I welcome the Minister of State back to the Seanad and thank him for making the time to discuss this issue with me. Investment in road infrastructure in the areas I represent in Mayo has been underwhelming, to say the least. For the past three decades, we have been campaigning and advocating for investment for the upgrade of the N26. It is an incredibly busy roadway with thousands of motorists commuting on it every day, but it has had little or no investment over three decades. It is the gateway to the north west a…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I welcome the commitments for funding and prioritisation of the investment in both the N26 and N58. They need to be prioritised and kept on the table and we need a whole-of-Government approach to make sure that these are delivered as soon as possible. More specifically, in respect of the local transport plan for Ballina, we need to see action, not bureaucracy and not consultant after consultant. Simple things, such as traffic lights needing to be replaced, took years to …

I raise a matter that is close to my heart. I met constituents on Monday, the parents of Mike Henry Benson. He was diagnosed with scoliosis. His parents, Penny and Michael, have been battling for their son in recent years, seeking to have the case heard and to get adequate treatment. Mike Henry has neurological impairment, scoliosis and type 2 respiratory failure. He is on oxygen every day and by night is on respiratory support.

I am speaking with the permission of the family. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his contribution. The situation they are asking to be highlighted and addressed relates to a second opinion. Crumlin children's hospital has stated that it cannot operate on Mike Henry. The family is desperate for a second opinion. I am asking that we write to the Minister for Health so we can discuss the matter. I am making representations offline. I am asking that we fight for Mike Henry in this difficult situation for his family. All …

I welcome the Minister of State and thank the front-line personnel throughout the country who responded very quickly to the extreme weather event that affected so many. I offer condolences to Kacper Dudek's family on his tragic passing and on the illnesses and bereavements caused by the storm. If ever there was a case for local government reform, Storm Éowyn has demonstrated it. The orbits of the ESB and Uisce Éireann need to be interlinked with local government and councils. They cannot be operating in silos. We n…

Through the six years in my role as a county councillor prior to being elected to the Seanad, County Mayo was plagued with the challenge of the housing crisis, which impacted right across the county. In council buildings I sat next to people in desperate domestic situations who were looking for a new lease of life and to get on the housing ladder. At a county development plan level, we are told it is down to our local area plan. I sat on the Northern and Western Regional Assembly and we were told in respect of regi…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I welcome the Minister and thank him for his contributions last week and this afternoon. My experience of policing in County Mayo has been very positive. I served on Mayo County Council over the past six years and the model I found most effective and efficient in terms of being close to the people and gardaí being the guardians of the peace on the ground was the community policing model in the towns of Castlebar, Westport, and Ballina where I am from. The community policing model is…

This a moment of great opportunity for Irish sport. This weekend the new League of Ireland season began and I had the good fortune of attending the Bohemians versus Shamrock Rovers game in the Aviva Stadium. It was incredible to see the energy and the enthusiasm and the sheer number of fans who attended. I compliment everyone who was involved in that. Over the weekend 51,000 people attended League of Ireland games in the Premier League division alone. If we compare that with ten years ago, just 18,000 people attend…

I join in congratulating Senator Kyne on his appointment as Leader of the House. I wish him every success and I look forward to working with him. I second Senator Ahearn’s request for a debate with the Minister for Transport. There are a whole swathe of issues in the west of Ireland and projects that urgently need investment and delivery. We need to move on from the stage of talk. There has been much inertia on projects, and a lack of delivery on projects. The western rail corridor, which Senator Cosgrove raised, i…

First, I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his election. Our connection goes further beyond politics to way back when he soldiered on a Fijian island with my sister, Bernadette, and my brother-in-law, Seán. He has come a long way since then.

That will not be in my gift this term, anyway. I congratulate the Cathaoirleach as well as all the Senators from across the Chamber who have been elected or appointed to this House. I have come through three election periods and I thank the people of Mayo who have shown their faith in me in two local elections, a recent general election and in the Seanad election. As we know, our families and friends make such an incredible sacrifice for us to be here in these privileged positions. I thank the people of Mayo, my fa…