I move: That Seanad Éireann: recognises: - the absolute horror of the war and famine being inflicted on the people of Gaza and the absolute need for an immediate ceasefire to allow for food and aid to be delivered and also for the hostages to be released; - the Irish Government’s ongoing commitment in recognising the State of Palestine and for a two-state solution to end this catastrophic war; - the United Nations Commission of Inquiry which found that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza; - t…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, for being here to take this very emotive and important subject matter as a motion. This is the first Private Members' business in this session and it is appropriate that it relates to Gaza. The last Private Members' motion the House had before the recess was on the same topic. I commend Senator McDowell on all the work he put into compiling that motion and consulting with all sides of the House to ensure that we, as a House, stood firm on the side of the people in Palest…

I thank the Minister of State for his compassion and understanding, and his support for the motion. I thank my colleagues for participating, delivering and supporting this motion and I commend the Opposition as well. We are all on the same page. We are not on opposite sides. We want to do our very best as legislators and as a nation to support those who are displaced from Palestine, those who are bereft with grief and those still undergoing an incredible onslaught. I want to address the point that Sinn Féin made. Y…

Next Tuesday at 2 p.m.

I will raise the fact, with increased funding from the Department of agriculture, that Kildare County Council will be able to hire a new dog warden, which means we will have three in the county to improve dog control issues. That is important in enforcing legislation on the control of dogs and dog breeding establishments, responding to complaints about uncontrolled dogs and, where necessary, bringing them to the pound. A key issue in the responsibility of a dog warden is educating the public on responsible dog owne…

The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, always seems to pull the short straw when it comes to me and my being angry about decisions that are made.

Let us hope we will both be smiling when I get his response today. The issue I am raising is a really important one for older people. I know that the Minister of State is passionate about supporting older people in their communities and helping them survive and thrive in their communities. The area that I am talking about is Kilcullen in County Kildare, a beautiful town known to many of us. It has a population of almost 4,000 people and an incredible community spirit that has been there for many decades and many ge…

I accept the Minister of State's bona fides on this matter. It is true that the facility is now vacant and non-operational. It is fair to say that the standards now are different from 2015. While the property would have been compliant with building standards in 2015, it is not now. Extra work needs to be done. I will endeavour to get a letter to the Minister of State from Kildare County Council. My understanding - this was well aired on Kfm this morning - is that Kildare County Council refutes this. The council has…

Last Thursday, when I was taking the Order of Business, people were talking about their various football teams and I talked about wearing our jerseys. Today, I am very proud to be wearing my jersey of nearly white to congratulate the terrific performance of the Kildare footballers in Croke Park on Saturday where they won the Tailteann Cup. I give a huge congratulations to the manager, Brian Flanagan, and to Kevin Feely from Athy, who captained the team. Of course, that goes along with cementing the great win we had…

I add my voice of welcome to our distinguished guests from France. We look forward to celebrating with them on Monday. The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of the Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 60(6)) (Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry) Regulations 2025, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, statements on various transport matters, including BusConnects, the regional bus network, the western rail corridor and increasing cap…

The Senator missed mentioning Meath.

We began with Senator Mary Fitzpatrick, who spoke about the decision announced yesterday by the Minister for justice on the recommendation that came from the Judiciary regarding a rise of 16.9% in personal injuries awards. He made the decision before the subcommittee met that he would not be recommending it. It is very welcome news, I have no doubt there was possibly an interesting voice note left for Fine Gael Senators and parliamentary party members in relation to that. I have always had belief in the Minster's j…

I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 60(6)) (Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry) Regulations 2025, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 2nd July, 2025.

I add my voice to the welcome to our distinguished guests. This is the people’s parliament and we are always delighted to have the opportunity to welcome guests to the Chamber. First, I offer my congratulations to the Blaney family. There was a civic reception held in Donegal last Friday for the Blaney family, of which Niall is a Member of this House and his brother Liam is a member of Donegal County Council, who have given 100 years' continuous service to the people of Donegal and to this country. That absolutely …

The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber to give us the opportunity to say what we feel and to outline the importance we place on this vital service, which is the heartbeat of many of our communities. Over the past few days, I have thought about the impact, just in my own life, of those working in the service. I could not stop thinking about that jingle, "Who Are the People in Your Neighbourhood?", from "Sesame Street". As a child growing up in Rathangan, Molly Forde, who was the local postmistress, was…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. My question concerns the development of the Riverbank Arts Centre and the new Kildare branch library. In the late 1990s, I was involved with a group of like-minded people who lobbied for an arts centre in Newbridge. Eventually, the Riverbank Arts Centre opened its doors in 2001 as County Kildare's arts centre. The centre has given great service and I give credit to Caroline Williams and her team for the multidisciplinary approach they have taken, bringing theatre with i…

With the greatest of respect to the Minister of State, I might as well tear up this response because there is absolutely nothing in it on development and particularly on River Bank Arts Centre. I am sure the Minister of State agrees that it makes far more sense to be able to have the full jigsaw, so to speak, happening at the same time. Meanwhile, there is €1 million unspent years after it was awarded, its value totally diminished from what €1 million could have provided at the time, and it is languishing without s…

That is fine. It is no problem at all.

I will first comment on what our esteemed Senator from County Meath said. She only mentioned one Minister but I remind Senator Nelson Murray that it was in fact her Meath colleague, the former Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee, who introduced this legislation that is now difficult for the Government to deal with. Regarding the subcommittee, I also remind her that there are three Fine Gael Cabinet Ministers, one Fianna Fáil Cabinet Minister and one Fianna Fáil Minister of State on the subcommittee that is m…

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending EU Regulation 2024/1348 as regards the establishment of a list of safe countries of origin at Union level; No. 2, motion regarding the proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending EU Regulation 2024/1348 as regards the application of the "safe third country" concept; and No. 3, motion regarding th…