They are very welcome.

Senator Boylan spoke about it being World Animal Day and about the issue of dog welfare, as the Senator often does. I want to put on the record that I fully share the Senator's concerns about dog welfare. She rightly pointed out that people took in pets during the Covid-19 period that maybe in hindsight they could not manage when they went back to work or back to the office. That is posing a challenge. She mentioned Madra and Dog's Trust. These are fantastic organisations that do great work. The numbers mentioned, …

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I will begin by welcoming the members of Fórsa to our Gallery, who are here for the debate. I want to put on the record correspondence I received from a lady in Castlebar, who I will not name on the record, but she is a civilian garda and works in the Garda Information Services Centre in Michael Davitt House in Castlebar. She wanted to discuss the concerns around this legislation. She said she works as a garda civilian in the Garda Information Services Centre in Michael Davitt…

The Order of Business is No. 1, Control of Exports Bill 2023 – Second Stage, to be taken at 3.15 p.m. and to conclude at 5.15 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 2, statements on senior cycle reform, to be taken at 5.30 p.m. and to conclude at 7.00 p…

I heard every sentence.

I assure the Senator that-----

I concur with the remarks by the Leas-Chathaoirleach in marking the day that is in it with regard to German reunification. Senator O'Loughlin spoke about this being Positive Ageing Week 2023, and on not just the challenges of getting older but also the positivity which should be around in reaching that chapter in life. She reiterated her support for a women's museum in the country and mentioned the meeting she had with the Minister in this regard. She raised a local issue with respect of transport and Irish Rural L…

It is an honour to have the Taoiseach in the Seanad to address Senators and to have an opportunity to raise issues with him. Ireland has a good story to tell and often it is not being told fairly. As the Taoiseach mentioned, we have one of the longest life expectancies in Europe, education attainment is high and we provide very good opportunities for all the children of this country to reach their full potential. Despite that, we do, as the Taoiseach acknowledged, still have certain challenges and these challenges …

I propose to the House that with the agreement of Members, we extend business to 12.15 p.m.

The Order of Business is No. 1, statements on road safety, to be taken at 12.45 p.m. and to conclude at 2 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, those of all other Senators not to exceed six minutes, and the Minister to be given no less than six minutes to reply to the debate; No. 124, Private Members' business, motion 9 regarding crime and policing, to be taken at 2.30 p.m., with the time allocated to this debate not to exceed tw…

I thank the Cathaoirleach and all the Members who raised issues. Senator O'Loughlin spoke about the Defence Forces, as did Senator McDowell and others, and commended the bravery, exceptional professionalism and skill displayed off the coast of Cork yesterday. What may have looked, from the footage, like an easy operation was far from it. In treacherous conditions, they managed to land on the ship and get hold of that large consignment of drugs, which, as somebody noted earlier on the radio, would have brought years…

I welcome the Minister of State. Road safety is a topic about which we are all concerned. Unfortunately, there has been an increase in road fatalities in the past year. It is evident that the Minister of State is taking this seriously and wants to take action to address it. He will need the co-operation and support of Members across both Houses to bring about the change he is seeking. There is an acknowledgment that rural roads account for a majority of fatalities, with seven out of ten occurring on rural roads wit…

Fianna Fáil has decided to use its Private Members' time to focus on crime, policing and the area of justice in the country. The direction in which policing is going and the state in which An Garda Síochána is currently is of genuine concern to us. Just today, we had Central Statistics Office, CSO, crime figures that show homicide is up 31%, robbery is up 20% and sexual offences are up 1%. They are worrying statistics. We see scenes from our capital city, which reflect on the entire country in terms of antisocial b…

On a point of order, I take great issue with any suggestion that Members of this House on this side do not do their homework or are not fair and consistent. I respectfully disagree with the Member.

Be consistent.

Who was responsible for defence for the past 12 years?

I thank the Cathaoirleach and welcome back all Senators for the beginning of our autumn session. I hope everyone had a good summer. We have a busy period ahead. I concur with the Cathaoirleach's remarks about our former colleague, Flor O'Mahony, and Damien O'Reilly. At the end of the Order of Business, I will move a motion of sympathy for our former colleague Mr. O'Mahony and propose a minute's silence for former Councillor Damien O'Reilly. I extend our warmest welcome to Superintendent Barry Ryan, whose CV before …

I also want to welcome visitors to the Gallery. We have members of the early years sector educators from Mayo, who were at the demonstration outside. They are very welcome to the Chamber. They will be glad to know, as I said to them outside, that many Members here today raised the issue that they raised outside; namely, the challenges being faced by the early years sector. I will deal with that in my reply. The first Senator to raise an issue this morning was Senator Dolan. She welcomed the additional beds in Porti…

No problem - we will work on that. Senator Gallagher spoke about an 11-year-old in Castleblaney who was waiting three hours for an ambulance. That is an outrageous wait time. It is unacceptable. I am not sure how that happened but I imagine, as it has happened in my own area, often ambulances are dispatched to certain calls in the full knowledge they will never actually get there but they meet the dispatch time requirement. This takes away from having an ambulance close by when there is a real need for one. We will…

I move: That Seanad Éireann – - expresses its deep sadness on the death of Flor O'Mahony; - conveys its sincere condolences to his family; and - expresses its gratitude for his notable contribution to Irish public life and for his dedicated service to the people of Ireland.. I add that we would include Councillor Damien O'Reilly, as we hold a minute's silence in respect of both men and their families.