In any public forum that I have had the privilege of being in or elected to over the years, I have always promoted and supported the role of carers. They give people the privilege of living in their own homes where they are happiest in general. In purely clinical and cold economic terms, they save the State phenomenal money in terms of the cost of institutionalisation. It is for that reason that I wish to suggest strongly, in light of recent discussions around the Revenue Commissioners’ flagging of the carer’s allo…

I welcome the Minister of State with responsibility for the marine, Deputy Dooley. It is good to have him here for this important debate. It was also good to have the Minister, Deputy McEntee, here earlier. She is clearly very hands on and proactive in her approach. Her visibility as Minister for Defence should prove an incentive to young women and women in general to join the Defence Forces. That would be a major development. It could, among other things, be a good byproduct of her Ministry. I support the motion, …

At the outset, I join in welcoming the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, to the House. From the conversations we have had, I know he is passionate about small businesses and their success. Farming is also critical in this context. We, too, will be supporting the Bill. The purpose or premise of the Bill is to put the Credit Review Office on a statutory footing and to change its legal standing. That is a necessary and recommended exercise and it was explained earlier. It is to give it proper statutory footing into the …

I will not comment publicly on that. The bank manager knew the ones who might be chancers and that, while they might present a very good theoretical framework, it might not be good in reality. The bank manager knew all of that stuff. In latter times - I get this a lot from businesses, farmers and individuals, and we are not talking about personal borrowing - people resent that when they make a proposition to the local institution, the decision might almost be made with a computer programme. It is made in an office …

What recourse do they have? Should that be clearer?

I welcome my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, to the House. I recognise the great work he does in his Department and how proactive he is. I look forward to hearing his views on this matter. I congratulate Senator Cosgrove and her colleague on introducing the Bill. It is a great thing that they have initiated this debate. I believe in principle and will commend to the Minister of State, and in other forums to my party, that we have to make this a position that we want to achieve. We have to implement…

I join the Leas-Chathaoirleach in welcoming the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue. At very different times - he would want that emphasised - we attended the one educational institution and played fairly similar roles there. There is, however, a very big gap in time. In case he interrupts proceedings, I put that on the record. The Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Act 2008 enabled the then Minister for Finance to enact the bank guarantee scheme. The EU Commission approved the bank guarantee scheme as being…

The last two speakers have come from a good place. Their hearts are in the right place and they have made sincere contributions. That is not at issue. I understand the point made by the Minister of State. In an emergency, while it is not ideal or what anyone wants, when there is a threat to an individual's life or thee lives of others, or a high-risk situation, an emergency response is needed. I genuinely think that. If I was asked to identify things I have been pleased to have been involved with in my life, one is…

At the outset, I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell-----

Thanks for working feverishly, a Chathaoirligh, to make sure that everyone gets in. I acknowledge my good friend, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, who has made strident efforts in the Ministry of local government to improve the lot of councillors. Security was a notable achievement of his, but he also worked in other spheres, which will fructify in the future. He is a true champion of councillors and we appreciate that. I acknowledge the presence of Councillor Anna Grainger in the Gallery, who herself is a …

The lump sum gratuity always needs to be reviewed but it must stand also that it needs upward review. I commend Senator Black on bringing forward the Private Members' legislation. The question of administrative assistance is an absolute necessity given the complex nature of local government and the multitude of committees and meetings at municipal level. I support the motion and the principle that we must radically improve the position of councillors. They are the fundamental block of democracy.

I welcome the Minister of State, who has a lot of professional and personal expertise in this sphere. He is a very apt person to be with us for the debate. It merits saying that the object of the Finance Bill is to give legislative effect to the budget, primarily the taxation changes, etc. The budget is set in the context of a strong economy. We have 2.8 million people in employment. We have had a 19% increase in employment since lockdown. Some 63,500 new jobs will be added in 2026. We have high living standards, l…

I welcome the Minister and thank him for the great work he is doing here and the humane approach and wisdom he brings to it. I welcome to the Gallery a wonderful exemplar of the best of immigration and the wonder of diversity in our country, namely, Councillor Yemi Adenuga. She is a guest of my colleague Senator Linda Nelson Murray. I utterly condemn the recent racial attacks, particularly those that were notably against members of the Indian community. No matter who they are against, they must be condemned unequiv…

It is a debate that we could go on with

At the outset, I join in the welcome to Anne and Amy here from Chicago. I welcome Billy's two sisters, Mary and Helen, his brother-in-law, Kieran, his family and friends, Maura Óg and Karl, as well as his former PA, Tracy Young. Indeed, I welcome Professor Niamh Brennan and former Senator Ian Marshall, whom I had the privilege of serving with and came to admire greatly. I also welcome the leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Ivana Bacik, and Deputy John Connolly. I welcome all of them to the Gallery. The array of peo…

I want to convey my sympathy to the family of Jim Finucane, who has passed away. I knew him for many years. Jim was a councillor in Kerry. Indeed, the Cathaoirleach would have known him well. I campaigned with Jim in Dublin many years ago and I knew him very well over the years. I wanted to say that but there will be further occasions for this. I will turn to the issue of an excellent Teagasc briefing in Buswells Hotel which the Leader attended with me this morning. It is a great tribute to Teagasc that it holds an…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Troy, go dtí an díospóireacht tábhachtach seo ar an mbúiséad agus ar an todhchaí. The measure of a good budget must surely be the degree to which it is strategically sound for the medium- and long-term future and the degree to which it works to achieve a fair, cohesive society, prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable. This budget goes a long way to achieving those objectives. Budget 2026 is worth €9.4 billion, of which €8.1 billion is in spending and €1.3 billion …

At the outset, I join in the welcome to Councillor Paddy Meade, who has just temporarily left us, and the member of the Carter family, who are a very distinguished family in terms of public service in this country. I welcome my good friend the Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins, to the House. She certainly does not let the grass grow under her feet and will act on these recommendations, please God. I will start by listing out some critical projects in my own area and I am anxious these are dealt with and brough…

We all support that.

I thank the Minister of State for coming in to represent the Minister, Deputy Burke, and I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this important matter. The Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, said earlier that the last matter raised was timely and he was correct. I hope this matter is similarly timely and appropriate. The Government is in the process of preparing an action plan on collective bargaining. This is mandated under the European directive on adequate minimum wages but the Minister has been very forthcomi…