I too extend a céad míle fáilte to the students from St. Mary's Primary School, Mullingar. I whizzed up the bypass by them at 5.30 a.m. today and little did I know they would be coming here. I understand Mr. Scally and Mrs. Bolger are here with them. I hope they all enjoy their visit to the Seanad. On behalf of all the Members, the Minister of State, the ushers and all the other staff, I hope they have a nice day. By the way, the Chamber is usually fuller than it is now, but this is an item of business in which Sen…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit agus leis an Seanadóir. Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an bhfoireann agus leis na huiséirí as a gcabhair freisin.

I appreciate Senator Chambers giving me a little of her time in order that I can express on the record today my ongoing support for the European Union. Like the Minister of State and Senator Chambers, all of us, including those who have reservations about Europe, have to acknowledge that the development that has happened in this country over those years has been significant. I wonder if we were not in the European Union where we would be in terms of emigration, unemployment and our economy. Back then, and since the…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta James Browne, go dtí an Teach.

When is it proposed to take Report Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

When is it proposed to take Fifth Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

We will now deal with the following motions: motion regarding proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of a Council decision to provide for continued exchange of DNA profile and fingerprint data with the United Kingdom after 30 June 2022; motion regarding proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of a Council decision (EU) 2021/430 on the position taken on behalf of the European Union on the Kyoto Declaration on Advancing Crime Prevention, Criminal Justice and the Rule of Law; and motion regarding proposed approval by Seanad …

The Minister of State has six minutes.

I agree with Senator Buttimer and others who have welcomed the extension of the 9% VAT rate, for which we have all been lobbying. It is important for businesses that there be such incentives to help them recover from the pandemic. The recovery is still ongoing, and if our tourism season takes off in the way we believe it will, the extension will help the sector to recover. I wish to acknowledge the wonderful support given by the Government to the sector. It is acknowledged widely throughout the sector. I commend th…

With regret, I once again rise today to speak up on behalf of Robert Pether, who is callously locked up in an Iraqi jail. We in this House fought very hard for Richard O'Halloran, and rightly so. I was part of that campaign, as were many other Senators. However, I am sad to say that nobody seems to be interested in doing much about Robert Pether's case. For those who do not know, Mr. Pether is Australian but his wife and children are Irish citizens. His wife's family came from Dublin and emigrated to Australia a nu…

I rise to discuss Lyme disease. I give my full support to the people who have spent a number of hours outside the gates of Leinster House today. Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial infection carried by a tick, as we all know, and has quickly become one of the most common diseases in Europe. It is beyond time that Ireland recognises the dangers of that disease. When we were young and growing up, if one's mother or father saw one getting a tick, there was panic and pandemonium to get this out of one's system and no…

I support Senator Carrigy's amendment. I also support the comments of Senator Cassells, who touched on the point with regard to amateur sports. The level of abuse directed at the people to whom he referred is totally unacceptable. It is typically said to me that many professional sportspeople are well paid, but that is not the point. The point is that no abuse should be directed towards anybody online, regardless of whether they are professional or amateur.

I support the comments of Senators Cassells, Sherlock and Ruane. Despite all the protestations, advertising for gambling is getting worse. I watch TV and content online and it is getting worse by the week. It is appalling. As other Senators said, it leaves destruction all over the place. I fully agree we need to ban the advertising. It has gone beyond where it should be. There have always been gambling shops on high streets and I like the odd flutter myself, but online gambling is destructive and dangerous. Gamblin…

I welcome the Minister of State. I understand he is not responsible for this matter but I appreciate his ear and I am sure he will take the message back to the Minister for Education in this regard. Gaelscoileanna are the cornerstone of the spoken Irish language community in Ireland and against all odds have seen a welcome growth in our communities. Gaelscoil de hÍde, Ros Comáin, is one such school that has seen a surge in enrolment since first opening its doors 22 years ago. It was founded through the desire of pa…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht an cheist seo a fhreagairt. I acknowledge that he is answering on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. To be fair to both of them, I raised an additional issue in inquiring about the shortage of space and the plans for a new build. My question really was around the current shortage of teachers to deal with the number of students and the need to ensure all children get a fair crack of the whip in terms of education, particularly in Gaelscoileanna. Perhaps I sho…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit agus an Seanadóir Gallagher. It is an important issue. The next Commencement matter is in the name of Senator Boylan. The Minister of State will be at home with this one.

I thank the Senator. I know every dust of peat on Mountdillon Bog as it is close to me.

Before the Minister of State makes his reply, I welcome our guests from St. Joseph's College, Lucan. They are very welcome and I assure them the Seanad is not always this empty. There are few Senators present. The first debate will take place when the students leave. We are dealing with Commencement Matters, which are the first business the Seanad deals with every day. They are specific issues and there are only a limited number of them. That is the reason there are few Senators in the Chamber. I hope our guests ha…