I, too, thank the Minister for coming to the House again with a fresh update on the Brexit negotiations and the protocol. It is fair to say we must thank the US Administration for its steady and supportive hand throughout this process. As I have said in this House before, the Minister has built up a number of contacts over the years and been a steady hand throughout this process. Our interests are pretty well protected from an EU perspective. His experience and expertise have shone through. Last Wednesday, a cross-…

Leading on from Senator Chambers's question, I will follow in the same vein. We have spoken about representation and disparity around human rights in different parts of Union. Many of those rights are visible on a daily basis in Northern Ireland. Mr. Cuffe mentioned earlier the mayoral positions in Galway, Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Waterford. There is a major disparity in this country, north and south. I do not refer to the Border but to the Dublin-Galway line. It is key in relation to Northern Ireland. What do th…

I thank the Minister for coming before us today. It is appropriate he is here for the debate on this motion. I wish him well over the next few weeks with his deliberations on the workings of the protocol. I thank Senator Currie for bringing the motion before the House and sharing a little insight into her background. It is appropriate that she has led the debate given the background of the Senator and her family in Northern Ireland politics. She referred to her upbringing. I also thank her colleague, Senator Barry …

At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

I welcome the Minister to the House to discuss the mica and pyrite redress scheme. I thank him for the time and attention he has given us thus far and I also thank the Taoiseach and other parties of Government. The report of the working group released last week has caused an awful lot of distress to families in County Donegal and probably County Mayo. The Minister is well aware of the mental health issues, grievances of and difficulties faced by families and this seems to be adding to them in terms of the sum of €3…

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. It is very welcome, as is the Minister's first-hand engagement on the scheme from day one. It is very much appreciated. I do not believe we would be where we are today without his input and dedication. I wish to refer again to the planning exemption. Is there any further detail about that, particularly whether somebody who is downsizing can be part of it? Lastly, can the Minister give any timelines at this stage regarding the final outcome?

I welcome the opportunity to make a statement on the Housing for All strategy. I thank the Minister for being present and for his Ministers of State filling in as well. I thank them all for the momentous work done on this document. I refer to putting together the policies that have made it the great document it is. It well deserves the praise it is getting. Everybody agrees that the housing situation is simply not where it needs to be. It was stated in the past that Fianna Fáil was a party closely linked with housi…

I welcome this debate on lottery betting. This Bill is well-intentioned and I support its spirit. The regulation of betting must be carefully managed. Betting cannot be allowed to get out of hand. I have some concerns that I wish to express on behalf of a colleague, Senator Crowe, who cannot be here today. I told him I would pass his wishes to the House. He has fears around some of the matters that are being conflated without a thorough examination. It is his understanding that the product offered by bookmakers on …

I welcome both MEPs. This is a vital move to fight the apathy on this island relating to Europe and how we work with it. I will take up some of the remarks already made, particularly relating to agriculture, Brexit and the Border. I am a Border representative and republican at heart and we all know the difficulties we have seen with Brexit. There are counties affected including that of the Leas-Chathaoirleach, my county and right down to Louth, from which Senator McGreehan hails. The gap where we see these Border c…

I very warmly welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. The Bill before the Seanad today marks an important step in the equal treatment for farmers who cannot realise the value of their assets. The Bill will allow for the continuation of their farms when they are no longer able to work due to advancing age. We must ensure fair treatment of farmers, not just when they are producing goods and feeding the island, but also when they can no longer work. The extension of the three-year cap to cover family farm assets…

I will put on record how we can get the current scheme up to 100% redress. There are seven issues involved. The first relates to insurance companies. In the past, insurance companies have been asked by the Government to give lump sums towards redress in the area of health. We are asking the Government to contact the insurance companies and ask them to give a lump sum over the next ten to 20 years, or whatever is necessary, towards making up that 10%. Similarly, Home Bond could make that contribution over the next t…

Finally, there are issues with engineers that must be looked at.

Go raibh maith agat. I will be taking the full-time as Senator Dooley has left to attend a committee meeting. I thank the Minister of State for his reply. We really welcome the moves by the Minister regarding the SEAI. Over and above the issues I mentioned, I wish to discuss the ten-year Government bond I mentioned. There is a fear among homeowners that if they do some remedial works on the outside of their houses, the problems with pyrite or mica will return. The ten-year Government bond is about addressing that. …

With the permission of the Cathaoirleach and the Minister, I will move briefly to another topic. I congratulate the FAI on its historic annual general meeting last night and on moving in line with the memorandum of understanding. I particularly congratulate the FAI on its appointment of Packie Bonner, a great Donegal man and a great ambassador for this country. I did not get the opportunity to come in this morning on the Order of Business. The FAI has righted a wrong. I believe it is on the right path. It has a few…

I ask the Leader for a debate on the independence of our media. I am talking about all media across the whole island of Ireland, not just in the Republic. The lack of reporting with regard to what is happening in Derry is extraordinary. I refer to the situation whereby politicians are being stood down by a political party. The legacy of former deputy First Minister, the late Martin McGuinness, has been torn apart. What is the problem with the media in this country that they are afraid to report these things? There …

I move: "That Seanad Éireann: - reaffirms its commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and requests the full implementation of all aspects of this international agreement; - requests that politicians North and South lead in a manner that is respectful and cognisant of the Good Friday Agreement which is built on respect, equality and partnership; - is committed to ensuring the protection of the rights of all the people that live on the island; - is committed to working towards a prosperous and peaceful shared future,…

I wish to share some of my time with Senator McGreehan.

At the start of the debate, I omitted to welcome the Minister of State to the House. He is very welcome and I thank him for his very considered contribution. I thank all Members for what was a very good and open debate. I admit that it was particularly challenging for Senator Ó Donnghaile, but I appreciate how he takes it on the chin. I will return to his remarks in a moment. It is great that this is one of the first debates we have had in the House on Northern Ireland and I hope we have many more. We could talk al…

I am thoroughly enjoying the "GunPlot" podcast series dealing with the saga of the 1970 arms crisis. The third episode of the podcast was released this morning with five more to go and a documentary will air on television on Wednesday night. It is a pity we had to wait 50 years to have that level of investigative journalism, which has come in the wake of the release of Michael Heney's book last year. It is great that we are now getting to the truth of what happened then. It is heartening and enlightening. I look fo…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for taking the motion, which I formally second. I thank my colleague, Senator Dooley, for raising this issue today. I remember, when I was a small boy growing up in north Donegal on the Fanad Peninsula, there were nine post offices in an area roughly the size of the part of Dublin that is within the M50. We are now down to one. As has been outlined by the previous speaker, generally what we are dealing with is how activity is not what it used to be. The mea…