I move: That Seanad Éireann: acknowledges that: - the restriction on smoking tobacco in the workplace ‘ for the purposes of reducing the risk to and protecting the health of persons ’ was brought into force in 2004 under the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 and 2004; - the effect of this ban has been that people are not allowed to smoke in office blocks, aircraft, trains, company vehicles, health premises, schools, colleges, cinemas, theatres, licensed premises and clubs, when these places are a place of work; - t…

I would like to share time with Senator Conway - three minutes and two minutes if that is all right.

I thank colleagues across the House for their cross-party support on this matter. I thank the Minister of State for his positive response. I also thank the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. There are one or two things in the Minister of State's response that we are looking for. Maybe he could bring them back to the Minister for Health to consider when the legislation is being drafted. First, vaping should be banned indoors in the workplace but also indoors in public places. The Minister of State mention…

I highlight that Linda Ledger of St. Munchin's Community Centre on the north side of Limerick received an "Inspirational Hero" award at the Gala Retail and Virgin Media Inspiration Awards. Linda is involved in a remarkable amount of community work. She has an Ukrainian hub and provides meals on wheels. More than 300 people attend the community centre daily for lunch and events. The centres does all sorts of things, from hairdressing to flower arranging. What happens there is unbelievable. I compliment and congratul…

I thank the Minister of State for coming here today to discuss this all important issue. My question is to ask him to make a statement regarding supports for tenants given notice to quit. This applies especially to those in long-term rental, and who have been there for four, five or six years. Many landlords have decided to leave the rental market as we are very aware. It is a huge issue. We have almost 4,000 people on our waiting list in Limerick, and up to now people like that had no other choice but to try to ge…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. It is welcome that the HAP rate has been increased, especially for people in single occupancy because they were finding it really difficult to get a rental property at a rate they could afford. I welcome that. As the saying goes, "A lot done. More to do." I would like assurance from the Minister of State that it will be kept under review to make sure the new system is working.

I raise the issue of the withdrawal of Ulster Bank and KBC Bank from Ireland. I recently received a letter from them, not only as a customer but as a member of the Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach, that they are beginning to freeze accounts, starting this Friday. It is an alarming wake-up call to people who have not engaged with the bank to close their accounts because many people have standing orders, be it for their pensions or a social welfare payment. It is worrying if people h…

I thank the Minister for coming to speak about this informative programme today. I compliment her and her officials in the Department on all the work they have done in regard to it to date. No matter what walk of life we are in, respect and dignity in the workplace are something we all aspire to, but it is not always a given in every workplace. I welcome the creation of the website, which is informative, not only for individuals but for groups in terms of mentoring and the mental health aspect. There is legal advic…

I thank the Minister.

I so propose.

I raise one of my favourite subjects which is University Hospital Limerick. Some 15,600 people have been waiting on trolleys so far this year. This is the highest number in the country followed by Cork University Hospital which has over 10,000 people on trolleys. I encourage the Minister for Health to come to the Chamber to have a debate on this issue. I want the Minister for Health to come in here for a debate because we are heading into the winter. We need to look at reality and at ways to resolve this issue. The…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House for this all-important issue. I compliment Senator Martin on introducing a very worthwhile Bill. I have had contact from beekeepers from Limerick, Tipperary and Murroe. I know some of the issues Senator Martin raised are of concern to beekeepers. I look forward to working with the Senator on the matter because I know a number of issues need to be addressed. I hope the Minister of State and her team will be able to work on those.

I raise an important issue that came to my attention this morning relating to the removal of a road project from a report. This is the second time the project has been removed. The Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area transport report was launched during the week. The northern distributor road has miraculously disappeared from the agenda again. It was previously removed but, following fierce opposition from local councillors and Deputies, the project was put back into the report, but in the final report from the Nati…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for being here on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, to discuss this important issue. University Hospital Limerick, UHL, is in the headlines again today. It is the most overcrowded hospital in the country, with over 80 people waiting for a bed. There are approximately 670 people waiting for a hospital bed across the country but Limerick has the highest number of such patients and is consistently in that position. When the CEO of UHL, Ms Colette Cowan, a…

I thank the Minister of State for her response, although I am disappointed that it is a standard response. I am not blaming her for that. As the Minister stated in the report, he only met the team ten days or two weeks ago. The issue of an elective hospital was highlighted in the report commissioned by UHL and its CEO, Professor Cowan, and Professor Lenehan reiterated that when they were before the joint committee. It has been called for by many of the top people in the mid-west as an overall solution. All hospital…

I will also raise the regional film uplift because we have film in Limerick as well. We have Troy Studios, Odyssey Studios and Film in Limerick. The regional uplift is due to be phased out by the end of December. I support the call by Senator Malcolm Byrne. I have already written to the Minister of Finance about this and I hope something might come forward or be introduced in the Finance Bill. The regional uplift has led to employment in the area. Irish film companies and others from the USA and other regions have …

I raise two issues, the first being driving tests and the long waiting times for tests. Recently, I was contacted by a person who is dependent on the use of a car for their job. They had a mishap on their first test and failed it, yet they had to wait 12 weeks for a second test. That meant three months of someone having to drive them to and from working and being on call to drive them to places to do with their job. I believe a 12-week wait is too long. Extra examiners and test centre staff were taken on. Perhaps s…

I also wish to raise the proposed closure of the post office in Castleconnell in Limerick. Residents have contacted me. It is not easy to get from Castleconnell to Newport. Residents are reliant on getting lifts. Many older people use the local post office for their banking facilities so I encourage the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to come to the House for a debate on the future of post offices. I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Health regarding transforming four hospices fr…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss the important issue of the IBRC commission of investigation. The report was published on 7 September 2022. I would like to pay tribute to Mr. Justice Brian Cregan. He had a major task in terms of the work involved. The commission was established in June 2015 to investigate certain transactions, activities and management decisions in the IBRC. The commission's terms of reference provided that the first module of its work would investigate the Siteserv …

Yesterday was World Mental Health Day. Every time we turn on the radio these days, people are talking about mental health issues. If we go back to what happened in Creeslough on Friday, we can see the outpouring of support for residents. I compliment the Government for coming out and offering support. This is going to have an awful effect, especially on students who went to school with those children. To see the whole thing unfold on television was so sad. I offer my sympathies to all and I compliment all those inv…