Amendment No. 33 is out of order.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Burke Burke, to the House. I wish to raise an issue which is very important for many people in Monasterevin, County Kildare. This issue has been going on since 2014. I am seeking an update, and wish to go through some detail with the Minister of State. The day care centre in Monasterevin was closed by HSE Estates in 2014 on health and safety grounds, and since then Monasterevan Gaelic Football Club, GFC, has kindly allowed the day care committee to rent its pavilion to contin…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. This is so important for the town of Monasterevin. For many of the older people who use the centre, this is their life. Two days a week they head down to Monasterevan GAA to enjoy the facilities. It is a social outlet. The committee hopes to extend that to three days a week when the new centre opens. The question arising from what the Minister of State has said today and the timelines he has given is whether the HSE is 100% sure we will have a new day care centre in Mona…

I will raise two matters today, with the first relating to what a colleague from south Kildare has just raised with the Leader, namely, the Monasterevin day care centre. We are both asking that it be made fit for purpose as quickly as possible. The day care centre was closed by the Health Service Executive estates in 2014 on health and safety grounds, and since that time Monasterevin Gaelic Football Club has kindly allowed the day care centre to rent its pavilion and continue the service on an interim arrangement. …

Next week will be the first anniversary of our discussion on Jadotville, which was supported by all sides of the House. Of course, we recently passed the 60th anniversary of this great military event. These Irish soldiers are not just regarded as heroes in their homeland, but by a growing number of people worldwide. I recently came across the wording of the surrender document of Commandant Patrick Quinlan at Jadotville. It is important to put it on the record of the House: Jadotville, 17 September 1961. I Commandan…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I thank the Fine Gael Senators who tabled this Private Members' motion. Obviously, it is timely, given what happened across the water in Glasgow this week. I acknowledge the detailed presentation by the National Transport Authority, NTA, that all Senators received this week. It was exciting in parts. The motion calls for investment in existing rural and regional bus services. Many of the services needed in the south Kildare area where I live were referenced in the prese…

The Senator cannot share time when responding, unfortunately.

I second the amendment.

I support Senator Moynihan for bringing this Bill before us. It is very important to give the support that has been given throughout the House given its importance to our student population and how we treat those who are the future of our country. As my Labour Party colleagues said, we have a crisis in student accommodation but it is one that did not need to happen. I am glad the Government is not opposing this Bill, which would stop developers using the loopholes they are using at the moment to convert purpose-bui…

I want to be associated with the vote of sympathy at the start of business today on behalf of the Labour Party. I want to raise two issues today. The first is to seek a further debate on housing. My colleague, Senator Moynihan, has continued to raise the housing crisis on an almost daily basis. In asking for a debate I want to reference an interview I heard this morning on my local radio station, KFM, on my way to the House. Professor Rory Hearne of Maynooth University was interviewed about an article he had writte…

I join my colleagues across the political spectrum in welcoming the announcement that BAM has been awarded the long-awaited contract for the Athy distributor road. My home town has been waiting a long time for this announcement. It is great news and has been widely welcomed by the people of Athy. All we want now is to see the diggers on the ground - the sooner, the better. I also support colleagues in regard to the construction of a second bridge in Newbridge, which is essential for the growth of the town. I wish t…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House today. There is no doubt we were all looking forward to a post-Covid Ireland. Many people who have spoken to me do not want to return to what they experienced before. They want a new Ireland where their loved ones can get a hospital appointment within a reasonable time, where they do not have to pay the equivalent of a second mortgage for caring for their children, and where there is the prospect of houses built in their towns and villages that they can afford to rent or…

We all had.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. He has said that the committee is reviewing the significant positives and negatives but I will again mention an issue that has been mentioned by everybody else who has spoken here this afternoon. I refer to an issue that has featured in every local newspaper, including local papers in County Westmeath. I was shocked to learn, especially as someone who lives in the midlands, that just over three weeks ago this country, which is famed for the quality of its peat, imported…

I accept that but let me quote the Minister of State again. He said that he had no problem with extracting peat extraction from the planning process. That is what he said.

I am not quoting the Minister of State on that but on the whole issue, which is why we need three Ministers. I accept that he did not say that but I quoted him correctly in terms of the exemption from peat extraction. We need three Ministers to debate these matters because, as my colleagues have said, different versions have come from sections of the Government, which is always difficult to deal with when one must deal with the people that I encounter on the ground. I am aware of the current problems with the propo…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House to address what I feel is an important matter for many people in this country, especially those in my county, Kildare. I am sure that, like me, the Minister of State has assisted many people and families with what has always been a worthwhile grant. The grant has made such a difference to the day-to-day lives of so many older people and families with medical issues who needed assistance with the quality of life of their loved ones. Over the past year, many families have …

I thank the Minister of State for his reply, the final few sentences of which addressed precisely the problems people have raised with me. It goes without saying that other Senators are dealing with similar matters. Building costs have risen exponentially over the past 24 months and the grant has not kept pace. I have had people cry on the other end of the telephone line as they told me that a loved one was in hospital and could not come home to them. Increasing the grant by a relatively small amount could make the…

I thank the Minister of State. I would say the invitations are in the post at this stage.

I thank Senator McGreehan for bringing us all together to wear pink today and make people aware of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We remember my own mother, who died seven years ago having unfortunately succumbed to cancer, initially breast cancer. It is great to remember but, as other Members have said today, it is important that as many women and men as possible come forward to get tested. I again thank Senator McGreehan. I agree with my Kildare colleague that St. Brigid's Day is a great day for a national public…