I thank Senator Davitt for temporarily taking the chair to allow me to speak. I thank the Minister for coming today. I welcome the civilians in the Public Gallery. I know there have been several communications and the Minister is aware of it. I thank her for her interest in the area when I spoke to her. I know any decisions will involve engagement with trade unions. It will not happen today or tomorrow. It will happen in 2025. I thank the Minister for stating that there will be engagement. No decisions will be made…

Senator, the Minister has the floor.

I thank the Minister.

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

I thank the Minister of State for coming here to discuss this all-important topic. He is taking it on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys. My question relates to people who are in receipt of disability allowance and who want to re-enter the workplace or go out volunteering. Not everybody ends up availing of the disability allowance for the same reason and one size does not fit all. People end up availing of the disability allowance for various reasons. Some of them have debilitating illne…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply and for his positive response. I encourage people with disabilities to make a submission because it is very important. I also encourage people I know to do so. I have been working with people who have disabilities to make submissions. I am glad that the Minister of State, on behalf of the Department, acknowledges that much has been done and there is more to do. This is very important. The fact that not everybody's disability is the same and that no one size fits all is th…

I thank Senator Boyhan and call the Minister of State, Senator Hackett.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon.

Before I move on to the next Commencement matter I would like to welcome Members of the Australian Parliament to the Gallery, led by the ambassador, H.E. Gary Gray, namely, Mr. Julian Hill MP, Ms Rebekha Sharkie MP, deputy head of mission Mr. James Hazell, and political officer Mr. Dónal O'Néill. They are all very welcome to the Gallery today.

I am so delighted the Taoiseach is here today and I thank him for his address. There are two or three areas I would like to highlight. One is his commitment to Sláintecare. I know of his own personal interest in doing things better and doing things differently. University Hospital Limerick is an area he has taken a personal interest in himself in terms of seeing that happen. We need to do things better there and do things differently. There is still a crisis going on down there and I would like the Government to ke…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this important issue. I was contacted by a number of people, mainly those aged over 75 and who have certain illnesses and are on medication, who are affected by the requirement to have a medical certificate in order to renew their driving licences, the cost of which is not covered under the medical card scheme. Many have to renew their licences every three years because that is the rule. In one case, somebody paid €65 to renew a licence, and will have…

I thank the Minister of State. I know it is not her area of responsibility, but it is disappointing to hear the response from the Department of Health, on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. We are all aware that the cost of these certificates is not covered under the scheme. That is the whole point. To be given the facts of what the Act is about and what the scheme covers is disappointing. I appreciate the fact that the Minister of State will bring this matter back to the Minister. It is an…

I welcome the news that the Garda Commissioner has included a Garda station for Castletroy in the capital programme for An Garda Síochána for 2025 to 2030. I raised this here in Commencement debates in 2018 and 2019. We were told then it was not warranted but it would be kept under review. The whole area of Castletroy, Lisnagry and Annacotty is one of the fastest growing areas in Ireland. The population is over 20,000 and there is a student population on top of that. I know from attending residents’ meetings and me…

Hear, hear.

I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this all-important issue and I thank Fianna Fáil for bringing forward this Private Members' business. I welcome the fact that the budget for justice has increased by almost 20% since 2020. This is most welcome. Only this morning, I raised the fact with our own Leader that the Garda Commissioner had announced recently that a Garda station for Castletroy in Limerick would be included in the capital budget between 2025 and 2040. This is …

I thank Senator O'Reilly. As no other Senators are indicating, I would now like to call on the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan.

I welcome to the Gallery Irish language students at the UCD Politics and International Relations Society from Spain, Germany and India.

As there are no other Senators indicating, I call the Minister to respond.

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?