I raise today the proposal being considered by the Minister for Justice to increase personal injury awards by almost 17%. We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. Inflation impacts families, businesses and communities across the country and now the Government thinks it is the right time to raise personal injury awards, a move that will inevitably lead to higher insurance premiums and, no doubt, higher claims. We already know from the Central Bank's own data that motor insurance premiums rose by 9% in the fi…

We have incredible biodiversity in Ireland. This week represents a great opportunity for people not only to enjoy it aesthetically but also to understand the necessity of our biodiversity. On Sunday, Cavan Public Participation Network, along with the Irish Environmental Network, launched National Biodiversity Week in beautiful Belturbet, County Cavan. There was a huge turnout with a wide range of outdoor workshops. Attendees got to enjoy Turbet Island, which is a very unusual island in the middle of a town that hos…

I welcome this Bill into the Seanad. I was very proud to cosign the Bill. It is a public health Bill that aims to ban the sale of high-energy or stimulant drinks to under-18s. It is a good Bill. The heavy lifting on the energy drinks Bill was done by Independent Senator Sharon Keogan, and I acknowledge the work she has done on this over the past number of years with others. She should be very proud of what she has produced. It is a very thorough Bill. I was happy to cosign it because it is an important Bill, with t…

I wish to raise an issue that I raised last week, just as my colleague Senator Paraic Brady has. After 70 years of failed policy, the Minister for agriculture is going to rush through ill-thought-out proposals made at the TB stakeholder forum. The IFA recently published a report revealing that TB compliance is costing Irish farmers €150 million annually. The Minister cannot talk about new proposals for TB eradication and leave farmers footing the bill without evidence that they will work. If the Department is plann…

I welcome the Bill and commend the efforts being made to ensure people throughout the country can continue to access physical cash. People choose to use cash for a variety of reasons and we must respect that. For some, especially older people, cash is what they know and trust. For those with irregular incomes, cash provides a tangible way to manage budgets. For victims of domestic violence, having access to and control over cash can be a crucial lifeline to autonomy and safety. I seek clarity on a number of points …

Yes, I second the amendment. I raise the issue of TB and, more specifically, the range of proposals put forward by the Department of agriculture at the TB forum in April. I have been speaking to farmers who are really concerned about the proposals. These measures include clamping down on sales from high-risk herds and reduced compensation for farmers who lose cows. This is putting all of the cost back on farmers who are trying to farm while the disease is running rampant. The TB vaccination programme is not working…

I want to raise an issue that is happening under our noses. There are many cogs in the machine that make the Houses of the Oireachtas run smoothly and, unfortunately, some of the people who play a key role in here are being treated incredibly unfairly. Cleaners, sound technicians and broadcasting staff are privately contracted, which means that when the Seanad and the Dáil are not sitting, these individuals have no work and are not paid. Committee technicians have been left unpaid since 8 November, the date the gen…

When discussing further education, we need to keep a strong emphasis on apprenticeships. There has been a sentiment of snobbery at times when it comes to pursuing craft or trade apprenticeships, and many young people have been pushed towards pursuing third level degrees, even when the programme of study does not suit their own passions. I welcome this motion's attempt to prioritise further education and the importance placed specifically on apprenticeship programmes. However, the motion leaves out a number of issue…

I wish the Deputy Leader a happy May Day, but it is also International Workers' Day. I want to highlight the ongoing penalisation of workers who have to commute to and from work every day. Thousands of people commute from Cavan to Dublin and during this commute they pass six tolls on a return journey. The Government took in €4 billion in fuel tax last year, €1.2 billion of which was carbon tax. Carbon tax adds 17 cent onto every litre of petrol and diesel. These carbon taxes will keep increasing. The Government is …

I welcome the recent ruling of the UK Supreme Court which upholds the fundamental common sense truth that biological sex matters and that women are entitled to protections based on their sex. This ruling is a victory for fairness, dignity and the hard-won rights of women. It is a clear recognition that women have a right to feel safe, to access spaces designed for them and to have their unique needs acknowledged and respected. For too long we have seen attempts to erase the very meaning of the word "woman". These a…

I call on the Minister for Justice to come before Members to answer questions on the crisis in An Garda Síochána with recruitment and retention. I highlight an incident in Carrickmacross as an example of what is happening around the country. I have received many calls and emails from worried constituents relating to an increase in crime, which has been an issue for a long time. This is coupled with a low visual presence of the Garda in the area and fear for safety due to recent frightening incidents in the Cavan-Mo…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I have been hearing good reports back from my colleagues on Cavan County Council. I hope he means to go on as he has started. In January, Storm Éowyn left behind a trail of destruction that was unprecedented in scale. Half of this devastation was on private land, meaning thousands of farmers, rural families and small landholders saw decades of investment wiped out in a matter hours. These people are now facing immense financial strain and a great deal of uncertainty, …

Like everybody else, I want to mention ash dieback. I have been a county councillor for nine years. It is especially urgent along roadsides. Also, there are instances of antisocial behaviour in forests owned by Coillte. It is a big problem in a lot of the small amenity parks. We might consider park wardens or something along those lines.

Last week on World Autism Awareness Day, families, parents and children stood together to demand access to education. Children with autism throughout the country are being locked out of a system that claims to be inclusive. The right to education is not conditional and should not depend on where you live or how loudly you shout. Nowhere is this clearer than in County Donegal, where children with autism are being failed. Nine families received notification that they were unsuccessful in getting a place for their chi…

At 6 o'clock this evening, Aontú will hold a protest outside the Dáil to call on the Government to keep the triple lock. Roger Cole is a long-standing advocate for peace and is the founder and chairman of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance. He will be the guest speaker tonight. At a time when there is violent conflict across the Middle East, an ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and atrocities being carried out in Gaza, it seems that now more than ever we should be trying to foster peace and de-escalation. The G…

I had the privilege of hearing sepsis stories from Hannah Tormey, Catríona Cahill and Sinéad O’Reilly, two of whom are nurses. They shared their personal experiences with sepsis. The presentation was incredibly personal and heartbreaking, but the part that stood out the most for me was when the nurses were asked if they had trust in the accident and emergency departments and both women, shockingly, answered "No". Anyone who has been in an accident and emergency department knows that the atmosphere can only be descr…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in today. I wish to speak about the effect this trade war will have on small areas such as my town in Cavan. Two of the largest employers in my town are Lakeland Dairies and Terra Limited. One makes butter and the other is a distillery making whiskey for the US market. The tariffs announced are causing fear and instability in the world of business but also in local communities and the workforce. Most people going to work this morning were listening to the radio. It is causin…

Across the childcare sector there is huge frustration among service providers, staff and families. In March, the Government approved fee hikes in nearly 20% of childcare providers in the country. These hikes directly contradict the promises outlined in the programme for Government, which committed to reducing the cost of childcare to €200 a month per child. The caring professions are often praised as career paths that add incredible value to the country. These individuals are told the work they do is invaluable, an…

I welcome the Minister and thank him for coming to the Chamber to hear what we have to say. Homelessness is at an all-time high. As of March, it was 11% higher than it was in the same month last year. There are 15,378 people living in emergency accommodation and that number includes 4,653 children. This is equivalent to 155 full classrooms of children living in uncertainty and stress, without permanent housing. These numbers are stark enough, but what is often lost in this shocking legacy of homelessness is the hid…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. I welcome the opportunity to speak on section 2 of the Bill. It is such an important step towards ensuring that Ireland is not complicit in the devastation we are witnessing in Palestine. Some 50,000 innocent people have been killed, the vast majority of whom were women and children. Families have been torn apart, entire communities wiped out and international law has been trampled on. The Irish people have watched in horror as hospitals, schools and refu…