Leo Varadkar, TD

I want to thank you all very much for the opportunity to say a few words this evening on the Marriage Equality Referendum proposal which as you will all know will be going through the Dáil and Seanad shortly in the form of a Bill to amend the Constitution and, if passed in the Houses, will be put to the people in May for a Yes or No vote.

The Taoiseach will be in Brussels today for meetings with the President of the European Council Donald Tusk and the President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker.

“The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD has allocated €2 million to support local authorities in implementing 30 km/h speed limits in housing estates and residential areas. This will make a huge difference to young families in Dundalk, Drogheda and other towns and villages in County Louth”, says Peter Fitzpatrick, Fine Gael TD for Louth.

Fine Gael Senator and Government Chief Whip in the Seanad, Senator Paul Coghlan has expressed concerns that the new legislation to reform lobbying in Ireland may lead to a new culture of secrecy within the civil service. Senator Coghlan expressed his concerns to Minister Howlin following the recent debate on the Registration of Lobbying Bill in Seanad Eireann.

“While the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 will regulate the drinks industry sponsorship for the first time and will make it illegal to advertise alcohol in a manner that targets children, I believe that a sunset clause for alcohol sponsorship in sport should also be introduced” says Michael Creed, Fine Gael TD for Cork North West.

Fine Gael MEP for Dublin, Brian Hayes, has congratulated 17 year-old student Stephen Alger for topping the iTunes book charts with his interactive revision book “iRevise Geography”. Stephen, a 5th year student in Blackrock College living in Dun Laoghaire, established his own company in 2014 from his home to promote his iRevise range of books.

Fine Gael Carlow/ Kilkenny TD, Pat Deering, has today (Wednesday) welcomed confirmation from the HSE that they are to extend access to the drug Eculizumab (trading as Soliris), for patients with the conditions Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical Haemolytic Uraemic (aHUS).

Minister for European Affairs and Data Protection, Dara Murphy - Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central - delivered a keynote address to a seminar on data analytics in Brussels this morning, hosted by Insight - Ireland’s dedicated research centre for this growing area. The centre is a partnership between a number of Irish universities, including UCC, various industry partners, and Science Foundation Ireland. It aims to create a healthier, safer and more productive world by empowering a data-driven society to make better decisions.

Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Justice and Clare Senator, Martin Conway, welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, today (Wednesday) that she intends to proceed with the enactment of legislation to promote mediation as a viable, effective and efficient adjunct to court proceedings.

"As a member of the Oireachtas Cross Party Group on Alcohol and the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, I welcome the publication of the Heads of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015”, says Fine Gael TD for Dublin South Central, Catherine Byrne.