I welcome everyone to the meeting. I have to read some formal notices first. I remind members of the constitutional requirement that they must be physically present within the confines of the place in which Parliament has chosen to sit, namely, Leinster House, in order to participate in public meetings. I will not permit a member to participate where they are not adhering to this constitutional requirement. Therefore, any member who attempts to participate from outside the precincts will be asked to leave the meeting.

I remind anybody viewing proceedings that all petitions are considered in private session as well as in public session.

I propose that any petitions considered by the committee at this meeting and previous meetings be published and that any replies from Departments or other bodies also be published. Is that agreed? Agreed.

There are four petitions before us this afternoon. The first, P00071/25, relates to a national review of historical paediatric orchidopexy practices and HSE oversight. It was submitted by Mr. Shane Mullally, who has had extensive engagement with the HSE. The latter seems to have treated his case as an individual one, while Mr. Mullally's contention is that it is a national issue and, therefore, a national review is needed, not just of the practice but also the implications of the practice for individuals. We have written to the Department and have received a response. I propose that we publish that response and send it to the petitioner for review and comment. As I said, he has engaged with the HSE and I am proposing that we ask for his comment on the Department's response. Do members have any views on that? There are no comments. Is the proposal agreed? Agreed.

The next petition, P00078/25, submitted by Ms Jennifer Williams, relates to mandatory mould inspections, air quality certification and fair rent standards in rental housing. We discussed this in private session. It concerns not just the presence of mould that can be seen but also a mandatory inspection regime to find cases where there might be mould and where it may be having a detrimental impact on renters of the property in question, without their even knowing it and, in some cases, without the landlord knowing it. Mould can be present without there necessarily being massive evidence of it. The proposal is that we forward the correspondence from the petitioner to the Department of housing to find out its take on the issue. It may be that something is happening in this area of which we are unaware. We are all aware of mould as a growing issue for our constituents. Do members have any views on this petition?

I am interested in what response we receive from the Department. We certainly should look into this issue. As the Cathaoirleach said, we all know of people in our constituencies who are living in dire conditions. I once entered a house that was so damp and dirty that it was necessary to wipe one's feet on the way out rather than when going in the door.

Yes, and that is no fault of the people living in the house.

It absolutely was not their fault.

As Ethel Wood once said, it is like trying to hoover the Sahara. Mould just keeps coming back and there is only so much people can do.

Yes. It will be interesting to see what the response is from the Department.

I support the Cathaoirleach's proposal. We know there are unscrupulous landlords who do no more than give a place a clean and a lick of paint before getting it rented out again. We need to look into that. There are also tenants, as I have said, who dry clothes without opening the windows, which causes damp. This is an issue we should examine. Nobody should be renting a flat or house that is damp and conducive to bad health, including lung infections, in children or adults. I agree that we should try to move this issue on.

We are in agreement on the need to move the issue forward. The mandatory inspection part is important because it would help to find mould even when it cannot be seen. The impact on people's health is the same regardless of whether it can be seen. The issue relates to building standards and quality. It is an issue that is worth our while to pursue. I propose that we forward the correspondence to the Department and await its response. On the basis of that response, we will formulate our own plan. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The next petition, P00091/25, from Mr. Christopher Gaffney, is to do with Irish airspace safety concerns. I thank Mr. Gaffney for being in the Gallery today. My understanding is that this is a fairly technical issue that may require a very technical response. I understand Mr. Gaffney has contacted the Minister for Transport to request a meeting.

By my read of it, that would be a very valuable meeting, whether directly with the Minister or with officials from the Department. We have correspondence from Mr. Gaffney. The proposal is that we will forward it to the Department of Transport. We might include a recommendation for a meeting either with the Minister or officials from the Department to explain this very complicated issue. We might propose that the meeting take place should the Department feel there is merit in it. We cannot compel the Department to have the meeting but it would be useful if we made our views known. Is that agreed? Do members have any views on it?

I agree. There is a change, in general, in how we are governing airspace dynamics in the context of the advent of new technologies. I get contacted quite a bit by pilots about airspace issues. That can be about how air traffic control is operating or other things. There is a defence component to this as well. It would be good for the committee to consider this and the multiple Departments that may have some impact on this. It gets quite concerning when we think about the EU Presidency, for example, and the threats that might be made to the functioning of the EU Presidency while we are hosting it in Ireland. It is particularly pertinent in the current climate. I thank the petitioner for bringing it forward.

I thank Mr. Gaffney for the petition. I agree with the Deputy. I represent the constituency the airport is in. This issue is very close to my own heart. We will forward that and ask that, if possible, a meeting be arranged. We will see what comes from that. We will consider any correspondence that might arise as a result of that. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The fourth petition is P00092/25 relating to the reform of visa rules for parents of Irish citizens. This concerns a issue around travelling, in this instance, for a short stay, for the parents of Irish citizens. It is for people who live here and are Irish citizens and whose parents live abroad. There is a requirement for a visa for a short stay. This is proving quite difficult. There has been correspondence between the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and the petitioner. We have correspondence from the petitioner in response to that. The proposal is that we will forward that to the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for its comment within 14 days. This is a very complicated area and I think we need some guidance from the petitioner, which we have, and from the Department. I am interested to see what the Department's response will be. I propose that we consider the response when we get it. On the basis of the response we will then move to make a decision on how we can best pursue this.

I want to emphasise that a few of us have experienced this issue in the past. In my own constituency there is one particular person, who is Turkish, who wanted to bring his family over for a visit. Their visas were rejected and when it went to appeal that was also rejected. He was not actually informed of the appeal until I inquired about it. There is even an administrative issue in terms of how we can streamline this so that people are getting the proper communication. As distinct from the rules and how they might be adjusted, we need to ensure that people are getting the right communication and that it is being administratively processed in a way that gives people dignity. These are people who are contributing so well to Ireland. We want them to live family-inclusive lives in this country. I lived abroad for a while. My brother lives in the United States. I would love to go over to see him. We need to make sure that those family connections can be sustained. It is an important part of Irish character. I would like to hear from the Department on that.

In a similar vein, I would say it is about the connection. We all know that when we write to the Department, especially about visas, we will get the generic, "We will do our best within ten to 15 days to have everything sorted" as a response. I know of an individual who had a family tragedy. These people are Irish citizens, have their own businesses and employ people in Ireland. They wanted to bring their 80-year-old mother over here. They wrote to the Department and the Minister and told the story of why they wanted to bring the mother over for five days on compassionate grounds. She fell under the same rule even though she was 80 years old.

Unfortunately, because she did not have enough money in her bank account, the family would not come home for the few days. The sons are all businesspeople and can well afford it. They wrote reams of stuff about the situation where when the computer says "No", that is it. There is no empathy. It will be interesting to see what comes back.

I think it will be interesting to see how the differentiation is made between a request for a short stay, which means hopping in to see the kids, exchanging presents or whatever and then leaving, and how that is established. We are seeing people being caught up in a full-time migration process when what its actually involved is the short-stay version.

Three days.

We will wait to see what the Department has to say. On that basis, we will continue with our consideration of the matter at our next meeting and then make a decision on how we best move it forward. Is that agreed? Agreed.

That concludes our consideration of public petitions. I invite members of the public to submit petitions via our online portal, which is available at petitions.oireachtas.ie. A petition may be addressed to the Houses of the Oireachtas on a matter of general public concern or interest, or an issue of public policy. Do members have any other issues they wish to raise under any other business?

No.

Okay. The committee is now adjourned until Tuesday, 30 June at 6 p.m., when, for people who love meetings, we will meet in both private and public session.