I would like to take this opportunity to join colleagues in mourning the loss of a friend and former Member of this House, Ernie Caffrey, and offer my sincere condolences to his family. Ernie was a representative of both Mayo and Sligo county councils at different times in his life. He has a unique legacy and served here in the Upper House from 1997 to 2002. He lived an incredible life dedicated to family life, community life, volunteerism and the common good. He was a volunteer on the Moy Valley Resources board of…

I would also like to acknowledge and welcome the Swedish ambassador to the House. Today I would like to highlight the 40th anniversary of Knock Airport in my home county of Mayo. This is an incredible milestone for what was snubbed as the "foggy boggy runway" when it was first proposed to be built. However, Monsignor James Horan had the vision to light that spark in the west and to have the faith to see through what many people dismissed as a project that could not be done. He famously said, "They said it couldn't …

Is the Senator saving to buy a Volvo truck?

It is a Volvo truck he is saving for.

I welcome Ailbhe and thank her for being here to support me in an internship role. I welcome confirmation by the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Deputy O'Brien, that his Department will now undertake an integrated strategy on the use of surplus renewable energy. It is an issue I have raised many times in committee and on the floor of Seanad Éireann, specifically focusing on dispatch down when turbines are being turned off because of oversupply to the grid. The Minister's confirmation today is very…

I welcome the MEPs from Midlands-North-West. I put on record my support for the suspension of the Israel trade deal with the EU. It has been mentioned by many Senators. This is the mechanism that Ireland should use in supporting all MEPs. Do they all support that suspension? It is the most pragmatic approach to take in a European context. That is the best move forward. There has been progress on the occupied territories Bill here, but at European level, we can have an impact on what is a devastating humanitarian cr…

I join my colleagues and Senators from across the House in congratulating our former colleague, Seán Kyne, on his magnificent election in the by-election. He has been a brilliant colleague to work with over the past 18 months or so and has a wealth of experience that he will return to the Lower House, Dáil Éireann. I congratulate him, his family, and everyone who helped to make it possible. I wish him well. He will definitely be a loss to this House. I raise flood relief schemes and the OPW. In my area of north May…

I thank the Minister of State for being here this morning. My Commencement matter is quite straightforward. There has been incredible social unrest, and unrest generally, due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, with Israel and the US targeting Iran and the knock-on effect that has had with Iranian missile strikes on a number of countries in the Middle East where we have many of our citizens. Thankfully, many of our citizens are returning home safely. There has been improved connectivity. I acknowledge the Min…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. My motivation here is to make that it as easy as possible for people returning home and for a bit of flexibility to be given to them. I acknowledge the reply and understand it is so important we have safe roads and strong regulations in that way, but we also need to be dynamic, practical and fluid as we were during the invasion of Ukraine in the context of the unrest and ongoing war in the Middle East that have resulted in our citizens being displaced. It is great to see…

This morning, I want to raise the upcoming new round of sports capital grants and the proposed introduction of the arts capital grant. It will be good to have both schemes. The arts capital grant is a new scheme. The sports capital grant benefits every community, town and village throughout the country. I reiterate the point I have made previously about some areas having a low amount of sporting infrastructure. Perhaps an urban area is without all-weather playing fields, for example, AstroTurf pitches, while other …

I welcome the visitors to the Gallery. Yesterday, I raised the issue of the Irish expeditionary team that was very close to the summit of Mount Everest and had, the previous night, made an attempt. I am glad to report, as others may have seen, that the Irish team reached the summit overnight. The team included Mayo man and former footballer, Pádraig O'Hora, along with Eanna McGowan from Dublin and Adam Sweeney from Waterford, along with the leadership of their team leader, Jason Black. It is an incredible achieveme…

I would like to raise the opportunity that we have to realise the oversupply of wind energy across Ireland. As we know, at certain times, especially at night-time, there is an oversupply. Some €500 million worth of wind energy is wasted every year, which means a huge amount is left uncaptured. I am calling for consideration of grant supports for battery storage for residential units at night-time rates, perhaps at the EV rate. Where there is an oversupply of electricity, it provides a great opportunity for househol…

I, too, welcome the visitors to the Gallery. Knocking on doors in both Dublin and Galway in recent weeks has been very useful to keep abreast of different challenges facing people and keep the finger on the pulse. As we know, one of the great issues of the day is housing. One of the suggestions that was raised with me, and one I would like the Minister for housing and the Government generally to consider, relates to the whole process of buying a home where first-time buyers and others trying to purchase a forever h…

I thank the Minister of State for being here and I thank my colleagues for putting forward such an important Private Members' motion. Like Senator Cathal Byrne, I wish to first acknowledge the fallen heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty in service to the State. The gardaí from my home county of Mayo are Garda Brian MacNeill, Garda Henry Gerard Byrne, Detective John Morley, Garda Robert McCallion, Detective Garda Colm Horkan, and fellow Ballina man, Garda Anthony Golden. Some of these gave the …

I call on the Minister for justice, Jim O'Callaghan, to provide some clarity regarding the local safety partnerships that were established following the bringing to an end of the joint policing committees. I was a member of Mayo's joint policing committee for a number of years and found it to be an excellent forum to discuss policing-related issues in a very constructive, community-led way. In Mayo - I believe it is the same in other counties - there is a lack of clarity around the attendance of the media at meetin…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. My Commencement matter arises from work I have done with Councillor Ben Ward in Tullow, County Carlow. I have also worked with Senators Garret Ahearn, Maria Byrne, Garret Kelleher and P. J. Murphy on this issue. We are making a clear request for a reduction in the maximum payment under the drugs payment scheme, DPS, from €80 to €60 in budget 2027. I know that budgets are finite, but there is a commitment in the programme for Government to explore a reduction in the maxi…

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. The improvements and advancements in health outcomes in Ireland have been incredible. I know we give the HSE and the health service a fair bashing at times, but the advancements and improvements, including improved access to healthcare for the whole population, have been incredibly pronounced. That being said, in a cost-of-living crisis, consideration should be given in the next budget to further reducing the maximum payment. I ask for further engagement with the Taoisea…

I thank the Minister of State for being here for this very important discussion about vital supports needed for the fisheries sector. Since taking over as Minister of State, he has inherited many challenges in the sector. I thank him and acknowledge the work he has done on behalf of the sector and the support he has given Senators right across the House and Oireachtas Members generally. It has been an incredibly difficult time for the fisheries sector. Recently, Senators O'Donovan and Boyle and I hosted a discussio…

I want to first welcome Gavin Brennan Morrow to the House. He is an intern with me and is a student in St. Muredach's College, my former secondary school. He is also a great active musician and a member of the community in Ballina. I welcome him to Seanad Éireann this morning and thank him for his assistance throughout the day. I also want to wish the best of luck to St. Joseph's Secondary School, Foxford. It is in the FAI schools national U15 B cup final against Coláiste na Sceilge, Cahersiveen, in Limerick this a…

I thank the Minister of State as well as the Minister who was present earlier, for being here for this incredibly important debate and for listening intently on the contributions that have been made. We are in a perilous situation where nothing is the same as it was previously. We have seen that with the weaponisation of fuel and energy following Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. We have seen it more recently in the Middle East with the Strait of Hormuz. We see how quickly anarchy can be at risk of breaking out, wheth…