I join the Leas-Chathaoirleach in welcoming Deputy Devlin and his visitors. I was telling them on the way in that they were in august company. The Order of Business is No. 1, statements on international developments, to be taken at 5 p.m. and to conclude at 6.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes each and all other Senators not to exceed four minutes each, with the Minister to be…

I thank colleagues for all their comments and participation. I will begin with Senator Rabbitte of Fianna Fáil on rehabilitation for children with acquired brain injuries. Senator Rabbitte, who was an excellent and distinguished Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, is aware of the issues and has real expertise in this regard. It is great that such expertise is now available to the Seanad. It is good that she is speaking out on these things because we need someone who has been on both sides of the…

Apologies, Senator Scahill was next. I will come back to him presently. Staying with Senator Byrne, he argued that there should not be that level of delay and he is right. We will get that point made and fed in and will try to see what can be done about it. I personally have an interest in that issue. I know from work in my office that people are waiting too long. The Tánaiste said recently that we should focus on energy support and he is right. We have to give people fishing rods as well as fish. It is not enough …

At 9.30 a.m. tomorrow morning.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his opening remarks, setting the scene and explaining the current situation. In an era when connectivity is as essential as electricity or clean water, the national broadband plan is reshaping the future of rural Ireland and ensuring that no community, no matter how remote, is left behind. When the plan was first published, I had the privilege of serving on the Oireachtas joint committee on communications. It was an extraordinary moment to be directly i…

Hear, hear.

If there is one learning, to use the modern jargon, we can take from the internationally caused fuel crisis in the country and the recent protests, it is the need to augment and develop public transport in this country. Before I go further, I acknowledge that we are very lucky in Cavan with the hourly service on the N3 to Dublin, which is excellent, and Local Link does good work, but there is much more need for connectivity in public transport. I give the practical example of Carton Brothers' Manor Farm, a poultry …

I welcome the Minister to the House. I salute my colleague Senator McCarthy for his practical contribution in this area. It is admirable. My family has an association with this question that I am proud of. My son, Eoghan, has worked for the past couple of years for the McVerry Trust in Dublin as a social care worker with the homeless. I am particularly proud of that involvement, and it makes me acutely aware of a number of the issues from conversations with him. He is passionate about these questions. I will make a…

I congratulate the girls of Bailieborough Community School who won the all-Ireland post-primary schools junior B Gaelic football competition against a Carlow side. It was an extraordinary achievement for a small local community school and we are very proud of them. I live across the road from the school and it is my neighbour. I see the teams training there and it is wonderful. To turn to the issue I have come in specifically to raise, and recognising the good work that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, is d…

With the permission of the House, I will give a minute of my time to Senator Gallagher.

I congratulate the local volunteers involved in Croílar na nDrumlíní and thank them for their work. They are involved in trying to get a resource house for Cootehill. Notable among them are Dr. Fiona O Hé and Ms Kerry Mullen. I thank them for their work. I also thank my colleague Councillor Carmel Brady for her advocacy in this area. She contacted me about the matter as late as yesterday. I grew up in the Cootehill area. I spent a lot of my youth there and I went to school there. As a result, I have a passionate in…

I thank the Minister of State for acknowledging that I have been discussing this issue with her personally and writing to her on this subject over some time. I also appreciate her acknowledgement of the need in this regard. In the minute I have, I want to say to the Minister of State that I would like to hear a concluding remark from her to say that the real need that is in Cootehill will be brought to the decision-making table on the next occasion. Let us assume the funding will be there, because if it is not, the…

I do not think Cootehill will be rivalled.

I recently attended a very interesting seminar organised by the Garda in my region in Cavan to commemorate Coco's Law. Coco's mother, Jackie Fox, gave a harrowing account of what gave rise to Coco's Law. I rise to ask the Deputy Leader if people will be informed that there is recourse to cyberbullying. When children are being bullied or teachers in classrooms are witnessing obscene bullying, etc. - there are teachers and pupils in the Gallery - there are recourses in the law. They should report it to the gardaí and…

I second that.

I welcome the Minister of State. As I welcome him, I acknowledge that we recently had a good trip together around schools in Cavan where he did a good presentation on Ireland’s Presidency of the EU and its implications. It is important we engage our young people in the democratic process. I also acknowledge the proactive approach of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in this Ministry and the leadership she is giving on defence. There are a number of heartening comments in her statement. I will allude to them and then I …

-----we need a well-resourced-----

-----Army with good pay and resources. I will leave it at that.

I welcome my good friend, the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to the House. All his friends in County Cavan are hoping that he will have good news for us today. A bombshell was dropped at Cavan County Council last Monday when Virginia councillor, Mr. T.P. O'Reilly looked for an update on the progress of the Virginia bypass. The Virginia bypass is currently at stage 3 and it had been proposed to go to stage 4 in the spring of 2026, following a delay of 18 months. At the meeting last Monday it was announced that …

I know the Minister of State giving the response is personally committed to rural Ireland and to our communities but this answer is extraordinarily disappointing. It is disappointing that there are these inordinate delays. If I understand the answer correctly, the problem is not so much one of money as one of governance and management. In keeping with the new view, articulated by the Minister of State just a minute ago, that we have to speed up infrastructure projects and remove delays, all the actors and stakehold…