I am more than happy to take that up with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and would suggest that the Senator puts those concerns in writing to TII, as I think he already has. A lot of this is about getting people together in the one discussion. There are multiple local authorities involved, a State institution and the Department over all with the budgetary and policy purview. I completely understand the concerns and agree with the need to review those speed limits now and not just wait until this project is finished.…

I thank both Senators for their contributions this morning, particularly Senator Crowe for placing this. I will be quite frank; this is the second time I have taken a Commencement matter of this nature. Admittedly, the first time was not in this iteration of the Seanad but it is remarkable that, two years on, we are dealing with the same question. I hope we will be able to give more of a positive update than the last time. The State Examinations Commission, as the Senators are aware, has responsibility for the reas…

The key point is that this will be concluded and communicated in order that it will be in place for the examinations in 2026. We are at an advanced stage. The work is largely done. Let us finish it off. Changing this in order that we implement this in September rather than December will not make a difference for those sitting the State examinations in 2026. Let us make sure that due process is followed. I completely take on the insights of both Senators, particularly Senator Curley's real-world experiences in readi…

I sincerely thank Deputy Ó Muirí for raising this topic, which he knows is extremely close to my heart. He has years of experience of involvement, in his local community of Clontarf and beyond, in this specific area and this is a great opportunity to delve into it a little bit. Since 2020 the Department of education has invested more than €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the national development plan. This has involved the completion of more than 1,375 school building projects. Government supp…

I fully empathise, especially with the comparison with Manor House School. I happen to know the pitch quite well from previous exploits as a really bad coach. I appreciate a pitch of that size represents serious capital work that is obviously way beyond the schemes laid out that are open at the moment. However, we have seen examples where there have been what I would not call public-private partnerships but community partnerships involving the local authorities and local sports and schools at both primary and post-…

I had to check my phone because in the Deputy's new guise as Oireachtas AI committee chairperson, I had to see if he had been reading my phone for the correspondence I have just had with the principal of a local national school in my area on more or less this exact point. This is an issue that regularly comes up for every Member of this House and I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House, on behalf of the Minister, the position as to why the capitation grant for primary schools is les…

I will address three points in response. I will come to a broader point, but the first is that if there are specific schools, the financial support services unit, FSSU, on behalf of the Department plays a crucial role in seeing where there are funding gaps. In order for the Department to assess the current financial situation, the school needs to engage with the FSSU for the purpose. The Department will refer this school to the FSSU once confirmation of the situation is confirmed. If you have an individual school i…

I sincerely thank Deputy O'Donoghue for raising this timely and important issue. At the outset, and before I get into the specifics, I condemn any incidents of racially motivated abuse. I know the Deputy shares that view, as does everyone in this House. It is important to say that sometimes because we can tend gloss over it. Such behaviour is a scourge that we must all stay united in our opposition to. The Deputy rightly and specifically raised the issue of gardaí on the beat. Getting more gardaí on our streets is …

I really appreciate the opportunity to come back in. I cannot stress enough how important it is that any of these issues that are brought to the attention of the House are solved by all of us. None of us can claim responsibility. None of us can shoulder all the blame. If we work together, however, we can alleviate the impact of what is happening. Community gardaí play such an important part in addressing and resolving these issues at local level. Members from the Ballymun community policing team have held Garda cli…

I thank the cosponsors for bringing the Bill to Second Stage and all the Deputies for an engaging discussion on the issue. It is an important matter and, as previously stated, the Government fully supports transparency in the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals regarding transfers of value to healthcare professionals or organisations. It is clear that we all agree on the need for transparency and high ethical standards in healthcare professions. There should be transparency…

I thank Senators from all parties and none for their very thoughtful, considered and genuine contributions here this morning. There is no way I will be able to respond in ten minutes to all the issues raised or be able to give this debate the respect and dignity it deserves. I will endeavour to do my best because I truly appreciate the opportunity to respond to the debate.

That is very generous of you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. That is the spirit and the mood of the House. We all recognise that. Before I respond to some of the issues raised and speak about the issue more generally, for the benefit of the House I would like to focus more specifically on humanitarian aid, because it is my specific brief as Minister of State with responsibility for international development. As we all know, over the course of the past 18 months, we have witnessed the unfolding of a humanitarian catastrophe …

Senator Andrews took the words out of my mouth. The Lord knows what has befallen most of those children since. I know everyone in this House has a personal commitment, some for different periods and others in various regards. In recent months, more than 54,000 people have been killed, more than 123,000 injured, and 90% of the population has been displaced, some up to 13 times. When we speak about the 123,000 who were injured, we are not talking about cuts and scrapes. We are talking about catastrophic injuries that…

I am trying to be helpful in what I say and not in any way to be combative or to disagree with the point the Senator makes. However, it is useful for me to lay out what the Irish Government is genuinely trying to do to move the European obstacles out of the way and achieve consensus, but also shift the dial regarding the perception of the conflict in certain member states. Two member states backed our proposal in April of last year and the number is now 17. Do I believe the proposal is 1% of what is enough? Absolut…

I am not trying to open a debate at all; I am just trying to provide the context and, perhaps, a window and passage forward. The Senator and I, and indeed her wonderful former adviser, would have trawled through legal opinions, perhaps more than Senator McDowell goes through in a year. It was absolutely mesmerising. Looking at what was considered last night in the Dáil and the reaction to it, and looking at the status quo and current legal opinion, it is a case of asking how we change the system to open a path. I d…

Do Deputies opposite want an answer?

I will reply on two issues. Where an Irish passport is tampered with, it tends not to be a forged or made-up document. It tends to be a stolen passport which someone uses to try to assume the identity of the owner and by trying to say they look like the person in the photo. That is how good the Irish passport is. The Deputy referred to an incident from ten or 12 years ago. I can assure him that things are greatly different now. Hence, the number one status, which has been achieved by 500 amazing staff in Balbriggan…

I thank Deputy Callaghan for a pertinent question. Needless to say, the Government in its entirety, and most of the House I expect, remain deeply concerned about the situation on the ground in Ukraine where we see Russia is demonstrating a clear desire to continue escalation and conflict. US proposals for a partial ceasefire on energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea, as well as plans for further negotiations, represent a first and indeed, positive step forward. However, while Ukraine has agreed to the ceasefire…

It is proposed that up to €20 million be provided to the two UDCG coalitions as outlined, both of which Ireland has joined and at which is represented by the Department of Defence. It is proposed €80 million will be allocated to procurement partnerships with other EU member states. As I said, examples of relevant non-lethal supports could include non-lethal elements of air defence such as radar systems and anti-drone jamming devices. The reason I mention those specific things is that these are the request of the Uk…

This is a key issue when we come to the combined European effort in support of Ukraine. We are being asked to do more for Ukraine by other allies around the world, but not all 27 EU member states are prepared to do that or are pulling their weight. That is why the €250 million allocated to the European PEACE facility is what we want to see developed. It is part of a much wider package. That is why we are reverting to the bilateral method of using €100 million, which we can get to where it needs to be as quickly as …