Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I also must go to the Chamber shortly to speak. It is quite telling that with the exception of Deputy Pringle, the only people here really speaking on the amendments are women and now we are all going to speak on International Women's Day so it is bad timing in terms of the schedule. I think the Chairman and everybody else is really aware of the highly contested issue around mandatory information sessions that we heard time and time again throughout pre-legislative scrutiny. People find it really insulting and upsetting and I do not think anyone understands why it is still there.

Amendment No. 145 concerns the information sessions for young people aged 16 to 18. The same arguments against mandatory information sessions in general apply to them. Amendment No. 208 relates to a reference in section 19 to the mandatory information session, which the Office of the Parliamentary Legal Counsel identified as a real barrier in accessing information. It seeks to remove reference to the session. We hashed all these arguments out in the Dáil Chamber and in this committee and there is broad agreement around the mandatory information session. I really hope it is reconsidered.