I thank the Minister of State. I too acknowledge the commitment, hard work and dedication of the National Ambulance Service throughout the country. In many cases, those personnel are left in a very difficult situation. I want to ensure that the people of Monaghan and Cavan have an adequate ambulance service, but there are concerns about that. I sincerely hope the response given on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, goes some way to assuage the concerns and fears that people genuinely hold. I assure th…

I raise my grave concerns about the lack of adequate ambulance services in County Monaghan. This week, 16 12-hour shifts in the county will not be covered by local personnel, while next week, an estimated 19 12-hour shifts will not be covered by local personnel in Monaghan. Until now, we have had about 22 fully rostered staff in the county, located in both Monaghan and Castleblayney. There have for some time been four vacancies, which the National Ambulance Service has been unsuccessful in filling. The four vacant …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit chuig an Teach ar maidin. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. This is my first opportunity to have a dialogue with him in an official capacity in this Chamber. I wish him well and I have no doubt that he will make a great success of the role he finds himself in. I would like to talk to the Minister of State about the stretch of roadway between Castleblayney and Ardee that forms part of the N2, which is the main Dublin to Derry road. Unfortunately, this particular st…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. As he said, this particular section of road has been in the national development plan for a number of years. In excess of €5.5 million has been spent on the different phases since 2018. There is a concern that some of the surveys that were carried out in conjunction with this have a shelf life and unless this project is moved on, that funding will be lost because the surveys will be outdated. It is important that this funding is found. It is only in the region of €900…

There is much debate and commentary about the lack of prison spaces in our country. There is no doubt that there is urgent need for prison places and we should get on with it as a matter of urgency because it is so badly needed. With the best will in the world, it will take years to have a new prison or two new prisons as the case may be. With that in mind, it is a very opportune time for us to have a debate on and conversation about community service, how we can expand community service and what we can learn from …

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House this morning. I am seeking an update on the proposed extension of services at Errigal Truagh Special Needs Day Care Centre in Knockconan, Emyvale, County Monaghan. The Minister of State's colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, kindly met this group on Tuesday last at my request for the second time this year and was very impressed by the group's enthusiasm for the service it is providing down at Errigal Truagh. Indeed, I commend the Minister of State aga…

I thank the Minister of State for his response on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. Respite is essential to all families, be it adult or children's respite. When we talk about respite, it is important that we know exactly what we are talking about. It gives families time to breathe and time to get on with other duties with other family members. It is absolutely essential. There has been an awful gap in Monaghan for a long number of years. I am glad that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has go…

I refer to one of the most dangerous stretches of roadway in the country, that is, the Ardee to Castleblayney road. It forms part of the N2, which is the main Dublin to Derry road. Since 2013, 18 people have lost their lives on the road. My heart goes out to all the family members whose lives have been changed forever. The Government recently committed €600 million to the upgrade of the A5, which is the stretch of roadway that runs from Monaghan to Derry. I very much welcome that. Unfortunately, no such commitment …

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House this afternoon for the debate on this very important legislation. As others have mentioned, it is a very short but nevertheless very important Bill. I am delighted to see it moving forward. I compliment my colleague Senator Ward on his work in this area. He has been very vocal on this. He alluded to the retrospective aspect in section 4, which is a very welcome development. I will not delay matters. I very much welcome the Bill. The Fianna Fáil Party is delighted to…

I move: That, pursuant to subsection 2° of section 2 of Article 25 of the Constitution, Seanad Éireann concurs with the Government in a request to the President to sign the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024 on a date which is earlier than the fifth day after the date on which the Bill shall have been presented to him.

At 9.30 a.m. tomorrow.

At 9.30 a.m. tomorrow.

I congratulate Senator Nikki Bradley on her appointment to the Seanad. It is a very proud day for her and for her family, who are from Milford and whom I met on the way in. From the Senator's contribution, I can see that she is going to hit the ground running. I can claim to be a neighbour of the Senator's. My home patch is not a million miles away from hers in Milford. It is a very proud day for all of the family and for the Senator's fiancé, who is from South Africa. I hope they have a great day. It is one day in…

The cross-Border healthcare directive has been a hugely successful healthcare plan for those in the Republic who find themselves on waiting lists for whatever procedures. Very many people have availed of the directive. An issue has now arisen in respect of those who seek cataract surgery. I understand that the success of the scheme speaks for itself. Since 2017, over 4,000 people have travelled to the North of Ireland, in this instance, to avail of cataract surgery and the HSE has reimbursed people a certain amount…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. The help-to-buy scheme, the first home scheme and the vacant property refurbishment grants have all been very successful in supporting young people to go out and purchase their first home. These schemes have made a crucial difference to so many families since they were first introduced. The success of the vacant property grant is becoming clear every day of the week. There has been something like 8,500 applications for that grant thus far, whereby somebody on a vacant…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. As he outlined, the schemes have been hugely successful. I compliment all the parties in government on bringing them forward. I thank the Minister of State for introducing the €5,000 grant for the conservation of farmhouses. It is very welcome. As he said, such restoration projects can be quite complex. I am heartened that the Minister has undertaken a review of some of the schemes. I look forward to some news in that regard. The help-to-buy scheme comes un…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach. I have listened with great intent to the debate today and the debate that took place in the committee room on this issue. The previous speaker, Senator O'Reilly, spoke about being a layperson. I would probably classify myself in the same bracket too. I am trying to get a handle on everything that is going on, having listened to all the contributions which have all made perfect sense to me. I am trying to get into the heads of the people who drafted the legislation in res…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit chuig an Teach ar maidin. It is easy for us to forget the dark days, the uncertainty and the fear that surrounded the Covid-19 pandemic. For most of us, life has moved on, but unfortunately not for everyone. The exact number of people with long Covid is unknown. HSE exact numbers vary, ranging between 1.8% and 8.3% of the population. As the Minister of State is probably aware, symptoms include fatigue, extreme tiredness, shortness of breath …

I thank the Minister of State for the response that he has given here on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. We owe a massive debt of gratitude to our healthcare workers and I have outlined the reasons why. Here we have one particular healthcare worker who feels she has been badly wronged. I met this lady and it really is heartbreaking to see the condition in which Covid has left her. When I did meet with the Minister for Health in relation to this particular case, he did indicate that his office would facilit…

Now.