An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-20
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Victor Boyhan (IND), Agricultural Panel

First, I want to extend my sincere condolences to Padraic White, his daughter and family and pay tribute to Mary White. What a wonderful Senator she was. I am sure we will have an opportunity to pay tribute to her at some later point but I would just like to say now that Mary White was a great friend, a great personal mentor, a true republican and an entrepreneur. I look forward to having the opportunity to pay tribute to her to a greater extent in this House.
Yesterday I was in Galway where President Connolly officially launched the Simon Communities of Ireland Older Adult Homelessness in Ireland report. It was well publicised on television, radio and on other media. The report was a collaborative effort bringing together local and international client perspectives to provide insights and explore practical solutions. The President highlighted some of the key recommendations in the report. I pay tribute to the CEO of Galway Simon, Ms Carol Baumann. That organisation has been involved in developing accommodation units there itself. The report draws attention to the issue of elderly homelessness in the context of rents, the cost of property, social isolation and the limits on HAP. All of these are challenges and this cohort of people needs our support, focus and attention. I also thank Ms Ber Grogan and wish her well as the new executive director of Simon Communities, which does amazing work. I will be asking the Oireachtas housing committee to give this report further consideration. I also want to thank the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell, who gave a very impressive presentation and overview of Government policy on older adult homelessness in Ireland.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-20