Why does it take so long for non-controversial legislation to feed its way through the system and the Civil Service by and large? Why does it take so long for good legislation that will impact on people's live to come through the system? Perhaps the Leader might get an answer to my questions at some stage.

I, too, welcome the Ukrainian Ambassador. I wish to voice my support for the motion and call out, as we do here regularly, the actions of Putin and Russia, and what is going on in Ukraine. It is genocide and it is horrific. We stand in solidarity with the ambassador and her people. I also welcome the two new routes announced by Ryanair to and from Shannon Airport to Porto and Naples. The more routes we have from Shannon, the more people will fly in and out of the airport. That is something that is to be welcomed. I…

The Acting Leader may recall on 3 April this year I spoke on the Order of Business about a young lady, Aimee Foley, from my hometown of Ennistymon. I spoke about her bravery in waiving her anonymity and speaking openly, honestly and candidly about her experience at the hands of her father. I spoke about how disappointed she was with the justice system where he only received a short sentence of five years. I am delighted that Aimee Foley is here in the Gallery today and I would like to welcome her, and her mother, C…

Like others, I was very sorry to hear about the passing of Bridget’s brother, Pat. I absolutely want to pass on my sympathies to Bridget in this very difficult time for her and her family. I thank everybody who attended the briefing that I organised on Digital Day on the whole issue of digital accessibility for people with print disabilities, dyslexia, people who are blind and visually impaired and so on. More than 40 Members of the Oireachtas attended the briefing. I believe that people got a lot out of it. The co…

Hear, hear.

I commend my colleagues for tabling this Bill. It makes absolute sense. As Senator Malcolm Byrne said, similar legislation exists in other countries and there is international precedent for it. I have no doubt but that the Minister of State understands the logic behind this Bill. Why should somebody suffer as a result of a condition they have overcome? There are other people who find it extremely difficult to get a mortgage, for example, people with disabilities. It is shocking how many people are turned down for m…

We need someone in Clare.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is good to see her. This can be an emotive topic but it is an important one. I fully agree with the sentiments of Senator Dooley in regard to his reappointment. I wish him well in that regard. Hopefully it will work out well. Of course, the ambition is always to care for loved ones at home. We should as a society be doing everything we can to ensure that as many people as possible are cared for at home for as long as possible. However, that is not always the case. If…

I thank the Senator and her assistant, Ms Rachel Kerley, for the work they have done in preparing this important motion. Any motion that deals with health is important. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, is committed to creating a healthier Ireland. It does not happen overnight and sometimes requires steps to be taken. We can think back on the history of smoking in this country. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, there was not an enormous amount of education or awareness relating to the difficulties that smo…

An-mhaith.

That is a fair point.

I thank the Acting Chairman. Well done.

It was game changing.

I think it came in on 1 March 2004.

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. It was well put together by the officials and he delivered it well. This legislation will be published in January hopefully and it will undoubtedly be passed swiftly in this House in any event. The Minister of State spoke about 2004. I remember when the Minister for Health at the time, the Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, introduced the smoking ban. The publicans got up and claimed they ran the country and would not let this happen but they got their answe…

Well said.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. I know he is under pressure due to commitments in Dáil Éireann. It shows his commitment to try to come up with a solution to this issue which is a big issue in north Clare. Everyone in farming circles, certainly in County Clare, and in environmental circles understands the huge benefits that the Burren life programme has had in the past ten years and more. We have seen a situation where there has been a contribution in environmental benefits in the region of €40 million…

I thank the Minister for his response. There is no doubt that the ACRES scheme has huge benefits; nobody is disputing that. We are talking about a few hundred farmers who will be negatively impacted. In the overall scale of the financial commitment under ACRES, it is very small. There is a sense of morale, support, recognition and appreciation but ultimately, in these very difficult times, it is down to pounds, shillings and pence. I welcome the Minister's commitment to engaging with the farmers and their represent…

I, too, echo the words of our Leader and Senator Daly on the passing of Vicky Phelan. As Fine Gael spokesperson on health, and having the privilege to be a member of the Joint Committee on Health, I am even more cognisant of the impact that Vicky's campaigning, and the terrible tragedy that happened to her, had in terms of positive change. That positive change certainly has a long way to go. The best way we can pay tribute to Vicky Phelan's legacy is to get the disclosures legislation over the line. I welcome the f…

The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, visited Clare last week and as always, the Minister is always very welcome there. He turned a sod officially on the new Killaloe bridge project, which is badly needed in south-east Clare because there has been traffic congestion there for years. I sincerely hope that we will see the Blake’s Corner project in Ennistimon moving swiftly forward, now that it has overcome the An Bord Pleanála hurdle. The point about which I was most disappointed with the Minister's visit to Clare was his…