Gabh mo leithscéal, tá an Dáil ag vótáil.

We will suspend the House for the duration of the vote until the Minister returns.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Deputy Buttimer is no stranger to Seanad Éireann.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Taoiseach as an ról a thug sé dom bheith mar urlabhraí ar an nGaeilge sa Seanad. I am really proud that the Taoiseach nominated me to be our party spokesperson on education in this Seanad. Donogh O'Malley's revolutionary decision to allow free second level education in 1966 opened up the doors for my parents to go to secondary school in Loughrea. In his tenure as Minister for education, the Taoiseach radically revised the primary school curriculum. That had a hugely positive impact on my yo…

Gabhaim buíochas leat, a Aire Stáit. Sin tusa críochnaithe. Anois beidh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Kieran O’Donnell, linn.

Before the Minister of State responds, I welcome the Old Belvedere Rugby Football Club men's shed to the Public Gallery. Before I became a politician, the best grilling I got and the best preparation for debate was with the Loughrea men's shed in County Galway. I sat in with them a few times and they prepared me for life in politics very well, I welcome you all to the Gallery today and fair play to you for coming up.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Hildegarde Naughton, as teacht isteach.

Tá an Comhchoiste um Thithíocht, Rialtas Áitiúil agus Oidhreacht tar éis a bhreithniú ar na Rialacháin fán Acht um Pleanáil agus Forbairt (Forbairt Dhíolmhaithe (Acht 2000)), 2025.

The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, will speak first for ten minutes and then we will have the group spokespersons for seven minutes each. All other Senators will have four minutes each. The Minister of State can then reply not later than 5.50 p.m. The statements will conclude at 6 p.m.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo anocht. On a light note, because I am going to focus on the infrastructural side of things, I concur with Senator Cosgrove, who mentioned the song, "The West's Awake". When it comes to getting caffeine on the Dublin-Galway train on the way home on a Friday evening, the west is definitely asleep because we cannot get a cup of coffee and a Dairy Milk. It used to be lovely when I was coming home from college in the 2010s but it is a pity that is gone. It is ba…

Hear, hear.

I would like to be associated with the condolences to Senator Costello on the loss of her dad. It is a very sad time for her. I would also like to say my own hello to Mr. Ken Kerr. As someone who lived for quite a while in Maryland, it is great to have him here today. I wish to raise the issue of critical skills visas for drivers coming into this country to drive trucks for road haulage companies. The Garda National Immigration Bureau carries out the initial background check on these licences before people come int…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo. I will focus almost exclusively on the education side of the budget today. Before I do, there are three quick comments I want to make. First, I received hugely positive feedback from postmasters around the country last night and this morning on the measures in the budget to support our rural post offices in remote, isolated, rural areas or in smaller villages and towns around Ireland. It is a hugely positive step and has been very much welcomed by the post…

I acknowledge the exciting new partnership between the BWT Alpine Formula One Team and the Espire Education STEM On Track initiative, which uses motorsport to engage students in STEM. Over 600 students from 45 schools are taking part, building their own racing carts and competing in national finals. It is practical, inclusive and inspiring. It is exactly the kind of experience we should be giving people in the learning environment. On that note, I offer my congratulations to Team Increvex from St. Brigid's College,…

I acknowledge what has been said. What Senator Andrews is doing is extremely brave. It is not just symbolic. If those on the flotilla only save one life or prevent child having to go through an amputation unanaesthetised, they will have either saved a life or prevented a mental trauma that will never be reversed. I just cannot understand what the IDF is doing. It has shown absolutely no regard for international law, which it purported that it wanted the protection of for so long. What is happening beggars belief. W…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht teacht isteach ar gearrfhógra. Táim buíoch de. I commend Senator Ruane on proposing the amendment to the Order of Business today to enable us to have this debate. I am glad we are talking about this. I wish there were more of us in the room on both sides of the House. I am not pointing fingers; this is serious. What Israel did last night was smash international law. Not alone did it smash international law relating to protections for boats on international waters, but it preven…

Ba mhaith liom ceist na slándal fuinnimh a ardú. I wish to raise the issue of energy security and securing the national grid with enough electricity supply. A local solar energy company in Loughrea raised with me the issue of VAT on solar panel batteries. If we take an instance where somebody gets the grant to install their solar panels, there is a once-off opportunity to get the 0% VAT. If that leads to the person wanting to reinstall a battery at a later date, they have to pay the full rate of VAT. We are missing…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo arís. I will start by acknowledging the sheer scale of the school transport system in Ireland. The Minister of State has outlined some of the figures, including the fact that 178,000 students get on approximately 8,200 vehicles around the country on a daily basis, covering 10,600 routes. That is a massive undertaking and we should acknowledge the work of Bus Éireann, departmental officials, drivers, escorts, contractors and everyone who makes this possible.…

I will not repeat everything that has been said about the positives of this move except to say that I hugely welcome the movement towards auto-enrolment. One of the huge positives I see that has not been mentioned today by Senators is the mobility of the fund. Nowadays, people do not have lifelong careers in one particular job as much as they did previously. The fact that the fund moves with the person as he or she goes from job to job is hugely welcome. I would like to pick up, respectfully, on a couple of points …

On Tuesday, I raised an issue on the Order of Business and, on the advice of the Leader, submitted a Commencement matter. The issue relates to Carrabane National School just outside Loughrea, County Galway. I was strong in mentioning that this is a 20-year debacle that is not the doing of the Minister of State or the Minister, Deputy McEntee. It is something they have inherited, but it urgently needs to be addressed. A few years ago, Carrabane National School got approval for construction but the builder pulled out…