Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilite roimh an Aire. I broadly welcome the Bill and I thank Senator Bacik for bringing it forward. It is important for all those who are being discriminated against and it is essential that it be enacted quickly. We are all concerned that it has taken a year to take Committee Stage but we should move forward. Senator Conway's reference to a stage like manner is apt because Sinn Féin shares the concerns that have been validly raised by Senators Power and Zappone and we agree with the general thrust of their contributions. These issues need to be taken on board in the legislation and, therefore, we generally support the amendments. Perhaps the wording needs to be tweaked but we echo the concerns of groups such as Atheist Ireland, which has raised these issues with us. We reserve the right to table amendments on Report Stage if these amendments are not taken on board. However, we generally support the thrust of the words of Senators Power, Zappone and others in this area.