The Irish Legislation Podcast with Barry Ward

In this episode, Senator Barry Ward speaks to Senator Pauline O’Reilly, Vice Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality, which has been established on foot of the recommendations of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality (read the report here). The discussion deals not just with what the Committee will do and how it will operate, but how it was established, who is on it, and the time frame within which it hopes to report to the Oireachtas. You can follow the Oireachtas Gender Equality Committee here. You can read the Committee’s work programme here. The members of the Gender Equality Committee are: Ivana Bacik TD (Chair); Senator Pauline O'Reilly (Vice-Chair); Ciarán Cannon TD; Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD; Sorca Clarke TD; Senator Lisa Chambers; Senator Regina Doherty; Senator Alice-Mary Higgins; Neasa Hourigan TD; Paul McAuliffe TD; Bríd Smith TD; Niamh Smyth TD; and Senator Fintan Warfield.   The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter @barrymward; Instagram @barrym_ward; Facebook at BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

In this episode, Senator Barry Ward talks to his Seanad colleague, Independent Senator Eileen Flynn, about her private member’s bill to remove the term “child pornography” from Irish legislation, and replace it with the more appropriate term “child sexual exploitation material”. Also in the podcast are Emer Taylor and Jessica Bray, who worked on the Bill with Senator Flynn. This is a first for Irish legislation because it alters the title of an existing act without repealing it; the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 will become the Child Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation Material Act 1998. You can read the Bill here. You can read the second stage debate on the Bill in the Seanad on 2 February 2022 here. Media coverage of the Bill can be seen here: RTÉ The Irish Times The Irish Examiner TheJournal.ie Buzz.ie Headtopics.ie Highland Radio Donegal Daily Donegal Live Senator Eileen Flynn is an Independent Senator and a member of the Civil Engagement Group, which can be found on Twitter @SeanadCEG, and on Instagram @SeanadCEG - the Bill was co-sponsored by Senators Eileen Flynn, Alice-Mary Higgins (@aliceeire), Lynn Ruane (@SenLynnRuane) and Frances Black (@frances_black). You can follow Eileen on Twitter @love1solidarity or find out more about her on the Oireachtas web site. Emer Taylor is a legislative consultant working with Senator Eileen Flynn and Independents 4 Change, and Jessica Bray works directly with Senator Flynn in her office. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter @barrymward; Instagram @barrym_ward; Facebook at BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

This week, Senator Barry Ward talks ticket touts with former Fine Gael TD Noel Rock, and barrister and law lecturer, James McDermott. The Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Act 2021 all stages and was signed into law last July and is now facing its first real life tests as live events return. Then TD for Dublin North-West, Noel Rock, along with Stephen Donnelly TD , originally sponsored the Prohibition of Above-cost Ticket Touting Bill 2017, which fell with the 32nd Dáil and was re-entered as the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Bill 2021 by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Leo Varadkar TD. Previous private members’ bills on this issue also include: the Sale of Tickets (Sporting and Cultural Events) Bill 2017 by Maurice Quinlivan TD of Sinn Féin; the Prohibition of Ticket Touts Bill 2005 by Jimmy Deenihan TD  of Fine Gael; the Prohibition of Ticket Touts Bill 1998 by Alan Shatter TD of Fine Gael; and the Sale of Tickets Bill 1990 by Pat Rabbitte TD of Labour. You can read the debates and details of the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Act 2021 as it passed through the Oireachtas, here. Noel Rock is a former Fine Gael TD for Dublin North-West. You can follow Noel on Twitter @noelrock  on Instagram @rockdublin, and on Facebook, or find out more about him on his web site. Noel is the founder of Pixel Consulting, a technology-focused consulting firm (Twitter @pixel_ie; Instagram @pixel_consulting). James McDermott is a practising barrister and Assistant Professor in the UCD Sutherland School of Law. You can read some of James’ articles in The Irish Times here and in The Sunday Business Post here. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter @barrymward; Instagram @barrym_ward; Facebook at BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

This week, Senator Barry Ward looks at a private members bill to ban so-called “conversion therapies”, which seek to change a person’s . Barry is joined by one of the sponsors of this cross-party legislation, Senator Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael – Cork South-Central), and practising psychotherapist Stella O’Malley, who is opposed to the bill. You can read the Prohibition of Conversion Therapies Bill 2018 and track its progress here.  Jerry Buttimer was Fine Gael’s first openly gay TD and the first Chair of the Fine Gael LGBTQ+ group. You can follow Jerry Buttimer on Twitter @jerrybuttimer, on Instagram @jerrybuttimer, on Facebook, or find out more about him on his website. Stella O’Malley is an author and practising psychotherapist in County Offaly; she is the founder of Genspect, an organisation for parents of gender-questioning children. Stella is a member of the Association of Professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists. [Erratum: Please note that the podcast contains a mistake in saying that Stella is a member of the Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists, when she is, in fact, a member of the Association of Professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists (please see a detailled explanation here); we are happy to clarify this.] You can follow Stella on Twitter @stellaomalley3, on Facebook, or find out more on her website. She also presents the “Secrets of the Motherworld Podcast” with Lisa Marchiano. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter @barrymward; Instagram @barrym_ward; Facebook at BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

In Episode 1 of Season 2, Senator Barry Ward talks gender quotas in business and the Irish Corporate Governance (Gender Balance) Bill 2021 with Fine Gael TD for Dublin Mid-West, Emer Higgins, and Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council. This episode covers gender quotas, how they will work for boards of Irish companies, how to address gender imbalance and whether gender quotas are a fair approach. Emer Higgins is a Fine Gael TD for Dublin Mid-West and former Chief of Staff, Global Operations, Europe, for PayPal. You can follow Emer Higgins TD on Twitter @EmerHigginsTD, on Instagram @emerhigginstd, on Facebook at EmerHigginsTD, on LinkedIn, or on her web site: www.emerhiggins.com. Orla O’Connor is Director of the National Women’s Council, the leading national women’s membership organisation in Ireland, with over 190-member groups. She was Co-Director of Together For Yes, the national Civil Society Campaign to remove the 8th Amendment in the referendum. For her role in Together for Yes, Orla was recognised as one of the 100 Most Influential People by TIME magazine in 2019. A feminist and expert in the policies needed to progress women’s equality in Ireland, Orla has led numerous high level, successful campaigns on a wide range of issues on women’s rights, including social welfare reform, pension reform and for the introduction of quality and affordable childcare. Orla is passionate about ensuring access to women’s reproductive rights; about ensuring more women are in leadership positions; about ending violence against women; and increasing women’s economic equality. You can follow Orla O’Connor on Twitter @OrlaNWCI or find out more on the National Women’s Council’s web site. You can follow the National Women’s Council on Twitter @NWCI, on Instagram @womens_council_ireland, on Facebook @NationalWomensCouncilofIreland, and on its web site. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter @barrymward; Instagram @barrym_ward; Facebook at BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

In Episode 14, Senator Barry Ward talks electric scooters with Fine Gael Spokesperson on Climate Action and TD for Dublin Fingal, Alan Farrell, Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Dublin and TD for Dublin South-West, John Lahart, and former Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government and former Fine Gael TD for Dublin North-West, Noel Rock. This episode goes through the issue of regulating electric scooters and electrically assisted pedal cycles, and other “personal light electric vehicles” and examines two bills introduced in March 2021: Alan Farrell’s Road Traffic (Amendment) (Personal Light Electric Vehicles) Bill 2021; John Lahart’s Road Traffic (Amendment) (Electric Scooter Trials) Bill 2021. You can follow Alan Farrell TD on Twitter @AlanFarrell, on Instagram @alanfarrelltd, on Facebook at Alan Farrell TD, and you can learn more about him on his web site: alanfarrell.ie You can follow John Lahart TD on Twitter @JohnLahart, on Facebook at John Lahart TD, and you can learn more about him on his web site: johnlahart.com. You can follow Noel Rock on Twitter @NoelRock, on Facebook at Noel Rock, and you can learn more about him on his web site: noelrock.ie. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter @barrymward; Instagram @barrym_ward; Facebook at BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

This week Senator Barry Ward talks to Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, and criminal barrister Jane McGowan, about the Criminal Procedure Bill 2021, which has passed the Dáil and is just starting its journey through the Seanad. You can read the Criminal Procedure Bill 2021 here. You can follow Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD (Fine Gael - Meath East) on Twitter @HMcEntee, on Instagram @helenmcentee, on Facebook at HelenMcEnteeTD, and you can learn more about her on her web site. Jane McGowan BL is a member of the Bar of Ireland and the Bar of Northern Ireland, and is a practising criminal barrister in Dublin. She is a former Chair of the Irish Criminal Bar Association (Twitter @irishcrimbar, a professional association for practising criminal barristers, associated to the Bar of Ireland. You can follow her on Twitter @janeymc_ie; on Instagram @janemcgowan. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter @barrymward; Instagram @barrym_ward; Facebook at BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

This week Senator Barry Ward talks climate change legislation with former Minister for Communications, Climate Change and the Environment, Richard Bruton TD (Fine Gael – Dublin Bay North), and Attracta Uí Bhroin, Environmental Law Officer with the Irish Environmental Network (IEN), specifically the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021, which is currently before the Dáil. Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Change, Brian Leddin TD (Green Party – Limerick City) also gave his views on the various aspects of the Bill and how Ireland should approach the issue of climate change. You can read the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 here. You can read a government summary of the provisions of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 here. You can follow the meetings of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Change, here, and read its report on which gave rise to the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021, here (and watch the launch on Twitter by Brian Leddin TD, here. You can follow Richard Bruton TD on Twitter @RichardbrutonTD, on Instagram @richardbruton_td, on Facebook at richardbrutontd, and you can learn more about him on his web site: richardbruton.ie. Attracta Uí Bhroin (Twitter @attractaub) is the Environmental Law Officer of the Irish Environmental Network (web site: ien.ie; Twitter @IrishEnvNet; Facebook: IEN.Fans) and also acts as the facilitator for the Environmental Law Implementation Group (ELIG) – a joint initiative with the Government to support the proper transposition and implementation of environmental law, including the further development of eNGOs’ capacity to leverage the law to support their missions. She is also a Vice-President and the Irish Board Member of Europe’s largest environmental NGO, the European Environmental Bureau (web site: eeb.org; Twitter: @Green_Europe; Facebook: EuropeanEnvironmentalBureau). You can follow Brian Leddin TD on Twitter @BrianLeddin, on Instagram @brianleddin, on Facebook at Leddin4Limerick, and you can learn more about him on his web site: brianleddin.ie. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter @barrymward; Instagram @barrym_ward; Facebook at BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

This week Senator Barry Ward speaks to two new TDs Francis Noel Duffy TD, Green Party TD for Dublin South-West and the Green Party Spokesperson on Housing, and Cian O’Callaghan TD, Social Democrats TD for Dublin Bay North and the Social Democrats Spokesperson on Housing, about the Land Development Agency Bill 2021, which is currently being considered by the Dáil.   You can read Land Development Agency Bill 2021 here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2021/11/ You can read an analysis of the Land Development Agency Bill 2021 here: https://t.co/RAlaxzal1w You can follow the debates on the Land Development Agency Bill 2021 here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2021/11/?tab=debates   You can follow Cian O’Callaghan TD on Twitter @OCallaghanCian, on Instagram @cian_ocallaghan_td, on Facebook at ocallaghancian.   You can follow Francis Noel Duffy TD on Twitter @FNDuffy or on Facebook at FrancisNoelDuffy.   The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

This week Senator Barry Ward speaks to Senator Rebecca Moynihan (Labour – Administrative Panel - Dublin South-Central), who has sponsored the Period Products (Free Provision) Bill 2021 about what her bill will do to ensure that we avoid period poverty in Ireland and establish a regime whereby simple period products are available to people when they need them. A similar bill, entitled the Free Provision of Period Products Bill 2021, was introduced by Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fáil – Taoiseach’s Nominee - Dublin Fingal ) and debated in the Seanad on 8 February 2021.   You can read the Labour Party’s Period Products (Free Provision) Bill 2021 here: https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/bill/2021/2/eng/initiated/b0221s.pdf You can read Fianna Fáil’s Free Provision of Period Products Bill 2021 here: https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/bill/2021/4/eng/initiated/b0421s.pdf You can read the Seanad debates on the Free Provision of Period Products Bill 2021 (8 February 2021) here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/2021-02-08/15/   Learn more about Any time of the Month by going to their web site anytimeofthemonth.com; you can also follow them on Twitter @AnytimeMonth, on Instagram @anytimeofthemonth, on Facebook at anytimeofthemonth, on LinkedIn at anytime-of-the-month or on TikTok @anytimeofthemonth.   You can follow Senator Rebecca Moynihan on Twitter @RebeccaMoy, on Instagram @rebeccamoynhandsc, on Facebook at RebeccaEMoynihan, or find out more about her at rebeccamoynihan.ie.   You can follow Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee on Twitter @LorrCliff, on Instagram @lorrainecliffordlee, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LCliffordLee.   The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

This week, Senator Barry Ward speaks to Senator Ivana Bacik (Labour – University of Dublin) about her bill to provide a path to citizenship for children born in Ireland who do not otherwise have a right to citizenship. Barrister-at-Law and immigration law expert, David Leonard also gives the benefit of his experience in this area and his take on what the Bill’s effect will be on the current immigration and naturalisation system. The Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018 was first published in 2018 and went through Second Stage in the Seanad on 21 November 2018. It was opposed by the then Government and was re-introduced by Labour senators earlier this year. Committee Stage in the Seanad was taken in Labour private members’ time on 2 December 2020 and the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, has indicated that she supports the Bill with some modifications. It is anticipated that Committee Stage will resume in 2021 and the passage of the Bill will continue from there.   You can read the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018 here: https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/bill/2018/124/eng/initiated/b12418s.pdf You can read the Seanad debates – Second Stage (21 November 2018) here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/2018-11-21/21/ Committee Stage (2 December 2020) here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/2020-12-02/18/   You can follow Senator Ivana Bacik on Twitter @ivanabacik, on Instagram @ivanabacik, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bacikivana, or find out more about her at www.ivanabacik.com.   The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

In this episode, Senator Barry Ward is joined by long-standing Wexford TD, former senior Minister and former Leader of the Labour Party, Brendan Howlin, who talks about his private member’s bill, which is currently working its way through Dáil Éireann. First published and debated (at second stage) in 2017, the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017 proposes a number of important criminal, sexual offences, and will be discussed at the Dáil Select Committee on Justice, tomorrow (Tuesday 1 December 2020) at 4pm. You can watch the debate and the consideration of amendments with Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, here: www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/cr2-live   You can read the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017 here: www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2017/63 You can read the second stage debate (16 May 2017) here: www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2017-05-16/4   You can follow Brendan Howlin TD on Twitter @BrendanHowlin or find out more about him at www.labour.ie/brendanhowlin   The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

In Episode 7, Senator Barry Ward talks to Sinn Féin Housing Spokesperson and Dublin Mid-West TD, Eoin Ó Broin, and Associate Professor of Law at Trinity College Dublin, Dr David Kenny, about the Thirty-ninth Amendment to the Constitution (Right to a Home) Bill 2020, which is currently one of a number of housing private member’s bills before the Houses of the Oireachtas. This episode explores the effects of enshrining a right to housing in the constitution, the purpose of private member’s bills like this, how best to effect change in housing policy, and to what extent the Courts should be tasked with interpreting government housing policy.   You can read the Thirty-ninth Amendment to the Constitution (Right to a Home) Bill 2020 here: www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2020/21/   You can follow Eoin Ó Broin TD on Twitter @EOBroin, find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eoin.broin, or find out more about him at https://eoinobroin.wordpress.com/.   You can follow Dr David Kenny on Twitter @dkennytcd or find out more about him at www.tcd.ie/research/profiles/?profile=kennyd4.   The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

In episode #6, Senator Barry Ward speaks to Neale Richmond TD (Fine Gael – Dublin Rathdown), the Fine Gael Spokesperson on European Affairs, and Noelle O’Connell, Executive Director of European Movement Ireland (EMI), about the Brexit Omnibus Bill 2020, which is currently going through the Houses of the Oireachtas. This legislation will address the multitude of issues arising from the UK exit from the EU, across health, tax, finance, customs, social welfare, justice, extradition, finance, employment rights, immigration, and divorce. The consequences of Brexit and Ireland’s place in Europe are also discussed, and Neale and Noelle are asked if there is anything good that will come from Brexit? You can read the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020 and follow debates, here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2020/48/   You can follow Neale Richmond TD on Twitter @nealerichmond or check him out at https://www.finegael.ie/our-people/tds/dublin/dublin-rathdown/neale-richmond/   You can follow Noelle O'Connell on Twitter @Noelle_OC or find out more about her at https://www.europeanmovement.ie/about-us/meet-the-team/ You can get more information about the work of European Movement Ireland at www.europeanmovement.ie and you can download their “Green Book” at https://www.europeanmovement.ie/programmes/grad-jobs-in-europe/#greenbook, where you can also subscribe to their mailing list. For information on EMI’s upcoming career talks, or to arrange one, contact info@europeanmovement.ie.   The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

Senator Barry Ward talks Seanad reform in Episode 5. Barry is joined by two former TDs: Senator Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fáil – Wexford); and former Leader of Seanad Éireann and current Chancellor of the National University of Ireland, Dr Maurice Manning. Malcolm Byrne was elected to the 32nd Dáil for the Wexford Constituency in a by-election in November 2019; he was subsequently elected to the 26th Seanad on the Cultural & Educational Panel and is the author, along with his fellow-Fianna Fáil Senators Pat Casey and Shane Cassells, of the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020. This episode explores the role of the Seanad, the upper house of the Irish parliament, its potential and what reforms are needed to broaden its scope. Follow Senator Malcolm Byrne on Twitter @malcombyrne, on Instagram @malcolmbyrne, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/malcolmbyrne, or at www.fiannafail.ie/reps/senator-malcolm-byrne. Maurice Manning was a member of the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament, for 21 years, serving as a Senator on the Cultural & Educational Panel in the 15th , 18th, 19th, 21st and 22nd Seanaid, and as TD for Dublin North-East in the 23rd and 24th Dála. Maurice Manning also authored the Manning Report on Seanad Reform in 2015, which recommended extensive “root and branch” reform of the upper house, and which formed the basis for the Seanad Bill 2020, sponsored by Senators Michael McDowell, Gerard Craughwell and Alice Mary Higgins. Find out about Dr Maurice Manning at www.nui.ie/about/chancellor.asp and www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Maurice-Manning.S.1981-10-08. You can read about the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020 here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2020/11/ You can read about the Seanad Bill 2020 here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2020/47/ The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

This week’s bill is the controversial Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020, which deals with the pending winding up of the Murphy Commission of Investigation into 14 Mother and Baby Homes, and four county homes, where terrible abuses were perpetrated against people over decades. We’re joined by Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson on Children, Youth, Disability, Equality & Integration, and TD for Carlow-Kilkenny, Kathleen Funchion; Leader of the Green Party in Seanad Éireann, Senator Pauline O’Reilly, from Galway-West; practising barrister and Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Children, Disability, Equality, Integration & Privacy Rights, Senator Mary Seery-Kearney, from Dublin South-Central; and one of the foremost campaigners for the victims of Mother and Baby Homes, Dr Maeve O’Rourke, who a Lecturer in Human Rights at the Irish Centre for Human Rights in NUIG and Co-Director of the voluntary Clann Project; You can watch and read the debates on the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020, here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2020/38/ Follow Kathleen Funchion on Twitter @Kathleensf1, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KathleenFunchionTD, or at https://www.sinnfein.ie/kathleen-funchion. Follow Senator Pauline O'Reilly on Twitter @paulinegalway, on Instagram @paulinegalway, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Pauline4Galway, or at www.greenparty.ie/people/pauline-oreilly. Follow Senator Mary Seery-Kearney on Twitter @seerykearney, Instagram @mseerykearney, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SenatorMarySeeryKearney, or www.finegael.ie/our-people/senators/dublin/dublin-south-central/mary-seery-kearney. Follow Dr Maeve O'Rourke on Twitter @maeveorourke, or at www.nuigalway.ie/business-public-policy-law/school-of-law/staff/maeveorourke. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions. Thanks to Dylan Hutchinson for research.

This week we talk to Gino Kenny TD (People Before Profit - Dublin Mid-West) about the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020, which he has sponsored, and which is a revival of former Deputy, John Halligan's, Dying with Dignity Bill 2015. Also joining the discussion are Senator Rónán Mullen (Independent - NUI panel), Councillor Sarah Kiely (Fine Gael - Limerick City East) and Consultant Geriatrician at Tallaght University Hospital, Professor Des O'Neill. You can read the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020 and track its progress here: www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2020/24 Follow Gino Kenny TD on Twitter @Ginosocialist, Facebook www.facebook.com/CllrGinoKenny and at ginokenny.com. Follow Senator Rónán Mullen on Twitter @ronanmullen, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/senatormullen, and at www.ronanmullen.ie. Follow Councillor Sarah Kiely on Twitter @sarahleekiely, on Instagram @sarahleekiely, and on Facebook www.facebook.com/VoteSarahKiely. Follow Professor Des O'Neill on Twitter at @Age_Matters and at www.tcd.ie/medicine/staff/DONEILL. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions. Thanks to Dylan Hutchinson for research.

In episode #2 of The Irish Legislation Podcast, Senator Barry Ward talks to Government Chief Whip and Minister of State, Jack Chambers TD, about the published Legislative Programme, the role of the Chief Whip, and the tools that the Government uses to get its agenda through the Houses of the Oireachtas. Minister Chambers also talks about money messages, re-introducing lapsed bills, pre-legislative scrutiny, the Oireachtas Business Committee and new, socially-distant voting procedures in Leinster House. Jack Chambers is Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin West; you can follow him on Twitter @jackfchambers or Instagram @jackchamberstd. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

Senator Barry Ward talks to Mark O’Doherty about the legislative process, how a bill passes through the Oireachtas to become a law. Mark O’Doherty is a former ministerial adviser and worked in the Government Chief Whip’s Office in Leinster House for over seven years. This episode of The Irish Legislation Podcast examines the five stages of a bill, where bills come from and how they are initiated, private member’s bills, pre-legislative scrutiny, the whip system and the guillotine. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter twitter.com/barrymward; Instagram www.instagram.com/barrym_ward; Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.

A quick recap of season 1 and preview of what's to come on season 2. The Irish Legislation Podcast is presented by Senator Barry Ward. Follow Barry on Twitter @barrymward; Instagram @barrym_ward; Facebook at BarryWard.ie; or his web site: www.barryward.ie. E-mail barry.ward@oireachtas.ie with any comments or suggestions.