I have been very lenient here and I must get the Title of the Bill agreed. Is the Title agreed?

The Senator may come in very briefly. He was not here for the amendments and I still allowed him in.

I know that.

I just want to point out that neither I nor the Minister had any hand, act or part in ruling the amendment out of order. I am sure Senator Mullen understands that. I have given him fairly adequate time. It is only right that I would do that.

When is it proposed to take the next Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Like many other Senators, I welcome the Minister. I greatly admire his approach of meeting farmers and speaking with them, which is vital. For many years, we got it wrong and we spoke down to farmers. In that context, the Minister's approach is very important. I met about a dozen farmers for a chat a few evenings ago in a park near Ballinasloe in south County Roscommon. They are all suckler-to-beef farmers, with 60 or 70 acres, some good land and some bad. They rely on farm payments. Every one of the 14 people I me…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I know he has travelled this road on many occasions because of where his in-laws are located. He knows how important and necessary it is to upgrade it. I welcome the Minister of State. The issue I am raising is not within his brief but I appreciate his coming here to take it. The N61 is a very busy national secondary route from Athlone to Roscommon. In fact, one could say it serves people travelling from Donegal to Wexford as it is the route they link onto to access the N4, N5, N63,…

I welcome the reply. It is regrettable that TII did not see fit to put funding into it for 2022, but that is the position. I hope, and I know the Minister of State will bring this message back, that we can get this development back on course as quickly as possible. It is vital that we upgrade this road, not only for the economy of the area and the wider region but also, more importantly, from a safety perspective. It is very important for safety. It is an €80 million project but, obviously, costs will have risen. W…

I thank the Minister of State for addressing that issue and Senator Lombard for raising it. I express my thanks to all Senators and Ministers of State, as well as the staff, including the ushers, for their co-operation.

I agree with Senator Sherlock about the horrific bombing yesterday in Ukraine. More disturbing, however, is that those infamous words "fake news" are now being used by the Russians where women and children have been maimed and killed. It is just shocking. All we can do is hope there is some type of breakthrough and ceasefire there because it is very much a doomsday situation for everybody. I also support Senator Sherlock in her comments on the fuel situation and fuel pricing. I raised last night at our parliamentar…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach agus leis an Aire. Tá sé iontach í a fheiceáil anseo inniu chun Seachtain na Gaeilge a cheiliúradh. Molaim go hard í as an méid oibre atá déanta aici agus ag an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Chambers, chun ár dteanga dhúchais a chosaint. Fuair an tAire agus an tAire Stáit, Teachta Chambers, níos mó airgid sa bhuiséad 2022, breis is €7 milliún, chun tacú leis an nGaeilge agus is rud iontach é sin. Is céim ollmhór chun tosaigh é Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2021. Tugann …

I thank Senator Ó Donnghaile for finishing well within his time.

I thank the Minister of State and Senator Ó Donnghaile for that interesting Commencement matter.

I thank the Minister of State for taking all four Commencement matters, only one of which related to the Department of Health. All Senators appreciate his attendance and replies and the time he has spent with us. I thank Senators Malcolm Byrne, Ó Donnghaile, Ward and Keogan. I also thank the administrative staff and ushers for always being helpful during these sessions.

Following Senator Craughwell's comments, I must say the Cathaoirleach is a fountain of knowledge. Ambassador Karadjova is very welcome to the Seanad today. Our thoughts are very much with her and eastern Europe at the moment. We are very shocked and horrified by the continuing aggression by Russia towards her neighbours in Ukraine. We compliment her and her nation on what they are trying to do for their neighbours. We are doing all we can here for them. We are totally with the people of eastern Europe on this, and …

I will be brief on this. I waited for the Minister's response and I have taken into account what everybody else has said and it is really important that we get a fair deal for the three farmers involved and for their employees. As Senator Higgins has said, there is a constructive way forward. In his reply, the Minister said twice publicly that he will meet the farmers again. It is really important and positive that we take that step forward. I know some people did not like it but, if you look up our last election m…

This morning I was informed that the price of fuel will increase by 7.5 cent per litre on the wholesale market. This will mean a 9 cent increase at the pumps within 48 hours. I predict that by St. Patrick's Day we will have passed the €2 mark. We understand much of this has to do with the very unstable situation in eastern Europe, which seems to be getting worse. Whatever happens, and we all hope there will be peace as quickly as possible, we are still months away from the stabilisation of fuel prices. This will hi…

I welcome the Minister of State. I am delighted to make a short contribution to the debate. I commend him on the excellent work he has done in this area. His series of meetings and engagements to move this matter forward is recognised by the credit union movement. I have been asked to pass that on to him. I acknowledge the work done by the current Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when in opposition. He made a major contribution to moving this on. It is important that we commit to strengthening the credit …

Like many others, I acknowledge the motion put down by the Civil Engagement Group. I also welcome our guests into the Chamber this evening. I am glad we will not be opposing this motion because housing is something for which we all have a huge responsibility. I am listening to what everybody is saying. Housing is one of the core issues this Government was formed to tackle. We understand the scale of the problem people are facing with regard to rent and house prices. While the substantive issue we face will not be r…