It was also raised elsewhere. The Minister will be here to respond to the motion whenever it is taken. In response to Deputy Collins's point on speed limits, the reforms that have been introduced relating to speed limits in this country will make a serious difference in saving lives on our roads. We know that speed is the central factor to so many of the road deaths across the country. That is the reason, when I was in the role of Minister of State for transport, we took on board the recommendation to reduce speed …

I appreciate the difficulties and my sympathies are with the family of Joe Drennan. I cannot imagine what they are going through, particularly in light of what the Deputy outlined. I am not familiar with the specifics around the sentencing. I do not want to comment on specific sentencing relating to the courts system but I will ask the Minister for Justice, who is familiar with the case, to engage with the Deputy and respond to his specific question on legislation. I will ask him to do that quickly, also in the con…

The Minister for Justice wants to comment.

I am sorry; I did not know he was here.

I thank Deputy O'Gorman. I made representations, as I know he did, under the previous Government in respect of reading classes and reading schools. We are both active on the case to which he refers on behalf of many parents of children who attend St. Francis Xavier school. I will ask the Minister for Education to respond to Deputy O'Gorman directly. I know how important reading classes are for particular children and their needs. I know this has been reflected to us directly in Dublin West. As stated, I will ask th…

I am aware that an industrial relations process is under way. I am due to be briefed on the matter relating to the technological university and the staff involved and I will come to the Deputy directly in respect of it.

I thank the Deputy. I am familiar with that issue in north County Dublin. The National Transport Authority conducted significant work on a fare determination policy, which the previous Government progressed. I will ask Deputy O'Brien, in his new role as transport Minister, to respond to the Deputy's concerns. He is very familiar with north County Dublin, having previously represented the relevant commuter towns. The wider emphasis is on making sure public transport is more affordable and supporting commuters who co…

I thank the Deputy. I am very cognisant of the need for increased bed capacity and expanded service provision in the mid-west region. I will ask the Minister for Health to respond on specifics relating to timelines. There is consensus across this House on the need for greater investment in the mid-west when it comes to provision of healthcare and bed capacity. That is reflected in the programme for Government. I will get the Minister for Health to respond to the Deputy on the sequencing around that. In the context …

I thank the Deputy. The Government recognises the essential work carried out by community and voluntary health and social care organisations and their staff and the reliance of the State on these organisations to deliver important supports and services in the communities we represent. The programme for Government commits to working with the voluntary sector through industrial relations mechanisms and other processes to progress pay issues affecting the delivery of disability services and the long-term viability of …

Like the Deputy's, my thoughts are with the woman involved in that case, who went through a shocking series of incidents with that person. I cannot comment directly on the court case. Our thoughts are with her. We need to ensure all legislation we advance is victim-centred. That will be central to the legislation the Minister for Justice advances. I will ask him to respond to the specific questions the Deputy raised in the context of the Government's legislative programme.

The health and well-being of the men and women in the Air Corps is an absolute priority for me and the Government. While I cannot comment on the details or circumstances of individual cases, the Department of Defence is aware of a matter that was recently settled by mutual agreement between the parties involved and that the State did not seek to restrict the disclosure of the terms of the settlement. An independent reviewer was appointed in 2016 to examine disclosures relating to people's exposure to chemical and t…

Before I start, I, too, want to acknowledge and thank Tony for his incredible public service over so many years as an usher and also as a member of An Garda Síochána. I wish him well in his retirement with his family. I appreciate everything he has done in his contribution to the Houses of the Oireachtas over so many years. I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on the programme for Government. It is an ambitious, detailed and progressive document which recognises the challenges our country faces but also cl…

I thank the Cathaoirleach and appreciate the opportunity to present the Finance Bill to the Seanad. I am pleased to be here today to discuss the Bill. I understand that Senators have been sent a summary of the Bill which addresses each individual section. I will use the time available to highlight some of the key measures. As we know, the Finance Bill gives legislative effect to the budget 2025 measures. It was important that budget 2025 demonstrated the Government's commitment to helping individuals and families, …

I thank Senator Gavan for raising this matter. As Senators will be aware, the credit was first introduced in the Finance Act 2022 at a value of €500 for single people and €1,000 for jointly assessed married couples. It has played a valuable role in providing financial support to renters right across the country. The credit was subsequently increased in 2023 by €250 to €750 for a single person or by €500 to €1,500 for a jointly assessed couple. As announced in budget 2025, the rent tax credit is now being increased …

I thank Senator Gavan for submitting these recommendations and I will respond to them. Recommendation No. 6 relates to the changes to PRSAs introduced in section 12. The section amends the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 to introduce limits on the tax relief available for employer contributions to personal retirement savings accounts and pan-European pension products. Prior to 31 December 2022, where the combined contributions by an employer and an employee to a PRSA did not exceed the employee’s annual percentage lim…

I thank Senator Higgins for her contribution. I also welcome all the students who are here from Cork. I am familiar with their school. I played sport against their school some years ago. I think we won down in Cork, they will be glad to know. They are very welcome. Senator Higgins referred to the cost of the changes and the SFT in the context of the decision points we have taken. We published those costs in parliamentary questions and set out the trajectory of the costs as part of wider public information that we p…

I will send further information to the Senator. The Department is still working through the specific detail on how equality budgeting will operate. I will, though, reflect what the Senator said and further information will be published in that regard.

I am happy to provide it.

Up Mayo.

I thank the Senator. The Senator has tabled a recommendation seeking a report to be published which I understand would outline the comparative State supports received by workers in the auto-enrolment retirement savings scheme compared with individuals making contributions to an occupational pension scheme. Is this what she was referring to?