I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I will make two points. First, statutorily, if the review should happen, it should happen. Second, from what the Deputy has said, and I do not have the benefit of seeing the Minister's reply, that there are human resources capacity issues. One person should not be doing everything in situations like this. I will speak to the Minister regarding this issue and see what the plans are in this regard.

Again, in the context of this year's budget, a broad range of measures will be discussed. Housing will continue to be the number one priority in respect of taxation and expenditure measures. The finances are in a good state; the Deputy is correct. Obviously, a significant element of these revenues comes from corporation tax, which the Department of Finance is concerned about as being once off. We must, therefore, be prudent in how we deal with the once-off dimension of corporation tax revenues. In the context of th…

Which one?

I knew Dr. Mick Loftus and his family very well. He was a fearless campaigner on alcohol when it was not fashionable. He stood up to the lobbies and advocates for the alcohol industry in a fearless way as a medical person. He was also an outstanding president of the GAA and a great footballer, as well as being a referee of some note. He refereed some important Cork matches down through the years. That included minor matches, and there is a great old story connected to my family, which I will not go into on the floo…

Dr. Mick Loftus was a legendary, iconic figure reflecting the best of the spirit of the west and of Mayo. On the River Deel, I will follow this issue up. From the Deputy's presentation, I am not clear as to whether it is a planning issue that is the problem, if the money is ring-fenced, but I will talk to the Minister.

We have significantly increased investment in wastewater treatment plants since the Government was formed. Investment in wastewater treatment has been consistent over the years. I do not have the specific data on the progress of the one the Deputy identified in Cavan. The Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, and his predecessor, the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, gave particular attention to the allocation to Uisce Éireann in respect of capital allocatio…

The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, can supply a timeline in regard to that. The bottom line is that the Government has resources and has allocated substantial resources to deal with the cost of living to try to help people deal with what have been exceptional increases in the cost of living due to the war in Ukraine and energy crisis. I take the Deputy's point on the need to reduce costs and for the retail price to follow the reduction in wholesale prices. I accept that forward pricing has been a factor in this regar…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. In terms of age more generally, there needs to be more reflection on the regulatory framework governing age in terms of qualifications for things like driving because chronological age does not correspond to medical fitness or health. Someone could be aged 72 or 73 and be very fit, while someone who is aged 55 could be very unfit. Deputy Kenny is smiling at me but I think he gets my drift.

I am a bit off it yet. I read recently that lifespan in Ireland has increased by 25 years over the past 100 years. Otto von Bismarck introduced a retirement age of 65, thinking that there would be no one alive at 65 and, therefore, pensions would not be a significant cost. We are now in a situation whereby there are people aged 75 doing marathons. We will stick to bus drivers for the time being. Flexibility should be applied and I take the Deputy's point.

To be fair, it is excellent infrastructure. It is designed to facilitate the hordes of Waterford supporters who will come to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday to play Cork. It will mean a faster slipstream into the Jack Lynch tunnel, aptly named after one of our greatest hurlers and a man who won six all-Irelands in a row. Inflation happens and costs go up. There is no doubt that piece of infrastructure is a necessity, as is the N24 and N25 the Deputy mentioned.

I do not think we should pit one against the other. There has been an overall increase in the allocation for infrastructure. I hear what the Deputy has said regarding those specific projects. On the bill, we will hand the Deputy the bill when we get it. There is a framework that we agreed already, which has gone through a huge examination by the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform.

That is a very fair point. As we move online and increase the digitalisation agenda, we should always look out for those who are not as efficient online or who find it very difficult. I will ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who has responsibility for local authorities to follow up on that. Local authorities and councillors should also engage with the management to make sure there is a balanced response.

The Minister inherited a difficult and challenging situation in An Bord Pleanála. Resources have been allocated to increase staffing, to the order of 60% of an increase. The challenge when one wishes to rapidly increase human resource capacity is to recruit at the right pace and with the right quality. In the planning area, like everywhere else and every other sector, there is a considerable premium on people. Different organisations are looking for the key expertise. However, no one disagrees there has been a sign…

The Good Friday Agreement is an achievement which the people of this island have every right to be proud of. It was a triumph for constitutionalism, for dialogue and for setting out a new vision for our future. It involved acts of great generosity and bravery, particularly from those who had always believed in and practised the values of peace, democracy and anti-sectarianism. In recent weeks there have been many occasions to retell the events of 25 years ago and to reflect on the tremendous hurdles that were overc…

It is so good that the Deputy is tempted to do so.

I thank Senators for the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. Having discussed the report of the independent review group in the Dáil on 30 March, it is important that Seanad Éireann should also have an opportunity to discuss it. I understand everyone here shares my view that the health, sustainability and strength of our Defence Forces is a question of fundamental national importance. I record my appreciation for the seriousness with which the Upper House has approached this issue. The work and repo…

I thank all Senators for their contributions. Táimid fíorbhuíoch díobh. Níl aon amhras ach gur tuarascáil den scoth atá againn anseo agus go mbeidh dea-thionchar aige ar Óglaigh na hÉireann sna blianta atá romhainn. Táim an-bhuíoch den bhreitheamh as ucht cé chomh cuimsitheach is atá an tuarascáil. Tá ceachtanna le foghlaim againn go léir as seo amach. I will address a number of the key issues raised. I will not go through the contributions of every Senator but will try to bring them all together. Senator McGreehan…

No, I am speaking generally. I am not saying that Senator Craughwell is saying that-----

The reason I say this is I did what the Senator suggested and read the report myself. I do not have to depend on advice from officials on how to assess a report like this. I have been through quite a number of inquiries, from my earliest days in the Department of Education when I set up the first ever inquiry into religious institutions and industrial schools. There is considerable trauma involved in people coming forward. People do not come forward lightly. We could look at this numerically, consider how many actu…

In all walks of life the multidisciplinary approach is now key. Why are lots of people being recruited out of our Defence Forces? I agree with Senator Craughwell in one respect. There is a lot of education in the Defence Forces. There is a huge commitment to learning. I was in Collins Barracks recently. There is fantastic expertise in the area of ordinance and drone technology and so on. People are looking for that when it comes to recruitment. We need to attract different forms of expertise and brain power, so the…