Next Tuesday.

Tomorrow at 9.30 a.m.

I add my voice of welcome to the students from Our Lady's School in Ballinteer. It is always wonderful to see young people coming in and having the opportunity to see how we operate in these Houses. I have raised this matter in the House a number of times. It seems to be quite close to the previous topic. We need to have a much more co-ordinated approach to allocating secondary school places. It is very welcome to see towns such as Newbridge, Kildare town and others around south Kildare continuing to grow and prosp…

I thank the Minister of State for the response I appreciate the consideration she has given to it. It is important to note we are not just talking about the main towns of Newbridge and Kildare but also smaller areas in the vicinity such as Athgarvan, Lackagh, Milltown, Suncroft and Nurney, which have no secondary schools and are completely reliant on school places in Newbridge and Kildare town. I appreciate that there are ongoing discussions with school boards of management. However, I honestly do not understand wh…

The Minister has proven himself yet again to be a progressive and reforming Minister for Health. I thank him for that. He is absolutely committed to the prioritisation of drafting this Bill in order to provide a national legislative framework for organ donation and transplant services in Ireland for the very first time. In addition to addressing organ donation and transplants, the Bill will bring the State in line with international best practice, which is obviously also very important in the governance of activiti…

I certainly welcome the opportunity to second this motion in the House. I thank the Minister of State for being here and for his sterling work in the area in appointing Dr. Patricia Scanlon as AI ambassador, and in other initiatives he has taken such as the establishment of the enterprise digital advisory forum, the AI innovation hub, and of course joining the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence. This is all very valuable and important work. Artificial intelligence raises very important and urgent questio…

I came this morning from Naas General Hospital where I and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, had the opportunity to celebrate ten years of Project Search. Indeed, that was the precursor to the Oireachtas Work Learning, OWL, programme that we have in Leinster House. Every year, ten young people from care with an intellectual disability are involved in an internship there. Honestly, to be met by joy and smiles and the warmest of welcomes when going into the hospital is good for everybody. As the new general man…

It is good to have the Minister of State here to talk about this important area, which I know he is passionate about. He is already making a huge difference since taking office. I was delighted to welcome him to south Kildare recently and we visited a number of diverse clubs including rugby, snooker, soccer, GAA and watersports, which is very important with the blueway. Under the last round of funding, Kildare was very fortunate to receive over €5.4 million for its sports clubs. The grants are making a huge differe…

I welcome the news this morning that as many as 30 Irish citizens will be released from Gaza today. It is absolutely good news to see the first set of Irish citizens leaving the enclave of Gaza since the horrific events started on 7 October. For those living in Gaza, it is every person’s nightmare and the thought of Emily Hand spending her ninth birthday there is horrific. I listened this morning, as many of us did, to Ibrahim Alagha talking about that bittersweet feeling of himself and his family leaving but knowi…

I add my voice of welcome to the Adare Women's 2020 Club. Councillor Bridie Collins sent a message first thing this morning to tell me to make sure to meet those very fine ladies. It is really lovely to be able to say hello to them. As soon as they started coming in, I said, "That is who they are." They are very welcome. I hope they have a lovely day in Leinster House. I hope to get to chat to some of them later. I thank the Minister, Deputy McEntee, for progressing this and being with us to discuss this hugely imp…

Following the Order of Business, I will move a motion for an expression of sympathy for former Member, Louis J. Belton. The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the extension of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; and No. 2, Public-Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023 - Second Stage, to be taken at 3.45 p.m. with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes …

He will be ready to run for his panel for the next term.

I also extend my welcome and that of the House to our distinguished guests. We are all looking forward to the tribute to William B. Yeats next Thursday. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his kind invitation. I listened to RTÉ Radio 1 over the weekend, when the day William B. Yeats heard the news that he was the winner of the Nobel Prize was discussed. He had been nominated a number of times. He and his wife looked for some food to have a celebratory meal but all they could find was sausages. They fried their sausages, …

There is no doubt about that. The House re-echoes its call for a humanitarian ceasefire, the release of hostages, including little Emily Hand - I understand that the Tánaiste met with her family today - and for aid to be delivered to Palestine. That is with all collectively working towards a long-term solution. Senator Dooley also asked for a debate on the national public service broadcaster. I understand from news reports that 400 redundancies are being sought and that Kevin Bakhurst is meeting with staff today. T…

I move: That Seanad Éireann – - expresses its deep sadness on the death of Louis J. Belton; - conveys its sincere condolences to his family; and - expresses its gratitude for his notable contribution, as a member of Seanad Éireann, to Irish public life and for his dedicated service to the people of Ireland.

I move: That Seanad Éireann resolves that the period of operation of sections 1 to 7 and 9 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021 (No. 14 of 2021) be extended for a further period of 6 months, beginning on the 1st day of December, 2023 and ending on the 31st day of May, 2024.

I thank the Chair. Fianna Fáil, as the Chair and Minister know, believes in the delivery of fundamental public health services to the highest standard, through investment, innovation and of course reform, which this really falls under. In government, we have continued to support the reform of our health services and have implemented universal health care that is accessible and affordable for all. I want to commend the Bill that the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, has brought in front of us today. It is another important…

Bearing in mind what my esteemed colleague has said, right across both Houses and cross-party we are all utterly heartbroken with the scenes we are seeing. There is a sense of helplessness. We are all calling for a humanitarian ceasefire, for aid into Gaza and for the hostages to be released. I have written to the Leader to ask if it would be appropriate that we in this House would organise our own vigil. It would be important to show solidarity. I am waiting for a response on that but it would be something that we…

Last night, Brigid 1500 was launched in Kildare because in 2024 we will celebrate 1,500 years since Brigid walked these shores. She certainly left a very meaningful cultural and societal legacy and one that it is really important we celebrate. In many ways she was a woman ahead of her time. She was very concerned about biodiversity, sustainability, education and the arts. Most particularly, at a time when we are in a world of war, she was a woman of peace who cared deeply about social justice, so her message is as …

I also add my voice of welcome to our distinguished guests and thank them for the work they are doing on behalf of victims. It is much appreciated. The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2023, referral to committee, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No. 2, statements on housing, to be taken at 3.30 p.m. and to conclude after 90 minutes, if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Min…