I thank the Cathaoirleach and Senators Ní Chuilinn and Harmon for raising this matter. I thank Senators Nelson Murray and Comyn for their contributions. I look forward to the remaining contributions and thank all for taking the time to be here to discuss what is an important topic. I acknowledge the time being given on the floor of the Seanad to ensuring that a report which had a lot of time put into it by a previous Oireachtas committee remains alive and actioned. It is an opportune time to review the recommendati…

I thank Deputy Heneghan and the many other Deputies across the House for their contribution to this debate and for the welcome opportunity, through the motion put forward by Deputy Boyd Barrett, to discuss the pressures households are facing as a result of very high energy costs. The Government is deeply aware of and concerned about the pressures placed on households and businesses by high energy costs. Providing supports to alleviate this pressure has been and will continue to be a priority. The Government is taki…

I thank the Deputies for submitting this Topical Issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien. The Minister has responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport, but neither he nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The NTA has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally, working with the public transport operators, who deliver the services and have respons…

I thank the three Deputies for their contributions and for raising this Topical Issue. I assure them that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, in budget 2026 the Department of Transport secured €940 million of funding for public service obligation and TFI Local Link services. This is a significant 43% uplift, an increase from €658.4 millio…

I thank Deputy Dolan for raising this very important issue and for his advocacy on behalf of the agricultural sector and young farmers in particular. The challenge of generational renewal in farming is widely recognised at national and EU levels. The programme for Government prioritises supporting intergenerational farm succession. Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the agrifood sector, states that generational renewal in farming is critically important to ensure the future viability and social sustainabilit…

I thank Deputy Dolan again for taking up the mantle in relation to this important issue, and for trying to drive it on and achieve real progress. It is a crucial issue for maximising the potential of Irish agriculture and food production on this island, and it will be driven by young people coming into the sector. That is why I set up the commission for generational renewal just about two years ago. The good work done by the many good people who were on that commission, under the chairpersonship of Aidan O'Driscoll…

I thank Deputy Sherlock very much for raising this very important issue. PPOs, as the Deputy set out very clearly, are an alternative to lump sum awards as a method of paying compensation to catastrophically injured people. Instead of receiving compensation in one tranche, as the Deputy laid out, a payment is made annually on an agreed date. The annual payment amount is calculated to meet the cost of permanent and long-term care and treatment. An indexation rate is applied to the annual payment amount to ensure the…

While the Minister for justice cannot be here in person this evening, I will pass on the key points the Deputy has made and her strong advocacy on this important issue. As I mentioned, a working group on the indexation rate for periodic payment orders was established to advise on an appropriate index following a High Court determination that the index used in primary legislation was unworkable. As part of a two-stage process, the primary legislation governing PPOs has been amended to allow for the Minister for Just…

I thank Deputy Gibney for raising this and for her clear articulation of the dangers and challenges we all have to deal with in how we respond and protect young people. Online safety, and particularly the protection of young people online, is crucial to all of us and is also a whole-of-government priority. It is timely that we are discussing this topic, given the developments at EU level which have been moving in recent times, particularly this week with President von der Leyen's address and outline of the European…

I thank the Deputy. I outlined clearly in my initial response the progress we have seen. While we all agree appropriate safeguards and rails are needed given the impact social media can have on, and the dangers it poses to, society generally, a key priority for all of us has to be the protection of young people and vulnerable people, particularly children in relation to what they are experiencing as the first generation and as they grow up. Collectively, at European level, driven by the Irish Presidency of the EU, …

I thank Deputy O'Hara for raising this matter. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. At the outset, I will state that there is no requirement for any student to have a personal device in school. On 25 May this year, the Minister for Education and Youth communicated directly with all schools and boards of management to set out the Department's position that there is no requirement for a personal device for junior cycle or the leaving certificate. The Minister r…

I thank Deputy O'Hara. There is real recognition from the Government of the pressures on families at back-to-school time. That is why we put a number of supports in place each year, such as the back-to-school allowance. It is also why the Government engages with boards of management in schools to make sure that those costs are fully considered at school level and are managed. In the Minister's communication to schools and boards of management this year, she emphasised the importance of minimising that cost burden o…

I thank Senator Curley for raising this important matter. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The State acknowledges the importance of access to new and innovative medicines and medical devices for patients and is acutely aware of the challenges patients diagnosed with diabetes face. By way of background, continuous glucose monitoring, CGM, systems provide an alternative approach to self-monitoring of blood glucose using blood glucose test str…

From engaging with constituents of mine who manage diabetes, I know the impact CGM can deliver for them and how it ensures the most effective management of diabetes to maintain health at its optimum and prevent side effects developing over time. The Senator has laid that out carefully. Diabetes care is something the Government has been working to improve, has improved and wants to continue to develop services on. The Minister for Health met with Diabetes Ireland in April this year and attended Diabetes Ireland's co…

The Postal and Telecommunications Services (Amendment) Bill 2026 is a short amendment to the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983. Its purpose is to enable the payment of the agreed funding from the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport Vote to An Post in order that An Post may then in turn disperse this funding to postmasters across its network. The Government is committed to a sustainable An Post and post office network as a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout t…

I thank the four Senators for their contributions and for their support for this important funding. As I said in my opening contribution, the Bill makes a very small tactical change to the legislation. Over the past three years, €10 million per year was provided to An Post. This legislation now provides that, in each of the next five years, this year included, €15 million will be provided to An Post. The structure of that payment, which was agreed between An Post and the postmasters, is designed to maintain and str…

I thank all in the Seanad here today and all in the Dáil last week for the expeditious treatment of this Bill. An Post has been paying from its current resources for this increased payment to post offices across the country since the start of this year. We wanted to make sure that this legislation was passed before the summer recess in order that from a Government point of view, we can make the €15 million payment to An Post to cover the payments it already has made out and see it covered from now to the end of the…

I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for bringing this motion before the House. I also thank the many Deputies across the House who have contributed to the debate on what is an extremely important topic. It is only right and appropriate that it gets attention and consideration in this House and that we work collectively to address the massive challenge AI can pose to our creative sectors. We are very fortunate to live in a country that has a wonderful cultural heritage. Our international reputation across the globe is built o…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The programme for Government commits to maintaining sports funding to get more people participating in all levels of sport, particularly targeting cohorts in society where there are lower than average participation levels. The Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport: the community sport facilities fund, CSFF, and the large scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. The first allocations under the LSSIF opened in 2018 and were announced in 2020, with €86.5…

The objective of the Department of sport is to fund projects to deliver sporting outcomes and increase participation. In my previous response, I outlined the number of projects that have been funded across County Cork. Under the most recent round of the community sports facilities fund, the figure was 347. There have been just over 2,000 over the past 20 years or more. I will certainly seek clarity on the situation regarding this land. The information I have is that Cork County Council has leased the land to Rivers…