile Átha Cliath, where despite the odds, the brave republican forces took on one of the most, if not the most, powerful military force at the time, and struck a blow for freedom. The GPO is the most iconic site of Ireland’s fight for freedom. It is where Pádraig Pearse read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic aloud at Easter 1916. It was therefore understandable that there was public outcry last week when the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, announced his intention for a redeveloped GPO to include “first-class retail and office components”.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes: — the sacrifice of the men and women of 1916, who fought and died in the General Post Office (GPO), Moore Street, across Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland, so Ireland may be free; — the status of the GPO as a national monument, the headquarters of the 1916 Easter Rising, and the place where the Irish Republic was proclaimed on Easter Monday, 24th April, 1916, and defended in arms in the following days; — the central role of the GPO in delivering postal services to the people of Dublin for over two hundred years, since it opened in 1818, as an early home from 1928 of 2RN, which pioneered broadcast media in Ireland and evolved into RTÉ, and as the historic heart of a communications network connecting communities across the nation; and — the consistent, widespread and negligent destruction of Ireland's republican revolutionary history presided over by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments; expresses: — dismay at the failure to deliver the promised 1916 Commemorative Centre at 14-17 Moore Street, nine years after it was meant to open for the centenary of the Easter Rising; and — alarm at the plans announced by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin this past week, to turn part of the GPO into retail and office components; agrees that any plan involving the GPO must include the entire 1916 battlefield site, of which it forms a part, and that therefore, Ministerial consent must not be given to the current plan by the private developer Hammerson, which would demolish much of the Moore Street 1916 battlefield site around the National Monument 14-17 Moore Street, and the promised 1916 Commemorative Centre at 14-17 Moore Street must proceed without further delay; and calls on the Government to ensure that: — the GPO remains in full public ownership and control, and that no part of it be made available for private commercial profit; — the GPO continues as a public office of An Post, a function it has fulfilled since its construction, and its reconstruction following the 1916 Rising, and which it still fulfils successfully today, enhancing O'Connell Street and the North Inner City; — Moore Street in its entirety, including the terrace at 10-25 Moore Street, should be conserved, and sensitively developed as a cultural historic quarter, cherishing its 1916 Rising heritage and its street-trading tradition, in line with the vision of the Moore Street Preservation Trust; — no more of Ireland's republican heritage is allowed be subject to wanton destruction for private profit, and that the full heritage and cultural potential is honoured and realised; and — the Ceathrú Chultúir 1916 Bill 2021, is enacted without delay.”
“I thank, in particular, Deputies Nash, Rice, Paul Murphy, O'Gorman and Catherine Connolly for cosigning the Bill, as well as the LGBT restorative justice campaigners. Curim fáilte roimh those in the Gallery today. To them I say "Well done". I also thank the legal drafters, Ms Céile Varley and Mr. Cillian Bracken, the law firms Goodbody and Clifford Chance, and everybody else who contributed to the legislation.”
“I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to make provision for a process for the disregard of certain historic criminal convictions arising from consensual sexual activity between men; to amend the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014; and to provide for related matters. Tá fir aeracha fós ag fulaingt mar thoradh ar choiriúlú atá 30 bliain thart. As Dublin marked Pride this weekend, LGBT+ people faced slurry in Ballymena, bans in Budapest and shootings in New York. We think of them as we work to undo the past criminalisation of consensual gay sex in this State with this disregard Bill, one of the 95 recommendations of the working group's report. I thank the six parties that have signed this Bill.”
“I gave the Minister the suggestion that he not do it on a first come, first served basis. There is a basis that I outlined, so I ask him not to misrepresent what I said. I welcomed the fact that this was going to happen and also welcomed him indicating he was going to have another grant scheme.”
“The fact no venue north of Galway or west of Louth got any of the funding suggests something else is going on here. I welcome that the Minister is going to run this scheme again, but I ask him to please examine it and run it in a different way from what it looks like was done in this instance.”
“I welcome the money, as does the industry. The Minister mentioned the sports capital grants. It would be chaotic if that scheme were to be run on a first come, first served basis. When opening and closing dates are issued, all the applicants have to be assessed case-by-case based on their qualifications. The Minister or the officials can then put them in whatever order will be acceptable. This would be in contrast to saying in the middle of an application scheme, however, that it is first come, first served and hard luck to all those after number 33 that do not qualify. This seems to have been the case in this regard rather than looking to see if the money could be divided up in a more equal way, or perhaps even look at a regional distribution.”
“The main question here is whether applicants were aware when they submitted their applications that the scheme was run on a first come, first served basis. In March this year, the application process closed. There were 96 applicants, some of whom, although we do not know how many, did not qualify. Only 33 applicants were granted any money from the pot. Even though €5,000 or up to €15,000 could be allocated, every one of the applicants whose application was granted received the maximum amount. There is still a shortfall of €5,000 in the fund, which could have been allocated but seems not to have been. The main question is whether any of the applicants know before others about the secret change. There was no indication in advance that this was going to be allocated on a first come, first served basis.”
“This question relates to the process undertaken for deciding on the success of grant applications for the grassroots music venues support scheme funding. Was regional dispersal of awards considered? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?”
“Sinn Féin's Broadcasting (All-Ireland Service) (Amendment) Bill would require RTÉ to proactively make every effort to include the audiences in the North, and where barriers exist due to competing licensing rights, Coimisiún na Meán and the Minister would have a duty to work with others to achieve the 32-county access.”
“Le déanaí, ní raibh fáil ag daoine ar an gcluiche sacair idir Éire agus Lucsamburg ar an teilifís coicís ó shin, agus tarlaíonn sé go rialta nach féidir le daoine páirt a ghlacadh i gcomórtais RTÉ, nó gearrtar amach san iomlán iad ón léarscáil atá ann. On occasion, RTÉ even erases the Six Counties from the map of Ireland that it displays on its screens. RTÉ cannot erase the North of Ireland. Our Constitution is very clear: it is the entitlement and birthright of every person born on the island of Ireland to be part of the Irish nation.”
“Imagine then your shame and anger when a blank screen appears and you are told that content is not available in your part of Ireland because, more than 100 years ago, the British drew a line across the country and, more than 100 years later, RTÉ imposes the same border. My Sinn Féin colleague the MP for Newry and Armagh, Dáire Hughes, secured a U-turn from RTÉ in July of last year before Armagh athletes went on to win Olympic medals for Ireland and the Sam Maguire to boot, proving that RTÉ could have done more in the first instance. Ach níor stop sé sin RTÉ. Lean sé ar aghaidh ag scaradh amach na Sé Chontae go rialta.”
“I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Broadcasting Act 2009 to recognise the duty of national public service broadcasters and Coimisiún na Meán to proactively make efforts to ensure equal access to national public broadcasting services across the whole community of the island of Ireland. Imagine you are a proud parent living in Ireland and your child, who has dedicated his or her whole life to training and preparing to excel in his or her sport, is about to do Ireland proud at the Olympic Games or to line out for the county i bPáirc an Chrócaigh for an all-Ireland final. Imagine turning on RTÉ to see the news in the lead-up to the big day, to catch the excitement gripping the nation about your child's achievement and to watch the nation hold its breath.”
“I do not oppose the Bill but I am concerned at the direction being taken on those two points, namely, the move towards the Circuit Court for dispute resolution and the deletion of the role of organisations that represent artists or performers in respect of copyright.”
“These provisions are being deleted and replaced by new subsections (3A) to (3E), inclusive, which not only remove the role of the controller but also remove the role of the licensing bodies. An individual performer who may live off an incredibly precarious income will now have to make a case against an individual copyright owner, which may well be quite a wealthy record label. There is no explanation for this change. The Minister of State might address that when he responds. The worst thing that can happen is that we discourage those who have particular rights from pursuing those rights where they have been wronged.”
“Many musicians and performers will see going to court and employing legal counsel to pursue royalties as simply being beyond their means. If securing a few thousand euro requires investing in a solicitor and a barrister to pursue the matter in the Circuit Court, the likelihood is that people will not pursue it. The change in respect of the controller of intellectual property is not the only change. The long-standing framework enshrined in section 208 (4) to (9), inclusive, of the Copyright and Related Rights Act provides for an engagement to take place between a person responsible for playing or broadcasting a recording and a licensing body acting on behalf of copyright owners.”
“In that context, the other approach of supporting the controller of intellectual property to perform his function would have been more appropriate. The Minister is not removing all the functions of the controller under the copyright Act. He will still be able to resolve disputes regarding patents and designs, trademarks and copyright, just not in respect of sound recordings. This is odd because dealing with those other issues could also end up requiring the judicial competence we are told the controller does not have in regard to this particular issue. I have not encountered in any of the research I have done recently or in the past any complaints about the controller's role. I do not see what the problem can be. Usually, the approach is that if something is not broken, we should not fix it. I am concerned about this change.”