I very much appreciate the Acting Chairperson, Senator Keogan, allowing me to contribute. I thank the Minister, Deputy Harris, who was here earlier, for his contribution. I welcome the Minister of State. I welcome these statements. As the Minister pointed out, the strategy in this regard is around the key commitments of recruitment, training and development, deployment, governance and evaluation. As has been mentioned by colleagues, recruitment is the key. I really appreciate the highlighting of the diversity of th…

I do not mind. I can share in case anyone else wants to come in a second time.

I thank the Minister very much for coming to the Chamber today. I also thank the members of Young Fine Gael, who are fighting for the cause, for being here. I thank them so much, because campaigning is what it is all about. It is about having fighting to get something changed and doing the hard work behind that. That is what those who are present did, and they brought the idea to the Fine Gael Senators. The fruits of their work have been brought before us today by Senator Ward. The Minister will be aware of how pas…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon. He is here on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The Government made a decision in January 2022 to acknowledge the incredible work by healthcare staff during the Covid pandemic and the service given in a crisis to keep people safe. Staff went to work every day with patients sick from Covid-19. They faced more risk themselves, as did vulnerable members of their families when staff came home. The pandemic special recogni…

We asked these workers to step up at the start of the Covid period. We asked them to do their jobs despite the risk of sickness and before they had the necessary personal protective equipment. We asked them to go into work morning after morning, as we all listened every evening to the news of rising case numbers. The people working in hospitals did not ask the Government to wait until we had all the information on symptoms or until there was a vaccine. They put the patients first and did what they did for them. I a…

I thank Senator Seery Kearney for introducing the Bill on spiking. It is crucial.

I formally second it. It is the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person (Amendment) (Spiking) Bill 2023. I thank Senator Seery Kearney for introducing it on behalf of all Fine Gael Senators. I thank Senator Doherty and acknowledge the work we have done with Young Fine Gael. Spiking is a terrible experience for anyone, especially when they are enjoying themselves on a night out. I encourage people to come forward, report this to the guards if they feel it has occurred and to talk with trusted people. It is shocking to…

I thank the Minister for being here to deal with this Bill that concerns certain cohorts of registrants with the Medical Council. As the Minister mentioned earlier, he has tabled amendments associated with the investigation of complaints by the Medical Council and this Bill also concerns the registration of social care workers. I want to raise queries that I have received that concern CORU and physiotherapists from the UK who wish to work here. The Minister has already answered a number of questions on this matter …

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I want to highlight the opening of the tennis courts in Ballinasloe. There was very welcome sports capital funding for the Ballinasloe and District Tennis Club. It means three new tennis courts will be available in the town for children and adults. The club is great at bringing along beginners on Saturday mornings. When I was a child, we played on the road when Wimbledon was on. We see real excitement about this and it is open to all. This Sunday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. there will be fun an…

I thank the Senators for tabling this motion. It is a concern that is shared by all groups, particularly in government, including the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Harris. What is great about our third level system is the flow of knowledge from our universities into society, industry, hospitals and the public sector. This continuous flow makes our universities a thriving ecosystem. From working in a university, the engagement I have seen in recent years is placing universities at the heart of our commu…

This weekend in Ballinasloe, we will have a tourism event that has something for everyone. It is about showcasing everything that is on offer. Last week, I was with the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, in the Seanad to speak on statements on tourism and in particular, the importance of the tourism activator role in respect of the just transition. A role has been allocated for each county under the Fáilte Ireland just transition measures for the midlands and west. As I mentioned during the debate, Ballinasloe Muni…

I welcome the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris. It is very welcome to see the Bill in the House and the significant changes it is going to make to existing laws. We live in a democracy and we have the freedom to live our lives, but that is sometimes threatened and our freedom to live our lives as we wish is taken away. When people suffer harassment, stalking and abuse, suddenly they are living in fear and their freedom and security to live as they wish has changed. Of course, it causes distress, mental health is…

Fáilte Ireland has done a lot of work on digital supports for business. There was a lot of engagement with Fáilte Ireland earlier this year on the supports it has in place, which are wonderful. I like the bed-nights portal on its website which shows the breakdown of accommodation supports and bed and breakfast nights across our different providers and how hotels provide 60% to 70% of bed nights here. As the Minister noted in her opening statement, this is a massive industry worth more than €9.5 billion. It has a hu…

I want to highlight the recent funding for community groups in County Roscommon. More than 152 groups received almost €280,000. They are small amounts of funding but they mean so much to so many groups - be it €500 or €1,000. We were very fortunate to have the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Heather Humphreys, in Roscommon last week to make the announcement. It shows the impact of funding coming into rural areas and what a difference it makes to quality of life. It is about showing there are pe…

I congratulate Senator Higgins on her news. I am very happy for her. Congratulations to our Seanad Leader and her partner, Councillor Jarlath Munnelly. I really like how County Galway was the location of choice for their special day. The EU just transition launched last week. It provides €180 million for community groups and businesses, coming through Fáilte Ireland, Pobal and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Start-ups, micro-enterprises, social enterprises and community groups can apply to this …

I thank the Minister for coming to the House today. I acknowledge the report that has been prepared about the impact on men and women in the Defence Forces. There is a need for urgent reform and I want to express how much I support that. We want to be able to stand over the Defence Forces. I am thinking here about recruitment. When young men or women decide that they want to be part of the Defence Forces, to represent Ireland both here and abroad, we want them to do so out of a sense of pride in that role. That is …

This morning the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is making an announcement about hot school meals. This is great news. We know the impact of having hot school meals in our schools. The scheme has been rolled out from around 30 schools a few years ago to almost 500 schools today. Based on an independent report into the hot school meals programme, the Minister is now looking to expand the hot school meals programme to all DEIS primary schools from September. She is also looking at how to increase the rates for providers …

I congratulate the Minister. This is a great day for so many groups. It is about universal healthcare and ensuring that Ireland has a system of healthcare that is for everyone and that is not limited. By removing that €80 charge up to €800, the Minister is making inpatient charges free. As he mentioned, the only charges that remain are emergency department and minor injuries unit charges. This is crucial legislation. Today is one of the really good days. There can be a lot of hard days. I welcome the other reform m…

All of us in attendance at the Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre last Saturday had a great night watching the story of the von Trapp family climbing every mountain in The Sound of Music . It was an absolutely incredible production and the children in the cast were outstanding. The dedication and commitment of every member of the cast was clear, from the age of six or seven upwards. The youngest member came from Tullamore. There were people from Tuam and Galway city coming to rehearsals in Ballinasloe. I congratulate th…

I second the motion.