I acknowledge the funding announced yesterday for active travel. The fund is €184 million, which is nearly €200 million that has been allocated this year to local authorities. Some €11 million has been allocated to Galway and Roscommon for walking and cycling routes. Some might say that is grand, but in many rural towns there are no footpaths. It is dangerous to go out walking in the evenings or any time of the day on a busy country road. It is important that we are seeing this type of development and it is brillia…

It was just Senator Byrne.

I welcome the Minister, Deputy McConalogue and pay tribute to his proactive work. It feels strange being here in this House considering we meet in mart rings most of the time. The Minister has heard comments and feedback from colleagues and people from the west. His work is very much appreciated. Taking into account the types of farming in the west, this debate is crucial. The Minister will have heard many farm families ask whether there is a future in agriculture. The young people we met in marts, many of whose pa…

This week, Ballinasloe has seen its third win in the High Court. This is a win for the families and communities of Ballinasloe. Close to 3,000 families submitted objections to Galway County Council from 2018, even during the pandemic and the severe lockdown, to make their voices heard. Ballinasloe said no to hundreds of 10-tonne, 15-tonne and 30-tonne trucks being forced through the town centre, past residential areas and Portiuncula hospital, to access the site. We said no to air pollution from diesel-powered truc…

I am sharing time with Senator Maria Byrne.

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Foley, to the Seanad. This is our first motion of 2022. I also welcome Deputy Kehoe from the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. This report deals specifically with impacts during the first part of lockdown. This report was produced this time last year, on 14 January 2021. It refers to the impact on our children and young people in primary and secondary schools. I acknowledge the work that has been done in the Minister's office…

Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

I wish everybody here a Happy Christmas and festive season. Like Senator Hoey, I like seeing the sparkles and everything. I joined in with the earrings and I know that many of the guys here are wearing their festive ties. It is a privilege and an honour to be here and to speak with a strong voice on so many topics but particularly on things that are relevant to where I come from, in Ballinasloe, east Galway and Roscommon. Also I thank Ms Deirdre Chambers who works in our Whip’s office here, who our Acting Leader wo…

Further to Senator Warfield’s contribution, I acknowledge the concerns that have been raised. Our priority is children’s health and well-being and it is about inclusion for all. The Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has recently done a report on bullying, including cyberbullying, which affects one in three children. That is shocking and we have to do our utmost to reduce it. I know a consultative approach is being taken and I acknowledge that the Department…

I thank the Minister of State for joining us. I welcome this crucial discussion on the motion tabled by Senators Higgins and Ruane. Senator Higgins and I had an opportunity to discuss the matter previously but not with as much time as was needed to discuss a topic of this importance. I want immediate access for people around the world, particularly in low-income countries, to vaccines. I remember the complete and utter joy that I felt when I first heard last year about the vaccines being developed. I remember readi…

Last weekend, so many communities came together to celebrate Christmas in a safe way. For example, in Mountbellew we had a themed forest walk through the gorgeous forest there which was organised by the local community. They were very innovative in terms how they used their funding and in terms of design. They used the frames of two hanging basket to create a globe which was carried throughout the forest. At the end of it, children could meet with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. They even got to see Santa Claus's famou…

Hear, hear.

Amendments Nos. 10, 11 and 18 are related and may be discussed together. Amendment No. 18 is a logical alternative to amendment No. 10.

As amendment No. 11 is a logical alternative, it cannot be moved.

Amendments Nos. 12 and 13 are related. Amendment No. 13 is a physical alternative to amendment No. 12. Amendments Nos. 12 and 13 may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

It is.

I call Senator Cummins from the great coastal town of Waterford.

Please could Senator Boyhan keep to amendment No. 12?

I thank the Minister of State for his engagement with Oireachtas Members on those points. It is appreciated. I ask Senator Boyhan how stands amendment No. 12?

Following on from the points Senator McDowell made, it is exactly as he said. I lived in an apartment on the North Circular Road. I was one of the people affected when they made changes to that legislation. They said that apartments could no longer have shared bathrooms and shared facilities. That is what that legislation brought in. When we look at what we have faced over the last year and a half, it was an impossibility. Back then, it was difficult. Many people had to move and find alternative accommodation. It r…