I wish to raise a point I raised last week. I hope I am saying this right. Section 2(1)(a)(ii) of the principal Act refers to "a sole trader, partnership, trust club or charity ... with an annual turnover in its previous financial year ... of €3 million or less". I ask that the amount would be raised to €5 million.

Next Tuesday.

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I really appreciate it. This issue is something I raised last week and I am delighted that it was selected as a Commencement matter. Over the past year, I have canvassed in three elections and without a shadow of a doubt the biggest issue at the doors was the speed on our roads, whether that was on a housing estate or a rural road. People are living in fear that someone they know will be injured or, worse, killed. That is the fear of people living in Kilmessan, County Me…

I thank the Minister of State very much for his very thorough response, which I appreciate. I know the Government is working well on reducing speed limits and everything else we are trying to do. With regard to speed limits, we do not even have a Garda station in Kilmessan. It was closed a good few years ago. A garda comes to the village only once a week. It is hard to reprimand people for speeding. I will take up the suggestion on the safe routes to school programme and I thank the Minister of State for it. With r…

Retail businesses on streets all over our towns have been dramatically affected by parking spots being taken away. I raised this among my colleagues yesterday evening and I was not surprised by how many said that the same was happening in their towns. This morning, I will use my town of Navan, County Meath, as a prime example. Navan is going through its plan of Navan 2030, the introduction of which says: Navan is an attractive town, with historic streetscapes ... and a rich cultural and landscape heritage on its su…

Hear, hear.

I will not need ten minutes.

I welcome the Minister of State. Our paths have crossed a few times. I harp on about insurance issues. He is great in that sphere. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill as I feel I have first-hand experience of the ombudsman's office. I am here to stand up for businesses and for people who feel aggrieved about financial services providers or their insurers. I was in a position five years ago, practically to the day, where I had to contact the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman's office out of utter…

I have one point on the €3 million.

I thank the Minister of State.

It might need more staff.

I welcome Sarah and Darren Hennessy to the Gallery. I welcome any conversations about special education. I am on the board of a fabulous special school, St. Ultan's, in Navan, County Meath. I am delighted to discuss all of this with the Minister of State. Like everyone in this room who are working with many children trying to access school places, this issue is very close to our hearts. I wish to talk about Willow Carroll, whose mum, Tracy, would knock anyone out in a boxing ring such is her determination to fight …

Many of us will be aware of the publication today of the report of the national claims information database, NCID. The establishment of the NCID was one of the recommendations made by the cost of insurance working group, which was established in 2016 by the then Minister for Finance. Today's NCID liability report may surprise you. Why? It states the average legal cost is less than €1,000 for cases finalised through the injuries board but in excess of €23,000 once cases enter litigation. Even more surprising is that…

I concur with my colleagues. No abuser or rapist should ever be given any platform whatsoever. That is a matter we need to debate in a more thorough manner in the future. I raise a local issue that is relevant to every village and town in the country, that is, the dangerous issue of the speed of traffic and the potential for fatalities. There is a particular issue in Kilmessan village in County Meath. I will refer to a message I received while I was having a lovely St. Patrick's Day. The message stated that at 8.15…

I thank the Minister for coming in. No doubt she will do a fantastic job. She already is doing so. There are many issues on women's health that have been brought up by all my esteemed colleagues here and I concur with many of them. Knowing today was coming up, I spoke to a female doctor friend and I asked her what we can do in government to support women's health. I was surprised by the answer given. The answer simply was to support women, especially younger women, to work by providing childcare. I know it is not t…

I will take just a minute and focus on one thing. I fully support this motion, which is very close to all our hearts. A year ago yesterday we lost our dad, who was the most beautiful man. My dad was sick for many years with his heart and hip problems and with cancer but he overcame it all and lived to just short of 88. He loved collecting his pension, going to choir and he loved life. However, the many illnesses he suffered made him less agile, along with 60 years of standing at a bench making furniture, which was …

I want to discuss the issue of bus escorts and transport police. I am on the board of an amazing special school in Navan, County Meath, called St. Ultan's. It was a big eye opener for me to see the work done there by all the staff. From 8.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. the school is a hive of activity. However, there is one area that I did not understand until I began to work with the school. This is the issue of transport to and from the school, and indeed to most special schools, and the difficulties associated with this. Som…

It is great to speak today on the Private Members' motion and I thank my colleagues in Fine Gael for tabling it. I have four topics to speak on and I will be quick. When a representative of the Department of Transport is in the Chamber, it is too important not to cover as much as possible. I represent County Meath. My fellow Senators will never guess what I want to talk about relating to County Meath. What is the elephant in the room? It is the Navan rail line. I bet they have not heard that one before. County Meat…

-----and we need people to stand safely while waiting for the bus. I encourage the Minister of State to seek extra funding for the provision of bus stops, particularly in smaller villages in Meath West. I wish to discuss our roads. I thank the Minister and Department of Transport for the €26 million that they recently provided to Meath for regional and local roads. However, it seems that we have a significant problem with potholes. In 2024 alone, Meath County Council paid out €55,000 in compensation for cars becaus…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak. There are many challenges in the Department of Justice. I am really looking forward to seeing the positive changes the Minister can make. My area is Meath West, which includes great towns like Navan, Trim, Enfield and Oldcastle and villages like Kilmessan, Ballivor, Longwood and Rathmolyon. Speaking to the constituents at the doors - believe me, I knocked on a lot of doors over the past year, as I have run in three elections – they are extremely worried about …