Amendments Nos. 30 and 36 to 38, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together, by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

We are also discussing amendments Nos. 36 and 38.

Amendments Nos. 34 and 40 may be discussed together.

Amendments Nos. 44 and 45 are related and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

When is it proposed to take Fifth Stage?

I welcome the special guests. It is hard to follow Senator Kyne’s contribution. We are all entitled to our own views on this and mine is significantly different from his. That is what politics and debating is about and I respect that. I acknowledge the role my colleagues, Senators Ardagh and Fitzpatrick, had in bringing forward this motion. I want to go back to the role of women in Ireland. I do not think we are trying to rewrite history by calling the hospital after Dr. Lynn. We are acknowledging the role women pl…

That is what this is doing. We do not get many opportunities to name significant State investments like the children's hospital after somebody. We have a chance here to recognise the role of women in the modern Irish Republic and should take it fully on board. Senator Fitzpatrick mentioned Dr. Lynn not being a household name. She is right. I did not know Dr. Lynn until this campaign evolved. I studied it a bit more thereafter. I am fully supportive that the new national children's hospital should be named after Dr.…

Last week, there was a significant announcement by EirGrid regarding the successful bidders in the auction for projects under the offshore renewable electricity support scheme, ORESS. There were four successful applicants, with the projects set to generate more than 3 GW of power and feed into nearly 2.5 million homes in Ireland. It was a mixed day for Wicklow. We had a successful bid in respect of Codling, which will deliver 1.3 GW of power and will be located from Wicklow town all the way up to Bray. The disappoi…

Next Tuesday.

Now.

Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

As all present are aware, I am involved in the industry. The picture portrayed by Senator Higgins is not true across the board. There is a need to put that on the record. Sadly, VAT is a blunt instrument. It is very inflexible in terms of how it can be applied. The reduced rate was brought in to make business viable. It was not necessarily brought in for it to be passed on directly to the customer. We need to consider what the industry has gone through in the past two years. When one looks past the big chains and t…

Next Tuesday at 12 noon.

I so move.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. We must first compliment the Government on its management of the economy. This was noted when the 2023 budget was announced in September 2022. The Government clearly stated that if another intervention were needed, it would be in a position to so do concerning the cost-of-living crisis. This is exactly what we are doing today. We are legislating for this intervention of €1.2 billion. This will have a direct impact on families. I think more than €410 million was allocate…

Next Tuesday.

I wish to revert to the incident that happened in Glenmalure last week regarding the farmer, Pat Dunne. We all know the importance of outdoor recreation and all our councils now have an outdoor recreation strategy. A critical part of that strategy is access to the uplands and mountains. I came across a piece in this morning's edition of The Irish Times by Helen Lawless, who is one of the officers with Mountaineering Ireland and its clear position on dogs is that no dogs should be taken onto the hills without the la…

I also congratulate the Leas-Chathaoirleach on the work he has done. Anybody who knows Senator Mark Daly knows who Thomas Meagher is - that is for sure. The issue I raise has been raised by a number of Senators in recent weeks and is very topical at the moment. It relates to the short-term letting legislation that is before the House. It would be no harm for the House to have a broader debate on that legislation and the impact it is having. I come with a background that is balanced, having served on the housing com…

Amendments Nos. 7 to 9, inclusive, 11, 13, 15 and 17 are related and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Amendments Nos. 20 and 21 are related and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.