Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will certainly not accede to a debate with the Tánaiste about what is and is not allowed. The freedom to protest and free speech are important to us all in Leinster House and it is absolutely a constitutional right. The issue that arose in Cork was that the Tánaiste was interrupted while he was speaking. The point he made was that there is and always should be a place for an alternative point of view, but it should be stated in an orderly fashion. It should not be done by heckling and interrupting someone who is speaking. The Senator also mentioned that the Tánaiste did not want a debate about trans issues. That is not what he said. I was there when he spoke about it and I remember. It was during Pride last year. What he said was that he did not want to see the conversation or debate turning as toxic as it had in England. We should be able to hold it in a mannerly and respectful format. I totally agree with him. At the time it was extremely toxic in the United Kingdom and unfortunately it has turned into a somewhat toxic debate here. That is not what we want. We want to respect people's views and opinions and to hold a debate in a mannerly fashion that is respectful of people on both sides of the debate.

A number of amendments have already been made to the Government's Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022, the Senator spoke about. Since it came before the Seanad a few weeks ago, a number of amendments are being prepared. For example, my party is preparing amendments and is looking for a meeting with the Minister for Justice as we have some concerns about it. As the Senator is not happy with some of the content, I expect that she will table some amendments.