In 2019, Glaslough village in County Monaghan was crowned all-Ireland Tidy Towns champions. It is customary for the President of the day to visit the winner as part of its celebrations. Unfortunately, as we know, in 2019 Covid was among us and that visit did not happen. However, last Saturday, President Michael D. Higgins and his good wife Sabina stood over a commitment and came to the village. It was a beautiful, remarkable day. In many ways, Glaslough is a remarkable village. Everyone turned out, from the very yo…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am somewhat disappointed the Minister, Deputy McEntee, was not in a position to attend the debate this morning, bearing in mind it is the 50th anniversary. I appreciate she is busy, however. I appreciate the Minister of State taking time out of his schedule to be here to take this Commencement matter. On Friday this week, President Michael D. Higgins will visit Monaghan town to lay a wreath to commemorate the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, some 50 years …

I thank the Minister of State very much for his comprehensive response to my Commencement matter. They say that justice delayed is justice denied. That is very much the case in respect of Monaghan and Dublin. Fifty years on, a shadow continues to hang over the town of Monaghan. That shadow will remain until those survivors, whose lives' journey has moved a good bit on, get closure for their families, which they would like while they are still around. I sincerely hope they get that closure 50 years on. We hope the p…

Next Saturday, the picturesque village of Glaslough will open its arms to President Michael D. Higgins, who is going there to celebrate the national award it won in 2019. Unfortunately, during the Covid pandemic he was not able to visit. However, he will be going to Glaslough on Saturday to celebrate its success. We look forward to that. The various Tidy Towns groups and volunteers we are all deeply indebted to are busy making sure that their villages and towns are looking their absolute best. We commend them on th…

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending the Ulster Senior Football Championship final between Donegal and Armagh. It was really a remarkable occasion. It was a day that gave us everything. We had sunshine, rain, thunder, lightning and a magnificent game of football that ultimately went to penalties to decide the winner. However, it is not so much the game I want to talk about here this afternoon, but the venue, St. Tiernach's Park in Clones. It was a truly magical day. I left the pitch an hour and a half or tw…

I welcome the Minister of State back to the Chamber to discuss this very important issue. I pay tribute to the Minister of State and his officials for the significant amount of work they have invested in this legislation, which is fairly comprehensive and detailed. I commend him on tackling this very important issue. Our legislation needs updating. It is very much behind the curve with regard to gambling and the curse of gambling. We must take a step back and reflect on those who suffer from addiction in this area.…

Next Tuesday.

Tomorrow morning at 10.30.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach agus cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach seo inniu. The most recent statistics from the Garda on domestic violence reports show that in excess of 54,000 reports were made in 2023. That is an 8% increase on 2022. I will share a few other statistics I found truly shocking. It is estimated that one in three women has experienced psychological violence from a partner at some point in her life. One in four Irish women has experienced physical or sexual viol…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I am delighted that his contribution mentioned the word “priority” and the fact Cavan and Monaghan were being prioritised for this refuge centre. That is a positive development and I am delighted the Department is very much behind it. I know work is actively taking place between Monaghan County Council and Cavan County Council to progress this matter. I am heartened by the fact the Minister of State is telling me that, as far as the Department is concern…

The old adage that prevention is better than cure springs to mind when one considers the gap we have in screening newborn children in this country. Unfortunately, we are very much a negative outlier in Europe on this. We are in the bottom half of the table, which is very disappointing. There had been developments quite recently in this regard in that a newborn screening advisory committee was set up in 2019 but unfortunately, in the intervening five-year period, only one new test has been delivered, which is very d…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. The subject matter that I wish to discuss with him is one that we discussed here some time ago. I have also discussed it with many of his colleagues in recent times. I refer to the absolute necessity for the provision of emergency funding to address the serious deteriorating condition of local and regional roads across the country. The Minister of State and I come from rural Ireland. We know the importance of local and regional roads. For many of us, they are the only…

I thank the Minister of State. There is no doubt that the adverse weather conditions have had a detrimental effect on our local and regional roads and the Minister of State accepts this. I understand and accept that €650 million has been allocated towards the road network but it is simply not good enough. I appreciate that the Minister of State has been handed his statement by the Department of Transport. However, with respect, the time for talking about this is over. I have raised this at numerous Fianna Fáil Parl…

Anois.

Anois.

The deadline for businesses to apply for the increased cost of business grant expires on 1 May, which is in less than seven days. Small businesses such as shops, hairdressers, pubs and cafés can apply to have 50% of their rates bill returned to them. For example, a business with a rates bill of €8,000 in 2023 can get a grant of €4,000 or 50% of the rates bill. For businesses with a rates bill of between €10,000 and €30,000, the maximum grant is the lesser of 50% or €5,000. That amounts to a good grant. The uptake o…

I thank the Minister for being here. His schedule is a very busy one and I appreciate him taking the time to respond on this Commencement matter. Everyone can agree the phrase "April showers" has taken on a whole new aspect this year, with torrential rain saturating the ground across the entire country. When people's livelihood and the welfare of their animals or crops are so seriously affected by something over which they have absolutely no control, it has to take a toll on their mental health, no matter how stron…

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive response. Like myself, he was born and raised on a farm so I know he gets this and knows exactly what we are talking about. As he alluded to, farming can be a lonely occupation where people work on their own and have a lot of time to think. At this time, farmers and their families are under severe mental health pressure. It is incumbent on us to make sure any farmer experiencing difficulty knows there is a clear pathway for them and help out there. I plead with anybody not…

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House this morning. There are 390 filling stations located along the Border in counties Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim, Louth and Donegal. All of them will suffer financially as the Government restores the full rate of excise duty on fuel on this side of the Border while the UK Government has decided to postpone its increase due to cost-of-living pressures. Filling stations on this side of the Border will pass on the increase, adding 4 cent to the price of a litre of petrol an…

I thank the Minister of State for the response. It is vital the Government gets the impact this would have on Border filling stations, many of which are located in my own county of Cavan as well as in Donegal, Leitrim and Louth. This will have a devastating effect. While I am disappointed the Government is proceeding with the increase on 1 April, I take some solace from the fact the August increase may not happen. I earnestly implore the Minister of State to do all he can to ensure the August increase does not happ…