I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I see from a response to a parliamentary question that he gave on 6 October that he has taken a very strong line on this issue. The Minister stated: I am deeply concerned about the unjustifiable and disproportionate response of the Iranian authorities to Iranian citizens protesting against the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after her arrest for allegedly violating dress code regulations. Ireland does not believe that anything short of full equality for wome…

I also extend my welcome to the ambassador. Céad míle fáilte. The 2023 Estimate for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is €2.14 billion. This is the highest ever level of funding for the Department and represents an increase of €283 million on the 2022 provision. This is a 13% increase overall to support farmers, rural and coastal communities and the fishing community. The budget supports farmers and family farms dealing with the immediate and ongoing fallout from the illegal invasion of Ukraine. It…

It is important that we deal with facts in the context of the budget. Sometimes the whole role of carers is thrown about by a minority of politicians who use it to exploit their situation politically. We need to take a long look at what this budget has done for carers. There will be a cost-of-living double payment to carers in October. A cost-of-living lump sum of €500 for people getting the carer's support grant will be paid in November. It will also be paid to people in receipt of disability allowance, the blind …

Amendment No. 1, a Government amendment, is related to amendments Nos. 2, 58, 59 and 63 to 74, inclusive, all of which may be discussed together, by agreement.

Are Members satisfied with the Minister's response?

I acknowledge that some Senators have concerns but, in fairness, the Minister is trying to be helpful.

Amendments Nos. 3 and 42 to 44, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together.

Does Senator Warfield wish to come in?

As there are no more queries, I call on the Minister.

I am not going to mention the budget as I will speak on that later, and I am not going to speak to a national issue. I want to speak to a local issue. I apologise for that because it is probably very small in the overall scheme of things. Rooskey is a village near me. It is in the parish of Kilglass, which was the home of the former Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds. It is a lovely village and a great community but we have one huge problem, which is that a pedestrian or cyclist cannot cross the bridge if there are two veh…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. On a different note, I have been talking to a number of people involved in the credit union in recent weeks and they have asked me to pass on their thanks for the work he has done. All politicians recognise the work he has done in that area and hopefully more progress will be made in the months ahead. How do you define poverty? Somebody on a low-to-middle income, which we might think is a decent wage, can experience poverty because they are trying to pay a mortgage and …

I join Senator Black in remembering those two families and also the de Bromhead family. We sadly lost a little girl of eight years of age in County Roscommon as well and we are thinking of her today. It has been a sad time for many families, particularly when so many children have lost their chance to live, which should not happen. I very much support the comments of Senator Craughwell regarding staff and ensuring our staff are well paid and looked after properly. My colleagues and I will insist that the staff get …

I second the motion.

I welcome the Minister. Like all my colleagues and the Minister and his officials, we now recognise that we have a serious crisis on our hands. All of us politicians must give hope to the Irish people now. We do not need to frighten and upset them. We need to tell them we will get them through this. I ask that everybody works together, even if we disagree on some issues. I know the Opposition will have different views on different issues. However, we need to get people through the next six months in particular. Tha…

I second the motion. I welcome the Minister of State. I thank my colleagues for being here. If Senator Boyhan listens to me, he might hear what I have to say rather than commenting before I say it.

I know Senator Boyhan has a big interest in agriculture as well. Fianna Fáil has decided to support this motion. I must make clear at the start, however, that coming from an agricultural background and knowing the significance of agriculture and our export market, I cannot support any call to ban live exports. I will say that I understand where Senator Pauline O'Reilly is coming from, certainly with regard to more veterinary care and having a veterinarian on board these ships. I am all for that type of thing. We ha…

To clarify and back up what the Minister of State has said, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, has said fur farming will be closed down. Negotiations are ongoing with the fur farmers and the date will be announced pretty shortly.

I pay tribute to my colleague Senator Chambers for the work she has done and I wish her well with the launch today. I hope to be there at some stage. It is good news from the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence about the extra spending in defence over the next number of years. One of the most important things is to ensure pay and conditions are looked after. Military equipment is important but the men and women are number one. I pay tribute to Senator Chambers because when we were in opposition we did a huge a…

It is also a proud day for anybody from the Roscommon-Galway area. Galway is in an all-Ireland senior football final. We wish the team well. I am sure Senator Crowe will have more to say about that if he is here this morning. The Leader has been very involved in the issues schools are having in setting up special needs classes. I have come across a huge problem with a school in Roscommon. Everybody, including the experts dealing with the children, the teachers and the principal, have done everything they can to set…

I probably will not take the eight minutes. I am representing Senator Clifford-Lee, who is caught up with other engagements. My party and I welcome what the Minister is introducing today. I reference in particular the exemption from hospital charges for children under 16 years of age in all public hospitals, and for persons who have chosen to avail of private, acute inpatient services. We should not forget that there are many times when people might need to bring their child to a hospital and because of income barr…