I lend my support to a fellow Mayo native, Ms Margaret Loftus, who has shared her horrific story as a domestic abuse survivor. I highlight that Oireachtas Members will have an opportunity tomorrow in the audiovisual room to hear her story first hand, to hear about the harrowing experience she had and to see the bravery she now has in sharing her story so that other women do not experience what she has had to go through over the past number of years. I acknowledge Senator Tully and Deputy Conway-Walsh, who are hosti…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Grealish, to Seanad Éireann this morning. The issue I wish to raise is in relation to the Decision Support Service, DSS, and the registration system for enduring power of attorney, EPA. It is quite a technical matter. It stems from a meeting I had with a constituent during a clinic late last year in my office in Ballina. The Minister of State will know that an EPA is a legal arrangement that can be set up by a person to allow someone they know and trust to look after their pr…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. The main point of me raising this issue is that it becomes as stress-free and easy to use as possible. I welcome the proposed measures in relation to additional supports later this year with the launch of the website and the one-stop-shop support. I would like to see as much public consultation and engagement as possible. The gentleman who put it on my radar has a lot to offer with his contribution and experience. He wants to share that experience so that n…

I thank the Minister of State for being here for this Private Members' motion. In particular, I thank Senator Conway for leading on it. I welcome all the guests in the Gallery who are here to listen to the debate. I raised this issue on the floor of the Seanad last year. Unbeknown to me, a day previous, Senator Conway had a Commencement matter on it. I raised it having been contacted by the Bonniconlon Irish Countrywomen's Association, ICA, group in my home county of Mayo whose members are very passionate about see…

I thank the Minister of State for being here for this worthwhile debate. He has inherited a lot of challenges during a difficult time for the inland, onshore and offshore sectors. He faces no shortage of challenges. As previous speakers stated, we all acknowledge his engagement to date with all fishery and advocacy groups for the sector as a whole because so many challenges need to be dealt with. On a continental level we need more support from friends and colleagues across Europe because the whole idea of the Euro…

Today I want to highlight the desperate need for improved ambulance services and resources in County Mayo and, in particular, the Erris region. It is something I highlighted about this time last year. At the time there were some notable improvements after it was highlighted but sadly over recent months there have been numerous instances that have been well highlighted nationally in relation to tragedies that have occurred in Belmullet and the Erris region. Sadly, lives were lost, and no ambulance was able to meet a…

I call for immediate interventions. I welcome the fact that another ambulance is going to be allocated for Castlebar. We need that to be expedited and delivered for the people of Erris immediately. I acknowledge all those who have advocated for it. We need to do more to ensure a region like Erris, which is sparsely populated and rural, does not feel detached and undersupported in terms of these critical health services. I ask that those services be expedited and delivered for the people of the region.

I first offer my vote of sympathy to the family of Grace Lynch on her tragic passing and to all my Fianna Fáil colleagues on the passing of former Senator and MEP Brian Crowley. I offer my condolences. Last week, after a positive week of housing developments in my home town, Ballina, from a both affordable and social housing point of view, I was travelling down the road from Leinster House and my phone began to receive many calls from residents in the Parkside area. It was about an incident I will highlight here th…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. What I am stating here is all on the public record. I am conscious of this and I will not be naming names. I want to highlight the thinking behind this, for Mayo's sake and for the sake of every county and community. The individual had caused eight separate incidents in prison and was deemed to be a risk to the public. He had thrown boiling water over a prison warden's face. For whatever reason, it was decided he would be relocated to Ballina although he had no connection to the area. Thi…

I will start on a positive note. The active travel funding is very much welcome for communities right across the country. Indeed, there are some positive projects in my home county of Mayo. However, I must highlight the huge disappointment in Balla and Westport about the fact that funding was provided for either in the context of infrastructure that is much needed. At the Ardboley junction in Balla, a greenway was developed. There was huge expectation that the town of Balla would be connected from the outskirts rig…

As a member of the Committee on Transport, I would like to highlight a matter. Yesterday, I travelled to Leinster House and listened to "The Tommy Marren Show" on Midwest Radio when Darren Forde phoned in. He was recognised as Mayo person of the year and is a brilliant community activist from Hollymount. He has led the Hollymount community first responders and is a very entrepreneurial man. We are all very proud of him. He pioneered eco-powered defibrillators. Mr. Forde highlighted an accident where a car left the …

Last weekend, I attended the launch of the Lahardane community futures action plan. I have been a long-time time advocate for community empowerment. I highlight the community futures initiative and the positive impact it has on communities across the country. At the launch of the Lahardane community futures initiative, the committee, led by Caoimhín Rowland, engaged over 400 households. It identified a range of issues and ways to improve the community for the betterment of the next generation. The 400 households in…

I would like to highlight the benefit of community policing across the country. In my home county of Mayo, community policing has been an excellent way to provide security and peace and has been a positive touch point for gardaí and members of the public. We have seen brilliant benefits of that in Ballina, Castlebar, Westport and other towns in Mayo where the community policing team goes above and beyond looking out for people, being a touch point with youth services, checking in on the elderly, being a visible pre…

I share Senator O'Donovan's disappointment and anger at the proposals at EU level to reduce fishing quotas for the Irish fishing industry. In particular, we see a disparity in the distribution of quotas, which I have raised on the floor of this House many times, where 1% of the quota is shared among 1,500 vessels, while 99% is shared among 50 vessels. This is being played out right across Europe, where we see that the bigger, more industrial fishery operations are benefiting more from the distribution of quotas as …

I thank the Minister of State for being here. Today I advocate for an amendment to Part 9 of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022. For those unfamiliar with the Act, it helps people to access information on their origins, especially in cases of adoption or incorrect birth registrations. Part 9 specifically deals with correcting birth records when new information comes to light such as through official records or DNA testing. The proposed change is simple but vital in the context of the people affected by it. …

I thank the Minister of State for his reply, which I welcome. This is a particular, niche and sensitive issue that affects a certain cohort of people who deserve dignity, ownership of their identity and choice about their privacy. The changes being asked for are reasonable, sensitive and will give great dignity and ensure the complexity of each story is protected and held and is publicly available where the individual so wishes. I welcome the consultation proposal and I encourage the Minister to engage as widely as…

I wish to highlight the benefit of the rural regeneration development fund, RRDF, and how it has impacted positively on so many communities, towns and villages across the country. I also wish to lend my support to the town and community of Ballinrobe. The people in the community there, supported by the local development company in south-west Mayo, have come together and shown incredible leadership to propose the regeneration of a historic building, namely the old Valkenburg building. The latter is a protected struc…

I wish to highlight discussions on urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, and rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, funding. As the Leader knows, the URDF is a substantial fund for urban regeneration development. We have benefited from it in the innovation quarter of my home town of Ballina. Proposals around additional URDF projects need to be pursued in consultation with the local community, no matter where that is and what town that is. There are proposals and discussions for the quay area in Bal…

I want to raise an issue that has been highlighted to me by Bonniconlon ICA, a group of brilliant volunteers and community activists who have done great things in their community and continue to do so. They have highlighted, as concerned residents in Mayo, the policy on the shingles vaccine. They request its inclusion in the national vaccination programme funded by the HSE for the general population, similar to programmes in the UK and Australia. Shingles is a serious condition with potentially debilitating effects…

I thank the Minister of State for being in the House for this very important legislation. I acknowledge Senators Rabbitte and Daly for their great work in bringing this Bill to the floor of the Seanad. It is a very common-sense and practical Bill for all the reasons outlined. I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy. We all know too well that, because of climate change, the increased intensity of rainfall and the predicted increase in such intensity will have pronounced imp…