I join the Cathaoirleach in wishing the Minister well. I wish him the very best when he retires. He is not quite there yet. There is plenty of work that needs to be done between now and the general election. I offer my genuine thanks to the Minister being here this morning. This is a very important matter. I have been seeking information on it for some months to no avail, to be honest, which is why I have tabled this Commencement matter. I hope there will be a definitive response. The community energy grant scheme …

I thank the Minister for the response but there is some disconnect between what he has said in relation to the 2024 scheme and the reality on the ground. The response states that four applications that were made in June and mid-May were awaiting approval but the project tracker on the SEAI website refers to a whole bundle of applications that were made on 24 January that are awaiting a decision. That is the thrust of the question I am asking here this morning because I am aware of a sporting facility in my own city…

I echo the comments of many colleagues with regard to those who stood in elections - those who were elected and those who were unsuccessful. It takes a huge amount of courage to put one's name on a ballot paper. We were delighted to gain a seat in Waterford and to be the largest party in local government on Waterford City and County Councils. Two new councillors - Niamh O'Donovan and Jim Darcy, who returned after a ten-year absence - joined our other six amazing councillors so I am really looking forward to working…

I thank the Acting Chairperson. I welcome the Minister of State. Listening to the Sinn Féin representatives deliver their prepared speeches, one could forgive them for leaving out the fact that many of the things which are undoubtedly working and which were put in place by the Government have been shamelessly opposed by their party. Last year, 32,700 homes were delivered in this country. When Fine Gael entered office in 2011 - and that has been cited many times - we were building fewer than 7,000 homes. In 2013, we…

How many approved?

Careful there. One of your own TDs has said that you want to abolish-----

As a former teacher, I am sure the teacher is probably not best pleased with that. The students are probably happy. I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter. Like the Minister of State, I am extremely passionate about the need for a new purpose-built multidisciplinary early intervention and respite care centre for children with complex additional needs on the grounds of St. Otteran's Hospital in Waterford city. In February 2021, our colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, resp…

I am disappointed with the response but I know the Minister of State gets under the hood of things and clearly, we need to get under the hood of what has been going on here. To go from procuring a design team in 2021 to only having stage 1 completed in quarter 3 of 2023, when construction was due to commence in 2023, does not tally. Questions have to be asked of HSE estates. What has that office been doing over the past couple of years that it is unable to bring the project through to detailed design and tender? It…

She was not given much to respond on in any case.

On four occasions in as many months, I have requested a debate on aviation policy. To date, such a debate still has not been scheduled on the Order Paper. It is exceptionally important not only in the context of our national airport, Dublin Airport, but also in the context of our regional airports. I will make specific reference to Waterford Airport in that context. A business case for matching funds for a proposal to lengthen and widen the runway is currently before the Department. If it is the case that the Minis…

I thank the Minister of State for being here and taking this legislation through the Dáil and into the Seanad. I appreciate that he has been here for a very long time this afternoon, so I will not use all my time. The programme for Government committed to establishing a gambling regulator. That is the main thrust of what we are trying to achieve in the legislation. We need to cover gambling online, remotely and in person, and, of course, put the appropriate regulations in place. Problem gambling is a scourge on soc…

I welcome the Minister to the House. This is a really important debate. When I was doing some research on this subject and liaising with Senator Seery Kearney on the drafting of the motion, I spoke to Mr. Brian Barron, the principal of Portlaw National School in Waterford. That school and other schools in Waterford have adopted the Gen Free Charter, which essentially says that there will be no smart phones or social media while in primary school and there will be respect for the age rating on video games. He is one…

I join others in welcoming and acknowledging the families of the 48 victims of the Stardust nightclub fire in 1981, before I was born. To think it has taken this long to get to where we arrived last week in respect of the verdict and this week with regard to the State apology is unimaginable, as is the trauma those families have had to endure over such a protracted period. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of them today. Last week, we had an important debate in this House on small businesses. Not one of the Opp…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for facilitating me. I welcome the Minister to the Seanad Chamber. I am absolutely delighted for him. I wish him all the best in his new role. The increased costs to business is a topic that is raised with us daily by people in the sectors involved. Obviously, we as a Government are doing a lot and I know the Minister is committed to doing more. The increased cost of business grant is being administered by local authorities but, to my knowledge, the take-up has not yet been sufficien…

I, too, join with colleagues in paying tribute to the late Dick Dowling. I was at the funeral home in south Kilkenny for his removal. As my colleagues have pointed out, it is south Kilkenny. There has been no boundary extension into that area of Ferrybank. The funeral home had to be opened at 2.15 p.m. I arrived at 8 p.m. that evening and there was an hour of a queue after me. That goes to show the great regard Dick was held in. He was a councillor, a Senator and a TD. He will be missed dearly by his family, his fr…

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I echo many of the comments of my colleagues, such as Senator Kyne, in welcoming many of the measures which have been taken heretofore. It has been unprecedented to have had seven months of rain. Farmers are worn out, and there is no question about that. There are still cows in all day and all night in many parts of the country when we all know they should have been out by St. Patrick's Day, so it really has been an exceptional strain on farm families throughout the country, e…

I welcome Senator O'Hara to the Chamber. I have not had the pleasure of speaking to him yet. There are probably a few disappointed Members of the House because I think he will challenge them for the title of best dressed Senator going forward. This is my third time calling for a debate on national aviation policy. An engagement with the Minister has still not been ordered. We need a debate on aviation policy. There are a whole host of issues, not least in Dublin Airport but also in Waterford where the airport has s…

I appreciate that the Acting Leader is filling in today. A couple of weeks ago, I requested the scheduling of a debate with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan, on national aviation policy. I would appreciate if the Acting Leader could follow up on this. In the context of transport, there are a number of transport matters which we are all - I am sure it is not just me - grappling with. They include getting responses from the National Transport Authority, NTA, about bus routes a…

I have listened intently to the speeches on a very important topic made by my two colleagues on the other side of the House. In case there is any uncertainty, I can assure them that there is absolutely nobody on the Government side that is throwing in the towel on housing. Far from it. That is why we introduced a €5 billion budget for housing this year. That is why we have seen supply ramp up to 32,700 homes last year. That is why we have seen the rolling three-month commencement data, over the last three months, r…

Sinn Féin does not want to hear it.