Next Tuesday.

This week, I endorse the ongoing campaign in relation to Tractor Safety Week. The campaign urges and encourages people using tractors and farm machinery to be very careful as they go about their daily tasks. The tractor is synonymous with farm work. Indeed, it is centrally used - nearly every single day of the week and with that comes many dangers. Unfortunately, last year, 25 people lost their lives on Irish farms. That is twice the number of the year before. In addition to that, there were approximately over 4,60…

At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire ar ais arís chuig an Seanad. The Minister is very welcome back to the Seanad. I thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to take this Commencement here this morning. His presence is always very much appreciated. As the Minister well knows, a CCTV scheme offers significant benefits for communities, homes and businesses by deterring crime and improving overall safety. The Act is a strong deterrent to potential offenders. It assists authorities in identifying suspects and resolvin…

I thank the Minister for his response. I again thank him sincerely for his input in trying to progress this scheme. As I said at the outset, the people of Carrickmacross have been waiting for a long time. From my experience of the CCTV system, one of the pieces of feedback and the learnings that have come back from it is the frustration by all concerned with the length of time it takes to get from the initial application to approval status. There seems to be an awful lot of fences and hurdles to jump before you get…

I call for an increase in the income threshold limits to qualify for social housing. Many young people who contact me are getting no assistance whatsoever in this area. They are not earning enough money to be able to purchase a home of their own and in many cases are struggling to pay the rent. They are also just over the limit of the social housing guidelines. To give the House an idea, in the part of the world I hail from, in Monaghan and Cavan, and in many other counties, the income threshold for a two-income ho…

Next Tuesday.

At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

On a point of order, if I may, respectfully, I have a suggestion that might perhaps move matters on. I am not trying to curtail debate here. I am just wondering whether, if perhaps the Minister came in at this point, it might answer some of the questions the Members have legitimately put forward.

I beg your pardon.

The Minister's contribution might help to move matters on.

It was only a suggestion.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire ar ais go dtí an Teach seo. We in Fianna Fáil very much welcome the debate and support the Bill. The Bill, as the Minister outlined, has a single purpose, namely to assist the Omagh bombing inquiry established by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in February 2024 to investigate whether the bombing could have been prevented by the UK's state authorities. The formal decision taken by the Government on 9 July 2024 to assist the inquiry was taken in recognition of the importance of…

Next Tuesday.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Collins, go dtí an Teach seo inniu. I welcome the Minister of State. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I welcome the motion put forward here by my colleagues this afternoon. I agree with every single word that was said by them in relation to the motion. I also take on board the sentiments and comments of Senator McDowell, the former Minister for justice, as well. There is no doubt that being a member of An Garda Síochána is a unique profession. Very few people put the…

I never doubted the Minister of State, she will be glad to hear.

Cuirim fáilte mór roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach. She is very welcome back to the Chamber this afternoon. I thank her for taking the time out to be here. They say a stitch in time saves nine and the evidence that the shingles vaccination not only protects people from what can be a very painful illness and its possible complications, but also helps prevent cardiovascular disease, stroke and dementia is surely a case in point. Shingles is an infection that causes a painful rash caused by the chickenpox virus and…

I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive response. I know she is taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I welcome the fact that the HSE is in negotiations with the provider of the vaccine. It is a welcome development and hopefully positive news might flow from that. We all agree that shingles is a very debilitating disease. Unfortunately, when someone gets it at a certain age, it is very hard for them to get rid of it and it has negative consequences on the quality of their life…

Today, as other Members have stated, members of the National Ambulance Service find themselves on the picket line. I visited a number of them this morning in County Monaghan before I travelled to Leinster House. The one thing they all had in common was that none of them wanted to be there. As much as that is for sure. They wanted to do what they do very well; look after the communities in which they serve. Their big gripe, as they explained to me this morning, is that their service has changed completely from what …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, to the House this afternoon. The licensing fees for selling tobacco and nicotine products in Ireland are increasing dramatically to an annual system under the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023. Up until this point, tobacco retailers faced a one-time fee of €50 per annum, and there were no licensing requirements for selling vapes. The new fees that apply per premises for tobacco product…