As a former sports journalist, nothing pleases me more than when Irish football makes headlines for all the right reasons on the field of play. I pay tribute to all the Irish teams. They are really showing us that there is a wave of positivity around the game at the moment, perhaps in spite of reported shortcomings at governance level. I pay tribute to all the teams, all the footballers, all the coaches and all the ancillary staff who make these things possible for us to celebrate the way we have done over the past…

I congratulate a group of people following the announcement in the past week of a €1 million philanthropic fund for the provision of a long-awaited sports facility and playing pitch at St James's Primary School on Basin Lane. It really is an example of the type of reward that can come with amazing campaigning, fundraising and awareness efforts by Sporting Liberties in Dublin 8. There has been a lot of work done over the years because there is such a need for playing facilities and sports pitches in that area of the…

The Irish Postmasters' Union is certainly getting a great airing in the Seanad today, and rightly so. The union told us in its pre-budget submission last September that ine out of ten people said that their post office was essential. It went on to say that it was not just public sentiment, but a call to action. Communities want their post offices and they want the Government to act now to save them. I welcome the opportunity this afternoon to discuss our post office network once again. We had a very engaging and in…

I take this opportunity to congratulate Pico Lopes, who is originally from Crumlin. He plays centre back for Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland, has played in the League of Ireland for a long number of years and, due to his father's patronage, is now playing for Cape Verde and will go to the World Cup, which we learned last week. It is an amazing opportunity. He is quoted in the Dublin Gazette today as saying he is the luckiest man in the world. He is; he is very lucky, but he also became a father on Friday a…

I echo a couple of things before I get started. The first is about Ann Woodlock. Ann is from Drimnagh. I know her well. I see her every Saturday doing the park run. She is the best of us and she beats the best of us every single Saturday. Congratulations to her on her gold medal at the weekend and the best of luck this weekend in her next event. I also echo Senator Nelson Murray's comments about an Tánaiste, Simon Harris. Notwithstanding the fact that I would not be here without Simon Harris, the benefit or advanta…

D'ardaigh mé rud éigin an tseachtain seo caite mar gheall ar mhaoiniú ar son TG4 ionas go mbeadh neamhspleáchas eagarthóireachta aige ina sheomra nuachta agus sna cláir nuachta a chuireann sé ar fáil. Fáiltím roimh an mhaoiniú sa bhuiséad inniu ón Roinn a chiallaíonn go mbeidh €65.4 milliún ar fáil do TG4, lena n-áirítear méadú €5.4 milliún, chun ábhar Gaeilge ar ardchaighdeán, cláir do pháistí agus seirbhísí nuachta níos leithne a chinntiú. Níl na mionsonraí againn go fóill, ach mar a dúirt mé an tseachtain seo ca…

Bhí sé iontach an tacaíocht ar fad maidir leis an nGaeilge agus an chraoltóireacht trí mheán na Gaeilge a chloisteáil mar is é sin atá ar intinn agam a phlé tráthnóna. Ba mhaith liom aird a tharraingt ar an éiginnteacht atá ann go fóill mar gheall ar sheirbhís nuachta neamhspleách do TG4. In 2022, ghlac an Rialtas le moladh ón gCoimisiún um Thodhchaí na Meán go mbeadh "ceannas neamhspleách eagarthóireachta" ag TG4 ar a sholáthar nuachta chun seirbhís níos fearr a chur ar fail dá lucht féachana, rud a luaigh an Sean…

Ní raibh mé anseo ar an Máirt agus ní raibh deis agam comhghairdeas a dhéanamh le Martin Hughes. I was not here on Tuesday as I was in Brussels. I congratulate Martin and look forward to working with him over the next few years. We had a very robust debate relating to the FAI's safeguarding issues at yesterday's sitting of the Oireachtas committee on sport. I will not get into that here, but I will just say the committee is not satisfied with the answers we received. Senator Comyn was also there. We have to call th…

Before I call the Minister of State, I welcome Deputy Cahill and his guests to the Chamber. You are very welcome here today.

That concludes the statements for this afternoon. I thank Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, and the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and the departmental officials for their time and engagement here today.

I echo the sentiments of many Members today in wishing everybody the best of luck over the recess. There is lots of work to be done elsewhere, but thank you to all the staff here in the Seanad, the ushers and everybody who has looked after us so well, particularly us newbies just getting used to everything. There is a group of workers here in Leinster House who face into a lot of uncertainty over the recess. The broadcast workers for Oireachtas TV face going onto social welfare while we are going into recess. Every…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht bheith anseo. Tá fhios agam go mbeidh an t-Aire, an Teachta McConalogue anseo níos déanaí.

Tá sé sin go breá. Tá fáilte rompu ar fad. Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh Mary O’Connor chomh maith, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport. Sport in Ireland goes to the very essence of who we are as a nation. We define ourselves in tribal terms, whether this is by club, by county or by province. We punch above our weight as well and find creative ways to make a bigger impact globally than the small but mighty population of 5 million that we are. Sport, though, means different things to different people, and I ho…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Tá muid fíorbhuíoch go bhfuil sé anseo chun an t-ábhar ríthábhachtach seo a phlé. I join my colleagues in commending Senator Ryan on her work on this Bill and for the courage of her convictions that she has taken with this matter and other deeply sensitive and personal issues. It is not an easy thing to do to speak out publicly about something so private and past trauma and pain. I put on the record my appreciation for the Senator's willingness to be a voice and an advocate for herself …

I so move.

Míle buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo sa Seanad tráthnóna chun an t-ábhar fíorthábhachtach seo a phlé. I welcome the opportunity to discuss our post office network and how we can all support what is not just an important network for communications, business and the State, but a network that connects our communities right across the country, serving as a focal point of villages and towns in both urban and rural settings. It is with great concern that we read yesterday of the news that more than 250…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Ba mhaith liom aird a tharraingt ar chúis imní agus fearg i measc roinnt mhaith múinteoirí Gaeltachta. Aontaímid ar fad sa Teach seo go bhfuil géarghá le tacaíocht agus aitheantas dóibh siúd a bhfuil ag coimeád ár dteanga beo bríomhar. Déanann múinteoirí Gaelscoileanna agus Gaelcholáistí an-chuid oibre ina leith, ach ba mhaith liom labhairt inniu mar gheall ar mhúinteoirí atá ag obair agus ag feidhmiú sna scoileanna Gaeltachta. Táim cinnte go bhfuil an Ceannaire ar an eolas …

I ask for an opportunity to have a debate in this House about the sportsperson’s tax rebate. On retirement, Irish athletes who have lived and trained in Ireland are entitled to claim tax back on 40% of their earnings from their sport. The then Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, first introduced sportsperson's tax relief in 2002 and, at the time, said the measures were being introduced as a reward for the contribution our sports stars make, as an acknowledgement for their relatively short careers and as an enco…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter and making time for it in the schedule after last week's mishap. I thank the Minister for making time this morning. I know she is very busy as we approach the recess. I appreciate her coming to the House today to discuss an escalating crisis in early life healthcare. Our HSE public health nurses do important work. I want to acknowledge that from the beginning. A worrying trend is developing, however, in some parts of the country whereby babies, toddle…

I thank the Minister. That piece of information on the six additional whole-time equivalent nurses is new. If they are beginning in September 2025, that will significantly impact in a positive way in the Dublin areas the Minister mentioned. If she has an opportunity to pass word back to the HSE and the managers in the area, it is important that, as part of that workload in September, they would look at trying to catch up on what has been missed because babies continue to be born and continue to need their newborn c…