Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the suggestion on the Court of Appeal, we would have no problem with that and we support what the Leader is trying to do.

I support other Senators who have talked about the cuts made to the different community groups. It is interesting to note that this funding came via Pobal. There was a media report recently that Pobal spent €250,000 per preschool visit for a number of the preschool visits that were undertaken. To see that it has cut on average €43,000 from the community organisations in question is an absolute scandal and this money needs to be reinstated immediately.

As we stand today, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating minute by minute, with the continuous Israeli military escalation, threats to expand military operations and the continued and tightened closure of the Gaza Strip. The ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza has resulted in 181 Palestinians killed, of whom 147 are civilians, including 36 children and 29 women. Some 1,181 others are wounded, mostly civilians, including 368 children and 253 women.

We call on the Government to call upon the international community to act immediately to stop these crimes, and to call on the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfil their obligation, under Article 1 of the convention, to ensure that it is respected at all times and, under Article 146, to pursue perpetrators of serious violations of the convention, which are determined in Article 147, which lists violations of the convention amounting to war crimes. We call for the establishment of a UN fact-finding mission to investigate suspected war crimes committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and to take necessary steps to prosecute those responsible for them, which is a very serious issue.

Agus mé i mo sheasamh anseo, caithfidh mé comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis na hAirí Stáit nua atá ceaptha, ach chomh maith céanna caithfidh mé mo dhíomá a chur in iúl maidir leis an gceapachán atá déanta ó thaobh an Aireacht Gaeltachta. Is mór an náire i ndáiríre píre é duine gan Gaeilge a bheith ceaptha mar Aire Gaeltachta. Is botún mór é seo agus ba cheart don Rialtas a admháil go bhfuil botún déanta aige agus ba cheart duine le Gaeilge a chur sa ról sin le ceannródaíocht a thabhairt agus le taispeáint go bhfuil an Rialtas dáiríre faoin Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge agus nach bhfuil sé ag déanamh ceap magaidh den ról sin.

Tá sé sách dona gan Aire le Gaeilge a bheith againn, ach níos measa fós go bhfuil Aire Stáit againn nach bhfuil ábalta fiú labhairt lena chuid feidhmeannaigh sa teanga ina bhfuil siad ag feidhmiú. Tá sé sin ag sárú na cearta atá acu ó thaobh fostaíochta de. Ba cheart go bheidís ábalta a gcuid oibre a dhéanamh trí mheán na Gaeilge. Beidh mise ag diúltiú Béarla a labhairt leis an Aire Stáit nuair a thagann sé anseo ar cheisteanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta. Sílim go raibh daoine ann go mba fhéidir leis an dTaoiseach a cheapadh sa ról sin agus sin is cóir a bheith déanta. Ba chóir don Taoiseach tarraingt siar as an ainmniúchán áirithe seo agus daoine a bhogadh timpeall le cinntiú go mbeidh duine le Gaeilge sa bpost.