I thank the Minister of State. Her final comments are significant. A tripling of the staff numbers will obviously have an impact. It will make a big difference in March. That is to be welcomed. One of the frustrations very often expressed to us by employers is the reason they are refused. For example, in one case the owner of a steel company in Tipperary put forward three candidates for work permits, one of whom was approved and the other two were refused. The reason for the refusal was they had not provided police…

I support Senator Gavan's comments on University Hospital Limerick. I have no reason to disbelieve the comments he made. From all the reports I have ever heard from management in that hospital, it is believable that this happened. In fairness to the Minister for Health, the Senator would not have found out that information-----

-----if he had not come down himself without telling them. We had a meeting with him yesterday in which he said he was arriving this morning to meet them so he obviously kept what he was doing quiet and that has triggered them trying to hide patients, which is an utter disgrace. I want to ask the Acting Leader two questions. It was reported last night by Daniel McConnell that at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, the Minister for Health spoke about a drug for women who suffer from hyperemesis called Carib…

I welcome two announcements over the past 24 hours. Yesterday, Cahir, County Tipperary, was announced as being the best location in Europe in which to film. It won the European Film Commissions Network's best filming location award. It is significant for Cahir and especially for Cahir Castle. Films have been produced at the beautiful setting for years, which will only increase over the next years. It attracts tourists to the region, along with the blueway and St. Declan's Way between Cashel and Ardmore, County Wate…

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a condition that around 10% of women suffer from during pregnancy. Most people who have never been through it call it morning sickness. It is nothing like morning sickness. It is a severe illness that women have for nine months of their pregnancy. It probably became well known because Kate Middleton had it the first time she had a child. Currently, there are three drugs available in the market to treat people who suffer from the condition. Two of them are not available in Ireland. One of t…

I wish to raise an issue that I bring up quite a bit, namely, childcare. I wish to raise it again because almost every week it is getting worse for childcare on three levels. Parents are at their wits' end because they cannot get childcare for their kids. Parents who have been working from home for the past two years but who are now going back into the workplace and need to get childcare are being told they cannot get it until August at the earliest. Some are being told it will not be available until next February.…

Over recent weeks people across the country have been shocked and upset by the sad passing of Ashling Murphy and the subsequent alleged assaults against women in Kilkenny and across the country. People have been rightly upset and moved. However, on the alleged assault in Fermoy, there is somewhat of a positive story in that the two young 16-year-old boys intervened. They made a decision there and then to intervene to support and protect the young woman. We, as a State, need to be strong on law. If found guilty, peo…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and thank him for the work he has done in his Department over almost the past two years. The Fine Gael Party will not oppose this legislation. I commend Senator Mullen on the work he has done on this Bill. It seems strange that these provisions are not already in place. It seems to make perfect sense that if information is to be given it must be factual and that there is something in place to deter the very small number of people who would give misleading information. …

I am even more humble than Senator Mullen but, in all seriousness, it would be very hard to disagree with this. If we can come together, we can certainly find a solution.

Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

We have a problem, which will develop even more over the next number of weeks, relating to people under the age of 40 who are looking to get recovery certificates after contracting Covid, especially during Christmas. We have a situation at present, through no fault of the people concerned, where those under the age of 40 who have had their first and second vaccines, and were going to get boosters, cannot have their boosters for three months because they got Covid. During Christmas, we asked people under 40 to take …

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and welcome her home, if I can put it that way. I thank her for the very effective and strong work she has been doing in her portfolio for almost two years. I urge her to continue with that work because it is very important. As other speakers have said, everyone accepts that this Bill is necessary and legislates for a commitment made by the previous Government. In fairness to the three businesses in question, they also recognise that. They have wanted to work with the …

Next Tuesday.

Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

I acknowledge the presence of Senator Pauline O'Reilly in the role of Acting Leader. I have two questions, one of which is perfect for her and is right up her street. First, I acknowledge the decision by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, last night and the work between him and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to lift that ban on burning. It is important and that work by the Minister should be acknowledged and appreciated. Would it be possible to get a…

I know.

They are in Clonmel, Cahir and everywhere. This is important. The clubs are ready to go and waiting for an announcement. It is welcome that there will be extra money from this year's pot and that is important because more clubs will be successful. We need decisions to be made on this as quickly as possible so these clubs can get going on developing their area and enhanced sporting activity and everything that goes with that.

I can substitute if the Senator wants.

I wish to raise the same issue as Senator Daly in respect of the 2009 waste management regulations. There are farmers in County Tipperary who got letters from the county council, as they do every year, to say they were exempt in the context of controlled burning on their farms. They were then sent letters stating that, unknown to them and certainly unknown to us as public representatives and the council, as a result of a directive from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the extension in …

I move: “That Seanad Éireann: notes: -the significant work done by the Passport Office and Department of Foreign Affairs through its network of Embassies and Consulates, to meet the demand for passports from Irish citizens throughout the world; -the extraordinary demand for passports in recent times and the anticipated increased demand in the coming months; -the complexity inherent in the delivery of a passport service, and the necessity to combine security and verification on the one hand, with efficiency and resp…