I thank the Minister, herself a teacher, for coming in. I agree with my colleague, Senator Wall, on our eternal gratitude to our teachers, educators, tutors, assistants and the variety of people who have kept and keep our school systems going, particularly over the past couple of years. I want to briefly touch on a couple of areas. I was scrolling through my inbox to see what kind of communication I get because I thought that might be somewhat useful to portray in here. As I am sure the Minister knows, home economi…

I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber for these important statements on moving towards zero tolerance of violence against women. It is an everyday occurrence that women make a choice whether to walk down an empty and poorly-lit road or walk a longer but safer way home. It is an everyday occurrence that women decide to cross the road rather than walk in the middle, sometimes in a group of people, and it is an everyday occurrence for many women to fear their partner walking in the door or being abused online…

First of all, I want to second the amendment to the Order of Business. I will take a moment to reflect on my former party colleague, Niamh Bhreathnach. Much has been said about the incredible legacy she left in education. The word "reformer" has been used to describe how she pioneered change in that sector. She was also an incredible person on a personal level. I often say the only reason I got involved in politics is because Deputy Ged Nash asked me to run. However, the only reason I was ever in a position to be a…

Beannachtaí na Féile Bríde oraibh ar fad. It is always great to have a bank holiday but particularly one in celebration of a woman. Whether you believe in St. Brigid or goddess Brigid or a combination of both, her history, lore and mythology are very important to many people. I wish to reflect on a matter that has been talked about in both Houses which is what is happening in many of our communities regarding refugees and migrants. Some really serious things are happening, ranging from people expressing disquiet, a…

I thank Mental Health Reform for all its advocacy and the support it provides. I have been contacted by people for whom CAMHS has let them down or has not been right. I have also been contacted by parents where it has worked for their child. The system can work for some people. Unfortunately, we are not here to talk about those people but we are here to talk about the people for whom the system has not worked and who have been let down by the system. I am sure in the trials and tribulations of our job, all of us we…

It started yesterday. I wrote this speech yesterday morning so I can just scribble that right out and skip to the next page. It has begun in a timely and efficient manner. There must be a reinstatement of the national director for mental health in the HSE who needs to report directly to the CEO of the HSE. The programme for Government contains a commitment to reinstate this position, but recruitment for this position is not where it needs to be. There has been no national director for mental health since 2016. I wa…

I thank the Fine Gael group for tabling this. A lot of what I will cover has come from party colleagues of mine in Limerick or people I know in Limerick who have contacted me to discuss some of the issues they are concerned about. I also have correspondence from a student who got in touch. I ask the House to bear with me as I jump from one device to the other because the people contacted me in different ways. My colleague, Councillor Conor Sheehan, who is a Limerick city north representative, outlined to me why UHL…

It was in 2019. Those were the figures at the time. I think Dr. Burke said at the time that the hospital needed an additional €40 million a year. I do not know if the Minister has figures to hand as to how close the figure has gone to €40 million since 2019 or if it has gone over €40 million. My colleague, Councillor Sheehan, said he does not believe anything will change until the resourcing issue is dealt with and that it is important the Government, the HSE and the Department of Health officially accept there is …

I know. I should start ticking everyone off. All of them have called for the opening hours of Ennis and Nenagh hospitals and St. John's medical assessment unit to be extended from the current hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to divert more non-critical patients away from the emergency department in UHL. Friends of mine or people I know in Limerick have got in touch with me about other matters. This is not directly related to accident and emergency but I think it is related to UHL and other areas. One person highlighted th…

I thank the Minister for attending. I sit on the Joint Committee on Health whose members are contacted daily, via the committee and by personal email, about issues that have all contributed to the latest hospital overcrowding and the crisis in workforce planning. I have seen vacancies at consultant level, eye-watering waiting lists and so forth. My colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith, our party spokesperson on health, outlined his concerns around community care options and what we have available. I agree that people nee…

I welcome the Minister of State. I thank the Fianna Fáil grouping for introducing this Bill. I echo the comments made about the fact that we need this legislation in the first place. I have a sense of unease regarding the times we are in. We will all have seen the footage of really stark scenes of protests in Ballymun and Finglas, which are in my area, Dublin North West. Some of the protests are held at public representatives' offices and some where people live or at what are currently their homes. I know there are…

Over the last few weeks there have been a lot of disturbances on our streets around who should be here and who should not be here. There is very disturbing news coming from the Department that we may not have anywhere to house asylum seekers. People are coming here for protection and they have been advised not to travel to Ireland because we do not have the room for them. There was an analysis from KOD Lyons about our European requirements and the implications that could have if we do not fulfil those. This was abo…

Forgive me; I have to dash out as soon as I wrap up this contribution. We have a strong polluting element in Ireland. We have a duty to change our ways and mitigate the disastrous and existential effects of the climate emergency. We are here to focus on wind energy, as the Minister outlined, and there are three ways we can do this: committing to the "polluter pays" principle; co-opting wind energy into State ownership; and ensuring a just transition for the workers affected. The "polluter pays" principle would requ…

I express my personal support for the Bill and that of the Labour Party. It is very timely and welcome legislation. We have had quite a number of animal welfare discussions in the Seanad over the years and I am sure it will come as no surprise to anyone to hear where I fall on this Bill. I commend Senator Boylan on all her work, not only on this Bill but on animal welfare generally and especially canine welfare. It is a topic that is considered important by many people in Ireland. We consider ourselves animal lover…

I will talk briefly about two different things. I am not aware if Members saw in the news that a Dublin play therapy programme will be extended in the Ballymun area. This is to help children to deal with the impacts of homelessness. It is very important that this is happening and that it is for children who are struggling at school due to their situation. I will give some context here as to how it works. The students are identified, communication is made with the child’s parents and a play therapist is then brought…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House, and I welcome the people in the Gallery. Some are party colleagues, but many of them work in the sector as activists or childcare providers. A number are parents. There is no question about the work the Government is doing to try to deal with the childcare crisis and the issue of childcare costs. My Labour Party colleague, Senator Sherlock, outlined the rationale behind the motion and very eloquently explained all of the factors creating this bubble of trouble …

My views on animal welfare are no secret in this House. I have expressed them here and I have a long history on this matter. I abhor animal cruelty. I neither have faith in nor do I believe that this fund is necessary or the best use of moneys at this time. I have never voted in favour of this fund, and I will not vote in favour of it now. I will deal with the consequences of that in my own time. Animal welfare issues come up all the time in Irish society and people have a visceral response to them. It was only a c…

I move amendment No. 1: To insert the following after "Seanad Éireann": "notes that: - while it is acknowledged that the horse and greyhound racing sectors do not qualify for sports capital funding, they are unique in Irish sport in that they are supported by the State through their own ring-fenced statutory fund; - payments into the Fund have increased from €55 million in 2013 up to the €91 million proposed for 2023, an increase of over 65% in a decade, with the proposed payment for 2023 an increase of a further €…

I wish to reflect on a public meeting I ran with my Labour Party colleague, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, and Senator Sherlock in the Dublin Skylon Hotel, Drumcondra. It was about drugs policy and the decriminalisation of the drugs user. We had some incredible speakers on the panel, including former Dublin GAA player, Philly McMahon, Fr. Peter McVerry, who everyone knows about, and Anna Quigley of CityWide, who is probably the most knowledgeable person on anything to do with drug use and drug policy in Ireland. It was a privi…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I strongly welcome the fact we are taking the time to discuss the needs of safety on our streets. I will focus a bit on our capital city, if people will indulge me on that. I am one of the many people who has chosen to make Dublin my home and put down roots in my local community in Dublin 11. My partner, my family and I know what it is like to be welcomed into Dublin. While my accent perhaps has not yet changed - it is hard to undo a Drogheda-Cork accent that has develo…