As somebody who grew up and worked on a farm, I thank the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, for highlighting International Day of Rural Women. My mother was a powerful force on our farm and 30-odd years ago she was probably the only woman in the mart able to reverse a tractor and trailer. That is changing, however. I was involved in the visit of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, to County Galway. He was at Maam Cross mart last night and there were quite a few women in attendan…

Today, we have budget 2022, which has €87.6 billion of supports. It is there to help people get back up on their feet again after this pandemic and lockdown. For jobs, we are seeing a continuation of the wage subsidy scheme and the raising of the standard income band by over €1,500. For young families, there is the largest budget ever allocated for Housing for All. For older members of our community, there is an increase in the fuel allowance by €5 and €5 for the pensions. There is an increase in the minimum wage a…

I support the Government's 2022 budget of €87.5 billion in spending announced by Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe. All the steps the Government took to protect people's lives and income through the pandemic unemployment pay and the temporary wage subsidy scheme have now proven to be effective in saving jobs. Close to 0.5 million people were in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment and 100,000 are in receipt of it this week. There is a clear commitment to extend the employment wage subsidy scheme until Ap…

Imagine running a marathon when you are in sixth class. I have never run any marathon. My pinnacle was half the Connemarathon. Galway Sports Partnership and Healthy Galway are investing funds from Sport Ireland in Ballinasloe in preparation for a community sports hub application. Marathonkids Ireland is going to be run out in 30 primary schools, so children in sixth class will have the opportunity to embrace running and jogging. Being healthy and active at all ages is crucial to a general sense of well-being. Even …

I welcome the Minister of State to the House to mark Dyslexia Awareness Week. I refer in particular to her role as Minister of State with special responsibility for special education and inclusion. As the Fine Gael spokesperson on education, further and higher education, research, innovation and science, I welcome the statement from the Minister of State and the aims that she mentioned. She spoke about empowerment for young people and for children. She spoke about us in the 21st century having the voice of young pe…

At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

I thank Senator McGreehan for all the work she has done on the day that is in it in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I see everyone wearing pink, ranging from the Cathaoirleach's pink tie to the pink ribbons to the pink or salmon coloured shirts. It is great and lovely to see. I thank everyone for their support. Every family in Ireland is affected by loss and by breast cancer, so it is very important. I welcome the launch of the €165 billion national development plan, the largest budget ever. There is a focus on inve…

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for mental health and older people, Deputy Butler, to the Seanad. Families are applying to the HSE's home care hours scheme and receiving approval, which is great, but no help or home care is forthcoming. There are delays and backlogs and the shortage of staff is having an impact. I request an update from the Department of Health on waiting times for people who have been approved for family home care hours by the HSE in the community he…

I thank the Minister of State for her response but I am shocked by it. I understand that funding has been provided and that the Government and programme for Government have indicated there is to be support for home care hours but there are still challenges that we have to rectify. No one else is going to rectify the recruitment problems within the HSE, or within the CHOs. We have to do this. We have to consider the number of third-party providers of consumer-directed home support. How many of them are being used to…

I welcome the announcement made today by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, to expand the walks scheme. This is a fantastic way to support rural and regional development. Government investment in the regions is all part of our rural future. As there is now funding for 31 new trails in 13 counties, there will be a lot more places all around Ireland for people to explore. The Department is working with over 2,400 farmers and landowners. This is where farmers get reimbursed and paid fo…

I welcome and support this Bill. It is about amending the Act. It will outlaw the use by private operators of the national lottery's activities to profit or otherwise make further betting offers. The national lottery supports good causes. Over 30 cent in each €1 is put towards good causes. Recently, I checked what the good causes were. One with which I was very familiar is the wonderful Lough Ree Lanesborough Angling Hub where the Lough Ree disability boat was funded. This is one of the first in the country and wil…

I wish to acknowledge that my local area has a Europe Direct library. There are actually only eight such libraries across the country and one of them is based in Ballinasloe. Our MEP, Colm Markey, who spoke to us here last week, was in Ballinasloe yesterday. What is really good about this particular library is that it covers the areas of counties Galway, Roscommon, Clare and Longford. As to the services it offers, it is an information centre where people can find out about European polices but it is also a phenomen…

For Roscommon-Galway, there has been great engagement with the MEPs here today. It is wonderful to see it. I thank Ms Walsh, especially for her work on gender-based violence and LGBTQI rights and particularly in the context of mental health. I know Mr. Markey will be attending a launch event of the Europe Direct library in Ballinasloe next Monday. It is very important. There are eight Europe Direct libraries that drive confidence in the future of Europe and engagement with the EU. European funding is crucial. I ref…

Is it not great to be back? The feeling of excitement is returning again as we are back on our first day. As I am sure the Leader will agree, it is great to be back in our rightful home here in the Seanad Chamber. I hope all Members were able to take a few days holiday for a restful break with family and friends. Congratulations again to Senator Moynihan on her phenomenal news. I think she spent her time very well. I hope she had a honeymoon as well. I look forward to us working hard in the Seanad on the many chall…

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Harris, and thank Senator Lynn Ruane for bringing this to us today. It is such an important topic. It is also important that women can speak freely about their experiences, as Senator McGreehan has just demonstrated. I thank her for that. This motion concerns bullying and sexual harassment at third level, which is incredible when we think about it. These are colleges and places we go to so minds can be opened and challenged and where we can have new experiences to explore and discover…

When is it proposed to sit again?

I welcome the Minister here today. It is great to have him in the House, especially on our last day of session. I will speak very briefly on this amendment. I welcome this particular LPT Bill coming before us, especially for the county of Galway, as we are going to be able to have a little bit more income coming in, including from the backdating of those residences. It will be fantastic to get investment coming into our local authority. I refer to the bands and banding and the properties that are being included. Th…

Following on from Senator Higgins's point, many of our towns and villages have vacant properties. However, many good schemes are also coming from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, such as the repair and lease initiative. It is important for us to understand that 100% of the revenue generated by this local property tax will go back to the local authorities. It will fund our services, including our parks, roads, footpaths and libraries. That is what this local property tax is for and some of o…

I say "well said" to my colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, who has expressed what I wanted to say. Nothing is fair about what we had to do in the past year or so. It has not been equal and we do not all face the same risk when it comes to Covid-19. We do not all face the same potential horror that we could end up hospitalised. It attacks the more vulnerable in our community and society. As a Government, we must ensure we put measures in place to support our community and society. In east Galway and Roscommon, there …

I am sharing time with Senator Maria Byrne. I thank the Minister for attending. This really is tough because the CervicalCheck tribunal is such a mark on our history. There have been terrible outcomes, including loss of life. It is important to recognise the women affected and their families. The cervical screening tribunal is examining the State cervical screening programme, including inaccurate diagnosis and lack of treatment. As previous speakers have done, I encourage women to ensure they get regular checks. Wi…