I want to speak further about Fastway because there is so much to be spoken about. The Minister knows that Fastway is built on a network of local franchisees and subcontractors, many of whom have been the backbone of parcel delivery in rural and regional Ireland. These are small family-run operations which have invested heavily, some of them up to €70,000 in recent months, in vehicles, equipment and staff. That has been based on trust in the system. They worked hard during the pandemic to deliver items to homes in …

Some of that information is useful. I thank the Minister for it. I commend my colleagues Senator Maria McCormack and Councillor Claire Murray who are working in the Laois area and who pulled together all the agencies last week to try to get as much information as possible for people. This is not just a commercial issue; it is about jobs and livelihoods. Every unpaid franchisee and subcontractor struggling to keep afloat represents a potential job loss and another business at risk. I want to ask the Minister about t…

This incident once again highlights the vulnerability of small operators when large logistic firms collapse. We need to examine the environment in which some companies are allowed to operate. Employees and those who are dependent on them, like subcontractors, need to be notified about what is happening at a very early stage. Earlier, the Minister referred to the fact that we need better corporate law and the ability to investigate, particularly where companies are owned by foreign investment funds. We need to have …

Fáilte to everybody in the Gallery. I am delighted to see them here today. I thank the Social Democrats for tabling the Bill. We remember the Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016. We restored it to the Order Paper in the Seanad in 2021 and it was seconded by Senator Ruane. We are a long time at this; we are too long at it. The Minister of State knows from his contribution that we are too long at it. I ask him not to let the permanent government get in the way of this. This is a political measure that need…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue this evening. Absolutely no disrespect to him but I had hoped the relevant Minister, Deputy Patrick O’Donovan, would be here to answer. My aim is to bring to the Minister’s attention the unworkable proposals being put forward by An Post in Ballyhaunis and Erris, County Mayo. Neither the proposal to move the sorting depot from Barnatra in Erris to Ballina nor the proposal to move the Ballyhaunis sorting depot out of the county, to Castlerea, County Roscommo…

The Minister of State's response is really disappointing. This is going to be fought by all public representatives across the board. It completely ignores people in rural Ireland and rural Irish towns. This is the wrong thing to do. The Government is copping out by saying that An Post is a separate commercial entity. It is being funded by the Government. There has to be an influence there to say that this goes against everything. There is a whole social dimension here that An Post and the Government seem to be igno…

A recent report by TCD, UCC and Women's Aid confirms that family law courts fail to take domestic abuse and threats to harm into account when making decisions about guardianship, custody and access to children. Court-ordered access for abusers continues to place survivors and children at risk. Why does parental contact continue to take priority over the rights, safety and express wishes of children in Irish family law proceedings? Does the Taoiseach accept that this approach is inconsistent with Ireland's obligatio…

Legislation has been repealed in Britain in the last few days. It would be worth examining that because it tackles this issue.

It is an absolute disgrace that even today we still do not know which children were wrongly removed from the scoliosis waiting list or why it happened. Families have been left in the dark while children suffer in pain. There is a clear culture of secrecy, concealment and unaccountability at the heart of children’s healthcare and an utter lack of transparency. I want to talk to the Taoiseach again, after many other times I have done so, about Mikey Henry Benson from Mayo, who is still waiting for the procedures he n…

Sorry, I think the Taoiseach was referring to the previous question. It was the one on Mikey Henry-Benson I had asked.

I know it should but it was not and it is not.

Thank you.

Do I have three and a half minutes?

Maybe the Leas-Cheann Comhairle can stop me at three and a half minutes.

I wish to point out something to the Minister. While I welcome the payments that have been made, they fall very short. I refer, in particular, to the cost of disability or the failure to address the cost of disability in this legislation. There is a disconnect between the Departments of Social Protection and housing. The Minister will know that many of our constituents in Mayo - I refer to those who are tenants - got letters in the past number of weeks to say that their contribution to Mayo County Council, and, ind…

Instead, what we will see are wage cuts, reduced hours and even job losses to cover the cost of this scheme. This is the opposite to what we should be doing to strengthen employment.

Sorry, I was nearly there.

I thank my colleague, Deputy Daly, for bringing this motion to the House. I can hardly believe what the Minister of State read out because, basically, the thread running through it is that there is no problem, and he is not going to do anything to fix it-----

-----because there is no problem in the first instance. Right through it, it goes on about how much better off people are. I can tell the Minister of State that people in County Mayo certainly do not feel better off. Despite the Government's lack of investment in public transport, however, it seems completely unaware that many people have no choice but to drive. In rural areas and in my own constituency of Mayo, there is more often than not no public transport option or no bus routes or train line and no alternativ…

Fastway workers, subcontractors and franchisees were left high and dry last week. Some of them are outside the gate today and some of them are in the Gallery with Deputies Ruth Coppinger and Paul Murphy. They were told they would not be paid during the 30-day receivership period. It is eight weeks before Christmas. They cannot apply for another job. They cannot get jobseeker's allowance. They are afraid to take supplementary welfare allowance without having written confirmation that it will not affect their redunda…