I will come back to the Deputy on the specific sectors. I know the Deputy and Deputy Ó Cuív have done a lot of work in respect of seaweed. I see considerable development in the use of seaweed in all sorts of things one would never have imagined-----

-----including food and medicine. Companies are getting support from agencies. I will get that detail for the Deputy. There is massive potential there. I encourage the Deputy to engage with the smart regional innovation scheme around all of these issues.

Irreplaceable.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Malcolm Byrne as ucht an rún seo faoi chúrsaí intleachta saorga chur os ár gcomhair. Bhí díospóireacht shuimiúil againn agus gabhaim buíochas le gach Seanadóir a bhí páirteach inti. I thank Senators for this useful debate. The national AI strategy, AI - Here for Good, has been in place for two years. I acknowledge the work that was put into the strategy by my predecessor, Deputy Troy, who was working on it long before there was a lot of attention on the issue. I published a progre…

Gabhaim buíochas le gach Teachta as ucht a bheith páirteach sa díospóireacht ar an mBille seo. A high proportion of the population holds health insurance. The Government remains fully committed to the Sláintecare vision of a universal single-tier health and social care system. Work is consistently continuing within the Department of Health and the HSE to progress work on Sláintecare. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, are fully committed to the continued delivery of Sláinteca…

Táim ag tógáil na díospóireachta seo thar ceann an Aire, an Teachta Roderic O'Gorman. I thank Deputy Ellis for raising this issue. As he will know, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth supports and funds mainstream early learning and childcare. Its underpinning policy and philosophy is one of inclusion and meaningful participation for all children in mainstream early learning and childcare regardless of ability or additional need. There are no dedicated places in mainstream presch…

I agree with the Deputy that this is a key and foundational sector of our society. The Government has invested significant resources in it and it is expanding the level of investment in resources and skills. The Government seeks to properly and formally recognise the skills within that sector. We will continue to substantially increase the investment being made. I have gone through the plans for capital supports and the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is focused on assisting in skills development and in assisting the se…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Cathasaigh as an scéal seo agus as an gceacht stairiúil. Tuigim anois cérbh as na Déise ach cad as don blaa? I am happy to take this on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and to update the House on this matter. I note that in line with the Affordable Housing Act 2021, responsibility for the administration of affordable housing schemes rests with the local authority concerned, in this case Waterford City and County Council. The Housing for All strategy delivers o…

Go raibh maith ag an Teachta. Aontaím leis go gcaithfidh daoine a chur in iúl go bhfuil suim acu sna tithe nua san Aird Mhór. He will also be aware of the first home scheme which is delivered via a strategic partnership between the State and participating mortgage lenders. It is targeted at first-time or fresh start buyers and will improve access to newly built homes by using a shared equity model to bridge the gap between mortgage finance and the cost of new homes, similar to that employed in the local authority a…

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue, which is timely in advance of the Commissioner's visit this week. The Government recognises the importance of maintaining Ireland's nitrates derogation and is committed to seeking to maintain it into the longer term. However, to do this, we must all act together to improve water quality. Our current derogation includes a requirement for a two-year water quality review. The European Commission's implementing decision, which is the formal legal instrument awar…

I absolutely agree with the Deputy regarding the vilification of farmers. It is wrong. If we are to have a proper debate on climate change, which is real and happening and will be very real for every person, then vilifying one sector will not allow that. It is wrong and I agree with the Deputy that everybody has to shoulder the burden here. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, deals daily with the issues raised by the Deputy. Earlier this year, he established the agriculture water quality working group, which involves…

I thank Senator Chambers for raising this issue and it is important that it is raised and discussed. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, who has addressed the matter previously. She recognises the importance of the tourism sector to the Irish economy and to communities in every corner of Ireland. She has a particular interest in the development of the tourism sector, given its environmental, economic and societal benefits. In this regard, a balanced regional supply of tourism accommod…

As the Senator knows, the Government has agreed to move from an emergency response to a more mainstream approach that will include a reduced reliance on serviced accommodation. In respect of many areas, the analysis has been completed. The Minister has secured a substantial extra budget allocation to support those downstream businesses. She is identifying the work for a specific business support scheme, which will go in place to assist those businesses. I agree with much of the Senator's analysis. We need to get th…

I want to express my sympathies to the Senator, his Fine Gael colleagues and the Belton family on the passing of the former Deputy and Senator from Longford, Louis J. Belton. It was always a pleasure to meet him, and it is quite ironic that we are speaking about a Longford issue here this morning. My thoughts are with you all. As the Senator knows, the OPW is responsible for the conservation, maintenance, presentation and the promotion of Ireland's most iconic heritage properties, including our two UNESCO world her…

I agree the OPW should invest far more in its promotion. I was not aware of its significance even though I pass through the area regularly. Far more work needs to be done on promotion. The storage and public display of an artefact are two different things. It is about ensuring we can protect the integrity of items that go on public display. That will form the basis of the negotiation in which the OPW, through the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, will engage with the Department of Housing, Local Government and H…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. As noted by the Senator, in the early years of the State the Department of Education had a direct role in funding and oversight of teacher training colleges, which provided all primary initial teacher education, while preparation of teachers for post-primary education took place largely in universities. Reforms in the 1960s and 1970s saw adjustments to primary initial teacher education programmes and increased St…

I will definitely pass that back to the Minister. I have had the pleasure over the years to meet some extraordinary graduates of Carysfort who have made an enormous contribution. Given that it is 50 years since the protest referred to by the Senator, I encourage her to nominate some Carysfort graduates for honorary degrees in the relevant institutions and engage in efforts to mark the protest given that it is 50 years ago. I will pass her views on the overall issue back to the Minister.

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The Department of Foreign Affairs, including through the consul general in Hong Kong, has been following Jimmy Lai's situation closely, including his forthcoming trial on charges relating, as the Senator has referred to, the national security law. This trial is scheduled to begin on 18 December, although I understand from the Department that there may be a further delay to proceedings. Mr. Lai and a number of his colleagues at Apple News have been detained since 2021. Off…

I will convey the Senator's acknowledgement of that to the Tánaiste. As he will be aware, the protection and promotion of human rights is at the heart of Ireland's foreign policy. That is why we raise human rights with all of our partners. We believe strongly in addressing these issues in a transparent, open, and frank manner. This was the Tánaiste's approach during his meeting last week with China's foreign minister. At that meeting, the Tánaiste also re-emphasised Ireland's long-held view that all human rights is…

I thank the Senator. We normally get handed folders for these replies, but it is a pleasure to acknowledge the Senator's extraordinary work on this issue, her leadership and her courage over a long, long time. She has nearly given the response. I will go through it, but I will absolutely convey back the urgency of this and the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, gets the urgency. The Senator knows this, but I can confirm the formal drafting process of the new surrogacy provisions by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, …