The Minister of State is very welcome. I will be brief and to the point. This matter relates to the upgrade of the facilities at St. Joseph's campus in Longford. We have a fantastic radiology facility there that recently got some aesthetic works done but the X-ray machine is badly in need of an upgrade. A lot of services have been taken away from Longford and moved elsewhere, which means people living in my home county and my local area, in particular north Longford, have to travel upwards of an hour to access them…

I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive reply to all my queries. I am delighted to know that funding is in place and is ring-fenced and that a new X-ray machine will be delivered for Longford by the end of 2023. I would like to see ongoing work expedited regarding Ballyminion. It has been ongoing for a number of years. The Minister of State might bring the message that this needs to be expedited and put in place immediately back to the Minister for Health. The building in Longford is completely outdate…

I want to mention a project I have been involved in since I came into Leinster House. It is well known that I have been advocating on behalf of the autistic community. The joint Oireachtas committee issued a report a number of weeks ago and I look forward to working with my colleagues and making sure that report is implemented and making the changes that need to be made in government. Senators will have received correspondence from me a number of weeks ago about a training programme that we are running here in Lein…

-----and ensure that we set the standard for all Departments and provide employment opportunities for those who may face some challenges in life.

I will read a couple of comments from the Minister’s statement that are pertinent to the past two weeks we have had here. She stated: Public service broadcasting should be independent and have public interest at its core ... [But we] can only do so ... if it is open, truthful, transparent and accountable to the public. She also stated: Public service broadcasting is fundamentally based on trust, the trust between the broadcaster and its audience, the trust between a national institution and the people of the countr…

I concur with Senator Gallagher's comments. I am heavily involved with the GAA in my county, although the population is slightly smaller than County Monaghan. I know the work that goes into every single club, from underage clubs upwards, to get to the position of being in an all-Ireland minor final and an all-Ireland senior semi-final. We wish them and all of those involved in the GAA in County Monaghan well. I welcome the Government's announcement today of the extension of free GP care to six- and seven-year olds.…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I wish to raise a couple of issues and I concur with the comments of Senator Cummins. I also ask that the Minister look to expanding the roles in the various higher education institutions across the therapies. This is an issue of which everyone is well aware. There is a shortage of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, speech and language therapists and this is an area which also needs to be tackled. I call on the Minister to issue expressions of interest to the variou…

The reality is that tourist numbers are down regionally across the country and tourism spend is down in public houses, restaurants and so on due to the lack of rooms, yet some of the hotels do this. It is in Dublin - I will call it out. This could destroy the tourism industry in this country. We have to look seriously at what mechanism we can put in place to stop this happening while supporting the rest of our tourism industry. The reality is that they are being informed by some of the concert providers as to when …

I welcome the Jackman family and my Oireachtas colleagues in the Gallery. I extend my sympathy on their recent bereavement. I personally did not know Mary but my colleagues, the former Deputies James Bannon and Louis J. Belton, spoke very highly of her and served with her in political circles at that time. I wish to acknowledge and express thanks for her service to her community in Limerick, to the country by serving in national politics, and to the Fine Gael party over a lifetime of service.

I wish to refer to the Civil Defence volunteers. While the Bill is being discussed in the House, it is important to put on record our thanks to all Civil Defence units and volunteers in all counties throughout the country for the work they do every single weekend. I think of my own local authority area in Longford. All through Covid and prior to that with flooding issues, we turned to the Civil Defence. It is important to put on record our thanks. During the last two weekends, I have been at numerous events, from t…

Good morning. I will go back to something that has been raised here on numerous occasions by numerous representatives and it relates to the pandemic unemployment payment. I am speaking on behalf of the staff at St. Christopher's Services in Longford, which is a section 39 organisation with more than 200 staff members providing daytime, residential and respite care for many adults and young children in our community. I am aware it is a place the Minister of State knows personally. I know she has visited it and that …

I am a little bit baffled with that reply. It refers to eligible staff working on site in section 39 organisations, which covers St. Christopher's, yet there is reference made constantly to section 38. I just want to get clarity on that. I do not think the Minister of State's response answers what I asked. I does not give me the answer I looked for. I wonder if the Minister of State might be able to clarify it further with specific reference to St. Christopher's.

I welcome the Deputy Leader. I have a couple of issues. I concur with the comments by Senator Black with regard to the INTO. I also met its representatives at their presentation in Buswells Hotel yesterday, and not to repeat it, but I would like to support their very genuine and realistic ask. They are asks that are needed for the education of our youth. One of the proposals was about reducing class sizes and that is something we had in our report yesterday with regard to the Joint Committee on Autism, and reducing…

I support the comments made by Senator Gallagher in regard to the situation with the transfer of staff from the local authorities to Uisce Éireann. This should not be happening. Discussions have been ongoing for a number of years about this. Whatever it takes, we should not see staff go on strike. The Minister needs to intervene with the unions to call off the strike and sit around the table again to make sure we get this resolved. I thank the Cathaoirleach. As he knows, I am Chairperson of the Joint Committee on A…

I welcome the Minister. I echo Senator Lombard's comments in complimenting the Minister on the work he has done in the Department of Justice over the past six months. He has been extremely proactive and I congratulate him. I also want to pay tribute to Young Fine Gael for taking on this campaign over the past 12 months, and for highlighting the issue. Some people probably felt spiking is not an issue in certain areas, but it is an issue on the ground. Despite the figures that have been published with the prevalence…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, to the Chamber. Since being elected to this House in April 2020, this is the fourth occasion on which I have raised the issue of the loss of the rate base of more than €1.2 million to Longford County Council due to the early closure of Lough Ree power station. In September 2020, September 2021 and September 2022 I have raised this issue in the House and we have been successful. I thank the Department for that funding and getting the funding for the following year's …

As I stated, the funding of €1.3 million is for the current year. What I am looking for is a commitment from the Department for the years 2024 to 2026. As stated by the Department, any proposed changes to the current model would need to take into account needs and resources. I understand that the process is ongoing but this is separate from the current model. It was a separate, unique situation in both Longford and Offaly, which have taken a serious hit. We are grateful to the Department for the support we have rec…

I welcome the Minister. In her introduction, she mentioned the just transition fund. I was at the launch in Corlea, a very apt location for the launch of that fund. I see a figure of €68 million ring-fenced and committed for tourism projects. I sincerely hope that the Longford and Offaly, the two counties most affected by just transition, would be prioritised for funding for those projects. I have a meeting tomorrow morning in Abbeyshrule with the tourism committee and providers to look at possibilities for project…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to the Seanad today. I put on record my thanks to her for the work she has done since coming into the role on the formation of the Government. She has been a very strong advocate for people with disabilities and, in particular, those people who are on the autism spectrum, with whom I work in my role as Cathaoirleach of the Joint Committee on Autism. I thank the Minister of State for her support on that. As I know from my involvement in that committee, approximately …

-----whether they are in schools, residential settings, respite care or, indeed, in healthcare settings. I will not mention individual cases here, but it is an issue that has been brought to the committee by parents and parents' representative groups. I ask that it would be looked at and that any changes in the law that need to be made are made to reflect the need for increased protection for those children and families. This would allow for any issue of concern that is brought forward to be dealt with in the same …