I thank the Minister of State for his reply and I received much of that information last year from his colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. The Minister of State said of this winter, "an additional €10 million in funding is being provided to support general practice nationally, given the extra pressure the winter period can bring, in particular on single-handed practices". This is what the director of operations of the HSE, Anne O’Connor, said at the health co…

I wish to raise two issues this morning. When people come near the end of their working lives, they like to know how they are fixed regarding their pensions. Public servants who are considering retirement are entitled to know what their pensions will be in order that they can make an informed decision. I have been contacted of late by a number of nursing and public healthcare staff and, indeed, teachers who have had grave difficulty receiving information form the HSE or the Department of Education regarding their p…

I welcome the Minister. I spoke about this on Second Stage. When I took the Order of Business for the Leader some weeks ago, a number of Senators raised their concerns, views and sentiments, which have been repeated here, regarding the value of secretarial assistants. I fully support what our Members here have said about their role and how it has evolved as has the work they do. Forms of media have evolved. It is important this is recognised. As Senator Buttimer said, I have been a member of the commission for more…

Now.

Now.

I, too, welcome the decision of An Bord Pleanála yesterday on the Galway city ring road. It has been a long time in the offing, along with its predecessor, the Galway city outer bypass, on which considerable preparatory work has been done by engineers from the Arup Group, which has been tasked with this project, and all the county council officials, with the council being the lead agency on behalf of both Galway city and county. The ring road is pivotal. I made a submission to the oral hearing at the time. In Augus…

Is soiléir go bhfuil an Seanadóir Ó Donnghaile ag imirt polaitíochta leis an ábhar seo anois. Phléamar an t-ábhar seo an uair dheireanach coicís ó shin. D'fhreagair an tAire Stáit ceist na moltaí a bhí agamsa agus rinneamar socrú ar an ábhar seo. Tá sé tábhachtach go mbeadh an Rialtas freagrach as an gcoiste earcaíochta agus as an gcoiste comhairleach Is é an coiste comhairleach a bheidh ag déileáil leis an ábhar tábhachtach seo - an earcaíocht. Táim sásta go mbeidh an Rialtas freagrach as seo. D’iarr mé ar an Aire…

Arís, tá an Seanadóir ag imirt polaitíochta. Tá an cheist seo socraithe. Thug an tAire Stáit a chuid tuairimí ar an ábhar seo agus dúirt sé nach raibh sé chun glacadh leis an leasú. Sin an fáth gur tharraing mé siar é an uair dheireanach. Tá an cheist seo pléite agus freagartha so níl anseo ach polaitíocht agus cur amú ama.

Gabhaim buíochas agus déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit, stiúrthóir na Gaeilge sa Roinn, an Dr. Aodhán Mac Cormaic, agus feidhmeannaigh na Roinne as ucht na hoibre atá déanta acu le cúpla bliain anuas chun an Bille seo a thabhairt trí Thithe an Oireachtais. Bhí orthu é a ullmhú ar dtús báire agus ansin na leasuithe go léir a thógáil isteach agus na tuairimí a bhí ag Teachtaí agus Seanadóirí a thógáil san áireamh freisin. Is céim thábhachtach í seo don Bhille. Beidh ar an Aire Stáit dul ar ais chuig an Dáil l…

I welcome the Minister. I thank him for bringing forward this important legislation. I also acknowledge the work done by all the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas day in, day out; a lot of it unseen but much of it very visible both for Members and visitors to these Houses. It is important in terms of the running of the Houses of the Oireachtas that we acknowledge the work they do on our behalf in ensuring that the operation of the Parliament is carried on and also that visitors and people who come to our Parlia…

-----as I questioned at that time. No members of Fine Gael were brought to the attention of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission but there were members of other parties who were, or indeed are, Independents.

That was on the record. Situations were brought to people's attention relating to masks not being worn and people not adhering to guidelines and treating staff in an inappropriate manner. That is wrong. It was reported in the media that we sought sanction for additional staffing for the Houses of the Oireachtas for the coming years, some of it related to translation services and some related to additional committee work. I am not sure whether the Minister has approved those. I believe 111 extra staff were sought ov…

Could we extend the time by ten minutes to allow contributions because the debate started late?

Can I propose that, notwithstanding anything in the order of the House, we add an additional ten minutes to this debate?

Agreed.

I can take two minutes. I welcome the Minister. My father, Lord have mercy on him, used to own a few horses in his time. It was more of a hobby than anything, although he had a small bit of success. He loved those horses. He treated them with respect. He got the vets in and talked to them, God knows, and was very much supportive of animal welfare. The majority of horse owners are the same. I support all these sports such as horse and greyhound racing but I want to ensure that everything is done to support animal we…

I propose: "That notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, the time allocated to item 3 is extended to finish at 6.40 p.m."

Animal welfare has to be important. There has been a lot of work done. In fairness, Members of both Houses and across the political spectrum have supported changes that have enhanced welfare. I come from Galway, with which the Galway Races are synonymous. There is the seven-day festival in the summer and the September and October meetings. The world-renowned Galway Plate and Galway Hurdle are a huge boost. It is thriving. The city closes down for productivity to a degree, or rather I should say that it opens up to …

I move: That, in accordance with the recommendation of the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight pursuant to Standing Order 98(2)( b ) – (1) A Select Committee, which shall be called the Seanad Public Consultation Committee (“the Committee”), shall be appointed to facilitate direct engagement and consultation between members of the public and Seanad Éireann on specific issues related to the legislative powers of the Seanad or an issue of public policy. (2) The Committee shall consist of nine members i…

I move: That the Thirteenth Report of the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight on the amendment of Standing Order 78 be adopted, laid before the House and printed.