Go raibh maith agat. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group as leader, I extend a very warm céad míle fáilte to those Senators re-elected, elected for the first time and, of course, those nominated. It is a singular honour to be a Member of this House, as Senator Wilson has pointed out. It is lovely that family members have been able to come here and join us for our first sitting day. Like many of us, I was first elected to this House during the Covid-19 pandemic five years ago, when we did not have the opportunity to …

I want to speak about an issue I have been discussing recently with Noelle O'Connor, the brand creator of The Kind Brand Company. She has been working with Kelsey O'Donnell, the head clinical nurse, and Dr. Shirley Potter from the Mater hospital skin cancer unit in relation to skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland. A total of 13,000 cases are diagnosed every year, which is expected to double by 2040. We have a high rate of diagnosis and, sadly, a high mortality rate. The situation is alarmin…

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024 - referral to committee, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion regarding proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of the Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 51(3)) (Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry) Regulations 2024, to be taken on conclusion of No. 1, without debate; and No. 3, Health Insurance (Amendment) and Health (Provision of Menopause Products) Bill 2024, changed from H…

He was outsider.

We started this morning with Senator Ardagh who spoke of attending the Family Carers Ireland conference. She rightly said that carers really form the backbone of our communities. She mentioned some of their asks particularly around getting rid of means testing as well as the need for more respite. I could not agree more. There has been progress in increasing the income disregard but there must be a basic income payment regardless of income. I totally agree. She made the point that people are feeling hurt that they …

I move: That the proposal that Seanad Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Sectoral Employment Order (Construction Sector) 2024, a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 23rd October, 2024, be referred to the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, in accordance with Standing Order 71(2)(b), which, not later than 7th November, 2024, shall send a message to the Seanad in the manner prescribed in Standing Order 75, and Standing Order 77(2) shall accordingly apply.

I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 51(3)) (Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry) Regulations 2024, a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 1st November, 2024.

I support the Order of Business as outlined by the Leader. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet Michael Ryan from Templemore, County Tipperary. In fact, his son, Shane, was an intern in my office last year. He is a very fine young man and it was lovely to meet his dad. Michael Ryan came here because yesterday was International Stuttering Awareness Day. The day was marked by the Irish Stammering Association and its slogan, "Go with the Flow". It is important that we have a global observance that is dedicated to …

I had hoped that the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, who is responsible for this area, would have been present to take this matter. I appreciate that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, is here to take it and that I have the opportunity to raise it once again. I reiterate my frustration not with the Minister of State but in respect of the issue I am highlighting, namely fair fares and the need for Government agencies to act and implement its policy regarding commuter fares equalisation. I have advocated ver…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I accept that it is complex to integrate new stations, configure ticketing systems and make necessary software changes. Obviously, there are different fares because people use annual, weekly or monthly tickets or just pay for single journeys. The FOI requests I mentioned showed that the revisions made in the NTA requirements mid-project, such as the Leap product integration, added more complexity and meant that plans had to be revised in turn. Quite simply, the NTA ha…

I also welcome our distinguished guests. I look forward to having the opportunity to say "Hello" to them properly later. We heard the sad and tragic news this morning of the death of a young man in Carlow. Our deepest sympathies are with his family. We cannot draw any conclusions about how he died but we know a young woman has been arrested. We often speak about domestic violence but we speak about it from the woman's point of view so it is important to highlight the excellent work Men's Aid does in counselling, co…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I will note the time I start and will leave some time for the seconder. I thank the Cathaoirleach and Leader of the Seanad for affording this time in the Chamber to debate my Private Members' Bill, the Curragh of Kildare (Amendment Bill) 2022. The Bill seeks to amend the Curragh of Kildare Act 1961 to make provision for the management and use of the Curragh plains whereby the Minister may grant a licence to persons for continuous occupation of any part of the Curra…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. To be honest, I am very heartened by it. While he indicated the Government may seek amendments to the Bill, I am only happy for that to happen because at the end of the day, the resources I have are very limited in terms of drafting a Bill. I am only too happy to have resources the Department and the Government can bring to strengthen a Bill. I very much welcome that. I see we are all on the same page here and that is really important. It is important that every one o…

He was a good Limerick man, who talked about going from Kerry on a train to matches just to see what the journey was like and talking about passing the Curragh and what that meant. I know from being in different parts of the world, be it Europe or further beyond, when you are trying to explain where you are from in Ireland and you say I am from the Curragh, people know it straight away. They know because of the racing connections and because of the Army connections. They also know it because of Brigid and the folkl…

Next Tuesday.

I am happy to second this Bill. I commend Senator Chambers on her work on this. This follows on from her excellent Bill on stalking, which has now become legislation. It is important, as she said, that it is not merely seen as harassment but it is a specific type of behaviour and should be a specific type of offence. When we see the specifics are there, that is what makes good legislation. Senator Chambers mentioned “The 2 Johnnies” and how they opened up the world of catfishing to many people who may not be intere…

I was devastated to learn yesterday that a seven-year-old girl in Dublin lost the sight in her right eye because, it is suspected, a vape exploded from a bonfire. It brought me back to many years ago when a young seven-year-old boy in Newbridge lost his hand from something escaping from a bonfire. We are approaching bonfire and banger season. I raised this issue in the Chamber recently and I again send out an appeal, both to the authorities to make sure everything is monitored and to those going across the Border t…

I join the Leas-Chathaoirleach in welcoming all our guests, particularly Councillor Padraig Fitzsimons. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for accepting this Commencement matter. It concerns fire defects and the need to ensure housing estates such as Millfield in Newbridge are included in the Department's remediation scheme. Nine years ago, in March 2015, a blaze occurred in Newbridge that burned a terrace of six houses to the ground in just over half an hour. In that time, people's possessions were turned to dust. Lu…

I will make a few points. I am disappointed with the thrust of what the Minister of State said, that houses would not be included. I fail to understand why. The Minister of State made the point that the Housing Agency has no record of any application from the owners’ management company of this development. I will certainly check into that. He made the point that there is the pyrite remediation scheme and the defective concrete blocks grants scheme, which are important schemes, but they do not apply in this situatio…

I am used to seeing Senator Gavan to the right, so he will forgive me for not seeing him right in front of me.