It was a mistake. I call Senator Boyhan.

I thank the Leader for organising the debate on the exceptionally sad case of Shane O'Farrell. The more one reads into it, the more one realises that there has been a terrible miscarriage of justice. I received correspondence from Mrs. O'Farrell this morning. She will be here with a number of other people. I hope as many people as possible can come to the House. I think it will be an interesting debate. A number of other parties will also be in the Chamber. I think it will be an important opportunity to stand in solidarity with a family that deserves justice. I thank the Leader for facilitating it. I thank the Minister for making himself available to come to the House for this important debate.

I do not intend to rehearse what other people have said about the children's hospital. As a matter of fact, I have said nothing about it in the Seanad. Perhaps at some time in the near future, we could have some sort of debate or statements on the National Development Finance Agency. A number of issues relating to the agency have come to my attention. I think we need a greater understanding of the agency's role and function in overseeing major Government contracts. I understand that a number of questions on this agency's involvement or lack of involvement in this project will be put to the Minister. It may have been prevented from being involved. I would welcome some sort of debate on that.

I would also welcome a debate on the €99 million in cuts that are now required. I hope the cutbacks that are being announced, which are temporary by nature, will not have any impact on the second phase of the National Rehabilitation Hospital project in Dún Laoghaire.

I ask as many Members as possible to come to the House for the debate on the Criminal Justice (Rehabilitative Periods) Bill 2018 if they are free to do so. This important legislation is before the House today. I know there has been a slight change in the order and timing of that debate.

Now that Britain is leaving Europe, we have an opportunity to address a major issue that has been around for recent years. I refer to public tenders for major projects like schools, roads, hospitals and nursing homes being given to companies outside the Twenty-six Counties. When politicians and people in local areas ask why tenders are being given to companies in the North or in Britain, we are told that under European legislation, the tenders have to be given in a way that satisfies European law. When the companies that are given these tenders come down, they do not leave anything in the local community. They do not give any local jobs. When €1 million was provided to do up St. Joseph's nursing home in Trim, which is in my constituency, a company from Northern Ireland came down to do the work. When I went up to speak to a few people who were working on the site, they had no problem telling me they were on social welfare in Northern Ireland and came down here to work for between £15 and £20 sterling - cash in hand - a day. How can that be fair to an Irish company that is looking to put in a tender for these projects? Such underhandedness is going on and we cannot check on it. As we move forward, Britain will leave Europe. I would like to see Departments giving more tenders to Irish companies, rather than British or foreign companies. We should look after our own first. I would like the Minister to come in so that we can discuss this issue as we move forward.

I draw the attention of colleagues to a great protest by primary students from a number of Educate Together schools, which will take place outside Leinster House today. While this is entirely their own initiative, they are inspired by a Swedish schoolgirl, Greta Thunberg. They are being supported by their teachers and by members of the INTO as they call for action on climate change under the slogan "we can't wait". It is really great to see students and young children engaging in activism on such a pressing issue.

I join Senators Norris and Boyhan in thanking the Leader for organising today's debate on the case of Shane O'Farrell and specifically on a motion on that case. I look forward to contributing to the debate. It is important that we renew the debate on this matter, having debated it in June of last year.

I would like to get clarification on a matter that was raised in the Dáil yesterday by my party leader, Deputy Howlin. Now that we know something, at least, about the cost overruns, has the Attorney General considered whether the revised tender price for the children's hospital is compliant with EU procurement directives, particularly 2014/24/EU, which requires that a new tendering process be conducted if certain modifications to original plans are carried out, and specifically if the renewed price is to be increased by more than 50% of the value of the original contract?

We know that has been exceeded so there is a real concern about the legality of the process now we know so much more about it. I ask the Leader to seek clarification on this. It has been raised in the Dáil but it is a very important matter.

I join others in supporting Senator Ruane's Bill on rehabilitation periods, which will be taken this evening. It is very important and it builds on the Government's framework from 2016, which was very welcome. For the first time we saw rehabilitation of offenders introduced in principle and a measure on expunging convictions from the record. Senator Ruane's Bill builds on that and makes the process much fairer, implementing a proportionality that is currently lacking from the process. I hope we can see support from all sides, especially the Government side, for the Bill.