I hope the Senator takes my advice. It is bizarre that people are so Dublin-centric and that people in that part of Ireland so rarely visit Belfast or Derry or want to go North. There has to be something to change that pulling downwards. That needs looking at in imaginative ways. It cannot be right that is the case. Even on something as simple as the use of Belfast International Airport, the number of people in my area who use that airport is very small even though it takes the same time to get there as to get to D…

Having watched the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night, I had intended raising the issue but my colleague, Senator Currie, did so competently and eloquently. All I can say in that regard is that I fully agree with her. It is such a serious matter to have rogue practitioners in psychology, above all disciplines. We do not need them in any discipline but in psychology it is a horror given the vulnerability of the clientele and all that goes with that. The programme was excellent and conveyed the reality of this i…

Maybe we could get some up-to-date figures.

I welcome Their Excellencies, the UK and Belgian ambassadors, and their teams. I spoke yesterday of the Windsor Framework and am strongly in favour of it. I am delighted with it, as are our colleagues. It merits our support in every practical way. I believe and hope the ordinary people of Northern of Ireland will come out in support of it and that political leadership will too. I know a number of them have, but it is to be hoped all will eventually. We have to work with the situation until that happens. I commend t…

I will not be the last to make reference to it, but I welcome the Windsor agreement on the Northern Ireland protocol. It is phenomenally good news. As has been recognised in the past 24 hours by the chambers of commerce and the business sector in Northern Ireland, this agreement offers the potential for Northern Ireland to prosper economically and socially. Northern Ireland will be able to enjoy the best of its normal trading relationship with the UK and the advantages of the EU Single Market. That is huge. Related…

Now.

Now.

Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

I will be very brief and I thank Senator Conway for sharing time. I strongly support my colleague, Senator Martin, on the legislation and what he is trying to achieve here. I congratulate him on his enormous achievement that he has gained the acceptance of the Government. It is a tribute to his competencies and capacities that he is able to produce legislation that can be accepted in that fashion. It very rarely happens. I agree that coercive control is one of the horrors of society. It is correct that we should no…

I congratulate our colleague Senator Ruane on her latest television appearance. It is becoming something of a regular occurrence at this stage. She is getting better all the time. Well done to her. I wish to raise two serious health matters which are related, in a sense. The first is the CAMHS waiting list for the children's mental health services, which I raised with the Leader when she was Deputy Leader. She empathised on that occasion and assured me she would follow it up. I would like it to be followed up again…

Thank you for selecting the matter, a Chathaoirligh. I am delighted to welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond. It might be one of his first occasions to visit the Seanad as a Minister of State. He is an esteemed former Member. He also has very strong ties with my county. In fact, that neatly links in to what I am going to address, in that there is a very strong tradition in County Cavan of involvement in the Reserve Defence Force, RDF. To this day, there are very active units in the county and an active set…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive answer, insofar as he could give one. I urge him to send me the supplementary material on training hours when he obtains it. It is an important part of the question. It is regrettable that four centres the Minister of State identified do not have staffing from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. According to the statement, the other premises are open from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., and I presume that is the case. I am pleased to hear what the Minister of State said about recruitment as…

I had two meetings today pertaining to Northern Ireland. One was with some party colleagues and one alone. It provoked in me the idea of raising this matter. However, before I do so I will concur with the remarks Senator Ó Donnghaile made about the Supreme Court ruling today. The issue I will raise relates to sports capital grants and other forms of support or community grants which the Government dispenses on a regular basis and with great effect. I would like to see a condition built into all those grants that ev…

A Chomhsheanadóirí, a Thánaiste, a Airí, a Theachtaí Dála, agus a dhaoine uaisle uilig, i dtús báire ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas ó chroí a dhéanamh le Seanadóir Buttimer as a bheith tofa mar Chathaoirleach. Is onóir faoi leith é agus tá sé tuillte aige. Níl amhras orm ach go ndéanfaidh sé jab den chéad scoth agus go mbeidh sé thar bharr mar Chathaoirleach. Tá an-áthas orm a bheith ábalta na focail sin a rá leis. Chomh maith le sin, ba mhaith mo chomhghairdeas a dhéanamh le Seanadóir Boyhan as ucht bheith ina iarrt…

Something just occurred to me there. All of us in this House spend a lot of our time attending funerals. They are ritualistic and very much a part of life, particularly in rural society. I am often struck at funerals by the various eulogies, particularly family eulogies and am inclined to think how good it would be if the deceased person was there to hear them. I have had the unusual experience today of having that happen. I will not suffer that difficulty when the eulogies are being given at my funeral; I will hav…

That is not to suggest for one moment that today is a political funeral for me, lest anyone thinks that. It is not and I would be very anxious that my good friends, the Cathaoirleach, Senator Buttimer, and the other Members from the labour panel would be aware of that.

I want to do two things. First, I want to congratulate the well-deserved incoming Leas-Chathaoirleach and then I want to say a couple of words about my time in the role and thank some people. I will do all of that as succinctly as I can. I said some things earlier today about Senator Mark Daly and the energy, courtesy and all of the great qualities he brought to the role of Cathaoirleach. He was an excellent Cathaoirleach and he will be an outstanding Leas-Chathaoirleach. I missed one dimension earlier but I was co…

A Chathaoirligh, a Thaoisigh, Government Ministers, former Senators and distinguished guests, deirtear gur ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine. It is with that sentiment in mind that I seek to bring this 100th anniversary commemoration sitting to a conclusion. Today we are reflecting on the last 100 years of the Seanad and looking back on the people in whose shadows we walk: poets, academics, activists, former Presidents, distinguished men and women. Over the years, the mix of representation in the Seanad has m…

I welcome the Minister of State and colleagues.

Amendment No. 1 in the name of Senator Moynihan is deemed to be out of order, as it is in conflict with the principles of the Bill.