The Order of Business is No. 1, Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026 - Committee Stage (resumed) and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 12.45 p.m., with the proceedings thereon, if not previously concluded, to be brought to a conclusion at 3.45 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government; No. 2, Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 4 p.m., and the proceedings thereon, if not previously concluded, to be brought to a conclusion at 7.45 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government; and No. 77(4), Private Members' business, motion regarding protecting rural Ireland, to be taken at 8 p.m., with the time allocated to the debate not to exceed two hours.

I join the Cathaoirleach in welcoming both the Belgian ambassador and my friends Joeleen and James. Anyone who has visited Chat N' Chew in Newbridge will have met Joeleen. I certainly hope her lunch today will be up to the usual standard at Chat N' Chew.

It was lovely to meet with our former colleague Catherine Martin last night. She brought in a group of musicians, artists and representatives of the Irish Music Rights Organisation, IMRO, including Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Danny O'Donoghue, Tom Dunne and others. They were in for a debate in the Dáil on protecting artists' creativity. There is a concern that Irish artists' copyright will be undermined by artificial intelligence. It is clear they need stronger legal protections, licensing rules, etc. I would like to see a debate on that in this House when we come back in September.

I wish Des Egan, teacher, poet and Newbridge resident, a very happy 90th birthday today. Des is creative director of the Gerard Manley Hopkins Literary Festival, which The Irish Times has always called the best literary festival in Ireland. Des is originally from Athlone and he and his wife, Viv, chose to live in Newbridge. The festival starts next week, on 24 July, with people from 27 countries coming to Newbridge. It really is a wonderful festival. I wish Des, Viv and their daughters the best of luck with it.

I am sure Members will join me in wishing Áine Lawlor well on her retirement last Sunday. Áine was a consummate professional, full of integrity and sincerity and very fair to everybody who was on her panel. Continuing the theme of Kildare connections, she is a grand-niece of the late Rathangan author Maura Laverty, who wrote many books and wrote the very first soap opera for RTÉ, "Tolka Row". We wish Áine well on her retirement.

I wish to talk about a serious issue relating to the blueway. The blueway and greenways are important for both visitors and residents. There is an urgent public safety issue affecting residents, particularly the residents of Ballyteague, around the use of the blueway in County Kildare. There has been the illegal use of scramblers and quad bikes on public roads along the blueway. This is causing considerable concern. It has escalated. It is not just an issue of antisocial behaviour now but an issue of public safety. Residents have suffered serious injuries. One had to have a three-hour surgical procedure. Another had to have 12 stitches in his head. In a separate incident, another resident was allegedly assaulted by a quad bike rider, dragged along the roadway and thrown into a parked vehicle. That incident also resulted in hospitalisation. It is only a matter of time before a fatality occurs. We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for the most basic expectation of any citizens, which is that they should be able to live safely in their own communities. I am calling for an immediate multi-agency response involving the Garda, Waterways Ireland, Kildare County Council and the relevant Government Department. I would like to see the Leader escalating that issue. I would like a debate on the topic.