I join the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Leader in welcoming the ambassador and the staff from the embassy. I wish them and all Slovenians everywhere a very happy Independence Day. The girls from Bray are very welcome too. Yesterday the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use launched its final report. The report is a culmination of nine months of work, with 25 public meetings and many more private meetings, not all of them harmonious and many of them quite contentious. We had 150 witnesses and out of those expert wi…

I welcome the Aire and thank him for coming to the House for the debate. With the agreement of the House, I will share my speaking time with Senator O'Loughlin.

I move that: “That Seanad Éireann: agrees that: - strong, empowered local government is a cornerstone of balanced regional development and effective public service delivery; - local authorities play a critical role in maintaining the public realm, delivering essential services and supporting vibrant communities, yet continue to operate with limited independent revenue-raising powers; - empowering local authorities with appropriate revenue-raising tools will: - support well-maintained, vibrant communities; - enhance…

I thank the Minister for coming to the house for this evening's debate on a Fianna Fáil motion which seeks to give powers to local authorities to have additional revenue raising capacity. The motion is fundamentally about strengthening local democracy and empowering local government by giving it additional revenue-raising powers. At the outset, it is important that I acknowledge that this is an initiative and proposal that is coming from our local authorities. It is coming from Dublin City Council. I want to acknow…

Ah now.

I thank the Minister for his response. I thank all of the Senators for their engagement on the debate. This House is largely elected by local authority members and it would be remiss of us not to dedicate some of our agenda and time to debating an issue that, as Senator Andrews alluded to, has been debated for ten years. It is not coming out of nowhere. As the Minister outlined, it has been the subject of many independent studies and forms part of proposals from the city task force and the local democracy task forc…

He may be that. However, we are all residents in the city, or at least those of us in Dublin, and it is very easy to be critical. I am often critical of Dublin City Council. The House has heard me criticise the council at times so I think I can be objective too. However, fair is fair. It would be wrong for us to end this debate without accepting, as was mentioned, that €1.6 billion of an annual budget is enormous. However, Dublin City Council is not some rogue organisation operating without any checks and balances …

Déanaim comhghairdeas to the Leader. I wish him well in his new role. I know he will do great. I congratulate his family, who are very welcome. I am sure it is a proud moment for them. It is very well deserved. I look forward to working with the Leader in his new role. As my party's spokesperson for Dublin and the Dublin city task force, I welcome the decision taken by the Government this morning to transfer the ownership of the GPO from the Department of culture to the Office of Public Works, OPW. This is another …

I remind Senators that a Senator may speak only once on each amendment on Report Stage, except the proposer of an amendment, who may reply to the discussion on the amendment. Also on Report Stage, each amendment must be seconded. Amendment No. 1 arises out of Committee proceedings. Amendments Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together, by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Amendments Nos. 4 to 6, inclusive, and 10 are related, and may be discussed together, by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Amendments Nos. 7 and 8 are related and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I welcome the ambassador and congratulate her, her country and her community on their national day. I hope they enjoy the celebrations, which are well-deserved. The media is dominated consistently by negative stories when it comes to housing and it is important for people to recognise the challenge but also recognise the progress being made. On that basis, I welcome the announcement from Government this week of additional funding to unlock more homes through the housing infrastructure investment fund. This €1 billi…

A Leas-Chathaoirligh, it was remiss of me not to do the same when I spoke on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group. I congratulate the two Senators. I am really delighted for them and we wish them well. I look forward to working with them in their new roles. They will be super.

The word "ICE" is a really negative word with very negative connotations, but when I said the word "ICE" this morning I was saying it in the north inner city. It is a very positive thing because ICE stands for the Inner City Enterprise. For those who do not know, it is a social enterprise referred to as the hub on the hill. Going up Constitution Hill towards Broadstone, it is on the right hand side. It is the old Dublin City Council Coleraine Street housing depot. It used to be an old housing depot and it became a …

Today is 16 June and it is Bloomsday in Dublin. Even as we were coming into the Chamber, Senators will have seen the straw hats, petticoats, blouses and puffed sleeves. It is a day of real pride for Dubliners but it is a day of international importance. The literary heritage that Joyce left, not just for Dublin but all literary fans and people around the world, is immense. I commend people like Darina at the James Joyce Centre on North Great George's Street, the Joyce Stagers, the National Library, museums, Sweny's…

I thank the Minister for commencing Jennie's law in the Seanad. I acknowledge Jason and Joe Poole, David French and our colleague Deputy Paul McAuliffe. I particularly acknowledge all of the victims. It is Jennie's law, but it is about all the victims who have survived, who are living in fear and, most importantly, those who have not survived and are not here today. It is important legislation. I thank everybody who works on daily basis with victims, such as the volunteers who take phone calls and respond to victim…

Today I would like to draw the attention of the House to the latest report from the European Union Drugs Agency. The drug trends report for 2026 makes for very stark reading from a European perspective but also from an Irish perspective. Ultimately, what it tells us in very clear language is that our challenge with drugs is increasing every day. Drugs are more available, more powerful and more dangerous right across Europe but also here in Ireland and not just in Dublin, but right across the country. It is really i…

I also offer my best wishes to Deputies Seán Kyne and Daniel Ennis, both having been elected to the Dáil. I give a big shout-out to Jordan and Cian Adams, the FTD Brothers. Jordan and Cian carry the frontotemporal dementia gene. They inherited the gene from their mother, Geraldine, who sadly died at the very young age of just 52. Jordan and Cian have been running marathons in every county. They are coming to Dublin and will arrive on 28 May. The work they are doing to raise awareness of dementia is tremendous. More…

As the Deputy Leader is aware, the Oireachtas drugs committee is working to complete its report before the summer recess. As she is also aware, the Minister is producing a new drugs strategy. This week, the Health Research Board, HRB, released its latest report, which shows increasing demand for drug treatment. More than 15,000 individuals sought drug treatment in 2025. The nature of drug use has changed or is changing. It is much more widespread and much more complex. There are multiple drugs. Younger people are u…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I am seeking an update on two matters relating to the Dublin drug treatment court. The Minister of State will be aware that a review of the Dublin drug treatment court pilot has recently been completed. I understand that the report and evaluation in this regard were sent to the Minister. When will the evaluation be published and made available to the public? In the aftermath of publication, what are the Department's plans to make the Dublin drug treatment court…