I thank the Minister of State. The reply outlined the important changes that have taken place since, and they were required. Unfortunately, though, there was such a gap from when the initial investigations and reports were undertaken, which were all in the early 2000s, until the Act was passed in 2024. Paula lost her son Tadhg in that period. Had action been taken quicker, perhaps that might not have happened to her and many other families. There is also the fact that it is this one pathologist. The question is why…

I also attended the briefing in the audiovisual room last week hosted by Senator Aubrey McCarthy that included presentations from Release and the Irish Penal Reform Trust. A very compelling case was made for community-based detention. The talk started with a reference to the high numbers and overcrowding situation in our prisons. At the end of last month, 5,909 prisoners were in our prisons. That is 125% of the capacity. The figure has dropped in the past few weeks. As of last Friday, there were 5,776 prisoners. Th…

It is Tully.

I welcome the Minister of State. The first thing I will raise is the Before We Die campaign. Like Senator Clonan, I think this is an issue of huge concern. This campaign was established by elderly parents who were caring for adult sons and daughters in their 20s, 30s, 40s or 50s and who were concerned about what was going to happen to those sons and daughters when the parents died. It is every person's right to have the option to live independently. If people do not quite know how to go about accessing housing, it …

I wish to clarify something here. The statement I made about nothing in the budget for disability related to the cost of disability. I was very clear about that. No double payments or energy credits were given. I did not say there was nothing in the budget for disability. I said there was nothing to address the cost of disability, which I recognise is not something in this Minister of State's Department.

I want to raise the issue of obtaining an ankle-foot orthosis, AFO, brace for a child with cerebral palsy in Cavan. I was contacted by the mother of a four-year-old child who has cerebral palsy. Children grow very fast and muscle grows faster than bone. These braces become too tight and non-workable as a child grows, so they have to be replaced on a regular basis. The mother realised that she was outgrowing the brace last November so she contacted her CDNT and informed them of this. They referred the child for new …

I thank the Minister of State. I will certainly share the details with the Minister. I presume the Minister of State is talking about the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. The little girl's mother did reach out to the Minister for Health on this issue and did not receive a response. She reached out to primary care and she reached out to the hospital. She contacted everybody and was, as I said, sent around from one person to the other, and nobody knew or would take responsibility for what had happened. S…

I was recently contacted by a parent who has twins. They are both autistic and will be starting school in September in the local primary school where they will be part of its autism class. The ratio in the class is one special education teacher to six children, with two special needs assistants, SNAs, in support. Both parents work and they requested that their children be included in the after-school facility nearby which takes children in from the school in question. The after-school facility is willing to take th…

Many people have referred to the numbers of homeless, which continually rise. There are over 17,000 at this stage, including nearly 5,500 children. Worryingly, more and more people over 65 are facing homelessness. The fact that older people, who have lived their lives and contributed so much to the State, can find themselves in emergency accommodation is a terrible indictment of this State. I commend Cavan County Council, which does huge work in trying to prevent people from going into homelessness. The council is …

I move: That Seanad Éireann: recognises: - youth work is defined in the Youth Work Act, 2001 as ‘a planned programme of education designed for the purpose of aiding and enhancing the personal and social development of young persons through their voluntary participation, and which is (a) complementary to their formal, academic or vocational education and training; and (b) provided primarily by voluntary youth work organisations’; - Ireland’s national policy objectives for all children and young people aged under 25 …

Tá fáilte roimh an Aire chuig an bplé ar infheistíocht i seirbhísí don óige. I do not think I have to convince anyone here of the benefits of youth work and what it does for young people. It builds their confidence, develops skills and builds relationships - healthy ones, importantly. It supports positive mental health. We see emotional support and resilience and it encourages community involvement. The fact it is voluntary and not obligatory, like school is, makes all the difference. People choose to attend whatev…

I thank all of the Senators who contributed to the debate. It was a very positive debate and we all agree on practically all of the points and the importance of youth work, as does the Minister. I commend all of the organisations involved in youth work, whether providing a club, service or project, and I commend all the staff, paid and unpaid. Voluntary workers do so much good work. I also commend the young people who participate. The Minister mentioned Oíche na hÓige, which was very successful when it was run a fe…

I want to raise the package of measures the Government is to introduce this week, which it announced on Sunday and hopes to have before the Dáil later on. Actually, I want to rephrase that. I should have referred to half measures because they are not going to address the situation, just as the measures a few weeks ago did not address the then situation, as was predicted by my colleague Pearse Doherty in the Dáil. Any reduction in the price of diesel or petrol is just going to be wiped out by the continual rises in …

I ask for a point of clarification on something Senator Keogan said. She said that Sinn Féin voted in favour of taxes. Will she clarify what taxes she is talking about?

Could the Senator just clarify the one she was speaking about?

On a point of clarity, that is not true. Sinn Féin did not support the carbon tax so get your facts right, please, Senator.

I did not want to interrupt her when she was in full flow.

I was being respectful and asking the question afterwards but for clarification, Sinn Féin has not supported the carbon tax. It is a punitive tax.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach.

No. A protest was held in Cavan over the weekend. It started on Friday and went on until lunchtime yesterday. I attended on Saturday and Sunday for a number of hours and I went there because I wanted to talk to the people who were there. There were farmers, farming contractors and hauliers present, as well as lots of other people who were just there to support them. I did not witness any infiltration by far-right groups. In fact, I heard of instances where some people from the far right turned up and were told to g…