I move amendment No. 34: In page 12, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: “(b) an explanation as to why the development has not yet commenced, a viability assessment setting out what has changed that would allow the development to commence if an extension of duration is granted, and a detailed schedule of works setting out when the various stages of development will occur,”.”. I will speak on amendments Nos. 34 and 56 together to save time. These amendments relate to the extension of planning permissio…

I move amendment No. 46: In page 13, between lines 30 and 31, to insert the following: “(10A) (a) The Minister may, by way of regulation, provide for third party observations to the planning authority on any request for an extension of duration under this section. (b) The regulations may include provision for: (i) the publication of public notices, on site, in newspapers and on digital platforms, of any request for an extension of duration under this section; (ii) the publication, on the planning authority website,…

I move amendment No. 1 to Amendment No. 47: After subsection (1), to insert the following: “(1A) The holder of a permission shall notify the public of the application by way of a site notice. (1B) In order to ensure adherence with the State’s obligations under the Aarhus Convention and the principles of good planning and development the relevant authority shall provide for public participation in the certification process by way of inviting written submissions on the application from interested persons or organisat…

As the House knows, the Ryder Cup, a world renowned event, is coming to Adare, County Limerick, in 2027. It would be remiss of us not to look at the tourism prospects this could bring to Ireland. In County Limerick, we have what is called the Desmond trail. It has Adare Castle, Askeaton Castle and Desmond community centre in Newcastle West. Adare Castle only opens from June to September, with limited space so you will see minibuses going in there. Askeaton Castle has been closed for the past three years until furth…

I will share time with Senators Tully and Andrews.

It is great to have the Minister here. I will speak on a number of key areas in transport that would begin to address the great regional imbalance that is choking Ireland's potential. The regions outside Dublin must finally be given a fair share of investment and opportunity. The M20, the motorway between Limerick and Cork, is not a luxury; it is a necessity. This stretch of road, at present the N20, is not only outdated and dangerous but it is actively stifling the economic potential of the entire southern region.…

I wish to address an issue related to the provision of public swimming pools in County Limerick. On the N69, Askeaton swimming pool, which has been closed since 2023, is scheduled to reopen, thankfully, this autumn under the management of Swim Ireland. Other than that, the county has been without a swimming pool for the past two years due to this issue. On the N21, where there is a large population centre of almost 8,000 residents, west Limerick sports complex is run by a not-for-profit enterprise which is looking …

I stand in full support of Sinn Féin's [ Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 ], not just as a legislator but as someone who has lived the reality that this Bill seeks to recognise. I commend my colleague, Senator Ryan, on the work she has put into this Bill and the thoughtfulness that is in it. Miscarriage is common, painful and too often invisible. I know this because I went through it myself. When I miscarried, I was in a job where I did not have the option to leave my post. There was no system, n…

I am sharing time with Senators Tully and Andrews. I will take four minutes and they will take three each. I welcome the Minister of State. I welcome the opportunity to speak today on an issue that goes to the very core of Irish communities: the future of our post office network. As has already been said, over the past ten years 257 post offices have closed across the country. That is a shocking figure. Behind that statistic, there are 257 communities, both rural and urban, that have lost a vital public service, a …

I welcome the Minister of State. Ireland is surrounded by some of the richest and most bountiful fishing waters in the world. Despite this, our native fishing and seafood industry is in a steep decline. What should be a cornerstone of our coastal economy is now a sector in deep crisis that has been battered by quota cuts, fuel price hikes and increases in costs, all compounded by decades of neglect, mismanagement and weak negotiating by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments. Not long ago the Taoiseach st…

I welcome the Minister of State. County Limerick's main county town is Newcastle West. It is a tier 2 town under the national development plan. Irish Water has advised that there has been no connection to sewerage or water as of a couple of weeks ago, when I received an email, because of construction going ahead on a site with 93 houses. Some of them had been earmarked as social and affordable houses. The site received planning permission at the end of 2023. At the beginning of 2024, 81 of the 93 houses had been co…

I thank the Minister of State for outlining all that. He can remove the seven four-bedroom homes from his list because that is the development I am speaking about. Those are seven affordable and social homes that will not be in Newcastle West. What the Minister of State outlined is great and it is great that the Government is trying to make a dent in housing but, like he said, 2031 is the year stated for the Newcastle West treatment plant. It is now 2025, so it will be six years before another development can be ho…

I raise an issue that has been coming across my desk the past couple of weeks. It concerns parents of foster children and the back to school allowance, which is going to means tested. They have made the argument to me that they do not just put a roof over these children's heads. They give them love and stability and make them a part of their family. A lot of these children end up in State care through no fault of their own. A lot of them could be born into addiction or in houses where there is domestic abuse. There…

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I want to raise today an issue in County Limerick. County Limerick has one tier 2 town, which is Newcastle West. We all know the situation with housing at present and the lack of it in the country. Planning permission was granted in 2023 for 93 houses to be built in Newcastle West and they were commenced in 2024. Work had commenced on a total of 81 of the 93 houses, but several weeks ago all of the tools were put down, the gates were put up and notices were taken off. The advertisement for affordable homes has been…

I am pleased to contribute to this debate that goes directly to the future of our agricultural industry, family farms and rural communities. The agri sector, the agrifood sector in particular, is Ireland's largest and most important indigenous industry. It directly supports more than 170,000 jobs across 135,000 farms, 2,000 fishing vessels and more than 2,200 food enterprises. It is a sector that underpins not just the economic prosperity but the very fabric of rural Ireland - our small villages and market towns, k…

I raise an issue that might not be to the fore in everybody's mind, especially those who have had a child and it has been a single birth. This relates to multiple births when it comes to maternity, paternity and parental leave. It is great to see paternity and parental leave added to maternity leave. It is fantastic for parents to have those options after a child is born. Somebody who has had a multiple birth, such as twins or triplets, just gets the same as the parent of a single birth. They have double or triple …

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on balanced regional development, but the very idea of balanced regional development is at odds with our current national development plan. The plan seeks to put half of Ireland's population in the Dublin region. That means half of us will live, work and commute in a tiny corner of the country, while the rest of the country is left underinvested, neglected and stranded on the margins. How will we provide water services and infrastructure for this massive growth in a s…

I raise the issue of school transport and this crazy rule of Bus Éireann that its drivers have to retire at the age of 70. I had a phone call from the wife of a gentleman over the weekend. He turned 70 last Thursday and, on Friday, his wife had to drive the school bus to take the children to school and collect them. The school itself can contract him to come down a half an hour after the children finish school and take them on their school tour, take them swimming or take them for whatever they are going out for, b…