Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I welcome his officials. This is an area in which I have a developing interest because I am involved in helping a loved one with a forestry application. In that regard, I thank people for the support I have got. In making inquiries, I was very grateful for the assistance received from the Department. I acknowledge Mr. Delaney in this regard and also the Minister of State. As is often the case when you are more directly involved with a matter, you come to realise the many issues pe…

She is only warming up.

Burning it up.

Give a bit of injury time.

I have a few matters I would like to raise with the Leader. He will be very familiar with the place I refer to first. Just seven miles from Galway city, a friend of mine from Corcullen contacted me to ask me to highlight that they have had no broadband service since the storm two months ago. I had to read the message twice to see if this could be true. Many places in the country were not affected or got off lightly but I find it astonishing that there are still people without broadband as a result of the storms, in…

I will strip it down. I welcome the Minister. I have no doubt of her ability and wish her the very best in the brief. I also thank Senator Stephenson for introducing me to the concept of medical gaslighting. There are several women in my life who like to accuse me from time to time of merely having man flu and I now have the perfect repose. More seriously, I have three points. We should of course have a broader and indeed longer debate covering not just women's health but other issues. Since it is International Wom…

I asked about a review of telemedicine.

Following on from what my colleague, Senator McCarthy, said a moment ago, it strikes me that there are so many things coming down the tracks at us from the new Administration in America that it is difficult to know what is going to lead to disaster and what might have a grain of positivity. One thing I am fascinated by, and I think many people in Ireland would be fascinated by, is the idea of a department of government efficiency. Certainly, in the United States it probably has the capacity, depending on how it ope…

I will conclude by saying that we have a system which lacks transparency and allows financial mismanagement to go unchecked. Sometimes, if you are promised information, it never comes.

I am still awaiting a response from the Department of higher education and the HEA on Athena SWAN expenditure, which I requested on 9 October, almost six months ago.

The only thing that will override public suspicion about the misspending of taxpayers' money is transparency about what is going on. I would like to ask for a debate about whether we need a Government department-----

-----or a department of Government efficiency to ensure our taxpayers' money is not being abused.

A Chathaoirligh agus a Threoraí - ní ceannaire ach Treoraí atá ann - ba bhreá liom cur leis an méid a dúirt an Seanadóir Rabbitte maidir leis an Idirlíon agus cosaint na bpáistí ach go háirithe. Last week, we had Safer Internet Day; it runs for the month of February. While I welcome and agree with what Senator Rabbitte said - and, like her, I commend the initiative taken in Droichead an Chláirín, Clarinbridge - I am concerned that there is a certain "quangoism" involved with this issue. I was listening to Claire By…

I agree wholeheartedly with what Senator McDowell has just said. I agree as well that we have two excellent candidates before us and I am convinced that either of them would discharge the duties of Leas-Chathaoirleach not just with diligence and fairness but, indeed, with aplomb. I have no doubt as to the result of this vote today. I am not going to withhold my support from Senator Byrne on her successful and happy day, as I anticipate it will be. That in no sense takes from the regard I have for Senator Flynn or m…

That is news to me.

You can forget to ring the bell sometimes.

Hear, hear.

Tréaslaím leis an gCathaoirleach as an éacht seo, a bheith tofa an athuair mar Chathaoirleach ar Sheanad Éireann. Déanaim comhghairdeas le gach duine atá tofa don Teach seo. Is léir go bhfuil éagsúlacht againn ó thaobh cúlra agus na scileanna éagsúla atá ag daoine. Táim thar a bheith dóchasach go mbeidh díospóireachtaí maithe againn chun leas na tíre amach anseo. I thank and welcome the Cathaoirleach, congratulate him on his second appointment as Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann and wish him continued success in the…

I wish to build on something my friend and colleague Senator McDowell said about Seanad reform. I agree with much of what he said. I disagree about the proposition that the reform to the election of the Seanad should come from within the current constitutional structure. I have long been of the view that we should have a list system even if that means we no longer have graduate-elected Seanadóirí, councillor-elected Seanadóirí or Seanadóirí who come from a constituency of one by way of a Taoiseach's appointment. I …

I join in welcoming our American guest from New York. We are always delighted to have our American friends over, and we have a great interest in New York. To be honest, we do not find them nearly as interesting at the moment as the people of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia. Many of us do not anticipate getting much sleep on the night of 5 November. We wish our guests the best of luck with the forthcoming election. May all their dreams be fulfilled, whatever they may be…