I welcome to the House the Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with responsibility for Skills and Further Education, Deputy Niall Collins.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, and now call on Senator Malcolm Byrne who has six minutes.

Thank you. It was remiss of me not to acknowledge the presence of the researchers and students in the Visitors Gallery and also those looking in online. I know from a communication that I have received that there is huge interest in this. It is a good news story. As no other Senators are indicating, I call the Minister of State to respond.

I thank the Minister of State.

I welcome the Minister of State. I am asking for an update on the application made by Catherine McAuley School on Ashbourne Avenue in Limerick. I was honoured when the Minister of State came to visit the school with me a couple of months ago to learn about its ethos and see what is going on in the school. It was a great day of celebration when we were there. The school put on part of its show about the story of Joseph and his multicoloured dream coat. Fantastic work is going on there. The school was opened by the S…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. It is good to know that it is progressing through the system and that the NCSE is liaising. Does the Minister of State have a timeframe for when the report will be coming back? Maybe she cannot give that information today but she might be able to come back to me with a timeframe, if possible. I visit the school regularly and see the standard of what goes on there and how happy the students are. The staff are fantastic. There is great support from parents and the surro…

I understand from where Senator Higgins is coming with regard to hotels that have put up their rates but that is not the case for all hotels. I have had many dealings with small hoteliers and others in the hospitality industry. Yesterday, I spoke to a small hotelier who is so grateful that the 9% VAT was kept and for the supports that have been in place. He believes that if those supports were not in place, his business would not have reopened after the Covid pandemic. While acknowledging that the reduced rate will…

Next Tuesday.

I welcome the ambassador and the rest of the team accompanied by Deputy Devlin. They are all very welcome on their day of celebration. I look forward to seeing them later this evening. I thank them for the role they play, the engagement they have with all of us, and the different visits they make to our constituencies, where they have met educational institutions and businesses. Long may that continue. I congratulate the Leader and welcome her back after her wedding. It is good to have her back. It would be remiss …

I welcome the news that the community first responders unit on the Ennis Road in Limerick city has been granted a temporary home. The unit does fantastic work and its members are highly trained in first aid and dealing with issues to do with older people. They do not have a permanent home. I thank Limerick 2030 for giving them temporary access to a unit in the Cleeves Riverside Quarter site on the North Circular Road. They will be able to use the facilities there for a number of years as there is a long-term plan f…

St. Gabriel’s respite home is a centre for children with disabilities and is run by St. Gabriel’s Foundation. It is headed by Elaine O’Riordan, who is the respite manager, and Treasa McAuliffe, the CEO. They got a complimentary bill of health from inspectors when they visited recently. It was said the children are treated as if they were the children of the people looking after them. That is a great compliment. I give a special thank you to the team there because they look after vulnerable children all year round, …

I thank the Minister of State for coming in to discuss this all-important Bill. The first item I wish to highlight in it is the BIK adjustments. People working for a company may have a car in the company's ownership and, therefore, I welcome that a further €10,000 is allocated under the Bill, especially for categories A to D. This is positive for encouraging people to change their vehicles and go electric. Many changes have been made, but we need to encourage people to continue to make that change as much as possib…

I welcome the Tánaiste to the House. He has ten minutes to give his opening statement.

Thank you. I remind Senators that group spokespersons have eight minutes and all other Senators five. I call Senator McGreehan.

I thank Senator McGreehan.

I thank Senator Craughwell. Before I call on Senator Ward, I would like to acknowledge students from St. Michael's College, Ailesbury Road. The students have left but were present for some of the proceedings.

When is it proposed to sit again?

The Minister of State is very welcome here to discuss this all-important Bill. I am representing my colleague, Senator Seán Kyne, who had another commitment today. On his behalf, I would like to say that Fine Gael will be supporting the Bill. The Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022 is about strengthening the Bill that is already in existence. While we have gone a long way, this will go further in making sure that all the correct procedures are put in place. It is really important in terms of transparency a…

Next Tuesday.

I thank the Minister of State for coming in to discuss this important issue. The cost of living, and particularly energy costs, is something I have picked up on from working with and visiting older people. I know a number of older people who have local authority homes changed over to electricity recently. One elderly lady who lives alone in a one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen-cum-sitting room received a bill for €750. That is a huge cost. Some of these people do not have the heating on all the time. This is abou…