Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as a bheith anseo inniu. I want to raise the issue of the ECCE scheme and its impact on children who miss the eligibility criteria by only a matter of days or weeks, particularly kids with additional needs. I would also like to ask whether any changes to these criteria are being considered. Currently, there are no exemptions to the lower age limit for the ECCE scheme. This means that a child who misses the eligibility threshold by only a few days or weeks must wait an entire addi…

I thank the Minister of State for the response. I note it is not quite within the responsibility of his Department. It is a very standard response. It is disappointing in terms of the question I raised. Again, I appreciate that it is not his responsibility. Unfortunately, I do not have a written copy and do not have a note of what he said. He outlined the mandatory criteria. That is all well and good, but kids operate on a different basis. I heard an example today of a child who has additional needs. Nobody is taki…

I thank the Minister for being here this evening. This is an important motion. It is vital to discuss rural Ireland and its continued and ongoing development. It deserves policies that recognise its value and invest in its future. I am from north-west Cork, which is quite rural. I see every day the strength of rural communities in Mallow, Millstreet, Macroom and the village I am from, Aghabullogue. There are many people who keep rural Ireland going, from community groups to farmers and school groups. They are the s…

The all-Ireland road bowling championships were held in my local village, Ballinagree, over the weekend. Many Members may not be familiar with the sport of road bowling. It is very much a minority sport. It is very popular all over Cork, in many parts of Northern Ireland and some western counties. The gathering that was there at the weekend was of hundreds of people. There were six major competitions varying from under-18 men and women, to junior men and women and intermediates. It was such a fantastic display of o…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to present the Bill. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to Second Stage of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026. As the Minister of State has outlined, the Bill implements the reforms agreed in 2024 which should accelerate the supply of housing. The housing crisis is the defining challenge facing this country and we all see the impacts in our constituencies. The Planning and Development Act 2024 was the largest reform of our planning legislati…

Next Tuesday.

I thank the Minister for being here with us today. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is a very practical Bill that seeks to improve the operation of both our social housing system and our residential tenancies framework. While it will not solve the wider housing crisis, it contains a number of measures that will improve consistency, provide greater legal clarity and strengthen confidence in the way the system operates. As has been outlined, one of the most significant aspects of the Bill is the in…

Next Tuesday.

Next Tuesday at 12.30 p.m.

I thank the Minister of State so much for being with us to discuss this important issue. It is one that affects many families countrywide, namely, the lack of a clear plan for provision of accommodation for those with intellectual disabilities. Many families, parents, siblings and guardians provide care at home for loved ones with intellectual disabilities. This is saving the State millions in service costs ever year, but the question that has been asked for quite some time is what happens when the carer can no lon…

I thank the Minister of State for such a comprehensive reply. I welcome that there is a lot of positive news as regards investment, and I am delighted to see there is progress being made. As I said, it is maybe not as fast as we would like. I commend the Minister of State; I know the volume of work she has been doing on this, particularly when she has been in this particular ministerial role for such a short period. I know she is doing a lot of work on this issue. I am concerned about the €40 million to deliver 199…

Yes. It is a big weekend ahead. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I am raising the matter of the introduction of budget measures to prevent the closure of rural pubs. It is very similar to the matter that was just raised by my colleague Senator Kennelly, which was directed at the Minister for enterprise, whereas this is directed at the Minister for Finance. Senator Kennelly has raised the idea and now I am looking for the funding. The Minister of State is well aware of these issues within his o…

I note the content of the reply and there are a few things I will respond to. This proposal from the VFI is compliant with the alcohol structures directive. Obviously, there is a question to be answered in terms of state aid but I would be confident that, given the role of the pub in rural society, the proposal does not fall under the state aid provision and would not interference through state aid. The Minister of State's reply does not specify whether it is. I take the Minister of State's point on excise. We have…

I wish all the Senators a happy St. John's Day. St. John's Day is a religious festival which we celebrate quite strongly at home in Aghinagh. There will be a mass celebrated at St. John's Well tonight at 8 p.m. and following that, there will be a platform dance on the Mushera platform on Mushera mountain between Aghinagh and Millstreet at 8.45 p.m. RTÉ will be there also, briefly, to do a clip, because it is doing a piece on traditions in the area. I wish well everyone who is attending it and the group behind the M…

I would also like to be associated with the expressions of congratulation to my colleague, Senator Ahearn, on his appointment as the Leader of the House. He has been a fantastic Acting Leader over the past few weeks. In case there was any doubt, he has really proven himself. I am looking forward to the remainder of his term as the Leader. I acknowledge Senator Ahearn’s family members who are here with him today. It is also an incredibly proud day for them. They are proud of him all the time in light of his politica…

I thank the Minister of State for being here with us this morning. I want to speak about the Key to the EU programme, which is a fully-funded EU primary school programme. As the Minister of State knows, in the second half of this year, in just shy of a month, Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a Presidency which will not only shape what we say in Brussels, but should shape what we do at home in our classrooms with the next generation of European citizens. The hosting of the Presidenc…

I thank the Minister of State for his kind words and for taking this matter today. I appreciate that it is not within his Ministry. Nonetheless, I am quite disappointed with that reply. I am aware of the meeting with Ms Collier and Dr. Schön-Quinlivan. However, we are not looking for sponsorship, as the Department has outlined in the second page of the reply. We are not looking for an endorsement. All we are looking for is that schools be made aware that this resource is available. It seems absurd to me that a prim…

I rise this morning to speak about education and teaching across the country. I have attended, as I am sure many here today have too, the INTO briefing across the road to get its insight into the way things are at the moment within our primary school education system. The INTO's ask is for 1,000 new teaching posts, which will cost €78 million. I appreciate this is a large sum of money and if we are to do this, it will be on an ongoing basis. This is an investment we cannot afford not to make. If we look around the …

This morning, I rise to speak about the domestic production and use of hydrotreated vegetable oil, commonly known as HVO. We all understand the challenges we face in achieving our 2030 climate goals. I really believe we are missing out by not utilising HVO to its full extent. HVO is a fuel that can be used without any engine modifications. It reduces CO2 emissions by up to 90% over its entire life cycle. As of 1 January this year, the mandatory share of renewable fuels in the transport sector has risen to 32%. We a…

I rise to speak about a solar farm in Aglish in the Lee Valley in County Cork, very close to where I am from, which has recently been granted planning permission. This was a decision for a 161 ha solar farm. There is massive local opposition. When this went to Cork County Council last year, it received 200 objections from local people who felt it was not a suitable location. It was refused by Cork County Council on archaeological grounds and also because the council felt that it contravened the county development p…