I thank the MEPs for attending. On the Mercosur agreement, why is there such a push to bring in Brazilian beef that has no traceability and contains growth hormones which are banned within the EU? Have the MEPs not a duty of care to European consumers? Is not that why we have these very protections in Europe? I advise Seán Kelly to read the report by the Irish Farmers' Journal after he has read the Sunday Independent . Last week, Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil all voted to recognise trans women as women. That…

What about women's rights? What about the right to our spaces? Nobody has answered the question in that regard. The right to our spaces-----

My colleague, Melissa Byrne, has been contacted by parents in Newbridge who are devastated that the Patrician Secondary School will have a reduction in SNAs between 2026 to 2027 from 6.75 posts to four posts. I know this too will concern the Deputy Leader and I am sure she will look for the Government to intervene. We have written to the Minister for education because this is an issue in schools across the country. In the Patrician Secondary School, there will be one SNA for 232 children and that is unacceptable. I…

I want to raise the urgent need for an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities. Many people are facing a choice between eating and heating. That is what we have heard at committee from people who have disabilities. All their testimony is backed up by evidence. Over the weekend, the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, said that the Government will introduce a permanent measure to address the cost of disability, but not until budget 2027. When it comes to disability support, the Government always s…

I thank Senators Cosgrove, Harmon, Noonan and Stephenson for bringing forward this important motion on improving mental health supports in this country. Motherhood can be a joyful and exciting time, but it also brings with it concern, worry and challenges as mothers enter a new stage in their lives. They usually feel overwhelmed, worried and concerned and are dealing with sleepless nights. We know that around one in five women face mental health difficulties in the time surrounding childbirth. We have to make sure …

I am really disappointed that the Minister of State could not stay for my Commencement matter because it is connected to his Department. When will a new adult day services day centre for County Monaghan be developed? Has a location for the site been selected? Can the Minister responsible for disability provide a timeline for works to be completed? There has been a lot of confusion on this over the past few years. I am working with a group called Special Needs Active Parents, SNAP, in County Monaghan that is trying …

I thank the Minister of State for her response but I still have not got clarity. The clarity I have been asking for is whether a location has been selected for the day services unit. The Minister of State said the HSE is looking in Monaghan. Is that Monaghan town? Do they have a location selected? There is also information that the site the HSE and the property steering group has approved for capital is deemed as a hospital setting so it cannot be used. This means there is still this confusion, and the Minister of …

So, the location has not been identified.

Do we have a timeline?

I thank the Minister of State.

Moving from primary school to secondary school is a big step for any child. It is an exciting time and it is also nerve-wracking. For families in Monaghan with children who have special needs, that normal worry has turned into fear and stress because many parents still have no idea where their children will go to school in September. Pupils finishing sixth class in June have not been offered places in special education classes and have been left in limbo waiting for answers from the Department and the National Coun…

Weather events are happening, whether as predicted by Met Éireann or not, and whether it is a named storm or not. They are not a once-in-a-lifetime event. Flooding is happening regularly, especially where I live. Every time it starts raining heavily in Cavan, a family who live near me keep watch 24-7. Water starts encircling the steps of their house, front and back. There is no consolation from the Government for these people, who are living in a flood zone and cannot escape the weather or the rising waters. There …

We have a massive issue with planning in this country. If a minor mistake is made or any information is missing from a planning application, the whole thing has to be resubmitted. We are delaying much-needed infrastructure because the Government will not develop a process that means information can be added or changed, as opposed to having to submit an entirely new application. Numerous families have contacted me about the lack of respite services in Monaghan. It now seems that because of an error in the HSE's plan…

The use of AI to create sexual abuse material is wrong. The Internet is saturated with this material and there are no restrictions on who can access it and no protections for children. The fixation on X is totally missing the point. Banning, deleting or cancelling X will not stop child sexual abuse material from being created. A Google search will bring up far more explicit results. It feels like there is some scapegoating here, and it is targeted at one company in particular, instead of acknowledging Government fa…

I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House today. At the moment there is a lot of frustration with Inland Fisheries Ireland because of its governance issues and the level of habitat destruction we are seeing in our lakes and rivers. Recent audits and scrutiny have revealed financial and governance failures in Inland Fisheries Ireland. For example, there were 52 staff credit cards in 2020 that totalled over €148,000 in spending. That figure has reduced somewhat in recent years but it is still excessive …

The level of flooding we are seeing in Cavan and Monaghan is really sad. The reason it is sad is because it is preventable in the main. Homes are being flooded, businesses are being damaged and, in some cases, roads have been badly affected and are impassable. Basic routine maintenance is one of the easiest ways to help prevent flooding. Keeping drains and gullies clear should be a top priority. If we know bad weather is coming, these jobs should be stepped up, not scaled back. Running water causes damage to roads …

There is a guide being circulated by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, ICCL, that educates gender-questioning students on their rights within school. It would be one thing to focus on the need for respect and tolerance, but this guide offers very troubling and contradictory information. It tells schools that teachers have a legal requirement to use students' preferred pronouns. Only after a statement from the Department of education did schools, teachers and parents learn that there is no legal requirement for…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 22, line 34, after “fuels” to insert the following: “; other than the domestic use or burning of solid fuels for the purposes of home heating in a private dwelling, including in rural areas and in households where no affordable alternative source of heating is available”.

We will wait until we hear what the Minister of State has to say.

I thank the Minister of State. I will reiterate the discussion I previously had with him. My amendment relates specifically to section 53B. It is intended to bring much needed clarity to householders and local authorities. As the Bill is currently drafted, it is not clear whether the regulation on burning fuels is intended to apply to ordinary domestic households or whether it is confined to commercial operators and large-scale suppliers. During the previous debate, I appreciate that the Minister of State made rema…