Unusually.

I welcome the engagement. I want to be constructive here. What the Minister of State's statement does say is that we understand the strategic risks of inaction, which might be significant. We are also waiting on the Central Bank to come back with its findings and we are also looking at other countries. I do not think the industry is asking for a whole lot here. It is looking for specific amendments to existing legislation regarding the Irish Collective Asset-management Vehicles Act and company law and practical cha…

I want to speak about something I believe we are not taking seriously enough and that is the growing impact of cannabis addiction and cannabis-related psychosis, particularly among young people. As the Leader knows, I have been involved for many years in rehabilitation for people who have addictions. We have seen that there has been a perception that cannabis is harmless and that it is somehow different from other drugs and carries little risk. However, when we talk to addiction centres, such as Cuan Mhuire, Mercha…

Over the past number of months, there has been a lot of waste, mismanagement and a lack of accountability when public money is squandered. Last week, we learned of the Irish Rail IT project, which cost in excess of €50 million. This was €50 million in taxpayers' money. Before that, of course, it was about a bicycle shed and a printer room here and a bicycle shed in Kerry. We now have an extraordinary example, which has been released in the past two weeks, about electric buses. A total of €38 million of taxpayers' m…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. As many of my colleagues have said, it is not necessarily about housing but about whether rural communities can survive and whether rural towns, villages, etc., can have a future. I am on the housing committee and over the last number of weeks we have had the GAA in. Its representatives were saying it is impossible to get players for towns throughout Ireland. We are all agreed we need more homes but we need balanced regional development and then rural Ireland will benef…

I want to raise a matter of huge concern that has been reported in the newspapers recently and was even on "Morning Ireland" this morning, namely, the Aughinish Alumina factory in Limerick. The reports suggest that the plant is shipping vast amounts of alumina to be smelted in Russia where it is then used to manufacture aluminium which is then sold to a trading company supplying dozens of Russian arms manufacturers. The CSO figures for the first quarter of this year show that 83% of the factory's total exports were…

The ambassador is very welcome to the House. It is wonderful to have her here. Unlike my colleague, Senator Comyn, I am saving up for a Volvo. I do not have one yet, but we are working on it.

It is a business venture. I raise an issue that is happening regarding the Presidency, which is the forced closure of the Silk Road Cafe in Dublin Castle. It has operated there for 25 years and has employed, over time, up to 25 loyal staff. The cafe has been told that it must shut its doors, understandably, because of the Presidency. Workers are facing layoffs and there is no certainty about what will happen after the six months have passed. As a member of the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, …

I thank the Cathaoirleach for welcoming my guests from St. Patrick's National School in Greystones. Today, we had a special event. The team from St. Patrick's addressed us in the audiovisual room. Many of my colleagues were there. The team is led by Ms Rachel Harper, whom I have known for many years. She brought some fantastic guests, children from the school, with her. They shared how smartphones impact the younger generation. They shared that in their school, they have all signed up to a code. The code is that th…

I thank the Minister for being here. I am proud to be a signatory to Senator Boyhan's motion. The women who farm this land deserve far better than the system has given them in the past. This year is the United Nations International Year of the Woman Farmer. That recognition matters because for generations women have been the backbone of rural Ireland. I was brought up on a farm and my mother was the backbone of the whole family. As Senator Daly said, often they are not on the cheque books or the cattle herd numbers…

Last weekend, I was delighted to see Irishman Dr. Michael Ryan being given an outstanding lifetime achievement award for being a director of the WHO and what he has accomplished. However, in the past week he also spoke about the life expectancy in parts of Dublin's inner city. I was blown away by what he said about the inner city and Summerhill, where he said the life expectancy is just 61 years of age compared with a national average of 83. If we think about that, just a couple of kilometres from this House, peopl…

I thank the Minister of State for being here today. I am happy to contribute to the important statements on the Office of Public Works. It is an organisation whose work touches communities, heritage and public infrastructure in every corner of Ireland. I do not take that lightly. I will begin on a constructive note. It is important to acknowledge the extraordinary commitment of the OPW front-line staff, and as Senator Rabbitte mentioned, the different aspects of where they were out on the front line, helping people…

I welcome Daniel Malone. I raise an issue this morning that is often behind closed doors, namely, women facing addiction in our community. These are women who are trying to hold their families together. Too often, when we speak about addiction, we picture a man sleeping rough or somebody who is visibly in crisis. There are many women, many of them mothers, who are suffering quietly behind curtains, terrified to ask for help because, in doing so, they put their children at risk of being taken into care. That means t…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. As my colleague just noted, the issue we are addressing is very serious and very topical. Public confidence is being eroded in the essential service that is the insurance industry. This is especially so when we focus on the likes of motor insurance. It is an issue that affects all of us, including young people, essential service providers, etc. Time and again, I see motor insurance premiums increasing while claims are reducing and accident rates have fallen. Road safety…

I see our distinguished guests here, the ambassador, H.E. Cleviston Haynes from Barbados, and the foreign minister, Christopher P. Sinckler. They are very welcome. Over the last number of days, we have been hearing about the ship MV Hondius. There were two Irish citizens aboard and there has been a lot of debate on the airways about how we get them off, etc. I commend the Taoiseach, the Minister for foreign affairs, the Minister for Health, and the Baldonnel team who brought in the two Irish citizens and got them s…

I thank the Minister for being here for this very important debate. As a young child growing up in County Kildare, there was domestic violence in my own house. My mother was a wonderful lady and a figurehead for us all to look up to. She had to go through the courts. There was very little protection at that time. There were no refuges and nowhere to go. My mother had to go through court proceedings, the High Court and all of that. It was a very dark time of my life. I have no doubt it impacted on me and influenced …

Many times in this House, I mentioned the concerning situation where when people battling addiction, homelessness, trauma and long-term exclusion try to access the healthcare system, it can feel miles away, appointments get missed and fear and shame get in the way. I noticed at the Lighthouse that is often the case with many of our guests each evening. Today in Greystones, we have a mobile health clinic run by Safetynet Primary Care. I have spoken about Safetynet Primary Care before. Today, it is at one of our cent…

I want to raise the case of the Oceanwide Expeditions liner that is now off the coast of Cape Verde. Just before coming in, I spoke to one of the passengers, Ann Lane, who is a good friend of mine. She was a colleague of many of us in this House. She worked with Mary Robinson for 28 years. She worked with Deputy Ivana Bacik and Senator Michael McDowell. She is a lady who is well known to this House. This is her sixth expedition. She has been to Antarctica four times, and has really enjoyed it. At the moment, the li…

I commend my colleague Senator Stephenson on her initiative to provide three months' free transport for victims of domestic abuse. I also commend the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Dara Calleary, on co-operating with her on that initiative. I will mention the matter of public concern, the health concern, that was raised over the weekend regarding synthetic cannabis. A number of psychiatrists from Cork, Dublin and Galway wrote to The Irish Times and they are calling on the Government to act on the continued …

I thank the Minister for being here and for his statement. I would like to share my time with my colleague Senator Sharon Keogan.