I support the motion put forward by my colleagues this evening. I recognise the contribution of the proposer of the motion, Senator Manus Boyle, who is the Fine Gael spokesperson on fisheries, in this area and the work that has been done my colleague, Senator Noel O'Donovan. Wexford is a very proud fishing county with a strong tradition of fishing, particularly in south Wexford, where we have the iconic Kilmore Quay, an area I recently had the opportunity to visit when I attended a mass commemorating those from Cou…

I want to raise the issue of derelict properties that are owned by the HSE and have been allowed to sit vacant and idle for years. There are two examples in my county, Wexford. First, we have St. John's Community Hospital in Enniscorthy. The original hospital building was built in the 1840s to be a union workhouse that accommodated approximately 600 people. The hospital has been built up around the original hospital and the original building has fallen into disrepair, disuse and dereliction. We urgently need clarif…

The Minister is most welcome to the Chamber this evening. I am substituting for my colleague Senator Garrett Kelleher who is the Fine Gael justice spokesperson. I was preparing for this earlier this evening, reflecting on the evolution that we have seen over the past number of years and in the more than a century of Irish independence. In doing so, I came across a piece on the courts website that I felt was apt. It is a quote from then President of the Executive Council, W.T. Cosgrave, on establishing the 1923 Judi…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in to address this absolutely crucial piece of strategic infrastructure for County Wexford, one of the single biggest projects that the county needs in order to capitalise on its potential. I am aware that the Minister of State will be visiting south Wexford tomorrow. I look forward to welcoming him to Lady's Island. He will travel the same road on which I am looking to get an update on today. I refer to the need for the Oylegate to Rosslare motorway to be delivered and deve…

I welcome the Minister of State's commitment to this important infrastructure for County Wexford. Given the Government will shortly announce a series of measures on how the delivery of strategic infrastructure projects might be accelerated, can consideration be given to including the Oylegate to Rosslare Harbour motorway when those proposals are published? It is important infrastructure for County Wexford and I cannot stress enough the impact the success of Rosslare Europort is having on local communities there. A …

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I will be supporting this measure. I am acutely aware of the many trainers and breeders we have for horses and greyhounds in County Wexford. In my home town of Enniscorthy we have the Enniscorthy greyhound track, a privately operated track funded locally. It is run by a voluntary board of directors made up of local individuals. We have Wexford Racecourse, the home of many enjoyable afternoons of racing. There is also a dynamic that has not been raised in the Chamber yet, which…

The Minister of State is most welcome to the Chamber this evening. I am more than happy to second this motion on behalf of my Fine Gael colleagues. It is very important that we have this conversation in this Chamber. Too often when the issues of migration, immigration and deportations are discussed, it is shot down by both sides. Extremists on both sides seem to quash any reasonable, logical and fact-based debate. It is important that in this Chamber, representative of the people, we have these types of debates. I …

I want to highlight the need for urban regeneration funding for Enniscorthy town. Wexford town, which is located in the constituency in which I live, was delighted to receive €18.4 million in March 2021. With the programme for Government containing a commitment to a similar fund under a town and city regeneration process that is to be put in place during the Government's first year in office, I call for regeneration funding to be allocated in respect of my town of Enniscorthy as a matter of urgency. Wexford County …

I thank the Minister for being here with us this evening. I also briefly want to speak on this section 34A and I have several questions which I would be interested in hearing the Minister's contribution on. Similar to some of the earlier points raised on section 34A, at the very beginning it says this protection is against strategic lawsuits against public participation, which we all understand and which is important is incorporated into our laws here in Ireland and that there is clarity brought to the situation wh…

In anticipation of the orange weather warning that is affecting some of the counties on the east coast and particularly in the south east in my own area of Wexford, I again highlight the urgent need for the Enniscorthy flood defence project to be progressed. As a local councillor back on Christmas Day 2021 I will never forget meeting residents in the town who had to stop the cooking of the turkey in the over because the water had burst through their front door and into their kitchens. It was a scene that should nev…

The Minister is most welcome to the Chamber. As the Fine Gael spokesperson on infrastructure in this Chamber, I welcome this Bill. I acknowledge the investment of €1.5 billion into the ESB. I thank, most sincerely, the men and women across the ESB for the fantastic work that they do in ensuring power supply to each one of us across the country. I recognise the increase in the borrowing limit up to €17 billion. There are two points I want to highlight relating to my own area in Wexford. The first one is the average …

There are a number of points that I want to highlight to the Minister of State. This is a worthwhile and important debate to have in this House. While mental health is not only an issue that affects rural people and farmers, owing to the nature of their work they spend more time on their own than most other people would. It is important that point is recognised. In my home county of Wexford, there is a fantastic green ribbon committee, which was set up and is organised every year by a man by the name of Patrick Hip…

I will speak on the need for a dedicated 24-7 mental health facility for the people of Wexford in County Wexford. At the moment, people experiencing a mental health crisis have to make the journey to the facilities in Waterford. There has long been a campaign for a facility dedicated exclusively to Wexford. We have one of the fastest growing populations of any county, with close to 175,000 people living in County Wexford. I support the campaign for a small, dedicated 24-7 mental health bed facility in Wexford. Ther…

My family is very much connected to the post office network. My grandfather - my mother's father - served as a postman virtually all his working life delivering post in north-west Cork. He speaks fondly of his time there. I remember the pride of place his certificate of recognition of long service held in my grandparents' home. I know he certainly left a very strong mark on his local community, serving as its local postman. I acknowledge the investment of €15 million per year committed to the post office network by…

I join the Cathaoirleach in welcoming our guests to the Seanad. I hope they have a very enjoyable day and that Senator Scahill looks after them very well, as I have no doubt he will. After last night's meeting of over 2,000 farmers, I will speak about the risk the loss of the nitrates derogation presents to our farming community. We have around 7,000 farmers who avail of the derogation, which allows, on average, for 2.5 cows per hectare. The loss of the derogation would limit the number of cows on each individual f…

I also offer my condolences to our Seanad colleague on the very sad passing of her father. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I welcome the peace that has come to the people of Gaza. I hope it will be a long-lasting peace. We in this country know how difficult it can be to sustain a peace and the work that is required by those on all sides, both internal and external, to ensure it lasts. We have all been horrified by the scenes we witnessed over the past number of years in Gaza as a result of the bombing and the devastat…

I thank the Minister of State for joining us. On behalf of the Fine Gael Party, we support the proposed budget. I listened carefully yesterday to both Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers, when they outlined this budget and the proposals around it. When I consider the key priorities a budget should be measured against, I think of safeguarding the economy, supporting families, improving access to vital public services like education, health and disability services, prioritising those most in need and, most of al…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor. I wish to raise the issue of prison spaces. One of the commitments in the programme for Government in the area of justice was to increase the number of spaces for prisoners. I am highlighting this because I am concerned by recent commentary by members of the Prison Officers Association, who said that because of the shortage of prison spaces, many of the recreation halls and other usable spaces in our prisons are currently being used to house prisoners. Their…

I thank the Minister of State and the Department for the response. I very much look forward to seeing the increase in prison places that has been outlined. I will come back to this issue again because it is one of the utmost importance. The public must feel confident that those convicted of serious crimes who are sent to prison have a space available to them and that prisons are adequately staffed by prison officers. I again thank the Minister of State for her response.

I raise an issue about the tillage sector that came before the agricultural committee yesterday. I spoke in this Chamber recently about the impact that low grain prices are having in my home county of Wexford, where we have a very strong and vibrant tillage sector. Unfortunately, as things are at the moment, tillage farmers have told me that they do not see a future in the sector and that this is the worst year in a generation. One of the issues highlighted yesterday before the Oireachtas agricultural committee was…