I fully support the comments of my colleague Senator Duffy on local improvement schemes. Every local councillor in Donegal would feel the same; it is all about getting more money for lanes, which are important to the people of Donegal, as we know. Another issue I want to take up today is Irish Water. Through the summer my office was busy, as were those of the councillors of every party all over Donegal, dealing with problems with Irish Water, particularly in Inishowen, Burnfoot, Teelin, Copany, Clogher and Leghowne…

I pass on my condolences to Senator Craughwell on the death of his wife and also to Phyllis and the Bonner family. Enda was a man who I knew fairly well. He served on the council along with my father years ago. We had many chats. Believe it or not, during the last chat I had with him about six months ago he told me what I was doing wrong and how he was only putting me right. I thank him for those kind words. We also lost a superstar in Donegal during the summer. I send my condolences to the McHugh and O'Donnell fam…

I will raise an issue about small craft registration in Ireland. The Marine Survey Office is responsible for registering all vessels, from large cargo ships to small pleasure boats. Registration is essential for every ship travelling to ports in and out of the EU and other countries. However, the current system is simply not working for small-craft owners. Many are facing lengthy delays, excessive paperwork and requirements that suit larger commercial ships rather than recreational boats. In some cases, owners are …

I will talk about home care for the elderly. I want to raise a heartbreaking case that highlights the deepening crisis in our healthcare for the elderly. I raised this last week and before on numerous occasions but nothing has improved. We are failing our older people. Young people are working, taking care of their elderly parents and looking after their own families and they have very little support. I was contacted by the daughter of an elderly couple in Donegal who have been completely failed by the system. Her …

I concur with my fellow Senators' comments on water safety. It is an important issue, especially in rural counties like my own county of Donegal. With the weather being so good, the beaches are going to be full this weekend. There will be large amounts of people at them. I ask people to be cautious and vigilant of what is going on. Before they go into the water, they should please check the life ring buoys are in place because, when accidents happen, it is the first bit of equipment that everybody needs to know whe…

We too have plenty of great festivals in Donegal.

I am not going to name them but everybody's welcome.

I wish to take up an issue that is close to our hearts in Donegal and that is the lack of home care services. Patients are being discharged from hospital because they have been approved for home help. However, when they get home many receive a letter saying there are not enough staff to provide all the approved hours. As a result, they are not getting the care they need and families are left trying to cope on their own. Many vulnerable people are struggling without this necessary support. Too often this leads to pa…

I congratulate the Minister of State. It is on days like this that we are all proud to be in this House. The Minister of State came into this House and made a difference. This is great legislation. It is commonsense legislation that was badly needed. At home in Donegal, since my election, people have contacted me about this and told me that what is going on here is really unfair. The Minister of State has championed this issue. Fair play to her. It is great for the whole of Ireland. I thank the Irish Cancer Society…

I want to talk about Uisce Éíreann on behalf of Councillor Michael Boyle in south-west Donegal and of myself. This is an issue for the people of Clogher, Leghawny, Copany, Laghey and the surrounding areas and townlands. I have raised this issue in the House before but nothing has changed. A public meeting was held a few weeks ago and the hall was full. The problem is that the reservoir was built in 1970 to serve around 80 houses, but now it supplies hundreds of houses and is not fit for purpose. A new reservoir, pu…

The Government has many initiatives in place, including Build Back Home, an initiative seeking skilled workers to return to Ireland. Skilled overseas workers are being invited back to apply their skills here in Ireland. Engineering, construction and health care, to name but a few, are crying out for crucial skilled workers to take up positions immediately. I have been approached by many overseas representatives of the Donegal Association who have made it clear to me that people would like to return home to Ireland …

I congratulate our new Leader. I am sorry I was not here last week but it is great to see him here. There is a man in Bruckless delighted to see him in the chair. He and - God rest her - the Leader's mother were great friends and that friendship has kept up for years. He wanted to pass on his good wishes. That is my father, John Boyle. I wish the Leader the very best of luck. I want to take up an issue I have raised on a couple of occasions. It is Dunkineely National School. The issue has been going on for the past…

Today, I want to start by wishing the Cully Coders from County Donegal a safe trip. They are travelling to Canada next week to represent Ireland in the First Lego League Canada Cup of robotics. The Cully Coders are aged from 11 to 14. They are Zoe McElhinney, Abby McElhinney, Rebecca McElhinney, Sienna Deane and Georgia Green. They are coached by Stephen and Adele McElhinney. I wish the girls the very best of luck in Canada. I know they will do Donegal and Ireland proud. It is a great achievement for these five gir…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. Since I became a Senator 16 months ago, I have raised the issue of givinostat for children living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, DMD, so many times, together with other colleagues in the Seanad. Last month, a large crowd of up to 2,000 people turned out in the Diamond in Donegal to support the children with DMD. In the health committee last year, we were told it would be sorted by Christmas. It was then pushed out to the early new year. Now, we are into June. Time is …

I thank the Minister of State and the Minister for Health. I know she put a lot of work into this because the Italian company really did not want to talk to us at the start and she reached out to it. We all know the assessment has to be done. I am glad that the drugs group met yesterday but it is crucial we get this medicine over the line for these children. There is one child in Donegal, Nathan, getting it across the Border, where Dermot cannot get it. This is totally wrong. We need to get this sorted as soon as p…

I would like to pass on my condolences to the family of the former Senator, Ernie Caffrey, on behalf of myself and my colleagues. I want to raise concerns about the liquidation of Tickets.ie and the Rory Gallagher International Festival in Ballyshannon. The festival is one of the most important cultural and tourism events in the north west. Every year, it brings thousands of visitors to Donegal and supports local hotels, restaurants, pubs, shops and up to 30 small businesses. It is reported that the festival is now…

I have been contacted by people with disabilities. The misuse of disability parking bays may seem small to some, but for some people it has a very real impact on their daily lives. Disability parking bays exist for a reason. They are there to ensure that people with disability and mobility challenges, older citizens and those with medical conditions can safely and independently access services, the workplace, shops and community facilities. Unfortunately, we continue to see incidents of the use of these spaces by p…

I welcome all the MEPs and thank them for the courtesy they showed me the few times I was in Brussels and for what they have done for the Irish fishing industry. It is good to have a group that comes together and facilitates meetings. I will stick to my brief, which is fishing. How can we get more pressure put on the PECH committee, seeing as we do not have any full-time member? Can we come together as a group, with the MEPs' political groups to see whether we can get reform of the Common Fisheries Policy? It is 40…

I thank Seamy McDermott and Vinney Gillespie who are undertaking a cycle from Malin Head to Mizen Head. It is a more than 1,000 km challenge to raise money for the Irish Kidney Association, a cause close to both men’s hearts. I wish them the best of luck and hopefully the good weather stays with them. I turn to a more serious issue that I and Senators across parties have raised here many times. It is givinostat for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, DMD. I was proud to stand with the people on the Diamond i…

I want to raise the issue of self-employed people when they become sick or unable to work. Over the past few months, I have been contacted by a couple of people in my constituency in County Donegal who have worked all their lives. They are self-employed workers who have worked hard, pay their taxes and PRSI contributions and contributed greatly to the economy and local communities. However, when illness strikes, they feel abandoned by the system. Unlike employees, who may have access to sick pay from their employer…