I thank the Cathaoirleach. The Leader and many other Members of this House will know that I am very committed to the concept of a flexi-ticket for commuters. It is something that I am very passionate about and have been talking about for a long time. I am very confident that it is something that in the coming weeks or months will get across the line, based on what the National Transport Authority, NTA, is saying. One concern I have, and I spent two hours yesterday speaking to commuters from Drogheda and Dundalk who…

When I walked from my office to this Chamber I had to walk past the Dáil Chamber and it is great to see Deputies working side by side. I know that arrangements are under discussion but I think the sooner the Seanad gets back to normal the better. We should set the standard as soon as possible because it does not make sense that we are social distancing here yet a couple of yards down the hallway things are back to normal. I wish to follow up on what was said by Senator Cummins and to refer to one of the things that…

I am sharing time equally with Senator Buttimer.

When I think back, hindsight is a beautiful thing, when one thinks about it. I tend not to be too party political in the Seanad, but in 2017 and 2018, the Taoiseach at the time, Deputy Varadkar, championed this issue when there was a chorus of people telling him it was too much, too expensive, too ambitious, it was not going to happen and suggesting it would be better to focus and divert attention elsewhere. Due to a pandemic that has crossed the world, it has proven to be a very smart idea. I would like to put on …

Where will I begin? I was a member of Louth County Council for six years and every couple of months there were motions about this subject. Many other Members of this House were in local authorities for longer than me and they would say the same, that this is a very common issue. I commend Senator Malcolm Byrne and the rest of the Fianna Fáil group on bringing this Bill forward. Over the past year Senator Wall has been very forceful about this matter as well and has put forward some very good ideas. I will offer my …

We can all agree that farmers are the custodians of the land and the best-placed people to know exactly how to implement some of the measures we are trying to bring in. It is important that we try to tone down and dial back the negativity towards people in the farming community and in agriculture. Instead we should let farmers show how we can empower them and how they can do the job properly. They are the solution and not the problem in being able to tackle some of the climate challenges we have. We have to pursue …

I am not sure how many colleagues had the opportunity to watch "Prime Time" during the week. It was really quite harrowing to see what the family of Eden Heaslip has been put through over the last number of months. Bullying has existed for time immemorial, and it will continue to exist. When children were bullied previously, it would have ended at 4 p.m. when they went out the school gate. Of course, the feelings would have followed them home but the actual physical bullying would have ended at 4 p.m. Now, in the a…

We must adjourn at 2.30 p.m. and that is five minutes away. The Minister of State has to get in. Could Senator Mullen make his point in 30 seconds or will I go to the Minister of State?

Brilliant.

That is very kind. I thank the Minister of State for that. We have five minutes left so. Senator Garvey is offering as well. With five minutes between three Senators, I ask them to be as brief as possible. I call Senator O'Loughlin.

That is the end of the debate. I thank the Minister of State for engaging to let the final three Senators get into the debate. It is greatly appreciated.

When is it proposed to sit again?

I thank the Minister of State for being here to take my Commencement debate. The fact that he, as the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, is here shows his commitment to this flooding project in my part of the world. I also thank him for engaging with Louth County Council, particularly last summer when he came to see the projects directly, to sign off on them, and to make sure they were kept on track. We have seen a number of notable flooding events, especially in the Dundalk and B…

I thank the Minister of State. It is important to get that update on where we are with the project. I appreciate him coming to the House to provide it. An important point in his remarks is that this is a medium- to long-term project, providing that it is not subject to delays or challenges. It is important that we all put that on the record of the House. This is a development that needs to happen to protect more than 1,800 homes from flooding. If there were to be any delays or challenges to the scheme, that would s…

I wish to discuss and comment on the report launched this morning by Wind Energy Ireland on green hydrogen and the role it can play in Ireland's energy transition. From reading the report, I believe it is clear that renewable electricity can play a vital role in Ireland's transition to a net-zero society, boost our economy and make our energy supply much more secure. I read the first ten pages of the report; I hope to read the rest of it this evening. It shows how Ireland's abundant wind energy resources could prod…

I will start by wishing the Cathaoirleach and Mr. Martin Groves, and everyone else who make this place such a special place to be every day, a very happy Christmas. When I first came into this House, one of the first things I discussed was the concept of commuters and providing tax saver tickets. We are now about 20 months into this pandemic and the National Transport Authority, NTA, has still not produced a three-day tax saver or flexible ticket. I have been engaging with it every month. My friend, Senator Buttime…

It is great to have the Minister in the House in our final days before Christmas. I will follow up a couple of points from Senator Conway. The concept of the social welfare system in any modern society is that it functions as a safety net. It should be for people when they encounter some sort of major unexpected difficulty in life and they should be able to fall back on it. It is a testament to the Irish State when we see how widespread and effective that safety net was for thousands of people throughout the countr…

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Over the weekend, there was speculation in the Irish Independent after an interview with the Minister for Finance that the Government wanted to introduce tax cuts of up to €600 over the next three years. I welcome that. I firmly believe that it is better for individuals to have money in their pockets to decide how they should spend it and ultimately inject it back into the local economy. I welcome the premise of the idea. I ask that the Government and Minister consider a marginally different approach whereby, inste…