I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The critical point is, first, that there are no plans and, second, that we have a new national aviation policy being rewritten. The pivotal point from which we should start is that our airline and aviation sector has changed considerably, as I said. We have seen profound change. Tourism is our largest indigenous employer, responsible for over 265,000 jobs. As I said, 23 cent in every euro of spend directly related to tourism returns to the Exchequer. The Government has g…

I ask that we invite the Minister for Health to the House as a matter of urgency. Prior to our recess we saw the dismantling of NPHET. I said at the time that it was a mistake and still believe it was a mistake. I could ask cynically where Dr. Tony Holohan and Dr. Cillian de Gascun are now given that we have seen a resurgence of the new wave of Covid-19. I made the point in this House previously that we should not have removed the mask wearing requirement. I very much hold that view to this day still. I ask that we…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to the House. I thank her for her work, commitment and engagement. While my contribution will be critical it will not be critical of the Minister of State and I want to make this quite clear at the beginning. This is very important legislation. The Minister of State to her credit deserves our support for bringing it forward and implementing it. The challenges we face in the provision of services for people with disabilities is gargantuan. I say this as somebody who …

I pay tribute to Senators McGahon and Horkan for their very sincere tributes. I pay tribute to the late Mr. David Hill and to both Senators, who I know have been very shaken by the events. Our thoughts are with them as well. We thank them for their solidarity here today. We send our deepest sympathies to the Hill family. I ask that we have a debate on customer care and customer service. I ask that we also have a look at the role of the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. If we are to be honest, all of…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This is important legislation. We should remember we are talking about men and women of An Garda Síochána who serve to protect us all. If we ever doubt the value of the role of members of the Garda, we saw it in Covid and see it every day. Senator McDowell made a telling reference to a broken leg and the maliciousness thereof, and extrapolated that out to the types of injuries members receive every day and have received. Men and women …

I ask Senator Sherlock to listen to Dr. Ronan Collins’s remarks on the renaming of the road on this morning’s "Today with Claire Byrne". There are lessons in it for all of us, notwithstanding the need to stand in solidarity with Ukraine. I would advise her to listen to that radio interview. It was an interesting interview with a resident who is supportive of the people of Ukraine. There is a need for us all to reflect on that. I commend those involved in the Global Greening campaign on asking for world landmarks to…

I thank Senator Dooley for letting me speak first. I thank the Minister for his engagement at committee level. I also thank him for his contribution and its overarching philosophy. I welcome what we are trying to do in this legislation. The review of marine casualty investigation, the Clinch report, is critical to that. I thank him for his contribution in that regard. Any marine casualty is about a person, his or her family and the consequences and devastation arising from the loss of life and, in some cases, life-…

We are on the cusp of St. Patrick's week. This gives us, as a nation, an opportunity to have the focus of the world on us and on our diaspora. Ours is a history of emigration, in some cases forced, and of having to leave our homeland in Ireland to travel to Sydney Harbour, Ellis Island or the UK. Senator Dooley spoke very eloquently. We stand with the people of Ukraine today and we associate with their: fear; trauma; isolation; the language barrier; the lack of money; and the lack of a secure future. It behoves all…

I will begin with a text message I received this morning from a friend who worked in Kyiv and who I had the pleasure of meeting when I was an election monitor. It reads as follows: Talking with all my co-workers, it's like 1939-1941...trying to flee West, jumping on trains, finding cars, leaving wives and kids at the border..the amount of destruction to infrastructure - horrible. That is from a man who worked with the World Bank in Kyiv until last autumn. We stand with Ukraine today. The suggestion of Senator McGah…

It is worldwide.

Let us hope for a dry summer.

I commend Senator Dolan and Deputy Stanton, who have been championing the after-hours use of school buildings. In addition, could we give further consideration to the use of higher education facilities, for example, universities or institutes of technologies? The reality is that the usage of our school buildings and associated facilities, outside of school hours, would benefit, empower and enhance all our communities. As a former director of adult education and having been involved with my community association, I …

I will be brief. I thank Senator Dolan for her work. I also thank the Minister of State for his reply. I commend him on his commitment to community development, not only in his brief as the Minister of State but prior to that. Sometimes Ministers who come into office have no feel for the Department for which they are responsible but the Minister of State definitely does. The clue to the answer to our request in this Commencement matter is in the Minister of State's reply. We are creating sustainable communities. Th…

I ask that we as a House join in calling all airlines to keep their prices low or free for those people fleeing Ukraine on humanitarian grounds. We accept that flights from Ukraine have been suspended but there is a real need for airlines - not just Ryanair and Aer Lingus but all airlines - to look at keeping the price of flights for the Ukrainian people fleeing neighbouring countries as low as possible or even free so as to facilitate ease of travel for those who need it most. Thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing a…

I join others in paying tribute to the giant, colossus of a man that was iar-Sheanadóir John A. Murphy. I had the pleasure of knowing him and of meeting him on many occasions. I enjoyed many a robust debate with him, in particular around the marriage equality referendum in 2015 on which we disagreed, but we agreed to disagree. In this Chamber, in his teachings and in his writings he was a champion of what was right about Ireland. I urge all Members of this House to read his scholarly writings, in particular on repu…

I ask that the Leader and the House would consider issuing an invitation to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, to address Seanad Éireann on the occasion of the wind-up of NPHET. It would be a fitting end to a pandemic that on behalf of the nation, we would afford Dr. Holohan an opportunity to address the Seanad on the handling and management of the pandemic. As a nation, we owe NPHET a debt of gratitude. We may not have agreed with everything it said, prescribed or did, but, collectively, we stood up to C…

Hear, hear.

At the outset, I welcome into the Visitors Gallery Gabby Hagman from Idaho, who is here as part of a global experience programme. I wish her well during her time in Ireland. I ask the Acting Leader to facilitate a rolling debate on the importance of our aviation and hospitality and tourism sectors. I do so today conscious that Ryanair has announced seven new routes out of Cork Airport and the location of its third aircraft in Cork. It is a welcome development. It is a vote of confidence in our aviation sector and i…

I commend the Cathaoirleach on yesterday's excellent launch of Seanad100. I wish the initiative every success. I will raise a very important matter. Despite the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, it has come to my attention that the playing of games, and especially inter-school competitions at primary school level, has not recommenced. This does a huge disservice to the young boys and girls across Cumann na mBunscol schools, particularly in Cork city and county. I pay tribute to Cumann na mBunscol in Cork city and c…

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has responsibility for local government. I commend the Leader for withdrawing the motion on the creation and establishment of the two citizens' assemblies that were to be on the Order Paper for Thursday. I ask that, in the interim, we have a debate on citizens' assemblies. I was a proud member of the Constitutional Convention and I never missed a meeting. The concept is an important part of our participative democracy. The motion on ci…