Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This is a huge achievement for the Minister. It speaks volumes of her ethics, values and what she is trying to achieve in her role. We, in the Labour Party, congratulate her. Far too many women, in particular, are being killed by men. Far too many women in Ireland are being assaulted and raped by men. Anybody who has a girl or a women in their life is horrified by the all-too-often news reports of another assault, rape or murder. At some point in the history of this country of ours, we have to shout, "Stop". The Minister is shouting, "Stop", and is making a difference in the role she has. I congratulate her on that. As Deputy Daly said, the party politics goes out the window when we are trying to collectively deal with this. In terms of the amendments we put down, we were genuinely trying to strengthen the Bill. They were an attempt to work collaboratively. What we want, as a body politic, is to speak with one voice when it comes to this issue. We pledge to work with the Minister constructively into the future.

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