Victor Boyhan
Agricultural Panel · Independent · Ireland
“It also mentions the agrifood sector and the importance of diversification in agriculture, the maritime sector, coastal communities and fishing communities in terms of rural policy.”
“I know from my engagement with both the Department and the Minister that over 900 submissions to the consultation process were received. No Member or parliamentarian will have had the opportunity to consider the anonymised version of these consultations, which contain many good suggestions in favour of the regulations and many concerns in…”
“I welcome the Minister and the official to the Seanad. This is particularly important Private Members' business. I thank Senators Collins and Tully for setting out the background and the rationale behind their Private Members' motion. I acknowledge the Minister's exceptional commitment to rural Ireland and his Ministry.”
“I am conscious of the Minister's public consultation, and I acknowledge it and thank them for it, in relation to the Our Rural Future work programme in 2025. In fairness to him, he did not stop at that. I received a further update when I requested it from his office very recently.”
“This will come about through that process. It is for the Minister to decide. Maybe he will do so tomorrow when the regulations are dealt with. However, when Senators are in this Chamber discussing these regulations tomorrow, they will have no sight of any constituent who made a submission. That is my first item.”
“I am pleased to see Senator Byrne in the Leader’s chair. I wish him well in that job. I also wish him well in his new position as Government Whip. There are three items I wish to discuss today. First is the exempt development regulations, which are being covered extensively in the media.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,616 lines we hold for Victor Boyhan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 33.
“I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to the House. I know he takes notes, he listens and he follows through. I am sorry the Minister himself cannot be here. I will start by referencing what Senator Clifford-Lee spoke about because I fully support what she said. She lives on the ground, as does the Minister. She knows the constituency better than most. I have heard from local representatives of all parties and none there who are deeply concerned. There is a lot of mixed messaging. They represent the people, as does the Senator, which is important. I do not have any problem in developing and wishing well and success to Dublin Airport. It is critical, as its relationship with Fingal, but it has a planning history. I took the time to look at some documents from An Bord Pleanála and Fingal County Council.”
“Smyth well as she leaves the UCD school of agriculture and food science to take up this prestigious role. She brings enormous experience in horticulture, agricultural science and botany. It is a good appointment so I wish her well and of course I wanted to put Dr. Matthew Jebb on the record of this House. The parallel and the significance with the Irish Speaker in 1790 and the fact that we have the portrait of the first Botanic Gardens site here in this House is a nice and significant link. I will finish by saying, what a magnificent day today is. I urge whoever in these Houses has an opportunity, or people listening in, to go and visit this magnificent botanical oasis that is free to go into. It is an amazing place. We do not go there enough and I commend everyone to it.”
“Most people do not know that the map that is in front is actually the map of this great site at Glasnevin. I raise this very important issue to give thanks to Dr. Matthew Jebb, the director of the National Botanic Gardens, who has retired. He is a long-standing significant individual. I congratulate the new appointee, Dr. Noeleen Smyth. It is the first time a woman has been appointed as director of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, renowned as perhaps one of the best botanic gardens in the world. It ranks second to Kew in London. It is an amazing garden. Dr. Smyth will take up residence in the magnificent house in the centre of that wonderful estate. She will also have charge of Kilmacurragh Estate, County Wicklow, on behalf of the State and of course the magnificent John F Kennedy Arboretum in County Wexford. I wish Dr.”
“I was pursuing Senator Fitzpatrick because I thought she would be interested in what I have to say, but I think she is gone. I am going to talk about the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin in her neck of the woods. For the Members who do not know, in this House stands one of the most magnificent oil paintings. It is of John Foster, the Speaker of the House of the Irish Parliament in 1790. He was the man who granted the Dublin Society, now the Royal Dublin Society, the consent to establish a public botanic garden. The gardens were eventually established in Glasnevin in 1795. The painting of John Foster holding the map hangs on a wall in Leinster House. Members might have a look at it if they have time before they leave for the day. It is particularly relevant.”
“He might share with us something of the progress and the timeframe for the local government task force, which all of our more than 900 councillors would hope to hear about too.”
“We are putting a tax on everybody, including Oireachtas Members - I have no problem with that - who come to Dublin to stay in accommodation in Buswells Hotel or up the road. Everybody who comes to our city is going to pay this tax. I will finish on this. Let us go back to the kernel of the issue. We will never have true local democracy if we do not have proper, open, transparent and equitable funding for local government. I have spoken to councillors. No one has asked me or attempted to convince me to come here tonight to support this proposal. I do not know how many people actually know about it. It is right to have a debate. I always welcome a debate in relation to local government. I particularly welcome a debate with the Minister, who is ultimately responsible for driving local government.”
“However, it is better to have it right than to have mixed messages. Earlier on, somebody talked about the airport in Kerry. Someone has suggested - no one has suggested it here - that there might be an additional €5 levy on every flight coming to Dublin. What revenue would that give Dublin city? It would certainly be easier to administer than the levy being proposed. However, that is not before us here today. We have to be proactive and tease out more on these issues. The vintners are concerned, employers in Dublin are concerned, and members of the chamber and various representative business bodies in the city are concerned. People from rural Ireland who want to come to the capital city will be paying this tax. Remember what we are doing here.”
“The Minister may be able to tell us today. If he cannot tell us the content of the report, he might give us a signal here today. I think everyone here has been a county councillor, or most of us have. We have a huge interest in the local government sector. The local authority city and county councillors principally make up a lot of the electorate for Senators. Our fingers are on the pulse and we have an interest. We also live in local communities and in municipalities. We understand how it all operates. I know where the Minister is coming from. I know he is giving his best effort on this. However, I do not believe it is fully teased out. I am not suggesting he said it has been fully teased out. He made the point that it is about empowering local councils to make local decisions.”
“The Minister knows that and I know that. As the Cathaoirleach knows from some of the documents that were submitted as part of the Seanad public consultation on local democracy, when we heard from other jurisdictions and experiences, we have the most centralised local government structure in Europe. I have no doubt about that. I am in favour of subsidiarity and of local authorities raising local revenue that is retained locally. I am not in favour of some sort of ring-fenced funds whereby whatever is collected - X millions of euro - comes off your central subvention from central government. I have an issue about that. I want more devolved powers in local government. However, until we see what the Minister is suggesting as part of the local government task force, we do not know what is being proposed. We simply do not know.”
“We talk about the offer. What are the benefits here? We know that people are paying local property tax. The marketing around the local property tax when it was first introduced suggested that we would have new swimming pools, new ball alleys, new tennis courts and everything. Places would be clean, with roses going up and down the paths. That did not happen. We are paying a local government tax. People pay central taxes to Revenue. Businesses pay VAT and rates. Employers pay PAYE and meet the cost of employing people. The hotel sector and the hospitality sector are crucial for this city. It is important to remember that we need local government reform. The Minister is ultimately responsible for that. I do not doubt his commitment. At best, we have local government administration. We have the most centralised local government in Europe.”
“I had expected that voice might be heard here tonight, but clearly not so far. That is interesting because I know they are looking in here tonight. They are fully aware of this proposal and are actively monitoring it, as is their right. We are also talking about collecting a tax when we have local government, particularly in Dublin city, that has been unable to collect the derelict site levy. The Government is now suggesting it will transfer that from a levy to a tax. Why a tax? That is because there is now a great expectation that the Revenue Commissioners will collect it. The Revenue Commissioners seem to be the source of all collection for everything for the Government. That is an issue. There is not a strong track record in local government in terms of the collection of levies or, indeed, taxes. That is an issue.”
“A report and recommendations are due to come. They are going to the Cabinet. I might be wrong but the Minister might touch on that in his response. There is some suggestion that it is just Americans or well-to-do tourists who come here but every person in rural Ireland, be they from Enniscorthy or County Kildare, who comes to Dublin will be paying this tax regardless of their income. I am not sure about that. I am not sure about the equity of it. I am conscious that there are a number of nominating bodies to the Seanad. I have spoken to the Irish Hotels Federation and to Dublin business interests. The chamber is a great advocate for business in Dublin and to varying degrees there are concerns. The Irish Hotels Federation and the Vintners Federation of Ireland have clearly conveyed to me that they are totally opposed to this legislation.”
“I welcome the Minister. He is always very welcome in the House. It is great to see him here. I will make a few observations in relation to this matter. I thank Senator Mary Fitzpatrick for suggesting this amendment. She has a strong record in local government. I have worked on the joint Oireachtas committee on housing, planning and local government with her. I take her seriously when it comes to local government because she has a track record in local government. I acknowledge that. This proposal is premature for a number of reasons. We are still waiting for the local government task force. I do not want to make decisions on a piecemeal basis when I do not see the whole entity of what this local government task force is. It is on the Minister's desk and has been on the desk of the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins.”
“All normal underwriting above the threshold ensures, the Department says, that the measure remains proportionate, sustainable and compliant with EU insurance law and the industry's governance and practices. Provision for a review of the threshold is provided for in this legislation every five years. I support this very important legislation. I support and commend the Minister of State on driving this legislation through. At the end of the day, this Bill is, of course, about fairness and dignity. The Minister of State will have my full support and, no doubt, the full support of the Independent Members in Seanad Éireann.”
“It is important that people are not locked out of the system due to circumstances that are beyond their control. We always have to be mindful of unintended consequences of any legislation. I was most taken by the Law Society's summary of this Bill. It was worth reading that important contribution. The society tends to be very analytical in its assessments and it keeps them very simple. That is always a good thing. The key amendments to this Bill will be the reduction of the remission period from seven years to five years, regardless of age or diagnosis, which is in line with international medical standards for the end of cancer surveillance, and to apply a statutory disregard of certain cancer-related histories in mortgage protection insurance cover up to €650,000. This is an increase from €500,000 to reflect the current housing market.”
“The Bill introduces a new section 69 which prohibits financial service providers from engaging in discriminatory practices based on cancer diagnosis. The Bill also identifies the survivor of cancer based on age at diagnosis and a five-year period without treatment. That is also significant and worthy of acknowledgement. This Bill is similar to provisions that have been enacted in other jurisdictions, and I looked at France, Belgium and the Netherlands today. We have a very successful model working there. I have no doubt that the departmental officials looked at best practice in other jurisdictions. It has worked and been very positive. The feedback from France, Belgium and Netherlands is significant. It is always good to see a similar operation functioning in other jurisdictions, particularly within the Union.”
“The Bill seeks to introduce provisions prohibiting financial service providers from discriminating against cancer survivors in the provision of financial services. Central, too, to this legislation is that it enshrines the right to be forgotten for cancer survivors, thereby ensuring they are not unjustly penalised due to their medical history once they have reached a certain post-treatment milestone. Cancer survivorship in Ireland has significantly improved over the last number of decades. That is to be encouraged. The prospects are getting better and better in terms of care for people with cancer. Advancements in medical treatments and the restructuring of cancer care have resulted in increased survival rates.”
“The Minister of State also recognised extensive engagement with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, the insurance sector generally, the Irish Society of Medical Oncology, a significant group of professionals, the Society of Actuaries in Ireland and the Irish Cancer Society. That is important too. It has broad support but all of these particular groupings and professionals bring expertise, which is reassuring to have in any legislation we are going through. I acknowledge that. In particular, I acknowledge the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, and the present Minister of State, Deputy Troy, who has had his own personal experiences and is rightly determined to see this through. I thank the Government for pursuing this significant legislation.”
“I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. This is very significant legislation. In his introduction, the Minister of State rightly acknowledged the very significant contribution of the former Senator, now Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, and her unwavering commitment, support and determination to see this get into the programme for Government and across the line. I acknowledge her dedication and immense advocacy to see this legislation through. It shows what can be achieved with determination, although of course it also helps when you are in government, to get the hearing. It deserves a proper hearing and full support.”
“I welcome that healthy debate about it, but it occurred to me that it all goes back to that issue of core funding for local government. We have in this country, at best, local administration. We do not have a comprehensive local government model such as there is across Europe. Today I looked at the chamber of commerce's submission to the local democracy task force consultation, dated August 2025. Will the Leader facilitate a letter to or communication with the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and the principal Minister, Deputy James Browne, on when the Government intends to publish the local government task force final report and recommendations? I ask that that would happen before the summer recess. It is important. The councillors of all parties and none now expect its publication. It is timely, essential and important.”
“I really believe that in connection with anything important. That authenticity makes us real and makes us connect emotionally. That is really important. Few people have that gift and Senator Ruane is one of them and I thank her for that. I thank her for that openness that she brings and that empathy about her own life experience in her parliamentary business. It makes her a very special person. I am so glad, and I think we all are, that Senator Ruane is a Member of this diverse House. That is the other great thing; we are diverse. I have only one question to ask the Leader. Tonight there will be a very interesting Private Members' motion before us, which I do not intend to go into now, in the name of Fianna Fáil.”
“First, I thank Senator Ruane for her contribution here today regarding her own experience and that of her friends, colleagues and associates in relation to addiction. One of the great things about Seanad Éireann is the intimacy of this place as a Chamber and how each and every Member on all sides of this House brings their personal experience to their parliamentary work. There is nothing to beat personal experience, the lived experience. I acknowledge and thank Senator Ruane for sharing. It is never easy to talk about your own personal sets of circumstances. Politicians are great at talking about everybody else and the problem here, there and yonder, but when it comes right to the core of the person, it exposes a vulnerability about him or her. When we are vulnerable, I think we are at our strongest.”
“I certainly give the commitment that I will be back on my feet in a month or two with a Commencement matter asking the Minister of State to make a statement on the number of people looking for a package. I hope the figure will be down to 3,000 by then rather than up to 10,000. I wish the Minister of State well. I look forward to tracking the commitments he has given us.”
“I will be brief because I am aware it is the end of a long day for many of us. I wish the Minister of State well. The way he conducts himself and his business makes matters easier to deal with. I wanted to acknowledge that because it is a significant part of the success of navigating this Bill through the House. That is a credit to the Minister of State personally and I thank him for that. He has made a number of commitments, which I look forward to. I will be tracking them, as he doubtless knows. I make a final plea because while we have this Bill and more promised legislation, there are more than 5,000 people waiting for home care packages this evening. They must always be to the fore of our thoughts, our policy and the provision of necessary resources.”
“I hope that we can keep it on the radar and retain focus, and that we can work collaboratively to advance some of the key issues that I have sought to advance here today.”
“It is important that we have this debate. I am not going to press the amendment on the basis that the Minister of State has given a commitment to the effect that he is working on the issue. I will leave him with one request. Please keep the focus on the home care packages. Over 5,000 people in this country are waiting. They want to live in their homes by choice. They want to be empowered and supported at a vulnerable stage in their lives. They may be younger people with a disability or special need. They may be vulnerable parents, worn out and exhausted trying to care for their loved ones. It is a very distressing situation. No family is untouched by some experience of this matter. I thank the Minister of State for his engagement. I thank his officials and staff for their engagement.”
“We either do not accept the Minister of State's position and call a vote, and have everyone race up the stairs for the same usual exercise that has gone on for many years, or we clasp two hands in good faith and try to do something. I am opting for the latter option. I am happy to work with the Minister of State, as I am sure are the other Members of this House. We could tighten the timeframes, but that is a matter to do with Whips and how the Government organises its parliamentary business, and I respect that. It is important that we keep focused on these matters. Clearly, the Oireachtas committee can revisit the issue at some other stage. I thank the Minister of State for his engagement. I also thank the Seanad for the opportunity to raise these issues. This is a public forum and a very important place. We are on a pathway.”
“The Bill is coming through, and that will take 12 months. We are going to then have a transitional period about which the Minister of State spoke eloquently at committee. He was pressed on that point by various members. He said that the reality is that there will be a transitional period. There will be phasing as new people come in. There are other sideshows going on to address the shortage of carers and all of that. There is a three-year timeframe. I heard what the Minister of State said. I am conscious that the Order of Business has given the approval to complete this business here today. That is out of my hands and out of the Minister of State's hands. It is not of my making or his. The options are clearly simple.”
“The development of the framework is welcome and a key priority, so we are all singing off the one sheet, except that the Minister of State cannot accept the amendment. I hear what the Minister of State is saying. I have known him a long time, and I know he is a man of his word. He is committed in this space. I do not particularly like using the term "in this space". Everyone is using the word "space" at the moment. Anyway, I hear what the Minister of State is saying. Am I right, to be clear, that the Minister of State is committing to the publication of the general scheme and the legislation within the next 12 months? I hope that will be the timeline and that it will set out clearly the issues that we have covered. Am I right to understand from the Minister of State's engagement that the home care support Bill will progress at some point?”
“The Minister of State's opening statement was circulated. It runs to a page and four or five paragraphs. The final paragraph refers to the development of this regulatory framework. Does the Minister of State see that lovely term "regulatory framework"? The framework was in the amendment. The document states that the development of this regulatory framework has been a key priority for the Government, which is great and positive, and represents an integral part of the ongoing development of the statutory home care scheme - we are all for all of that - as committed to in the programme for Government. The document states that the Minister of State looks forward to a productive debate. We have had the productive exchange or engagement, but I am none the wiser from all of it.”
“It is a very loose term, and I chose it because I thought it might be less adversarial and easier to get over the line. I do not think that is going to be the case, however. What I am really suggesting, and I hope the Minister of State will be in a position to say this will be the case, is that we can have a roadmap to strong, robust legislation that protects people in care, be that in their homes or in State or private institutions. We have an obligation to do this, and it is a must. I thank the Minister of State.”
“I know the Minister of State has a bank of experts, advisers, policy people, the Attorney General, the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, policy development officials and all of that. I will tell the Minister of State what I am really asking for. I will first thank him and the House for allowing me the opportunity to focus on these key issues. This amendment has given me that chance. It has put this scenario, which is one of many, on the record of the House. I simply do not know what the Minister of State's final position will be on this proposal, having listened to the contributions and engagement by me and maybe others. I ask that we be proactive and alert and commit to some form of legislation. I say this because a framework is merely a framework.”
“This Bill is one of many that present us with an opportunity to be proactive, to advocate and to be vigilant. We have the opportunity. So often, there is a situation where, after the event, we say we got it wrong and then ask what went wrong. We are the Legislature. We are Seanad Éireann, the revising Chamber for legislation. We are not here just to talk for the sake of talking. We are here because we believe in things. Things need to happen and things need to change. I am not looking for a magic wand. I know the arithmetic of this House. It is all very well to stand up and say that this is the way we should be doing things, but the Minister of State will then read from a script or whatever and say he cannot do it for various reasons.”
“That last one is alarming and occurs when people feel that they have nowhere to turn and then inflict self-harm on themselves. Harm arises from any action, whether by a deliberate act or an act of omission, that may cause impairment that is physical, intellectual or emotional or impacts mental health and well-being. What does all of that mean? In this amendment, I have asked and simply sought: The Minister shall, within 12 months of the commencement of this Act, report to the Houses of the Oireachtas [only to report to the Houses of the Oireachtas, and not today, but in 12 months] on creating a framework for child and adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector in the context of this [Bill], to expand and strengthen safeguards for children and adults to prevent the risk of abuse and harm.”
“Abuse can be perpetrated by family members or strangers or in relationships where there may be a high expectation of trust. I spoke about that last point as I opened my contribution today. We are all entitled to an expectation of trust and we must be kept safe from harm. When I talk about harm, I am talking about an assault, ill treatment or neglect in the case of an adult or, indeed, a child. Harm to anybody is unacceptable and we must protect them. We talk about issues like sexual abuse, financial abuse, conduct that causes physical or psychological harm, unlawful conduct that appropriates adversely or that may affect people’s property rights or personal rights, theft, fraud, embezzlement, extortion and conduct that causes people to self-harm.”
“When all that will happen and will be knitted together is another day’s work. It is important that I make that point. There is a lack of appropriate action. We need to develop this. Elder abuse overlaps other abuses, particularly with societal groups such as people with disabilities or people who do not have full decision-making capacity. "Capacity" is another very important word in this space. Do people have the capacity to advocate for themselves? Who is advocating for them? Do those advocates have a conflict of interest in their advocacy roles? Are there conflicts within families in respect of what the priorities are? Where does this leave the client? The service users are central to all of this and they need to be protected.”
“That is according to the Family Carers Ireland report, The State of Caring 2026, which was published recently. That report paints a stark picture of life for thousands of people who are providing unpaid care for loved ones with disabilities, chronic illnesses and complex needs. Why am I asking for the Oireachtas to create a framework for child and adult safeguarding? I am aware that progress has been made around children, but we need to make progress in respect of adults. There was something I picked up from the Minister of State’s previous engagement. He rightly pointed out there is an overlap between the Department with responsibility for children, youth and disabilities, under the Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Department of Health. What is appropriate for one must be appropriate for the other.”
“The benefits are enormous, even if it is only two or three days a week. Day centres are particularly important in rural areas. They provide crucial respite for families and care givers, preventing other issues and challenges. Day care services and home help can work hand in hand to allow one to age with dignity and respect, but, more importantly, on the basis of choice. I acknowledge the significant work of the family carers across Ireland. When I reached out to them the week before last, I contacted Richie Molloy, a former independent councillor who is a strong advocate and who works for Family Carers Ireland. He told me about the number of carers who are in financial hardship, social isolation and poor health and who are having to shoulder the ever-increasing responsibilities with insufficient State support.”
“The shortage of home care support is particularly challenging in rural areas. The Minister of State will know this as someone who represents an area that is split between urban and rural. It is totally unacceptable that people around the country who have been approved for home care packages are left languishing on waiting lists for months. Time, sadly, is not always on their side. I cannot stress enough the importance of day care services. Senators on all sides have spoken about the importance of such services for the elderly. They allow many to live independently in their homes while receiving interventions, health monitoring, social engagement and interaction and nutritious meals. These are all very important for elderly people, particularly those who may live in isolated areas.”
“It is not the money – that is in place, according to the HSE – it is the staff shortages. There are a number of reasons for this, including costs, training and the fact that it can be more expensive for people who are carers to live in cities. There are a range of complexities involved. The Minister of State has been looking at the recommendations of the strategic workforce advisory group, SWAG. That work is progressing, so I will not go into any more detail on it. The shortage of carers is presenting problems for many hospital patients who are unable to be discharged because they are waiting for carers to be found for them. That is not satisfactory when people are looking for acute beds. There are people in acute beds who want home care support but cannot get it. That is a challenge.”
“However, they must be packages that empower clients to choose their providers, agree flexible visiting times, improve alignment between needs and skills and make for better use of capacity. Maintaining personal autonomy is really important as one advances in years. Waiting lists for home care services have surged. I do not need to lecture the Minister of State about that. We are all aware of it. Data released by the HSE shows that the number of people on waiting lists for home care for the first three months of 2026 stood at over 5,300. The HSE’s head of service for older people, access and integration said that nobody is waiting for funding to be allocated for home support, but the problem is that they are waiting for carers to be assigned due to shortages. That is the key point.”
“I know it is not possible at this juncture to roll out the complete suite of what the Government anticipated, but I am glad to see that this is still an ambition of the Government. I acknowledge that. We know that most people want to stay in their homes. Where they do, we need to support them. Central to the legislation must be the service user. I looked at the Minister of State’s significant contribution on Committee Stage in the Dáil. One of the key things he kept emphasising is that, at the end of the day, it is about the service users and their priorities. I acknowledge the significant contribution the Minister of State made in the Lower House. Critical to the success of the legislation will be building on home support packages. That is critically important.”
“Older adults in particular must be supported and cared for in a way that respects their preferences, independence and dignity. It is essential that the new regulatory framework be put in place - I will talk about that in a moment - in order to protect both home care providers and service users. Everyone involved when it comes to a care package needs to be protected. That is really important. We have an opportunity and an obligation to create a system that prioritises dignity, flexibility, service user and client choice and personal safety. The statutory home support scheme committed to by successive Governments is clearly still an objective in respect of which we will all try to work collectively.”
“I am conscious that this will be my only opportunity to speak on the amendment. As a result, I will outline some of the reasons for tabling it. Elder abuse remains widely under-recognised and under-reported. It takes place in many homes and in many forms. Many of us will have heard complaints about hospitals and nursing homes, but, as I said, abuse can take place in private homes. There are many forms of abuse, be it physical, emotional or sexual abuse or coercive control. Safeguarding begins by noticing and listening, particularly to older people, and responding when something does not seem quite right. We are familiar with a certain feeling we get about things. Sometimes we might not be able to put it into words, but people get feelings about things. When that happens, they need to be checked out.”
“There is not a day when we do not pick up a newspaper and read about the tragedy of the violation of people, be they children or adults, in placed in which they expected to feel safe. People expect to feel safe in their home. They have a legitimate expectation of trust and care that they will be safe from harm and abuse, but, sadly, that is not the case. I always bring that thought to legislation. It is something I am hugely committed to. I have personal experience of this matter. One thing about this Parliament is that we see things from where we stand and from the experiences we have had, and we bring that to the table. We all have different experiences. We are exposed to different sets of circumstances. Fr most of us, our experience of life prompts us to move on in politics.”
“There were no objections to the Order of Business, and, therefore, we have to work on the basis that we will conclude the debate on the legislation this evening. The amendment states: The Minister shall, within 12 months of the commencement of this Act, report to the Houses of the Oireachtas on creating a framework for child and adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector in the context of this Act, to expand and strengthen safeguards for children and adults to prevent the risk of abuse and harm. We do not need to look back at history to know about the abuse of children or adults. We know that it went on in institutions, in State care, in private care and in private homes.”
“I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “Report to Houses of Oireachtas 3. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the commencement of this Act, report to the Houses of the Oireachtas on creating a framework for child and adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector in the context of this Act, to expand and strengthen safeguards for children and adults to prevent the risk of abuse and harm.”. I thank the Minister of State and his officials for coming to the House. It was proposed on the Order of Business that we would conclude the debate on this legislation today. That is the political reality we live in. There is an urgency on the part of the Government to get through its programme and it commitments in legislation.”
“Guardians ad litem make their own professional judgments and recommendations to courts and this legislation explicitly states that guardians ad litem must at all times act independently in carrying out their functions. Announcing this initiative today, the Minister, Deputy Foley, said: The launch of the Guardian ad litem National Service is a landmark moment for children in care in Ireland. At its heart, this ... is about strengthening the voice of the child ... and ensuring that their best interests remain at the heart of every decision. I commend the Minister, Deputy Foley, and her officials in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. I also acknowledge, as is important, the substantial advocacy work in this space by the former Labour leader in this House and the current leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Ivana Bacik.”
“The Leader is lucky to have someone at his side in the Seanad's office, and I congratulate her on what is not an easy job in smoothly managing the orderly running of this House despite all of the conflicting interests. I welcome the official establishment of the new guardian ad litem national service. This new service seeks to ensure that every child's voice is heard and that children's best interests are independently presented to a court in cases relating to the proceedings. The official opening of the service today signifies major progress in delivering high quality, accountability and consistency grounded in children's rights. Ensuring that all children in all parts of the country have access to the same high standard of service is a priority for us all. The independence of guardians ad litem has now been clearly established in law.”
“I welcome and congratulate Senator Garret Ahearn on his appointment as Leader of the Seanad. I want to welcome his family, and it is particularly great to see his father here, as well as his whole family and his wife. The Leader's father and I had a long chat at the count. He is a wise man who counted the numbers pretty quickly at the Seanad count. It is great to see them all here. It is important to say that the Leader of the Seanad is a senior parliamentary role. He or she is appointed by the Taoiseach or the Tánaiste to manage the Government's legislative agenda through this House. Orla Murray, the private secretary to the Leader of the Seanad, co-ordinates this primary Government function.”