I thank the Minister of State for being here. I love the saying that perfection is the enemy of the good. Nothing could be clearer when it comes to the hot school meals. The Minister of State and I both know that we are feeding 550,000 children across 3,200 schools and the amount of money we spend on it is €300 million. The allocation in the budget to make sure that every child gets a chance of a hot school meal is absolutely crucial. It comes under criticism and it does need to change. However, this week we have m…

I thank the Minister of State. This reply has said how great the programme is and has said absolutely nothing about what is going to happen in the budget and if there is going to be any money allocated for next year. I appreciate we are not going to hear what will happen in the budget. We will obviously get to learn that in October. However, I would have liked some reference to the fact that we will hopefully see this programme expand next year or see it in the budget for next year. I also note that it refers to th…

I am jealous of Senator Byrne talking about extra trains to commute to Dublin. I will talk about commuting but we do not even have one train. I would appreciate a debate with the Minister for Transport on people from commuter counties coming into Dublin. For people travelling from Navan to Dublin the NX bus route is a vital service but for far too many commuters, getting to work or college can feel like a lottery every day. People are dealing with overcrowding at peak times, cancelled services, buses arriving late …

I second the motion.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this today. I want to talk about something very simple with regard to inclusion in sport. Sometimes we talk about inclusion in terms of strategies, policies, targets and funding programmes. Inclusion is also something as basic as being able to go to the toilet. The joint committee's report on inclusion in sport, published in 2024, made it very clear that facilities are a fundamental part of inclusion. The evidence in the report is quite stark. The FAI…

I would also very much like to pass on my condolences to Senator Craughwell. I spoke to him during the summer just before his wife passed away. It must be hard, but I am delighted to see him back here. Today, I welcome the very positive changes announced yesterday to the hot school meals programme. These changes show what can happen when Government listens to parents, principals, teachers, children and those delivering the programme on the ground. A few months ago, I ran a survey and received over 8,000 responses. …

The Irish Cancer Society is in the news today. We met its representatives last week and had a very good engagement over in Buswells Hotel where they were giving us some numbers. I wanted to home in on bowel cancer. There are 2,500 people diagnosed with bowel cancer each year in Ireland. The target for the Irish Cancer Society is that not one patient should wait more than 28 days. Last year, in Our Lady's Hospital Navan, over the whole year 400 people waited more than 28 days. However, in quarter 1 of this year, not…

Now.

Now.

It was about a year ago that we had a very emotive debate in the House when Senator Nicole Ryan brought suggestions for a Bill on miscarriage leave. I was on this side of the House. It was very hard to actually be debating it when I think everybody in this House wanted to see something like that happen. However, the advice was that it was under the wrong Act - it was under the working time Act - and we had a promise from the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, that this would be worked on over the year, and that we would…

Through our offices, we all have the lovely honour of helping and supporting older people in our communities, particularly when it comes to filling out forms, which is a bit part of what they have to do. At present, people over 65 years of age repeatedly have to ask their GPs to certify similar information for things such as medical cards, housing adaption grants, mobility or travel schemes, respite care applications, living alone allowance, household benefit packages and other disability or care supports. There ar…

A lot of my colleagues have spoken about their wonderful villages and towns and how gorgeous they are. Unfortunately, when I was scrolling on the social media page for my local authority, Meath County Council, yesterday, I was saddened to see the numerous new reports of graffiti all around Navan, including on the Circular Road, Convent Lane and the brand new pedestrian and cycle bridge. It is soul destroying to see that. Navan town has been part of the Project 2030 plan and the town is looking beautiful, so it is s…

I echo my colleague's comments. The Minister of State was not here when I spoke on this a couple of weeks ago. It is on days like this that you are incredibly proud to have been elected a Senator and to be here to help pass amazing legislation that means that people who have been diagnosed with cancer but whose treatment ended more than five years ago can get financial services, including mortgage protection. I spoke to a lady last week, Edel, who was buying a house for her family with her partner. She had been quo…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important Commencement matter and welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to the House. I have a simple request that will help thousands of people. Will the Minister or the Department consider introducing an opt-in text message and email reminder service to notify passport holders when their passports are about to expire? The issue of passports going out of date has a very real impact on thousands of people every year. We have all heard stories from constituent…

I thank the Minister of State and I also thank a friend of mine, Philip Quinlan, who brought this to my attention. I am really delighted to see that we are going to have an opt-in service for passports starting next year, which is my understanding of what the Minister of State just said. Therefore, there will be an opt-in. I take the point that people might change address or contact details within ten years and possibly there could be something going forward. It seems we are being encouraged to log into the mygov.i…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I welcome the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026 and commend the Minister of State on bringing this important legislation before the House. As she mentioned, this legislation is important and necessary to ensure that Ireland meets its obligations in overseeing the development and deployment of artificial intelligence systems. The Bill is a national implementation measure that will establish the AI office; provide market surveillance authorities, MSAs, wit…

I will read a quote I have read here before: "There is a unique pain that comes from preparing a place in your heart for a child that never comes." I am chair of the cross-party group on pregnancy and infant loss, having taken over from Senator Nicole Ryan, who is on maternity leave. The cross-party group is made up of people from various parties who have come together because they appreciate the ache felt by the thousands of women across Ireland who experience miscarriage. Senators Tom Clonan and Evanne Ní Chuilin…

Sometimes, I believe that things happen for a reason. On my way to Leinster House today, I spoke to a friend of mine who talked about the struggles of dealing with a parent with Alzheimer's disease and how difficult it was for the family and, obviously, the person with dementia, who had worked all their lives, to adjust to the situation. This morning, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland gave a fantastic presentation over in Buswell's Hotel on what it was looking for in the budget. I was drawn to the fact it was lookin…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to go through this Bill. I am very sorry about his siblings. I did not know that and I thank the Minister of State for sharing that with us. I want to address the critical importance of the Insurance (Disregard of Certain Medical History and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025, which was formerly known as the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025. The 2025 programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, committed to legislate for a right to be forgotten for cancer surv…

I wish Senator Ahearn massive congratulations. I was delighted to speak to him over the weekend. As Senator Ní Chuilinn said, we have heard so much about his mam and his beautiful family. I am sure they are all so proud. I wish him the best of luck for the next year and a half. There are a couple of things about which I want to speak. I was very proud to be in Navan over the weekend. We had the Midsummer Festival until 21 June, which was fantastic. It is the first time we have grabbed a festival and ran with it rea…