I echo some of Senator Higgins's sentiments. The weekend events around the country highlighted for me that this issue boils down to how we respect our public places, private property and fellow citizens. We saw disgusting littering, which has been raised. Councillor Dónal Gilroy in Sligo called me this morning at his wits' end about Streedagh Beach in County Sligo. This was replicated around the country. Our beaches and public amenities are not fit to accommodate the number of people who are flocking to them. We ne…

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Naughton, to the House.

Thank you Senator. It was quality rather than quantity today.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I raise two of my favourite topics, County Louth's Cooley Peninsula and the connecting of the two sides of Carlingford Lough. The Narrow Water Bridge, to me, as a local, is a project that has been talked about for so long. It is a symbol of the future and of what can be. It is aspirational, but with the shared island fund, that aspiration has become a possibility. One might say it is infrastructure with various merits, but it is so much more than infrastructure. It is a…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. He mentioned the business case. It might never be achieved if the conversation is around bare economic facts. The Narrow Water bridge project is about a great deal more than a bridge; it is about dreaming and looking to the future. There is so much tourism potential in the creation of this product. There is already a bridge and planning for widening it. The Minister of State's remarks are disingenuous because there is a bridge and a plan that is shovel-ready.

I applaud Senator O’Donovan for having spoken about epilepsy. This is national epilepsy week and there are a few things that can change the lives of people with epilepsy. The epilepsy association is calling for free travel for people with epilepsy and for reasonable accommodation during examinations. They appear to be very practical requests. We should be lobbying for the provision of free travel and reasonable accommodation, as well as a few others. I am sure we all got the briefing from the epilepsy council. I al…

I, too, raise the fact that this is National Biodiversity Week. It is a real chance for us all to see nature and to appreciate the importance and richness of our biodiversity. The hawthorn tree, for example, which is so common in Ireland, supports more than 200 species and insects. This is absolutely critical and crucial to protecting our environment and biodiversity. I call for a debate on how we will protect and support our native biodiversity and protect our uplands. We need a proper upland management plan. We h…

The Minister is very welcome. I thank our Fine Gael colleagues, and Senator Seery Kearney in particular, for bringing this very considerate and important Private Members' motion to the House. I very much welcome this debate today which addresses how young people have suffered as a result of Covid-19 in the context of social isolation, education, employment and housing. In truth, any cohort in our society which relies on others for the fulfilment of their life has been badly affected. This includes our older people,…

Following the ESRI announcement this morning highlighting the difficulties being experienced by young people with respect to housing and employment, we should look towards establishing a State internship programme for young people and not so young people. It should have a proper established format where young people who come out of college or school could get an internship in a State Department or body and get practical, proper work experience. I was one of the people who benefited from working in Louth County Coun…

I very much welcome this Private Members' motion and I commend Senator Seery Kearney for bringing it forward. It is so important that we recognise the importance of carers in our communities. I know so many people who care for loved ones. It can be so rewarding and it can also be so incredibly difficult and isolating for so many. Family carers are the backbone of care provision in Ireland and they deserve the support and recognition we are giving them today but as we all agree, they need more than recognition and p…

I am very proud to second the motion, which reconfirms Seanad Éireann's commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and welcomes the shared island unit. As somebody who was not old enough to vote for the agreement, I am particularly delighted to stand up in this House and say that I believe, as my family and I believed 23 years ago, that this is the way to a better Ireland. Growing up in a Border area that, unfortunately, saw its fair share of heartache and pain because of what happened over the past 100 years, I know …

I thank everyone for their contributions to this debate. I cannot put into words how proud I am to stand here to speak about the Good Friday Agreement. I was 16 when that agreement was voted through. We stood so tall and proud in this country when we succeeded in that. I remember thinking it would never be possible. It is an overwhelming experience to be able to stand here with people like Senator McDowell, and with all Senators, to speak about this. Turning to Senator McDowell, my criticism of politics in the Nort…

This morning I would like to raise my concerns about the unilateral decision by the British Government to possibly grant amnesty to British soldiers. Yet again, we are standing here in the House speaking about the British Government reneging on agreements and on what we have tried to deliver. We have tried to deliver some justice for people across this island, particularly in the North. It is a deplorable act to give amnesty to people who have committed murders on any side. I look forward to our debate here on Mond…

I would like to second Senator Dooley's proposed amendment. I wish to raise the issue of third-level students. I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, that a working group will gather today to get a pathway and a plan to open up in September. It is essential that is done in June. Indeed, June is possibly a little too late. At the minute students would usually already be booking their accommodation for the next college year. We hav…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to discuss the motion. A strong post office network is something Fianna Fáil, as a party, has advocated for and supported for many years, and I am very glad to have this opportunity to echo my support for the post office network. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of the workers in An Post who worked tirelessly to keep this country going while people remained at home, particularly through the first lockdown. Almost the only thing that was consistent and no…

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. It is great to see him. It is the first time I have had the privilege of speaking to him in the Chamber. I am raising this Commencement matter on breast cancer services and cancer screening in general, which is of major concern to me. Currently, people are not being screened due to the restrictions, which is understandable, but they are not getting the cancer treatment they need. We must make certain that we as a Government ensure the resumption and continuation o…

I thank the Minister of State and I very much welcome the additional €10 million. I am very aware of the development of and the increased funding in the breast and cancer services. I understand there is a balance of benefits between screening and potential harms. However, at the moment, because they are not being automatically screened, many breast cancers are not being diagnosed. From brief research and talking to breast cancer survivors and patients, it is unfortunately clear that, because younger people are bein…

I welcome Senators Horkan and Maria Byrne to the House. It is great to have new colleagues. Today, I am wearing purple for Go Purple Day, to raise awareness of domestic violence. I ask all colleagues to text "SAFE" to 50300 to support this cause. I have often raised in the House the issue of gender-based violence and called for a debate on how the Government can make this country a really safe place for women, girls, families and children to grow up and live in. We need an interdepartmental task force on gender-bas…

I am sharing time with Senator Murphy.

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I welcome his commitment on this issue. We need to push on with it. It is evident from the contributions on this issue from across the House today - I was following the broadcast of the proceedings in my office - that there has been unending commitment and that we have a common goal, which is for the Minister of State and his Department to succeed in implementing proper gambling regulations. All Members recognise there is a signifi…