The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber and I thank him very much for coming in. I welcome the report. Fianna Fáil is committed to sport for all, ensuring that everyone, regardless of age, gender, background or ability, has the opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity of any kind. I acknowledge the work of the Minister of State with responsibility for sport, Deputy McConalogue, and the significant strides that have been made in participation and investment. We have seen record core fun…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I thank her for always being so available to the Seanad Chamber. It is lovely to see her here this morning. While we are waiting for our next Commencement matter, I wish to welcome a special guest to the Visitors Gallery. We have Robert Watson, friend of Deputy Aindrias Moynihan. Good morning to them both. It is lovely to see them in the Chamber, and I hope they enjoy the proceedings.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, to the Chamber.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan.

I ask the Acting Leader to suspend the House for a few moments while we await the arrival of the Minister of State, Deputy Collins.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

We do not have a Minister to attend to Senator Rabbitte's Commencement matter. We will deal with that in a moment but before I do, I want to welcome some very special guests, Core Credit Union from Ballybrack and Dr. Shashi Murthy of UCD, to our Visitors Gallery. They are guests of Deputy Cormac Delvin. I hope they enjoy their stay here. For now, I propose that we will suspend the House until 11.30 a.m.

Is this a point of order? The Senator can take it up during the Order of Business.

I thank the Senator for her point of order. I accept that. For now, I propose we stand suspended until 11.30 a.m. Is that agreed? Agreed. I do not know what the protocol is for unsuspending the House but I can now welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, to the Chamber. We will continue the Commencement matter. I saw the Minister of State hotfooting it up from the Dáil.

I thank the Minister for coming to address what is one of the most vital and urgent issues we have. I welcome the motion and support it wholeheartedly. As one of my colleagues said, childcare is not simply a service we provide to parents; it is what allows people to work. It allows people to build careers and gives children a strong start in life to flourish. For generations of women in particular, it has often determined whether they could stay in the workplace. I know that because I was one of those women. When m…

I also extend my condolences to the family of the late Senator Enda Bonner, and to my colleague in the Seanad, Senator Craughwell, on the passing of his beloved Helen. May her gentle soul rest in peace. I raise something that I have raised in the past in the Chamber, the proliferation of vape shops across the country. There is a particular impetus at the moment because there are so many issues, such as heritage, health and legal considerations. We need a timely debate in the Chamber. I raised it at the Fianna Fáil …

I know we are on the cusp of the summer recess but I want to talk about school for a moment. I raise a matter for a future debate or possible Commencement matter with the Minister for education about the inclusion of philosophy as a leaving certificate subject. I have been approached about this issue by Robert Finan, a brilliant Trinity graduate in philosophy from Drogheda who makes the compelling case that the subject is not abstract or elitist, but one with enormous practical value for young people today. At a ti…

Having, I daresay, bored my colleagues to death prior to the semi-final in Croke Park on Saturday, I want to thank the gentlemen of the Louth senior team for providing such an uplifting time for us in Louth over the last months and weeks. I also congratulate Mayo, worthy winners on the day, and the Cathaoirleach's county of Kerry. I look forward to an exciting match and hopefully the curse will be broken.

I thought I might have said that under my breath.

Croke Park was a sea of red on the day. Many of us wanted to take public transport and it was under immense pressure. However, that was not just because of the semi-final. Dundalk and Drogheda railway stations are under serious pressure every day. One of the main reasons is the lack of parking. I have raised this issue before, and it is not getting any better. We have two of the largest towns in Ireland and we now have railway stations that are at capacity. If you are not there at a quarter past six in the morning,…

I thank the Minister of State for attending and I wholeheartedly welcome this important Bill. I will take the opportunity to explain why this legislation really matters. On the face of it, it is a relatively straightforward Bill that provides the legal basis for funding already agreed by Government, allowing €15 million per year to be invested in our nationwide post office network between now and 2030. Behind that technical amendment is something much more significant. We all know post offices are way more than jus…

Now.

Now.

Now.

I do not want it to dominate my time but I cannot let today go by without congratulating the County Louth football team. We had an incredible 70 minutes of high-octane drama against County Monaghan in Croke Park on Sunday. We are now through to the all-Ireland semi-final. I cannot believe I am saying it. It is the first time since 1957, 69 years ago. I offer my congratulations to Gavin Devlin. It is hard to mention just one man but I will name Dara McDonnell, man of the match. I urge everyone in County Louth to pai…