I thank the Minister of State for facilitating this discussion and for his work to date in this area. Sport is the great connector of communities and civic life. It brings people and communities together. It can be such a force for good in terms of both physical and mental health. We need standardisation of provision of sporting facilities across the country. One town or village that has a competent community group should not receive all the different funding for various types of infrastructure while a place with a…

The Minister is very welcome. I thank him for his work in an exciting period in Ireland's ambitions for transport. As he outlined, there are many exciting and ambitious projects being proposed at different stages across the country. BusConnects will be a very positive measure in improving connectivity and access for people across the cities. The improvements to the regional bus networks have been welcomed, while the expansion of rail services to different regions across Ireland and the reduction in fares have seen …

Happy birthday, Minister.

I welcome the opportunity we have to make statements on transport this week. I wish to highlight road safety. Sadly, 19 fatalities occurred on Mayo roads last year, which is an astounding figure and a sad and damning statistic. I highlight an issue of safety on the N17 roadway travelling from Charlestown towards Knock Airport. The reason I raise it is that it is the responsibility of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. We need it highlighted in the Seanad to put pressure on for a community that is living in fear…

The Minister of State is welcome. The housing crisis affects the whole island and it is important we use every measure at our disposal to unlock one of the great social challenges of our time. The croí cónaithe scheme has been delivered specifically for land or building owners. It is a positive measure. It began for towns with populations of more than 600 people. Something I campaigned for when I was in Mayo County Council was that it be expanded to the whole countryside, to towns and villages, because we have cott…

I also welcome my guest, Mr. Fitzpatrick. It is great to have him in the Public Gallery of the Chamber. I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am well aware of the repair and lease scheme. It is an excellent scheme, but it is not the same as the croí cónaithe scheme with its city-style development. The repair and lease scheme provides funding of up to €80,000 per unit. It specifies that beneficiaries take tenancies from the county council. Croí cónaithe, on the other hand, is a more private sector-led devel…

I thank the Minister of State. Before I call on Senator O'Loughlin to reply, I welcome Mr. Joe Druhan, Fr. Richard Redmond and Fr. Odhrán Furlong to our Distinguished Visitors Gallery. They are guests of the Ceann Comhairle, Deputy Verona Murphy. They are very welcome.

Before I call Senator Kennelly to reply, I welcome to the Public Gallery Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn's guests, who are from the Neighbourhood Management Team.

I thank the Minister of State for his time this afternoon in addressing the Commencement matter of Senator Kennelly.

I welcome to the distinguished guests in the Visitors Gallery. This morning, I raise an issue that has an effect on community groups across the country, which is the lack of pay parity between Tús and rural social scheme, RSS, workers and their equivalent community employment scheme supervisors. The Tús scheme and the RSS are an incredible lifeline and the lifeblood of rural communities. They do brilliant work supporting GAA clubs, community groups and village and town enhancements, but there is a total lack of par…

First, I welcome my friend from Castlebar and colleague in Fine Gael, Councillor Donna Sheridan, who is in the Gallery. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I thank him for his engagement and work done to date. It is great to see a Ministry for fisheries. As previous speakers have outlined, including an impassioned contribution by Senator Manus Boyle, there is an awful lot that needs to be done to fight the corner for Irish fisheries at a European level. The hook and line mackerel policy is an issue of con…

Could we extend the time to discuss the mussel farms and the quotas for hook and line?

I thank the Minister of State.

The mackerel.

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. This matter is quite a niche one and affects very few individuals in the country who take up and are willing to put themselves forward and put their name on a ballot paper to represent their community, district and county. This matter relates to front-line workers who are full-time firefighters and put themselves in the way of danger at a moment's notice to protect and defend communities. They are often well-known figures within communities and are heavily involved…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. Obviously I am disappointed by it and I contest it. The key message in the reply is that section 161 "... allows the Minister to designate such class, description or grade of employments to which this restriction does not apply or to specify conditions under which the restriction does not apply". There is scope for flexibility there. It is a stroke of a pen. It is a power within the gift of the Minister. Regarding full-time firefighters, a small, niche group of people, p…

I so propose.

I join colleagues in supporting third level students throughout the country who have been shocked over the past few days by the proposals to increase third level fees. I was a students’ union president, as was Senator Harmon. We worked together at the same time in students’ unions. It was a time of deep economic recession and support through SUSI grants and supports through a contribution on student fees were what kept students in and out of college. I was students’ union president on GMIT’s Mayo campus, which is n…

We do not need to make any political thing out of what is a difficult time and a concerning proposal for students and families who are to the pin of their collar in a cost-of-living crisis. The proposal needs to be stopped. We need to find a solution for it. We do not need to play politics on what is a really important issue and we need to deliver for students and third level as we committed to in the Private Member’s Bill we brought in May. We need to deliver on that and I hope the Minister, Deputy Lawless, and al…

Before I make my contribution, I acknowledge the James McNeive Foundation, in memory of James McNeive, who tragically died last year. His friends and family will, over the next five days, climb five peaks across Ireland and the UK. They began yesterday in Ben Nevis in Scotland and will complete their efforts and climbs on Saturday on Croagh Patrick in his native County Mayo. He was from Aghamore. They are raising a huge amount of money for different local charities that are close to the family's hearts. I use this …