Being warm saves people's lives. More people die of hyperthermia than of effects from air pollution. That is a fact. It is about clarity in the Bill. The Minister of State said the intention of the Bill is this, that and the other but everything comes down to interpretation. I am looking for guarantees that domestic users will not be prosecuted. It is not specified anywhere in the legislation who the regulatory powers are aimed at. Maybe I am very stupid. That is what this comes down to. How do we guarantee, unless…

I too give my condolences to the Cathaoirleach and the family of Brian Crowley. It is only a month into 2026 and many small businesses across the country are struggling to get by. Our economy is heavily reliant on foreign multinationals, while Irish-owned businesses struggle to survive. Foreign direct investment, FDI, in Ireland is worth more than 2.5 times our entire economy. It is scary that we are that reliant on it. Over 80% of corporation tax now comes from foreign companies. Around 70% of our exports come fro…

I support Sinn Féin's amendment because to me it is clear that we should not support or ratify this loan. We have no guarantees regarding how this loan will be spent or its potential to be spent on military equipment and arms. We have a long-standing history of neutrality. Time and again, every opinion poll has indicated that the Irish public puts immense value on our neutrality. Instead of signing off on loans that could contribute to further military warfare, we should be facilitating peace talks and being a dipl…

The information brought to light by the Beef Plan Movement in relation to Bord Bia is explosive. The fact that Brazilian beef was brought into this country by a company whose CEO is also the chairperson of Bord Bia is extremely damning and undermines public confidence in Bord Bia. Bord Bia is supposed to be promoting Irish beef. However, its chairman’s company is bringing in Brazilian beef. That is scandalous. Irish beef farmers feel betrayed. This news has broken at a time when Irish beef has never been under so g…

I congratulate the Knockbride ladies who came to Dublin to play in an all-Ireland final last Saturday and won. They played superbly. In that game the winner was football. It was an absolutely brilliant game of football. I congratulate them. They came to Dublin with the cup on Monday and there were great celebrations. I wish the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Leader a happy Christmas, and thank all of the staff in the Oireachtas for their help and good work guiding us during the year. Last night, I could not get over t…

After the recent EU meeting on fisheries, it feels like the efforts put in by fishing communities, the fishing industry, me and colleagues on the fisheries committee were completely pointless. We are gutted with the results. Belgium's coastline is barely longer than Wicklow's and yet it gets 16 times more quota than Irish fishermen. Our waters are rich in resources but our fishermen cannot fish these resources. They must sit with their boats tied up and watch while other countries like Norway, Iceland and the Faroe…

I thank Senators Cosgrove and Harmon for bringing this Bill forward. It is important legislation because I and other Senators come into the Chamber every week to talk about the cost of living. Everything has become so expensive. We have seen increases in the cost of energy, groceries, motor tax, tolls and fuel - you name it. People from Cavan are spending approximately €30 per day on return trips to Dublin for work. As Senator Pauline O'Reilly said, young apprentices in our town leave at approximately 5.30 a.m. The…

I want to briefly mention amendments Nos. 13 and 15 that were ruled out of order. These amendments simply sought to recognise homeowners affected-----

I know we are on amendment No. 16, but amendments Nos. 13 and 15 were ruled out of order and I want to mention them and why they were so important. Ruling them out of order sends a very clear message to families that it does not matter if their home is crumbling around them because it is the timing that determines whether they are recognised. We have been repeatedly told that there has been significant progress under the enhanced defective concrete block scheme, but when you look at the facts, that claim falls apar…

The recent budget offered pensioners a €10 increase in their old age pension, but this minor increase has been totally wiped out by the decision to remove State funding for medical blister packs. Pensioners will now have to pay around €50 a month to get their medical blister packs. It is a fantastic device because it divides up medication and helps to avoid any confusion. It simplifies taking tablets for people who are taking multiple types of medication. Ireland is increasingly beginning to feel like no country fo…

Well done to Senators Gallagher and Boyle. Senator Blaney was in here earlier and he was more defensive. He said there has been real progress with the scheme. I disagree with him. If there had been real progress made and people were satisfied, the 100% Redress Party would not have had four councillors and one TD elected. The people of Donegal voted with their feet. They are not satisfied. They are not happy. They are fighting for their lives and for support. They felt they had to go outside the normal parties to ge…

I, too, want to support what Senator Gallagher said earlier. I want to speak about the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in 1974. The Kenova report confirms what families in Monaghan have known for over 50 years, which is that the British state played a central and shameful role in the murder of Irish citizens, North and South. My thoughts are with the families of the 34 people who lost their lives and with the many more who still carry the trauma of that horrific day -over 300 of them. The Dublin-Monaghan bombings were…

Could I have two?

I thank Senator Kyne for sharing his time with me. I am pleased to speak in support of the Bill to provide secretarial support to councillors. Councillors do a huge amount of work with little support. It is unfair to them and unfair to the communities they represent. There is a huge amount of unseen work and the financial remuneration does not reflect the hours they actually work. The Moorhead report does not consider that a councillor's job is a full-time job. It is a full-time job. It is 24-7, including weekends,…

Senator Rabbitte said "no one got left behind". I disagree. People with disabilities and pensioners, even with their increase, got left behind. The increase was wiped out by the new cost of blister packs. The people out working and paying taxes to fund the social welfare Bill got no relief in the budget. They were left behind. I want to talk about the pension auto-enrolment scheme. The intention behind the Bill is positive. Nobody disagrees with the principle of helping people to save for retirement. However, I hav…

A number of disability advocates are outside the gates of Leinster House today. We all agree they should not have to be here, but they are. They feel the need to impress upon us the dire circumstances they find themselves in. Budget 2026 was an opportunity to enact real change for the disability sector, but in reality it left disabled people worse off by more than €1,000 in some cases. We saw the €400 disability support grant wiped out as well as the €250 electricity credit. These were key supports for homes alread…

I welcome the Minister of State and I welcome the Bill. She has put a lot of time and effort into it but we must do our job of scrutinising it. I share the sentiments expressed by Senator Black. I support amendments Nos. 83 and 84. People have had their liberty eroded due to being wrongly involuntarily detained. Like my fellow Senators, I want to know why the Government is refusing to follow the expert review group's recommendation of a 14-day time limit on review hearings. Currently, with extensions, people can wa…

I am concerned about this group of amendments, which relate to children who the subject of care orders. We are speaking about some of the most vulnerable children in the State. We know they may be admitted to acute mental hospital units without having the capacity to consent to this and often without anyone truly speaking for them. The Government amendments acknowledge the role of guardians ad litem but they require notification only if they have already been appointed. Should it not be the case that guardians ad l…

I agree with everything that Senator Tully said. I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber today, but I am disappointed that the Minister for Transport is not here. I have been trying to get a debate with him on this issue but he is proving to be elusive. I want to thank the Minister of State for engaging on this important matter. I want to focus on a matter that affects every commuter, farmer, small business and family in Cavan and Monaghan, that is, the ongoing deterioration of our roads and particularly our…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply but the response will be no consolation to the people of Cavan. Inflation has eroded the value of road funding and that has resulted in fewer kilometres of road being maintained. In 2022 and 2023, the price of bitumen increased by 62%. That is not being allowed for in the allocations of money from the Department. Inflation is not an unforeseen crisis. It has been a consistent pressure for years, yet funding levels have not been adjusted in a way that protects the actual o…