Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I commend Senator Ó Ríordáin, who sponsored the Bill, for bringing it forward. I welcome the Minister to the House and I welcome her comments on the Bill. We are all cognisant of her comments on the need to be mindful of unforeseen consequences. Clearly it is not our intention to dissuade parents from sending their children to school before the age of six. Both Senator Ó Ríordáin and myself look forward to working with the Minister and her officials to ensure that the Bill can be strengthened and improved upon in such a way that it meets our good intentions in bringing it forward without having the more negative consequences about which the Minister has spoken. We will be very happy to work with her and to bring the Bill forward to Report Stage with the sort of amendments the Minister has described.