Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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Good morning everyone and welcome. Before I read the formal notices, I thank Deputy Michael Murphy for his time and contributions and welcome Deputy Maeve O'Connell as a new member. The Deputy is very welcome and we look forward to working with her.

I remind members of the constitutional requirement that they must be physically present within the confines of the place in which Parliament has chosen to sit, namely, Leinster House, in order to participate in public meetings. I will not permit a member to participate where he or she is not adhering to this constitutional requirement. Therefore, any member who attempts to participate from outside the precincts will be asked to leave the meeting.

I propose that the petitions we consider at this meeting and previous meetings be published and that any replies from Departments and other bodies also be published. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The first petition is P00009/25, which relates to a proposed amendment to the Child Care Act. Members will be aware that there has been significant correspondence between the petitioner and the relevant Departments. The proposal that I put forward, as Chair, is that we publish the response from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and forward all relevant correspondence to the petitioner. However, based on the response received from the Department, that "Tusla services and individual Social Workers are subject to several levels of oversight under current regulations and legislation", I propose that we close this petition and advise the petitioner that this petition cannot be progressed further by this committee. Is that agreed? Agreed.

We move to Petition No. P00041/25, titled "Fair Citizenship: 3 Years for Ukrainians Under Temporary Protection in Ireland". There has been correspondence between the petitioner and the secretariat and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. The latest response was received on 19 May. The proposal is that we forward the correspondence from the petitioner to the Department and look for comment within 14 days. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Petition No. P00007/26 concerns a "Public Inquiry into the State’s Handling of a Named Group and the Role of Anglo-Irish Bank". It is submitted by Mr. David Dynes. There has been correspondence between the secretariat and the Department of Finance. We have a response on file that members are aware of. The proposal is that we publish the response. However, based on the response received from the Department of Finance, its considered opinion is that these matters have been reviewed through independent mechanisms. I propose that we close the petition and advise the petitioner that it cannot be progressed further by this committee. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Petition No. P00010/26 is titled "Extend Maternity, Adoptive, Paternity, Parental and Parent's Leave in cases of Multiple Births". This is an issue that has been considered and discussed. I think it was raised on International Women's Day by Deputies in the Dáil. It is an interesting issue because it is to do with the obvious additional work or requirement for time that comes with multiple births. That is not currently recognised. I think there is merit, and if the committee is in agreement, we will try to schedule a hearing on this at the earliest possible time. In the meantime, we will publish the responses from the Departments of Social Protection and Children, Disability and Equality and forward both sets of correspondence to the petitioner for comment within 14 days. I will ask the secretariat to try to convene a hearing between the petitioner and the Departments as soon as possible. It is an interesting subject. It is also one that only impacts a small number of people, but the impact is fairly big on those affected. If the committee agrees, I will ask the secretariat to progress that. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Petition No. P00013/26 is a well-meaning petition, and I say that from the start. Titled "Justice for Animals", it is from Ms Sandra Barry. Ms Barry saw an awful incident of animal cruelty on social media. A lot of us probably saw it too. The proposal is that we publish the correspondence from the Department of agriculture and forward it to the petitioner. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Petition No. P00016/26 is to "Amend Learner Driver Accompaniment Requirements", which was submitted by Ms Samantha Smith. This is a relatively new petition. We have received correspondence from the Department of Transport. I propose to publish the correspondence and forward it to the petitioner for her to comment within 14 days. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Do members have any other issues they wish to raise? No. That concludes our consideration of public petitions this morning.

I invite members of the public to submit petitions via our online portal, which is available at petitions.oireachtas.ie. A petition may be addressed to the Houses of the Oireachtas on a matter of general public concern or interest, or an issue of public policy. We have made our decisions this morning and all of those are agreed. I thank members for their attendance.