I thank the Senator for raising this important question. The Senator and the Acting Chairperson, Senator Noonan, have constantly be raising these issues, and rightly so. I thank the Senator for this opportunity to address the House on this matter. I am taking this Commencement matter, as the Senator will be aware, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The Government is committed to the development of services in St. Luke's General Hospital. As the Senator will be aware, we visited there recen…

Apologies, I will get that for the Senator. I will get clarification about those particular posts because it is important. I will be in contact with the Department today. What I can say, as the Senator said earlier, is that Kilkenny hospital is outstanding. It is a model 3 hospital. The staff do great work there. It is important, as she said. Working through the HSE and with the Department, there has been an increase in staffing but on those two particular posts, I certainly will come back to her. On the injury cli…

I thank Deputy Toole for her very informative contribution. I know she has expertise in this area. I thank her for her commitment and the work she does. I thank the Members of the House for their contributions. I also thank our hospital and community pharmacists for their work in delivering the significant reforms we have seen across Irish pharmacy over recent months and years. Every day, pharmacists provide safe and effective medicines, care and support for patients managing their health. They deliver trusted heal…

I am delighted to introduce the Bill to the House. Its purpose is to reduce the appeal and accessibility of e-cigarettes, vapes and other nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, particularly to our young people. This Bill has passed through Dáil Éireann without amendment. While there was constructive debate on some of the specific details, there is a shared goal with this legislation to do everything we can to reduce the number of young people using these products. This issue is not new to us after all the d…

): I thank the Members of the Seanad who spoke today. This debate and engagement on this Bill are important and it is about progressing this Bill as far as we can. I will go back to some of the questions that were asked of me. Senator Costello asked about nicotine pouches at any event in general. I will not talk about a particular event. This law will ban distribution of free nicotine pouches to children but also it will ban retail advertising of them, both in physical locations and online. The definition of "retai…

I know it was a big issue for the Senator. On the issue of restriction of flavours which would push people back into smoking, research from other countries has shown that users respond to flavour restrictions in different ways. From reports we have received, they include switching to permanent flavours or sourcing flavours, that is, e-liquids elsewhere; quitting vaping; quitting all nicotine products, including tobacco; or switching to other nicotine products, including tobacco. The most relevant evidence to Irelan…

Today is a profoundly important and solemn day. I want to add my voice to the full and formal State apology and to acknowledge the courage, dignity and perseverance of those survivors who fought for truth and accountability for so many years. The Report of the South East Commission of Investigation, which was published last month, lays bare not only the horrific crimes committed by the paedophile Bill Kenneally but also the failures of individuals and institutions to act when children should have been protected. As…

I thank the Deputy for highlighting this very important issue and the 161 recommendations. First, I thank the Joint Committee on Drug Use for its work. I welcomed the report and I am in agreement with many of its recommendations. As the Deputy will be aware, earlier this year I published a draft of the national drugs strategy. I delayed it because I wanted to work with the committee. Three things happened and this was why it was delayed, by the way. It was not that we went ahead and did the drugs strategy. I delaye…

No.

No. I thank the Deputy again for her work on the drugs committee. The vast majority of the 161 recommendations will be in the new drugs strategy but one of the recommendations was on the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. It falls under section 3. That legalises drugs. It is important we tell the people of the concern. The programme for Government reaffirms the Government’s commitment to a health-led approach to drug use and to divert those found in possession of drugs for personal use to health services. I, and the Ministe…

Again, I have to disagree with the Deputy on that. We had a total of 15,422 cases in treatment, so we are doing work and that message needs to get out there. I visit the services around the country. I know we need to do more. The Minister and I are very mindful that we always need to put more funding into services but there are services there. As I said, there are challenges too but we are providing services. This is about everyone working together and about a health referral scheme that will give people the option…

I am delighted to speak today. I welcome Jordan and Cian. I met them in Carlow a few weeks ago when they came to Barrow Brew and had a cup of coffee with me. It is important. When I met the two of them, I was so impressed because they were so passionate about the awareness of dementia. They spoke about their mammy. As everyone has said today, we are all here united in the fact that we need to make sure that we are working, highlighting and funding dementia. We talk about our family carers or family members. I am in…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to introduce the Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026 to the Dáil on behalf of the Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The main purpose of the Bill is to make provision for the inclusion of retail pharmacy businesses as scheme providers and to provide a subset of contraception services referred to in section 67E of the Health Act 1970, the primary framework for the free contraception scheme. T…

I thank everyone and understand that there are challenges. We never had the intention of ever removing the ban on disposable vapes because they are targeted at young people. As Senators have said, vapes are a blight on society and vape shops are visible in every town and village. We are very mindful of the fact that after one use vapes are put in bins or littered on streets and have no place in society. It is important for everyone to realise that the national environmental health service will report on its enforce…

I thank everyone. This is my first Bill so I am absolutely thrilled. I will have a second Bill coming in a few months. This is about all of us working together. It is about our young people. We do not need single-use vapes. This is a health-led approach. We in the Department of Health are leading on this with health in mind. The EU law is expected soon. I hope there will be an EU-wide ban. That is what we are looking for in working with our EU colleagues. I again thank all of the Senators. As I have said, if they w…

I thank the Deputy. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister. Ireland is one of 196 signatories to the Convention of Biological Diversity, signed in 1992 and ratified in 1996. However, the treaty requires Ireland to establish a system of protected areas to conserve biodiversity. To implement this across member states, the habitats directive was adopted by the European Council of Ministers in 1992 and this was transposed into Irish law in 1997. Commencing in 1997, Ireland has protected 441 special areas of conserv…

I would like to assure the Deputy that every effort is being made to support individuals who have ceased turf cutting on protected bogs. The cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme has operated, as the Deputy said, for 15 years, and the majority of turf cutters on these sites have accepted compensation. Many others have consented to restoration works under the protected raised bog restoration incentive scheme or have agreed to sell plots to the State. I can say that a lot of work has been done on this but the…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine owns, operates and maintains six designated State-owned fishery harbour centres. The Department also has responsibility for the North Harbour at Cape Clear Island, as well as the maintenance of a small number of specific piers, lights and beacons throughout Ireland. Investing in our marine infrastructure is particularly important to the resilience of our s…

I was in Waterford recently. There is a lot of work being done in Waterford. I understand what is happening. Dunmore East is an important part of the infrastructure that supports the Irish and EU fishing fleets, and it facilitates an increased level of leisure and tourism activity. There are ongoing improvement projects that have increased the operating efficiency of the harbour. Work has been done in that regard. I understand what the Deputy is asking but the Department is working and doing this. With a total of €…

I thank the Deputy for raising this serious issue. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for education. The Department of education wishes to outline the current position in relation to the new school building for Scoil Chrónáin in Rathcoole, County Dublin. Scoil Chrónáin is an all-Irish, co-educational primary school under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin. The brief for the permanent project is to provide a new 16-classroom primary school and accommodation, including two classrooms for children with …