I am sorry but that is not happening.

Today, I will follow on from my colleague and congratulate each of the four senior inter-county men's teams leading into their All-Ireland finals. I wish them all the best - to Cork and Tipperary in the hurling, and Donegal, but primarily and particularly Kerry as well, in reaching the All-Ireland final. I really want to wish all four teams competing the best. We have seen a resurgence in our national games this year with unbelievable hurling games and, thankfully, Gaelic football is back, which leads me on to the …

Today, I have two issues. The first is to seek a clear and urgent update following the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton's recent visit to St. John of God services in St. Francis's Special School and St. Mary's of the Angels in Beaufort, County Kerry. There is a need for new respite day services in Beaufort. That visit gave families, staff and the wider community some hope that the State and agencies, such as the HSE and St. John of God, are finally listening. We now need them to turn that hope into act…

May I finish? I hate to be the last person here to speak about their county. The Kerry senior football men are coming back up to Dublin to represent a very proud county in football terms. I have heard the Donegal and the Cork anthems in the past couple weeks. I have kept quiet until now.

Yes. I wish the Kerry boys all the best on Saturday.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, to the House. As a neighbouring county, I wish County Cork all the best in the upcoming all–Ireland hurling final. We hold no grudges when it comes to the hurling ball. My Commencement matter concerns the need for the Minister for Transport and Bus Éireann to review the rural school bus routes in County Kerry and extend services beyond the Listowel catchment area and into the Ballybunion and north Kerry area. An issue close to the hearts of many families in …

I thank the Minister of State for his response. He mentioned the fantastic school of Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí. The one thing we want to do is make it accessible to everybody. I received a letter from the principal of Gaelscoil Lios Tuathail this morning. It states: In September fifth and sixth class, we have the following children who will be attending the Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí: One from Lixnaw; one from Ballylongford; one from Duagh; two from Kilmorna; one from Ballyduff; one from Tarbert; and two from Moyvane. The…

As we speak, they are in fifth class and sixth class.

Absolutely.

I feel compelled to raise a worrying and serious matter that has come into the public domain following a court case last week in Killarney, County Kerry, in relation to voter impersonation at Kenmare polling station on 7 June 2024. A Cahersiveen man has avoided a conviction-----

-----for election fraud-----

Absolutely. A Cahersiveen man had avoided a conviction for election fraud after he cast a vote in the local election in June 2024 using a polling card that was not in his name. This polling card was registered to an address in Killarney and had been in a tractor along with several others and that one was missing from the tractor. It is quite extraordinary to learn that in a case where a guilty plea was made by the accused to the serious charge of voter fraud, the plea went without a conviction or, as is becoming cl…

I welcome the Minister of State. I am speaking on a promise I made to the people of north Kerry that, when I became a voice for them in the Seanad, I would do what I could to reinstate out-of-hours SouthDoc services in Listowel. SouthDoc is an out-of-hours GP service operating across Kerry and Cork, providing urgent medical care when a person's regular GP is unavailable. It is designed for situations that require prompt attention but are not life threatening. This issue affects the everyday lives, well-being and sa…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I have seen this before. Let us be honest. I will go back to what I said in my opening contribution; the population here has grown nearly twofold. We should be thankful that it has. During the Covid pandemic, many of the kids came home to live and work in the area and in their family homes. They have stayed in the area. Football team numbers are increasing. Everything is increasing. However, what has unfortunately been decreasing is emergency out-of-hours care services. …

I want to speak today on a matter of importance for the people of north Kerry, namely, the urgent need for the reinstatement of an out-of-hours SouthDoc service in Listowel. As it stands, there is no SouthDoc out-of-hours service operating in north Kerry. This means that for medical attention after regular hours, people in north Kerry and the surrounding areas, from Ballylongford to Duagh, from Tarbert to Lixnaw, from Asdee to Abbeydorney, from Ballyduff to Moyvane, from Finuge to Ballybunion, from Ballyheigue to C…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I welcome the proposal and acknowledge the work Senator Linda Nelson Murray and her seconder have put into this. I, too, am against the very excessive increase of 16.7% proposed by the Judicial Council following the review of the personal injuries guidelines. This proposed change would undermine the progress we have made in rebalancing the system. It would send the wrong message, not just to insurers but also to every small business owner, community group and ordinary c…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, and thank him for taking the time to address this important issue. I am advocating for the urgent implementation of a dedicated Bus Éireann secondary school transport route to Tralee in County Kerry, specifically servicing the communities of Lixnaw and Abbeydorney, which are located in north Kerry, where I currently reside. In these communities, 19 families and 29 students face significant challenges due to the absence of a structured, reliable transport service. A…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. As I said in my first contribution, the time has come to move beyond outdated catchment policies and towards a demand-led approach that reflects how families live and learn today. According to the Minister of State, Bus Éireann has advised that there is a service that pupils of this area can avail of, with pick-up points of approximately 9.2 km or 7.2 km away. That is unacceptable in this day and age. There is a need for a demand-led approach on this route. I urge the De…

I wish to advocate on behalf of those seeking the implementation of a dedicated Bus Éireann secondary school transport route to Tralee from north Kerry, specifically servicing the communities of Lixnaw and Abbeydorney. In these communities, 19 families and 29 students face significant challenges due to the absence of a structured reliable transport service. At present, parents are forced to pay out of their own pockets for private transport arrangements. This is placing an unnecessary financial strain on households…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today on a really serious topic. I am not going rehash everything that has been said. However, the situation in Kerry is particularly concerning. According to the latest figures, the waiting time for a driving test in Tralee averages approximately 26 or 27 weeks, while in Killarney, applicants face a delay of up to 15 weeks. These prolonged waiting times are unacceptable and place undue stress on individuals who need their licences to work or provide essential s…