My thoughts go out to all the families in the mid-west who have unnecessarily lost loved ones due to the clear failures of our health service in the region. I commend the staff of UHL. They get up every day and go to work in what can sometimes only be considered a warzone. They have talked about the stress they are under and about feeling that staff in the mid-west are not being seen. I thank the Minister for giving up her time for that meeting yesterday. I apologise that I had to leave early but I did catch up wit…

The plan we have been given says it will be 2029. The winter plan that comes out every year is great but it is a piece of paper and nothing ever seems to change. The hospital is still overrun with patients. It is constantly at capacity. It is great idea on paper to try to bring in GPs but we do not have GPs to put in there in the first place. People cannot get appointments with their GPs. Trolley numbers went down a little but they are jumping back up. Yesterday, they were at 75. Today, they are at 93. That is not …

I move amendment No. 1: After the last paragraph under “calls on the Government to:”, to insert the following paragraph: - “stand up for our Irish fishing communities by demanding our fair share of the fish in Irish waters and by challenging the failings in the existing Common Fisheries Policy that facilitate this injustice.”

I welcome the Minister of State. It is great to have him here. I welcome the motion and the opportunity to strengthen it through the amendments that we have tabled this evening. We also acknowledge the importance of having a Minister of State for marine affairs. Acknowledgement is not enough, however. Our fishing communities are in crisis. The recent report from An Bord Iascaigh Mhara suggesting that everything is fine has been described by industry leaders as offensive and unacceptable. The reality on the ground i…

I move amendment No. 2: In the fifth paragraph under “calls on the Government to:”, to delete “small-scale and inshore fishers” and substitute “small-scale, inshore and island fisher-men and women”;

I move amendment No. 3: To delete the fourth paragraph under “That Seanad Éireann:” and substitute the following: - “notes the investment by Government in some ports, harbours and piers, under the Fisheries Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme and the Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund;”

I welcome the Minister of State. I have spoken a lot in the House about the lack of water in county towns. It sounds awful but it gives me some relief to hear it is not just County Limerick that has this issue. In the only county town or tier 2 town in Limerick, Newcastle West, houses have stopped being built. A development had to be stopped and the doors closed to people because it could not be connected up to the system. It will be 2031 before the wastewater treatment system can take another connection. That is s…

I echo the Sinn Féin Party's condolences for those poor lives that were lost in Louth. As a parent, I can only imagine. It is the worst nightmare to get that phone call, whether it is in the middle of the night or during the day. When my kids are out and they are not home yet, I have my phone on loud and I am waiting. Every time my phone beeps I have to look. We often speak here about our farming community and how important it is to have our small family farms rooted in our rural communities. This evening, Sinn Féi…

The electricity amendment Bill is not being given enough time.

I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: “(2) Section 4 of the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) Act 1954 is amended by the insertion of the following: “(4A) The Board shall borrow to invest in projects on the basis of a prioritisation framework which encompasses— (a) congestion softeners in areas of high congestion, (b) security encompassing hospitals, Garda stations, water safety and wastewater treatment, (c) basic needs encompassing residential construction, and (d) exc…

I want to raise an issue that seems to be a policy flaw. Many of us have advocated for victims of domestic abuse. We have gone to the audiovisual room and listened to their stories. At the moment, if the male or the female victim of domestic abuse is living in a council house and they have to leave for their own safety, the years they have had in that council house are wiped clean. They no longer have those years, and they also have to wait 12 weeks to get back on the housing list to receive HAP payments and suppor…

I welcome the Minister. There is no question that we need urgent and ambitious action to fix our electricity grid, which has been crippled by decades of underinvestment, bad planning and mismanagement. That neglect has left us in a critical infrastructure deficit, with soaring prices and a grid that cannot even connect new homes or maximise our renewable potential. Just this summer, 80 families were unable to move into their new homes because there was no electricity connection. Across the State, renewable generati…

I welcome the Minister of State. It is nice to have him back here. My Commencement matter relates to wind turbines and the effects they have on rural communities. Two wind farms are being proposed in County Limerick, one in Coolcappa and the other in the area of Bruff and Dromin-Athlacca. Both of these wind farms will have wind turbines of 158 m, which are extremely high wind turbines similar to the ones seen on the main motorway from Limerick to Dublin, so you can imagine the height of these near houses. These win…

Like the Minister of State, I see reducing energy costs as definitely a plus. However, if you cannot build on your land and you cannot get planning permission because your land is now going to be too close to the turbine that went in last year, it does not matter what the electricity cost is as you cannot live there. One without the other does not seem to work. That is my issue. These two policies, one trying to repopulate rural areas and the other trying to provide for wind energy, are going against each other. Th…

I welcome the two Ministers of State. I thank them for being here. It is an important and topical issue that we need to be discussing. We need to make sure that these farmers are getting the supports that they need. I am delighted to hear of the extra hours that the Department has allocated. Farming is one of the most important, but also one of the most dangerous professions in this country. Our farmers are the backbone of rural Ireland. They provide us with our food, sustain our local economies and preserve the ru…

Today, Limerick Chamber sent an email to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, requesting allocated funding of €2.2 million for the next phase of works that need to take place on the Mackey roundabout in Limerick. The Mackey roundabout is the main roundabout off the M7 but it links up to the Dublin Road, the University of Limerick and the national technology park. Every day, this has backlogs onto the M7, which cause serious safety concerns and congestion. The businesses in the area have been asking for these works to be c…

I will start by saying we support the intent and objectives of this Bill. Clearer air is something that we all want for our families, communities and future generations. This legislation represents an important step towards achieving that. We all know, as the Minister of State said previously, that the main sources of air pollution in Ireland are solid fuel burning and transport emissions. While air pollution is often seen as an urban problem, it is still a very real problem for rural Ireland. Across County Limeric…

I want to raise the issue of wind farms, most particularly in County Limerick. There are two action groups: Coolcappagh action group and the Bruff–Dromin–Athlacca action group. They are both in the process of putting in submissions to stop major wind farms from being located in their areas. There has been very little consultation with the communities on these wind farms. They are dividing communities. A landowner may be willing to give up their land for a massive wind farm near a community that does not want it. Th…

I am here tonight not just as a Senator but also as a mother and as chairperson of a community-run crèche. I have seen from all sides what is happening here. We have heard a lot of talk about investment in education, which is absolutely welcomed. The budget announcement of 1,700 new special needs assistants is welcome, but with such promises comes deep concern. According to the Department, 38% of the SNA workforce holds an early years qualification. Expanding the SNA workforce without addressing the conditions of t…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The Bill is fairly straightforward and I thank the Department for the helpful briefing note that was provided to everybody. The financing of houses, social housing in particular, via the local authorities and the funding of approved housing bodies, AHBs, is most definitely of huge importance. There is a dire need for people on housing lists to be homed more quickly, for people who are working to be able to get a mortgage before they are too old to qualify for one and fo…