I thank the Leader of the House very much. We know her words are very heartfelt. We are with her in spirit. We understand what she is going through and absolutely empathise. I thank her for agreeing to give us this time in the Seanad because it is also within her gift.

I have to say Regina, as opposed to Senator or Leader, because I have to reach out to you woman to woman and colleague to colleague, I wish you well on the journey that is ahead of you, your dad and your loving mum. Regina has often spoken about what a strong person her mum is and what an inspiration she is to her. I have no doubt of the toll this is taking on her mother or of the love with which she is carrying this out. I am with Regina and her family in spirit. I will hand back to the Minister of State. On behal…

I support the Order of Business. How lovely to hear the words from Senator Norris. On Sunday I met with the O'Connors from Clondrohid just outside Macroom. We had a great conversation about John A. Murphy and how proud he was of Macroom. I absolutely echo Senator Norris's sentiments. Today is International Women's Day. I wish a very happy International Women's Day to all of the female parliamentarians in this House and in Dáil Éireann, and all of the women who work here in Leinster House. We stand in solidarity wit…

I did not know when I was going to see him next. To see Senator Dooley and former Deputy and current MEP Billy Kelleher being courageous in travelling to see for themselves the situation in Ukraine was inspirational. I have no doubt it was a dangerous journey. I am looking forward to having a discussion and listening to the Senator's experiences. I salute the wonderful work that communities in Kildare and right around the country are doing to support Ukrainians. Collections of money and goods, cake sales and coffee…

I support the Order of Business as outlined by my colleague, Senator Chambers. Yesterday, we had moving debates about the crisis in Ukraine. It is wonderful to see the effort around the island of Ireland to support the Ukrainians, including those who are trying to help family members to come here, and those who are supporting the Ukrainians who are staying in or fleeing from Ukraine. It was heart-warming to see a photograph last night of a young girl holding up her train ticket and saying that Poland was not chargi…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins. I speak on behalf of concerned and frustrated parents who have contacted me over the last months. They have struggled to access the assistive technology that their occupational therapists have absolutely, unequivocally confirmed was needed for their children. I have no doubt that that is reflected around the country. Assistive technology is not a luxury. It is a necessity for those who need it. Ireland prides itself on having a world-class education system that…

I acknowledge the significant spending by the Department of Education on special needs, and that is very much to be welcomed. I am still very concerned about the reply the Minister of State has given because while he talked about the rise in applications in 2021, both situations I have spoken about have been going on for years, one since 2018. Every year the pupil is told to reapply. In the first case I spoke about, the child concerned is going through a third examination. At this stage, the assistive technology wo…

I share the sentiments expressed earlier by Senator Currie that it is difficult to concentrate on the day-to-day business, but we are lucky to be able to do it so we need to do that. I also wish to be associated with the condolences for the family of our colleague, Senator Paul Daly, and the family of Professor John A. Murphy. From reading about Professor Murphy, and indeed when I studied history in college he was one of our eminent history scholars, he had said that if there was one thing he could change in his li…

My esteemed colleague Senator O'Sullivan referred to the novel Apeirogon by Colum McCann. This is one of the best books I have read in the past year or two. Essentially, it is about the futility of war. It is about Rami, an Israeli whose daughter was killed in a suicide bombing, and Bassam, a Palestinian whose daughter Abir was shot by an Israeli soldier. The novel is about how these two men found one another and found that more united them than divided them. They spend their lives travelling the world, essentially…

I thank Leas-Chathaoirleach for giving me my full title. I thank the Minister, Deputy Coveney, for being here to listen to our concerns. We are talking about two men here. Putin is a bully, a thug and a warmonger. At the other extreme is President Zelenskyy, who spoke so movingly to the European Parliament today. He made it very clear in a heart-rending speech that today will be many people's last day on this Earth in their homeland and country. That is a very true and striking statement that cuts to the heart of t…

The Order of Business is No.1, address to Seanad Éireann by MEPs representing the European Parliament South constituency, to be taken at 2 p.m., in accordance with the arrangements set out in a motion passed by the House on 10 February 2022; No. 2, motion regarding the establishment of citizens' assemblies, to be taken at 4.30 p.m. and to conclude at 6.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, the contributions of all Senators not…

Before Senator Dolan's parents leave, I want to wish her mum a very happy birthday. It is wonderful to see all her family here. I know it was a very proud day for her when she was elected, as it was for all of us. I know that it is a proud day to have the opportunity to visit here and see the goings on. They are very welcome. Senator Malcolm Byrne welcomed Matthew McGrath and I add my voice and that of the House to that welcome. He has led a campaign about accessibility to beaches. He is lucky that he lives in Gore…

I want to acknowledge Senator Ruane’s commitment to and passion around this issue. I am listening and I hear her. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. The Minister of State is very welcome. We know that two of the key commitments in the programme for Government are to establish citizens’ assemblies on biodiversity and on the local government structures best suited to Dublin. Notwithstanding the very powerful argument made by Senator Ruane, a debate involving all of the stakeholders arou…

I thank the Minister of State. We certainly echo that. It is wonderful to see such investment in women's health.

That was a very short contribution. The Senator does not mince his words.

Yes. When the one-stop shops are in place it will bring a lot of clarity. I have suggested that post offices in our communities would be very much involved both in helping with finance and in doing some of the one-stop-shop business as well.

I add my voice to the welcome for my esteemed colleague and friend, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Colm Kelleher, and his son. It is a great pleasure to have them in the Chamber for today's business. Stoyu z ukrayinoyu: stand with Ukraine. I was on the phone this morning to my esteemed friend and colleague, Yevheniya Kravchuk, who is a Ukrainian parliamentarian, speaking about the current situation in Ukraine. It is imperative that we condemn the actions of the Russian President, we stand with Ukraine and we demand sancti…

I welcome the Minister to the House. I thank the Minister for prioritising this important Bill and for all the work that she has put into it along with her officials. I thank also the Oireachtas committee for the work it has put in, in terms of examining it. I certainly appreciate the Minister's clarification on a number of issues at the start - it was very welcome - and her thorough analysis of the Bill and all of its parts. I am certainly pleased to support this Bill in the House this evening. Media safety is so …

I add my voice of welcome to the ambassador and Deputy Devlin, and thank them for visiting us in the Seanad. I wish all Lithuanians living here well on their national day. I have the opportunity of serving on the Council of Europe, along with my esteemed colleague, Senator Joe O'Reilly, and we work very well with the Lithuanian delegation. We look forward to welcoming them in the context of 30 May, when Ireland's presidency of the Council of Europe will start. We may get to see the ambassador then. I also extend ou…

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the report of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine entitled Issues impacting the Forestry Sector in Ireland, to be taken at 1 p.m., the time allocated to the debate not to exceed two hours and in accordance with Standing Order 78, the Chairperson of the committee, being a Member of Dáil Éireann or another Member of Dáil Eireann nominated in his or her stead, may attend and speak to the motion and may take a seat on the floor of the Seanad Chamber; …