My apologies but I had to leave for a short while to attend my committee to provide a quorum. I thank the Minister for coming today and I thank Senator Mullen for bringing forward this all-important Bill. The legislation highlights what is out there and the pitfalls that can be experienced by the young and the not so young. The Minister has gone a long way in terms of her Department and what she does. I compliment the sentiments in the Bill. The legislation has pluses and minuses. There may be legal challenges or i…

First, I wish to pay my respects to the late Mr. John O'Mahony, to his wife, Gerardine and his daughters, Gráinne, Niamh, Rhona, Deirdre and Cliodhna. I had the pleasure of serving in the Senate with John from 2016 to 2020 but knew him prior to that. He was a very fine man, not only in his role model as a sportsman but also as a politician. I too served with him on the third floor. I met him on the corridor every day. He was a fountain of knowledge and I believe he touched the lives of many people right across spor…

I thank the Minister for his plan to allow pharmacists to prescribe. I have worked with many pharmacists down through the years and it is something that will really alleviate the wait for a doctor. Sometimes people have to wait two or three weeks for an appointment with the doctor. Pharmacists being able to prescribe medicines like the conjunctivitis treatment the Minister mentioned is going to help. From speaking to pharmacists and the IPU, they are very much onboard with the whole idea and look forward to working…

Now.

Now.

I thank the Acting Chairperson. I welcome that the rent-a-room scheme is included in this Bill. I was not here when we had the discussion about it. I first raised it in September 2022 as a Commencement matter. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, took the matter on the Minister's behalf and relayed that he said a review was required. The Minister went ahead and had that review. The Department of Education was encouraging people to avail of the scheme to rent out rooms to students, but people's fear of losing their…

Sorry, Chair, I thanked the Minister.

Tomorrow morning at 10.30 a.m.

Before I go on to our next speaker, I welcome Councillor Caroline O’Reilly from Meath and Councillor Daniel Pender from Carlow with their friends and family. They are guests of Senator Daly. They are all very welcome and I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House.

Before I move on to our next speaker, I welcome the Cathaoirleach to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery along with his guests Michael and Kathleen Barry and Michael Mulcahy. They are all very welcome and I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House. They are in very capable hands.

I welcome Jacob Whelan from Deputy Alan Farrell's office. He is joined by Emiliano Del Vecchio and Marco Ghirardelli, who are both very welcome. I hope they enjoy their stay in Leinster House. They are in good company with Jake.

Is Senator Boyhan seconding the motion?

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to discuss this all-important issue. I acknowledge the fact that Senators McDowell and Boyhan have brought the Bill before us. I really welcome the Bill. It means an awful lot to me. I know some people whose children had scoliosis. They had to wait quite a while but the children eventually had a procedure and operation. I know of another person who was in an awful lot of pain when a young adult and had to wait quite a while but eventually had a procedure. Much has been s…

Before I move on, I welcome the Minister's guests from Ógra Fianna Fáil from Wicklow. They are very welcome and I hope they enjoy their experience in Leinster House this evening. Senator Joe O’Reilly, too, has a group here, including his son Alexis O’Reilly and some of their friends. They are very welcome and I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House.

I congratulate the Deputy Leader and wish him all the best. I look forward to working with him in future. We have worked well together in the past and he will do a fantastic job as Deputy Leader. I am continually raising the matter of University Hospital Limerick, but today I wish to highlight it in a good way because of the new virtual ward and remote patient-monitoring service launched there. Doccla and the HSE have partnered in this endeavour to allow hospital-led treatment for patients at home. The first two wa…

Before I call Senator Horkan, I welcome Senator Casey, his wife Sonia Casey, Betty and John Kenny and Colette Connolly and compliment them because they raised more than €8,000 recently during a coffee morning for local charities. You are very welcome. I hope you enjoy your experience in Leinster House today.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to address this all-important issue and Senator Martin and the Green Party for bringing forward this all-important Bill. I am very aware of the amount of work the Minister has done in this area. I know that a lot has been done and that the Minister intends doing more as part of the programme for Government. The issue of domestic violence is a serious one. It affects more victims than many believe. One in four women in Ireland in a relationship have been abused by a curre…

I take exception to the comment made by Senator Keogan. As the Minister, Deputy McEntee, is not present to defend herself, that comment should be withdrawn.

I commend Natasha O’Brien on her bravery in speaking out against the appalling attack she endured two years ago, although the court case was heard this week. She bravely spoke up about the homophobia she witnessed and what she had endured herself. I also commend the people who have come out to support her, not only in Limerick, but all over the country. She is in Leinster House today. I encourage other women who have endured similar attacks to come out as well. Her bravery makes her a role model for other people. T…

On a point of order, I asked that the Member withdraw their comment.