Last Friday, Tiglin, the men's centre in Ashford, had a great event where we marked a milestone which deserves recognition in this House. We celebrated a partnership with South East Technological University, SETU, which was an education project for the past three years that was put together by the former Minister for higher education, Deputy Harris. It was a celebration of lives transformed not only through education but also through education when it is pinned with recovery. Last Friday's event was attended by the…

I commend my colleague Senator Clonan on this disability Bill. I am on the same university panel as him, so technically we were meant to compete. When I first met Tom, I told him what I was involved in. I set up a charity called Tiglin. It does not deal with people with disabilities, but people who have come from marginalised circumstances, such as homelessness, etc. The first thing he said was that he wanted to see what I do. He came out and visited our centre in Greystones. He spent time with the guys and asked q…

I met the two of them and they have both been in the house many times. I also, of course, met them in Trinity College. As part of the Seanad Independent Group, I commend Senator Clonan on this achievement. I congratulate the Minister of State on her new portfolio and know this is something she will champion as well. On behalf of myself, a new Senator in this role, and as part of the Seanad Independent Group, I commend Senator Clonan.

I wish to congratulate the women from the Kildare business women's network, Network Ireland Kildare branch, who are Leinster House today. I am not sure whether they have been to the House yet. Every year they do a fundraiser and I am the only male who is an honorary member of the women's business network in Kildare. They have had fundraisers in the past for the charity I am involved in, Tiglin, and have raised €20,000 or €30,000. They are a wonderful group of women who certainly deserve a shout out. I also want to …

I reiterate what my colleague, Senator Shane Curley, mentioned about SpunOut. I was with it today in Dublin City Council. It is an amazing organisation for youth advocacy celebrating 20 years. There was a huge turnout today and I wish the organisation congratulations. As chair of the Bluebell community council, I acknowledge an important award we received last Friday regarding our Bluebell waterway project. This is a partnership between the Land Development Agency, LDA, and Dublin City Council. We were honoured by …

I thank the Minister of State for being here. He is very welcome to the Seanad, and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to today's statements on Irish Water, Uisce Éireann. I emphasise the critical role, as the Minister of State himself has mentioned, that Uisce Éireann plays in enabling the delivery of new homes. We all know that housing is the defining social and economic challenge of our time. This morning I was at the audiovisual room briefing with the IPAV, at which examples were given as to how property d…

I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak on Second Stage of the Irish Film Board (Amendment) Bill 2025. This Bill raises the board's maximum aggregate funding from €500 million to €840 million. It is a decisive statement of intent from the State to back our creative industries at scale, to grow jobs and to secure Ireland's place on the international screen. I warmly support that ambition, but I also ask that we make sure that we allocate this capital in ways that maximise long-term cultural, economic and regional b…

Last week, we marked the new housing plan, which is the Government's long-awaited housing plan. The Taoiseach called it the most unprecedented investment in housing ever. It is the fourth such plan and I really hope it works. When the first plan was launched, we had 800 children who were homeless. This fourth plan is coming at a time when there are 5,286 children homeless. Updated housing targets have been given to local authorities. It is essential we keep the pipeline moving, with clear authority given to the loc…

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 52, motion 1, on the Order Paper be taken before No. 1, without debate. The motion in question, which was tabled by me and supported by my colleagues, reads: "That Seanad Éireann: - reaffirms its outright condemnation and revulsion at Russia's war in Ukraine, expresses solidarity with Poland [regarding the drones] and calls on the Russian Federation to retreat and remove its armed forces from all Ukrainian territory." When the first homeless child strategy w…

I move: That Seanad Éireann: - reaffirms its outright condemnation and revulsion at Russia’s war in Ukraine, expresses solidarity with Poland and calls on the Russian Federation to retreat and remove its armed forces from all Ukrainian territory.

I welcome my colleagues from the south western drugs task force. They do amazing work in the south-west region. My purpose in rising today is to congratulate our President-elect, Catherine Connolly, who is in the House this morning, on being elected as the tenth President of Ireland. Her election is certainly wonderful news for Galway, but it is also great news for the nation. She is a woman of integrity and has been a voice for compassion in the Oireachtas. I look forward to seeing her commitment to justice, equal…

I thank the Minister of State for being here with us today. I know he is representing the Minister for housing, Deputy James Browne, on this Commencement matter. As I have said previously, I really want the Minister, Deputy Browne, to succeed in his role as Minister for housing. It would certainly lift the spirit of Ireland. The housing crisis is a debacle. If we can make a difference, it will change many people's lives. This is not the first time I have spoken about homeless and emergency accommodation figures in …

I appreciate the reply. One line stands out and I am excited about it where he said, “Addressing homelessness, and in particular homeless families and children, is a key priority for the Minister”. I am slightly concerned in dealing with the people through my voluntary work. I would welcome the Minister to come to Pearse Street, which is fairly close by, to meet some of the people I have spoken about and to realise they are not just statistics. We can do more and can do better to resolve the problem. At the moment …

I welcome the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament. He has an amazing ambassador representing his country in Ireland: Leena Gardemeister. She is very welcome here this morning. I want to mention some sad news, which is the disturbing report of the alleged sexual assault of a young girl in Saggart. My thoughts and prayers are certainly with the child, her family and the people who were meant to be looking after her. The wider community is devastated by such news, and rightly so, but the incident certainly raises questi…

I also welcome ambassador Pavel Vošalík to the House. He is a marvellous representative of his country and it is wonderful to have him here. As the winter comes in and the nights get darker, I am seriously uneasy and frustrated regarding the worsening homelessness situation in our country. The most recent figures released by the Department of housing are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. I am involved with the homeless services on Pearse Street and we see individuals every night of the week there. Over 16,000 of o…

I thank the Minister for being here. It is good to have him, and he is welcome. We have talked about higher education. I want to talk about the human aspect of it and lives that have been transformed, challenged and shaped through higher education in our country. I believe our universities are more than lecture halls and libraries. They are places where ambition meets access and where the next generation of Irish citizens is formed. I was elected by the graduates of Trinity College, which itself is a cornerstone of…

I rise to speak about the Defamation Bill currently before the House. I think it is our final opportunity to deliver a defamation Act that protects the right of ordinary citizens and small business owners across Ireland. For too long, our defamation laws have enabled a culture of vexatious litigation whereby retailers, forecourt operators and restaurateurs are targeted not for wrongdoing but for profit. The statistics show that Ireland has 18 times the number of defamation cases per capita of our nearest neighbours…

I am out of breath, a Chathaoirligh. I rise to highlight an innovative child-centred proposal that deserves attention. It is called a peer-to-peer well-being digital licence. It builds on the success of the It Takes A Village project in Greystones and Delgany and offers a way for kids to have digital literacy and online safety in schools. It empowers secondary students to mentor young peers in primary schools, not only to upskill our youth but to also foster leadership in our communities. It is an intergenerational…

I was looking at the Seanad on TV and wondered if I would make this. Online safety is not just a technical issue for young people, it is also a well-being one. Young people are already dealing with cyberbullying, misinformation and data privacy issues. They must be part of the solution. This peer education initiative respects their lived experience and aligns with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. I call on the Minister for education to support the development of this infrastructure for a national pilot…

I thank the Minister, Deputy Burke. I reiterate what Senator Nelson Murray said to welcome him to the House. I thank him for engaging with us on budget 2026. The budget arrives at a very important time for Ireland. I am a member of the enterprise committee so I know what is happening out in the real world with the small firms, the family businesses, the cafes, the florists and the hairdressers. You can certainly see the pressure mounting. People are working harder than ever before just to stay in business. One stat…