Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I fully accept, agree with and support the premise that any expansion needs to be grounded in evidence, properly planned and, more importantly, properly resourced. It has to be set up to succeed and we cannot set it up to fail. I ask the Minister of State to convey back to the Department that this drug treatment court has been a pilot since 2001. In case they need reminding, we are now in 2026, which is 25 years or a quarter of a century later. I think the drug treatment court h…

As a Dub, it would be bad grace of me not to welcome the Minister of State. Beidh lá eile ar ár lads. There is no doubt about that. The OPW has a really important remit. It is pivotal to minding, operating, planning, developing and delivering our public buildings, heritage, national monuments and, obviously, responding to and mitigating against flood risk. In the constituency in which I live, I am really privileged. People in the capital city are really privileged. The Phoenix Park, the Botanic Gardens and Collins …

Last week, I had the privilege of leading a delegation from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use to a conference in Reykjavík, Iceland, that was organised by Planet Youth. At the conference, we heard from dozens of expert speakers, policymakers and practitioners from more than 20 countries on five continents. The theme of the conference was building sustainable communities and using prevention to protect young people and ensure they reach their full potential. It was held in Iceland, which, back in the 1990s…

I would like to draw the House's attention to the call this week from the national lottery for an outright ban on betting on the national lottery. We are all familiar with the national lottery. It helps fund sports organisations, voluntary organisations, cultural organisations, youth clubs and all manner of activities and organisations within our communities. This week, however, the national lottery published an independent report completed by Indecon, on the socio-economic impact of the national lottery. Basically…

I second the motion.

I thank the Minister for coming to the Seanad and for engaging with us on this important matter. I commend him on the work that he and his Department are doing, the seriousness with which they are treating the issue of inadequate capacity in our prisons and the emphasis they are putting on the increased use of non-custodial sentences. It is all to be commended and I support it. Prison will always have a place in our justice system. I firmly believe that. The Minister securing €500 million in funding to increase cap…

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. Fáilte to everyone in the Gallery. Today the Tánaiste brought to Cabinet a paper for discussion on the economic forecast for our country. I would like the Acting Leader to arrange a debate in the House on the economic forecast with a particular focus on the cost-of-living pressures being experienced by households and businesses. We are very fortunate to live in a country with a strong, stable economy. We have full employment and growth continues to be forecast. However, my unde…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to respond to my Commencement matter. I am looking for an update from Government on the proposal to give powers to local authorities to raise revenues. The Minister of State is a great friend of local authorities and all 31 of them do invaluable work in all of our communities across the country. However, local authorities are highly dependent on centralised Government funding. While they have powers to raise revenues through the LPT and rates, they struggle to meet all o…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Minister of State. I welcome the confirmation from the Government of its commitment to give powers to local authorities to introduce, if they so choose, a visitor charge. It is very welcome that the Government is supporting this initiative from local authorities. Each local authority is an independent authority and will determine in its own good time and based on its own circumstances the appropriateness or not of a visitor tax. It is the Government's job to support our local authorities to…

Yes.

As convener of the Irish-Hungarian Parliamentary Friendship Group I congratulate the Hungarian people on their recent democratic election. It is really heartening to see democracy in action in the way we did in Hungary last weekend. I congratulate Péter Magyar - and apologise if I have mispronounced his name - the Tisza Party, but most importantly the Hungarian people. I thank the outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Administration and all those who served under him for a peaceful transition. It is really i…

I thank the Minister for coming in for this motion. I want to commend the Sinn Féin Senators on bringing the motion forward. Not every person is born equal and not every person is lucky in the lottery of birth. The circumstances someone is born into can be greatly enhanced if they have the opportunity to have access to good schools and a good community. Youth services are an essential part of that. Youth services provide young people with the capacity to develop their confidence and life skills and to learn life sk…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, for coming to the House this morning. My Commencement matter in the Seanad is to seek an update from the Minister of State with responsibility for local government on the local democracy task force. I commend the Minister on having established it very promptly after the Government was formed to build on the work that had been done by the previous Government to strengthen the role of local councillors. The Minister of State is very aware of what is involv…

I agree with the Minister of State's statement. The work was completed in an incredibly efficient and professional way but also in a very engaging way. The task force report is not just representative of the local authorities, their members and their executives, but also of civil society. That is incredibly valuable and the Minister will value it. I just urge the Minister of State to go back to the Department and Minister and really encourage them to take action swiftly, to respond promptly to the task force's repo…

Overnight we learned of an historic legal judgment in the case taken in the US by parents of a minor against big tech on the causes of harm to minors. Essentially, it is the first time ever that a jury has found that the design of social media, not the content, can cause harm to minors. Platforms such as Meta and YouTube were found negligent and liable for failing to warn users, with evidence showing they knew about the risks of compulsive use, mental health impacts and harmful design features. For the first time, …

I am sure all the boys and girls from Newtownmountkennedy celebrated St. Patrick's Day this week. I hope they had a great time. Last week I attended two Irish events in London and I commend Bord Bia, the Irish Embassy in the UK and Tesco Ireland on organising a fantastic showcase of Irish food producers. Tesco has its "Love Irish Food" partnership and is supporting small indigenous Irish producers to expand on the island of Ireland, into the UK and across Europe. It was fantastic to see Folláin, Silver Pail, Kerryg…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Seanad today to address my Commencement matter seeking an update on the GPO on O'Connell Street, Dublin. The GPO on O'Connell Street is so much more than just a post office. Designed by the famous Irish architect Francis Johnston, it was first opened in 1818 and has gone through many iterations in its lifetime of more than 200 years. In 1916 it was the centre point for the Rising. The building was largely demolished after 1916. It was not until the twenties that a dec…

That is welcome progress. I particularly welcome the fact that provision is being made for public consultation on the future use of the GPO. It is identified as a building that can accommodate many different uses and not just the post office and museum but also the commercial and retail space. That complex is over 2,500 sq. m. It is an enormous building complex when you are inside it. The facade is impressive but does not do justice to the space that lies behind it. We need actively and ambitiously to pursue the us…

This morning, as we gather here in the Seanad, I am very mindful of the people in the Middle East who are under direct attack and threat. I am really concerned about the civilians - the men, women and children of all ages - who are living in fear for their lives. I am particularly concerned for our own Irish civilians. I acknowledge the messaging from the Minister for foreign affairs and the Department of foreign affairs. I acknowledge the support of our consulate and embassy staff in the region. They are all doing…

I thank the Minister of State for updating the House on the Government's plans for the forthcoming EU Presidency. Obviously, it is a real honour for Ireland to take the Presidency. As the Minister of State said, it will be the eighth time that Ireland will have held the Presidency of the EU Council. I commend all of the staff in the Department, not just here in Dublin but across Europe, who are working to make our Presidency of the Council of the European Union a successful one. It is occurring at a time of unprece…