I thank the Minister of State for being here this evening for this very important discussion on supporting the fishing industry, which is holding on by a thread in certain communities. I compliment Senators Manus Boyle and Noel O'Donovan, who have done great work in representing fishermen and fisherwomen and coastal communities right across the country, for their leadership on this issue. With regard to my home county of Mayo, I will specifically raise the issue of the hook and line-caught mackerel quota, which is …

I join with colleagues in the House in supporting the Orange the World campaign, which supports 16 days of activism against gender-based violence between now and 10 December. I wish to highlight the Soroptimist groups in Ballina and Castlebar, County Mayo. I met this morning with the Ballina group, which has launched its campaign and has a series of events organised between now and 10 December. The Castlebar Soroptimists have similar plans. It is so important for this work to be highlighted here and in every house …

I support the previous speaker's contribution in relation to winter readiness. It is a very good discussion and very worthwhile. I extend my congratulations to my party colleague, Paschal Donohoe, on his retirement from political life after an incredible contribution to the State and to society generally. He has had a remarkable political career. I wish him the best. I have no doubt he will do great things for Ireland and the world in his new position. I call for a discussion with the Minister for sport on the stan…

I thank the Minister of State for joining us for this debate and for all of the contributions made thus far. Like Senator Kyne, my own political experience in relation to immigration has had its own challenges. One of the first interactions we experienced in my home county of Mayo was the war in Ukraine and the huge compassion felt across the country and the willingness to help and empathise with those who were fleeing war and terror in their home country. The Irish response to that has been incredible. Like everyo…

May I also offer my condolences on the tragedy of the five young lives lost on the road. It is an unimaginable thing for a whole community, for their families and friends and I want to offer my sympathies to them. I also wish to share in congratulating the men's national team and its manager, Heimir Hallgrímsson. It has been an incredible few days for Irish sport. It has unified the country in a way that only sport can by bringing people together and celebrating remarkable success. It gives us all a bit of hope goi…

The Minister is welcome to the House this afternoon to discuss the energy and electricity Bill. I welcome the urgency of it moving ahead at speed because we do need to move at speed both in terms of legislating for this important Bill but also in creating the critical infrastructure that is needed to deliver on the ambitions that have been set out by Government, including housing, transport and, indeed, energy. The €1.5 billion investment into ESB Networks over the next five years is critical for the growth and amb…

I wish to highlight the multiple issues that have been raised with me regarding the An Post network, particularly in my home county of Mayo. Councillor Alma Gallagher in Ballyhaunis raised with me the proposal to relocate the delivery unit of An Post to Castlerea. In 2015, this unit was relocated from Bridge Street to the enterprise unit on Clare Street, which is owned by Ballyhaunis Chamber of Commerce. It has operated successfully. It handles approximately 2,000 packages per week and serves many of the businesses…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, to the House. My Commencement matter relates to the living city initiative. The initiative is a tax instrument to stimulate regeneration and redevelopment in cities across Ireland. Budget 2026 extended the living city initiative to other regional towns, including Athlone, Sligo and Drogheda. My call is for this incentive to be expanded to all towns with a population over 10,000. One size does not fit all in trying to solve the housing crisis, as the previous Minister …

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. We need to revisit this. The reason I say that is that anyone who walks through any of our towns with a population of over 10,000 will see substantial buildings in a state of dereliction, disrepair and vacancy. In Mayo, two towns, Castlebar, where the Minister of State is from, and Ballina are examples of that. There is a housing crisis in the towns with a population of over 10,000. Even in rural areas, there are challenges across the board. We need to use every measure …

On 20 November, it will be World Pancreatic Cancer Day. Pancreatic cancer is one of these devastating diseases. In Ireland, 600 people every year are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and, sadly, 500 people pass away within the year. Five in six people pass away within the year of the diagnosis. It is a devastating disease and I would like to highlight efforts to try to improve patient outcomes and conditions for those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Those efforts are led by the co-founder of Pancreatic Cancer Ire…

I join my colleagues, Senators Boyle and Flynn, in raising the issue of defective concrete blocks. I entered politics six or seven years ago. We obviously all enter politics to try to help people, communities and society, and the most pronounced and most pressing issue since I entered political life has been defective concrete blocks, in particular the pyrite situation in County Mayo and the mica situation in County Donegal. People buy a house in good faith, pay their local property tax and home insurance and play …

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, to the Seanad and I welcome the opportunity to discuss the national human rights strategy for disabled people between now and 2030. I wish to make three key points. The first is something we have discussed before in the House. It has come on my radar in the past 12 to 18 months when discussing it with activists within my own community, namely, Changing Places facilities. In the UK, there are Changing Places facilities right across the country in every large town and…

I welcome the Minister of State and the opportunity to support Second Stage of the Air Pollution Bill 2025 on behalf of my Fine Gael colleagues. The negative health implications of poor air quality are stark. The Minister of State identified 1,700 premature deaths per year due to poor air quality. That is a stark figure, which obviously has a major human impact on families and communities, but there is also the financial cost. The ESRI identified that just five air pollution-related conditions cost the State €56 mi…

I welcome to the House the ambassador of the Czech Republic and share in the warm wishes to Peter Finnegan as on his retirement as Clerk of the Dáil. I use this opportunity to highlight the positivity of sport for communities, young people in particular. On my travels here today, I met with the Ballina Town under-17 girls team who had returned to Ireland having competed in Barcelona, where they finished third place in their tournament. The sense of joy from parents, players and coaches at the achievement and experi…

I welcome the Taoiseach to Seanad Éireann. Following Senator Flaherty’s contribution, I will focus on the shared island unit. The unit has a €2 billion fund, which is primarily focused on investment in infrastructure and education and bringing people closer and bringing them together. Before entering politics, I worked on a project in Northern Ireland, which was the creation of the all-island league. It was a proposal to unite the League of Ireland and the Irish League. There is a divided community in the North, fo…

I wish to raise an issue of serious concern to residents in County Mayo, in particular in the Lacken and Ballycastle area. It relates to a proposed wind farm development. In Mayo, we have seen a lot of investment in wind energy and turbines. It is something I support in a structured and considered way. The challenge we have at the moment, however, is that we do not have a clear wind energy strategy published by Mayo County Council. leading to a less considered and strategic approach to different developments. There…

I thank the Minister of State for joining us for such an important discussion on the all-island rail review. I acknowledge and compliment that 7,000 submissions made, the truly inclusive nature of the review and, in particular, the work of different advocacy groups, including West on Track. While I do that, I acknowledge the late John Bradley, who was dedicated in his advocacy as a former economist with the ESRI and an advocate for West on Track and the western rail corridor in particular. He passed away recently w…

I first offer my sympathies to our colleague Senator Teresa Costello on the passing of her father, John Francis. I wish to raise an issue that has been highlighted with me today and that has been publicised all over County Mayo by Michael Conroy of Conroy Motors, which is based in Belmullet, Erris, County Mayo. I refer to the lack of NCT facilities in Belmullet. There are currently two NCT facilities in the county, one in Ballina and one in Westport. If you are living in Belmullet or in the barony of Erris, if you …

I apologise for any confusion earlier. Before we finish for the summer, I thank the Cathaoirleach, all of the team and the Leader for his welcome, help and support to the new Senators. I thank Martin Groves for his professionalism and diligence in the short term I worked with him in the Oireachtas. Indeed, I also thank Bridget Doody, Clerk Assistant of the Seanad. I also support the words of support by Senators Cummins and Ní Chuilinn on the Oireachtas broadcast staff who will be, essentially, on the dole from next…

I attended a briefing for Mayo Oireachtas Members related to the proposed sewage treatment plant in Newport, County Mayo. This proposal has been going on for far too long. The initial proposed completion date was 2023 but the project is still so far off where it should be. What is being talked about now is a completion date of 2030. Raw sewage is flowing into Clew Bay as we speak. Newport is a beautiful, scenic part of County Mayo with a brilliant, vibrant community that is demanding action. We have been waiting fa…