I join in the expressions of sympathy on the death of former Senator Paul Coghlan. He was a gentleman whom I had known for many years before I met him in this House in 2016. He was a very welcoming man who was very kind and friendly. He touched the lives of many people. He was always there to lend a hand and give advice down through the years. He will be sadly missed by all and I extend my sympathies to the Coghlan family. The issue of the leaving certificate maths paper was raised by Senators Lombard and McDowell.…

I welcome the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to the Chamber. The floor is hers.

I thank the Minister.

Is there agreement of the House to that? It is agreed.

I thank the Minister for a very comprehensive explanation.

I understand Senator Clifford-Lee is sharing time with Senator O'Donovan.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

I thank the Minister for coming to discuss the capital plan and for his announcement last Monday. I welcome all the investment he announced. I am passionate about University Hospital Limerick, the mid-west and improving things down there. I welcome the Minister’s recent announcement of a further 98 beds. That is most welcome. The hospital needs to look towards recruitment of staff. I understand how difficult it is to get staff in the current climate. They need to look outside and I would like to see that starting s…

I congratulate Munster Rugby on the great win last weekend, becoming the United Rugby Championship, URC, champions. There was a great homecoming in Limerick last Monday evening. I compliment and congratulate the team because to go all the way to South Africa and come back as victors was something else. We have discussed Women’s Sheds previously. The Women’s Shed in Limerick is a growing organisation. More than 400 people attended its inaugural meeting. It is having a launch this Friday to explain what it is about. …

Amendments Nos. 33 to 36, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together by agreement.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this important issue. When this proposal was first discussed in 2022 the then Taoiseach asked that it be examined and the then Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, stated that while it was not an appropriate time to introduce such a rate as it would be very difficult to do so, the matter should be examined down the line. Last year, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, indicated he would consider the matter early this year. Will the Minis…

I thank the Minister of State. I also thank the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, and the team in the Department. It is important that they look at this carefully. Obviously, on the basis of the progress made and the different steps that have been taken, it is clear that a thorough review is taking place. I thank the people who made submissions to the consultation process. The Government needs to look at something for those who are in the middle in order that they can earn up to €50,000 or that a 30% ta…

Does the Minister want to reply?

Amendment No. 12 in the name of Senator Boyhan has been ruled out of order due to a potential charge to the Revenue. Amendment No. 13 in the name of Senator Boyhan has also been ruled out of order.

Amendment No. 14 in the name of Senator Boyhan has been ruled out of order.

Amendments Nos. 16 and 17 in the names of Senators Warfield, Boylan, Ó Donnghaile and Gavan have been ruled out of order.

I thank the Minister of State for attending to discuss this important issue, which is also health related and involves home care packages. People are not getting enough hours every day or week and there is a shortage of carers and trained people available to help. During Covid especially, we saw that keeping people in their own homes adds to longevity and that people survive better when they are in their own surroundings. What is the Government doing to extend care? What training will carers be given and how will t…

It is good that there are 1,000 extra carers in the system but there are still people who need more hours. Some people are getting half an hour of home care a day. Others only get care on a certain number of days each week. They do not get care on seven days, and some of them are badly in need of it. This puts pressure on family members and in some cases there are no family members and people end up in a nursing home. While the Government is moving on work permits, the matter needs to be escalated. I look forward t…

I thank the Minister of State for coming here today to discuss this all-important issue. I wish to pay tribute to the committee that published this report. I acknowledge the amount of work that was involved. I congratulate my friend and neighbour, Ms Joy Neville, the only female referee from Ireland who has been selected to attend the Rugby World Cup. It is a great honour for Joy, her wife, Simona, her son Alfie, and the extended Neville and Coppola families. I looked at social media this morning, however, and ther…

I congratulate the students of Laurel Hill Secondary School - Aisling, Maebh and Vivian - who won the gold medal at the SciFest regional final of the EirGrid: Climate and Delivering a Cleaner Energy Future competition for their project, "Turn it off or keep it on - which is more energy efficient?". Science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, projects are very much about our future. I wish the three students all the very best in the national final where they will represent their school and the region. Wh…