Cuirim fáilte roimh Marian. I am used to calling her "Marian" because she is from my own area.

She is very welcome. My Commencement matter today is on an issue the Minister of State will be very familiar with as she is from our own area. As background for everyone else in the House, Donegal Education Support Centre has been based in Donegal town for 28 years. It offers CPD support for primary and post-primary teachers across County Donegal. Some 95% of its classes are online. It is 100% funded by the Department of Education. The Department and the management committee have been negotiating on proposals to mo…

That is okay.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin. She is very welcome again.

That is great. The Minister of State is welcome again. My Commencement matter is in regard to Donegal Education Support Centre, which has provided training and CPD training to primary and post-primary schools for the past 28 years in Donegal town. A total of 95% of classes are delivered online and there are outreach services throughout the country. It employs six female staff who are based in Donegal town. The Donegal Education Support Centre, however, has required that the staff move their place of work to Letterk…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I am aware that Fórsa is engaging and that there may be WRC intervention, which is welcome. The bottom line is that Fórsa would like to see a copy of the business plan. I do not think any campaign happens unless there is a reason. There is strong support from all the elected representatives. The move will have an effect on the business in Donegal town and footfall for the local economy there. It is also the case that 95% of the courses are delivered online and, althou…

The Minister is very welcome. It is good to see a senior Minister here. This is the second time that she has come in, which is appreciated. I commend Senator McDowell and the rest of the Independents on bringing this Bill forward. It is unfortunate that it has to come to this, as Senators have outlined clearly. Well done. It is long overdue. I thank Senator Clonan for outlining what he did. It cannot be easy to stand up in the House and tell a personal story like that. I know how much it has affected him and his so…

Is mór an onóir dom é seasamh anseo inniu sa Seanad ag labhairt ár dteanga dhúchais. Ba mhaith liom buíochas mór a ghabháil le m'athair a thug grá mhór don Ghaeilge dom. Ba mhaith liom Gaeilge líofa a labhairt ach ní féidir liom. Tá mé ag éirí níos fearr agus inniu labhróidh mé as Gaeilge agus as Béarla. Ar dtús, our teanga iontach is a vital part of our cultural identity, not just in Ireland but across Europe. It stands as one of the oldest spoken and literary languages still in use. Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam. …

I wish to raise the regeneration scheme in Sligo. Cranmore is the biggest public housing estate in Sligo. A really successful regeneration project has been happening since the money was granted in 2016. It is the biggest retrofitting and regeneration of any area in the north west. To date, over 350 houses have been retrofitted. This has completely changed the whole landscape of the estate. Morale has improved and the whole area feels safer. Part of the original plan was for a community centre to form part of the ce…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus déanaim comhghairdeas leis as a phost nua. When we think of our Irish diaspora, we often have a mixed idea of what that means. As can be seen from all the contributions here, there is no such thing as a typical Irish emigrant. All our families in Ireland, especially in the west, have been impacted in some way by emigration, for better or worse. Often, people are going to make a better life for themselves and are very happy in their new lives. As islanders, I suppose, emigratio…

The Minister is very welcome. It is great to see a woman in the role and I have no doubt she will excel at it. I will speak about poverty and women’s health. Poverty affects the health of men and women but there is the feminisation of poverty, by which I mean women experience poverty at a higher level and more severely than men. This is caused by discrimination, breaks in periods of working life and, particularly, low wages in what are seen as female professions, including the caring professions in the areas of hom…

While much of the content of today's motion has merit and is welcome, I must echo my colleague, Senator Tully, in saying that Fine Gael has been in government since 2011. I would hope that the commitment from this motion will continue. I welcome the motion's acknowledgement of older people's worth and value as contributors to society, not just economically but in terms of raising family, and the recognition of their contributions as volunteers throughout our society. However, there is much which remains unstated an…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as teacht ar ais arís inniu. Grange Post-Primary School in north Sligo is a growing and thriving school. The whole area is developing and the population has increased a lot. The community has been asking for a 14-room extension since at least 2021. The money was approved and allocated for planning of a 14-room extension but the planning application was withdrawn in 2022 because there were not enough available parking spaces. Since 2022, seven additional pupils have joined the sch…

It is fantastic that the application is going ahead. It will be welcome in the area. It would be great to get a definite answer as to whether the temporary accommodation will be provided. The school is aware it will be a few years before it will be built but in the meantime it really needs toilets and additional space. It would be fantastic if we could get clarification as soon as possible on whether approval has been granted.

Is rud an-tábhachtach é seo. Foras na Gaeilge was established in 1999 under the auspices of the Good Friday Agreement and is responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the whole island of Ireland. Conradh na Gaeilge is the democratic forum for the Irish-speaking community and has a much longer history than Foras, having been established under Douglas Hyde. I am raising this issue because a half-day strike has been called today to challenge both Governments, North and South, to reverse funding cu…

There is no doubt that Storm Éowyn caused devastation to power and communication networks throughout the country as well as the financial loss caused through damage, including the loss of 4.1 million tonnes of timber or 11,740 ha of forestry. Other Senators have spoken, as I will, about looking for redress for forest owners and I have submitted this as a Commencement matter for next week. In my area of County Leitrim this can be a direct result of the overforestation of a monoculture of Sitka spruce. I focus today …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus go n-éirí an t-ádh leis leis an bpost nua. Cá thosóidh mé leis an public transport in the north west and west? Any of the Seanadóirí who speak here about public transport and general transport infrastructure could draw a line from Galway downwards and see the lack of available public transport systems, but the road infrastructure from the west and north west up is also an issue. We have spoken a lot about opening the western rail corridor and there is a lot of support coming f…

People have the right to feel safe in their communities but they also have the right to thrive in their communities. I worked as a youth worker for more than 20 years. No young person wakes up in the morning and decides they will commit a crime. No young person decides throughout their life that they will become an addict. Crime cannot be treated in isolation. Years of underinvestment in front-line youth services and community-based services have led to this. I think the community policing model worked. Senator Duf…

I want to raise the issue with two different Ministers today. Both are work-related and are about two vulnerable groups of workers. Like Senator Collins, I raise the issue of section 39 workers. These workers are very close to taking industrial action, which they do not want to do. No one wants to go on strike but their hand is being forced. I urge the Minister, Deputy Foley, to intervene. An agreement was reached at the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, in October 2023 and I know that the former Minister of Sta…

Okay. Go raibh maith agat.