I thank the Minister for coming in to speak with us again. Unfortunately, I do not have a printed copy of the statement. The Minister referred to teacher supply, the availability of student places and the options retired teachers have to return to teaching. The Minister highlighted that there is a portal for primary schools, which sounds very welcome and can be used for recruitment across the country. The Minister also said there are around 314 school planning areas and that school enrolment and child benefit data …

I wish to discuss the IFA sheep protest that was organised in Roscommon yesterday. IFA branches from across the country gathered in Roscommon to highlight challenges for farming families. The price of sheep would normally see a natural bump as we enter this season. Unfortunately, that is not happening. There are also reports that there was an increase of nearly one third in farming input costs in general in 2022. That is significant. Inflation is levelling, but feed costs alone have increased for farming families. …

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Harris, to the House in his new role as Minister for Justice. He is here to speak to us about a serious topic. It is about zero tolerance of any type of abuse of women. It is incredible to think that we need to have a strategy to say this. It should be crazy to think that we need such a strategy. It should be automatically within us that there is never violence against men or women and particularly women. We see now that so much has to be done for us as a society. It is not only in Ir…

I acknowledge the devastation in Türkiye and Syria. Our thoughts, and particularly the thoughts of many families all where I come from who have said it to me and Members, are with the people there. We will be there to support in the time ahead when they are going to need so much help. Ireland through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish Aid will do so much around this as well. I am conscious of that. I know locally many groups are also looking to engage in fundraising efforts to support the need in those cou…

I welcome the Heritage Council funding for biodiversity officers for a number of local authorities that was announced this morning. We still need to see more local authorities come on board. Funding has been announced for Galway County Council and it is at an advanced stage of getting that person on board, but we also need to see it for Roscommon. Biodiversity is important. We see it happening. In Roscommon we have the Ballydangan Bog Red Grouse Project which has been amazing. It has been bringing landowners togeth…

I wish to acknowledge that more than half of the projects funded under active travel are in rural areas, which is 500 of the 1,200 projects, and there is €290 million coming into rural areas. It is greatly needed. We know there are busy roads and there are no footpaths. One can live in the country and yet not get a chance to go out and have a walk safely on roads at all. It is great to see the projects, and particularly in my own hometown of Ballinasloe where we have had the completion of loop walks. This is a grea…

The Minister of State is very welcome. Along with Senator Black, I am on the sub-committee on mental health. It is important to be really clear about what CAMHS does. It was outlined in the report that the services provide assessments and treatment for young people up to 18 years of age. The report goes through the various conditions treated. Included are depression, problems with food and eating, self-harm, psychosis, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety. The report speaks to some of the agencies and groups…

I welcome the Minister to the House to speak about the issue of emergency departments, which is crucial across many areas. I thank Senators Conway and Maria Byrne for bringing forward the motion. There is pressure on emergency departments. Senators have raised issues, particularly in respect of University Hospital Limerick. I want to speak specifically about the Saolta University Health Care Group area in CHO 2, which includes Portiuncula University Hospital, Roscommon University Hospital and University Hospital Ga…

I also welcome the Minister of State to the House. She is here to take this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. This is about the need and urgency around bus services in rural areas and specifically my own home area of Roscommon and Galway and Ballinasloe town. At the public consultation phase of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, I co-ordinated a video campaign to highlight proposed and urgently needed routes. This was in December 2021, at which time we were enc…

I appreciate the Minister of State is representing the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, but the services she has mentioned from the commercial providers go on the motorway. They do not go through the towns and villages we are supposed to be connecting. My huge issue is there are communities that benefited. Families, older people and students use that service. When the buses went on the old Dublin-Galway road the service was very well used and was the main route from Dublin to Galway. The motorway has happened and it ha…

I know the cost of living causes such stress and that there are so many older people, including older men, who are afraid to turn on the heat because they are worried about the cost. I encourage people to look at the fuel allowance. It is really opening up for people over 70. In addition, the payment of €200 will be made this month and a further €200 will be put into people's accounts in March. This will have an impact. People should know that there are supports and should contact local authorities and the Departme…

I welcome the Minister and thank him for his visit to Athlone. It was great to see the first electric bus in one of the first regional spots outside the city in Dublin. Of course, we also have our brand new cycle way so they will be bussing and cycling it all through the midlands and into the west. I really appreciate the Minister being here to speak on wind energy. As has been mentioned many times Ireland's maritime area is seven times larger than its land mass. It is great when one looks at that map and sees the …

I thank our new Cathaoirleach. I am part of the Ballinasloe Says No committee. It is really how I got involved in being a community representative. It is a community group that challenged the inappropriate location of a waste transfer station in Ballinasloe, in low-lying floodplains. We received news this week that Galway County Council has noted that the planning permission has lapsed for the proposed site. It was inappropriate and unsuitable. This is such a win for Ballinasloe. As a community, we said "No" to hun…

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, on our first day back to discuss this national cultural institutions Bill. Today has seen the highest ever number of nominations for Irish artists and films at the Oscars. It is an incredible feat and we are very proud of it. We are proud of "An Cailín Ciúin" and "The Banshees of Inisherin". "The Banshees of Inisherin" showcases the most stunning landscapes. Coming from the west I will speak proudly about it. It features Inis Mór on the Aran Islands and Achill Island…

I congratulate our Cathaoirleach, Senator Buttimer, Conchobar, and all his family. They are so proud of him and everything he has achieved. Today is a dream of a lifetime. The Cathaoirleach should take every moment and enjoy it. The Cathaoirleach has said it is a privilege to be in the House and that each and every day he walks in is a privilege. We have heard how much this means to him in his speech and means a lot to us to hear that. I know he will shape the role. In his opening speech, the Cathaoirleach spoke ab…

I pay tribute to the outgoing Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senator Joe O'Reilly, a true friend. As always, he is on the same floor and he has given so much guidance to someone who was so new. Senator Joe O'Reilly has both expertise and wisdom. It is a real honour to know him and I cherish the fact that we have become good friends. As Senator Murphy has said, Senator O'Reilly has very close ties to Roscommon, particularly to the Tully family. When he was elected to the role of Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Seanad, it meant muc…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to speak about this to us. This is groundbreaking legislation because it is about ensuring we get gender-balanced representation within our local authorities across the country. I know the Minister of State has done a mountain of work on this over the past year or two years. I very much appreciate the fact that there has been a consultation group, namely, the cross-party working group that was set up last year to ensure voices are heard, particularly of women, w…

Hear, hear.

I offer sympathies to the family of Seán Rooney, a young man of 23. The young men and women who have joined the Irish Defence Forces, Óglaigh na hÉireann, have taken on the mantle, responsibility and weight of representing Ireland and wearing the Irish flag abroad, as this young man did. We need to remember it is a sacrifice given on behalf of Ireland. We in the Houses of the Oireachtas should pay tribute to and acknowledge what has been done in our name and Ireland's name. I thank the Leader, Senator Doherty, who …

It is hard to follow on from Bob Dylan.