I am sharing time my Senator Ryan. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I thank her for making sure she was here. I know we delayed it for a week so that she could. I appreciate that she is here for the motion. It is a short motion with a number of asks. I want to deal with the first one on the cost of childcare. Many families are still paying very high costs. As a result of those high costs, some are choosing not to return to work because it is not worth their while. That primarily affects women - not always, but primaril…

First, I thank the Minister and Minister of State for their attendance, and everybody else who contributed to this debate. Our motion called for two things. The first concerned the cost and the other was to do with capacity within the system. Many people have made the point that the costs have reduced significantly. They have reduced for some, but not for all. There are still parents paying huge fees. Senator Harmon spoke about somebody paying €2,000. It is outrageous that any parent would have to do that. As it is…

Thar cheann Shinn Féin, tá fáilte roimh an Taoiseach chuig an Seanad. As the Taoiseach is aware and as he referred to, the Seanad has a reputation for being an open-minded Chamber where ideas are canvassed on all manner of topics. Some of these would struggle to get onto the floor of the Dáil and most are generally debated here in a much more congenial manner than they might there. In recent years, the Seanad has supported motions on a number of issues and one of those concerned extending the vote in presidential e…

I welcome the all-island strategic rail review. It makes sense to plan our rail system on an all-island basis. The fact that it will be reviewed on a regular basis is also welcome to ensure that we are meeting the different targets set out, including the short-, medium- and long-term targets. I live in County Cavan where there are currently no rail services. Monaghan, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Donegal and north Leitrim do not have any rail services either. That leaves the whole of the north-west region without a rail serv…

There is a woman in County Cavan whom I know quite well and whose dream for some time has been to join the Garda. She applied a number of years ago, but due to a bad car accident, she did not pass her fitness and medical examinations. However, she completed the vetting process a number of years ago. She has now passed the medical and fitness examinations but there have been months of delay, with her not being called up to Templemore. She cannot understand this. She has been vetted on a number of occasions, both whe…

I want to raise the issue of a pilot project run in Cavan-Monaghan and Sligo-Leitrim that recently came to an end, called Retrofit Ready. It was a programme under the Department of the environment's Climate Action Fund. Cavan County Local Development and Monaghan Integrated Development and the equivalent development groups in Sligo- Leitrim, employed a person in Cavan-Monaghan and a person in Sligo-Leitrim to talk to individuals and groups about trying to retrofit their homes. They advised them about the warmer hom…

I want to raise the hunger strike being undertaken outside the Dáil by five people who are survivors of industrial schools. It has been going on since 21 September. I know many other Senators have raised their concerns in this House. I am very concerned about their health and the ongoing health issues they may endure later as a result of this hunger strike. I acknowledge there has been some engagement with the Minister for education, Deputy McEntee, and higher up in government. That door has been left open for enga…

I want to raise a number of issues concerning yesterday's budget and the first issue concerns childcare. We know we have more then 40,000 children in need of a childcare place now. I regularly have parents on the phone to me or they come into my office crying because they cannot find a childcare place, particularly for young babies and children up to the age of two, which means they cannot return to work. The situation affects people across the board. The Government has proposed that there will be extensions to sch…

I raise a transport issue, which I have raised a number of times both here and in the Dáil. I have written to the NTA on the issue but it still has not been resolved. It relates to the 109X bus from Cavan to Dublin. It is an hourly bus service going through Kells and on to Dublin. I am hearing from passengers and bus drivers that there are regularly people left stranded because buses are full to capacity at certain times of the day. This particularly happens when the bus is leaving Dublin in the evening and heading…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. It is important that we have these statements today to discuss what happened to the occupants of the Global Sumud Flotilla last night and this morning, and to call it out as a crime against international law. I want to start by commending all of those who were on the Global Sumud Flotilla. I send solidarity and greetings to them and hope they are safe and okay. I want to particularly send them to the Irish citizens aboard, including my comrade and friend, Senator Chris …

I want to raise the issue of how people with asthma are not properly cared for. Asthma is seen as an acute illness rather than a chronic condition. That needs to change. We have one of the highest rates of asthma in the world. Some 450,000 people in the country have asthma, and it is predicted that this could rise to 900,000 at some stage. Fifty per cent of those people do not have the condition under control. We also have the second highest asthma mortality rate among the 27 EU countries. It is predicted, on the b…

The Trading for Impact policy recognises the huge contribution of social enterprises. These are businesses that put people and communities before profit. They create jobs, support the most marginalised and drive local development and climate action. The policy sets out welcome goals on awareness, sustainability, the green transition, engagement and impact measurement. The policy falls short, however, as there is no clear legal framework. It leaves social enterprises in a grey zone. There is no long-term funding mod…

The Minister of State must visit Cavan too.

I second the amendment. Like my colleague, there is nothing in this motion I would oppose. I generally support it. I want to concentrate my remarks on the Mercosur deal. Trade deals between the EU and other countries continue to threaten Irish agriculture. That is particularly true of the Mercosur deal, which will see the importation of South American beef into the EU. That will have a negative effect on Irish beef farmers and Irish exports. Irish agricultural produce is recognised as being of the highest quality a…

They would probably be in a better place.

I move amendment No. 2: After the words “calls on the Government to:” to insert the following paragraph: “- implement the Bovine TB Action Plan while taking into consideration the concerns of farmers in relation to the Plan; - provide funding to increase the maximum valuation for TB reactor cattle to provide adequate compensation to farmers; - oppose the Mercosur trade deal and defend the interests of Irish family farms;”.

I start by being associated with the condolences to the family, friends and former colleagues of Dr. Martin Mansergh. I acknowledge his significant contribution to the peace process which led to the Good Friday Agreement. I also want to be associated with the condolences to Senator Clifford-Lee and her family on the untimely death of her mother. I raise the issue of the global summit flotilla on which my party colleague, Senator Chris Andrews, is aboard. They are now within two day's sailing from Gaza. He and the p…

The review of the school transport scheme that happened a few years ago was very welcome. It was badly needed. It did take a long time, but it was eventually published about 18 months ago. It made a number of recommendations about reducing the distance people had to live from their school to avail of school transport and that they had to attend their nearest school. I was expecting that some of the recommendations might have been implemented for this school year and maybe we would not have the same number of proble…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this issue. I am conscious that we are almost at the end of September so school is back about a month. There is a situation in St. Bricin's College, Belturbet, County Cavan that has not yet been resolved. I am seeking clarification and what the intention is going forward. I was contacted by the principal to say there are 32 students enrolled in St. Bricin's school in Belturbet who live in Cavan town or its environs. There are secondary schools in Cavan town but they are all …

I thank the Minister of State. I understand that would normally be the case, but in this circumstance, their nearest school is full. Even Bus Éireann has said that if the Department of education is satisfied that the nearest school is full, parents must then provide directly to the Department of Education and Youth evidence of an application for enrolment that was made within the deadline, a letter from the school authorities confirming that the school was full and, if necessary, a copy of any appeal. Bus Éireann i…