I know that the Minister is very much aware that there is pure frustration among families and parents about this issue. There is no space or capacity on the buses. Suddenly, everyone has learnt about the criteria in respect of full eligible tickets and concessionary tickets. There have been last-minute notice emails. There is the communications side of things and the family portal. Children have been left on the side of the road. I heard from a mother working at Portiuncula Hospital who had to leave the hospital to…

I pay my condolences to the British ambassador who was here earlier on the impact of the loss of the Queen. She made such a stir when she travelled to Ireland in 2011. It tugged at everyone's heartstrings to see the effort she put into every meeting she attended and speech she gave when she was here. It built an awful lot of bridges that we need to continue fighting for. I also want to speak about the cystic fibrosis group whose members were outside the gates of Leinster House today and who were mentioned by Senato…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this motion and I thank the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ossian Smyth, and also the Minister, Deputy Ryan, who was in the House earlier. We are seeing the rising costs of energy. I thank the Senators who tabled the motion. The budget will be very much about mitigating and reducing costs and we will see that in a number of different areas. One of the key areas will be around the fuel allowance and the people w…

I acknowledge Senator Hoey's very heartfelt contribution. I look forward to getting an update on it from the relevant agencies. I thank the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, for being with us today to speak on the motion. Working together for Animal Welfare - Ireland's Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025 is welcome. It is great to see all stakeholders coming together on how we look after animals in Ireland. I come from a farming family where sick calves and lambs were usually in the kitchen. My mother was a nurse. …

I thank the proposer of the motion for those comments. Perhaps some of the marts and farmers might disagree about some of the income coming from live exports.

I very much agree with the Senator's points on MADRA, which is fantastic. In the Galway Advertiser we always see the little stories about pets. I thank all Senators, particularly Senator Hoey, for their contributions.

Hear, hear.

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I want to bring up the HSE service plan and Westdoc. Westdoc provides GP cover and many people around the country would know that this service comes in under different names in different regions. It provides out-of-hours and red-eye cover. That is, out-of-hours between 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock in the evening until 12 o’clock at night and then red-eye cover from midnight until about 6 o’clock or 7 o’clock in the morning. The challenge is that in east Galway - I know are other parts of…

I welcome the Minister of State. This is fantastic legislation. The Minister of State has shown the whole time she has had this portfolio the changes she has sought to make. We talk about resources within our schools and special schools. We are looking at bringing children back into the mainstream. That has been a real policy over recent years. Specifically, with this Bill, the Minister of State is looking at working with schools, which is what the Department is doing, to ensure there is capacity there for children…

Fantastic.

Does Senator Warfield want to come in first?

I thank the Minister of State for that excellent news on special classes. It is important. She mentioned she was in contact with over 14 schools located in the Dublin area, but it is crucial that the total number of special classes is being increased. I represent Roscommon and Galway. When take in conjunction with Athlone and Westmeath in general, the overall catchment area is extremely large. Senator Carrigy has often spoken about the challenges of parents who must travel. This is really appreciated. There are so …

On a point of order, the Senator has to speak to the amendment. I understand the frustrations here but------

I am sorry, through the Chair.

Can I move the suspension of the sitting until the votes in the Dáil have concluded?

I propose that we suspend the sitting until the votes in the Dáil have concluded.

In section 37 of the 1998 Act there are subsections (1) to (6), and within subsection (6) there are paragraphs ( a ) to ( f ). Is there a section 37A that I am not seeing?

That is what I am looking at.

We all want to see more places for children with special needs. That is the overall intent. The boards of management and patrons of schools are probably reflecting on and discussing this new legislation that is coming on board. Boards of management have an obligation generally to ensure there are classes for children. That is what they do and it is the purpose of schools. They provide classes in which children can learn. We are seeking to ensure that children with special needs are not put into separate special nee…

The Department of Education provides support for training of school boards of management. The departmental website states that the five core modules are the board as a corporate entity, employment law, financial management, legal Issues and child protection guidelines. There is the potential to expand the training of school boards of management. The Minister may wish to consider it being expanded to include the elements relating to this issue.