I want to start by wishing everybody a really happy Pride and a really happy Pride month, especially those who are heading out to celebrate this weekend. Hopefully, the weather stays as fabulous as it has been the past couple of days for the Dublin Pride parade. Every year that I attend the Dublin Pride parade, I am struck by the sense of community, inclusion, fun, colour, energy and positivity. It brings the streets of Dublin to life and I wish everybody participating in it this year the very best. I think we can see that same feeling reflected in celebrations right across the country. Those celebrations are taking place right throughout this month, and that is something we can all be proud of. Pride is a really important month and a really important moment in the year, a time to celebrate and a time to reflect, as the Minister, Deputy Foley, said. It is a powerful expression of visibility, dignity and joy for the LGBTQI community but it also reminds us why it is so important that we speak up, stand together and show our solidarity and support. It is really important to recognise how far we have come as a country when it comes to supporting and including LGBTQI+ people. There is a lot to be proud of but Pride is also a reminder that it all started as a protest and that part of it is still really important too. There are still people who experience discrimination and online abuse. We are seeing more and more of that online, unfortunately. It can be incredibly damaging. It has a real impact on people, on their confidence and well-being and on how safe they feel to just be themselves. While Pride is a celebration, it is also a moment to remind ourselves to keep standing up for each other, call out hate when we see it and keep working towards an Ireland where everyone feels respected, supported and free to be who they are. It is through that continued commitment that we are seeing real, tangible progress in our policies, our services, and in how we support people in their day-to-day lives. One area where we are seeing that progress is in transgender healthcare. Work is well under way to improve services for both adults and young people, including the development of an updated clinical model of care for gender healthcare which we expect to be completed later this year. A national clinical programme for gender healthcare working group has been set up to develop this, bringing together expertise from across the system with a clear focus on delivering more joined-up, accessible care linking primary care, community supports and specialist services in a way that works better for people. We are also continuing to focus on challenging stigma and raising awareness. The You, Me and HIV campaign is back again this year across TV, radio and online channels. It is sharing a really clear message that effective treatment means HIV cannot be passed on. Through real life stories, this campaign is helping to build understanding and create a more supportive and informed society. We are beginning to see some impact from the campaign and recent figures point to a modest downward trend in discriminatory attitudes, with levels decreasing from 54% in late 2024 to 49% at the end of last year. We still have a way to go. More people are also saying they feel comfortable with someone living with HIV in their everyday lives, whether it is a family member, friend, neighbour or colleague. That is clear progress but it is gradual and the level of stigma remains significant. While we are making some progress in the right direction, it is clear that we need to keep moving. Changing attitudes takes time and continued effort. That is essential if we are to achieve more meaningful and lasting change. That is why it is so important that we keep having these conversations and that we keep challenging the stigma and continuing to build a society where people feel fully accepted, supported and included. We are also seeing really positive progress in our schools. Inclusion is becoming part of everyday learning. The updated senior cycle SPHE programme, which now includes LGBTIQ+ identities, is being introduced for students in the leaving certificate applied. This is being supported at primary level through the new well-being curriculum, including SPHE, which covers topics like diversity, gender stereotypes and tackling bullying from an early age. It is because of our core values, inclusion, respect, understanding and acceptance, and that really matters. As we all know, it is these early experiences that shape how we see and treat each other, as individuals but also as a society. More broadly, we are continuing to strengthen the legal protections that protect LGBTIQ+ people from discrimination, harm and hatred. While I know progress in this area can sometimes feel slow, it is important to take the time to get it right and to make sure the laws we introduce are strong and effective and that they make a real difference in people's lives. It is in that context that there are very clear commitments in place, including a commitment in both the programme for Government and the national LGBTIQ+ inclusion strategy, to ban conversion practices. This goes to the core of protecting people's equality and dignity. Of course, turning that commitment into something meaningful in practice takes time and careful work. That work is already well under way, with officials developing the approach and working closely with the Office of the Attorney General. Alongside that work, we have also seen important progress in other areas. Just this month, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, recommended that the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 include an amendment regarding historical convictions for consensual same-sex activity. In practical real terms, this amendment will introduce a process where people can apply to have a certain historical conviction for consensual same-sex activity formally disregarded. This is particularly significant when we reflect on how recent these laws are in our history. Homosexuality was only decriminalised in Ireland in 1993 following a long and hard-fought campaign led by former Senator, David Norris, and many others. For many people those convictions did not simply disappear. They were punished for relationships that were entirely consensual, something that should never have been criminal in the first place, and they have carried that burden for years, often quietly, through their everyday lives. While we have moved forward as a society, it is important to recognise that this is not the case everywhere. At an international level, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, alongside Ireland's diplomatic missions, continues to advocate strongly for the rights of LGBTIQ+ people, including supporting the decriminalisation of homosexuality where it still exists and opposing any attempts to introduce such laws. It is in that context, recognising the progress we have made and the work that remains, that the legislation is important. It will provide a formal process through which individuals can and will apply to have convictions disregarded and effectively nullified. It also represents a sincere recognition of the violation of individuals' human rights and dignity and acknowledgement of the lasting harm caused by the criminalisation of LGBTIQ+ people and communities more broadly around the world. That recognition matters all the more in the context we are in today. While we have made real progress, we are seeing that progress being challenged not just at home but influenced by wider international trends, including the more polarised debates that we are seeing, especially overseas. Those conversations, in particular online, can quickly take hold and contribute to an increase in negative rhetoric, misinformation and, in some cases, harassment directed at the LGBTIQ+ community. That is why steps like this are so important, not just in terms of addressing the past but also in reaffirming the kind of society we want to be and the values of equality, dignity and respect we all stand for. Work does not stop there. Work on the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) (Amendment) Bill, as colleagues will be aware, is now at an advanced stage, with drafting being led by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel alongside relevant Departments. I am informed it is expected to be introduced to the Dáil this term. Finalising the legislation, along with establishing the assisted human reproduction regulatory authority, will be key to enabling the introduction of surrogacy leave and ensuring that families are recognised and supported and treated equally. I commend Irish Families Through Surrogacy and all those who have advocated in this space. All this work across policy and legislation, and across seas in terms of our international engagement, shows the direction we are moving in and reflects a clear and ongoing commitment to advancing equality at home and abroad. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality leads on a number of whole-of-government equality strategies, including the national LGBTIQ+ inclusion strategy. As the core, they are about addressing the barriers that people face and making sure that everyone has the opportunity to participate fully and equally in society, regardless of their sex, race, ethnicity, social origin, religion, belief, political opinion, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics. These strategies also give us a way to respond to the challenges that people face, many of which are shared across different communities. They are all designed to work together. That is where an intersectional approach becomes so important. It helps us to better understand and respond to inequality in a way that reflects people's lived experience. It is important to say that those lived experiences have been central to shaping our most recent strategies, including the national LGBTIQ+ inclusion strategy. At the end of the day, it is only by listening to people, trying to understand their experiences and putting people at the centre of our policy decisions can we develop policies that are truly meaningful and will make a genuine difference. This is about listening, learning and making sure that people's experiences are reflected in the decisions that we take. While today is an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come, it is also a reminder of the responsibility that we all share to keep moving forward. Equality is not something that we achieve once. It requires commitment, listening and action. There is much to be proud of this Pride but there is much more to do. We are moving in the right direction. I thank everyone who continues to play a part in making Ireland a more inclusive and compassionate place for everyone, all of the NGOs operating in the space and everybody who is celebrating Pride this month.

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