I congratulate the Cathaoirleach and the Ceann Comhairle on the presentation we received from President Zelenskyy. We stand with Ukraine. The HSE is once again in the public eye as a result of plans to return greater decision-making abilities to regionally based authorities rather than top-level managers. The plan of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, is to set up six regional health authorities. If this sounds familiar, it might be because we had regional health authorities 17 years ago. They were done away wi…

I thank the Minister of State. I call Senator Cummins.

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

When is it proposed to sit again?

The Minister is most welcome to the Chamber. As we come into the summer months, the high season for tourism, a €9.5 billion industry, it is essential we examine the unique challenges facing the sector and that Government and stakeholders co-operate in addressing them. As we continue to take in refugees who are fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, the need for long-term housing solutions will only become more pressing. We must rehouse families in the interests of their mental health and physical well-being. At the momen…

Our 2022 census is due to take place this Sunday, 3 April. The census is a powerful tool in the making of public policy, giving an in-depth nation-wide snapshot of who is living in Ireland and how they are living. From housing to childcare, taxes to health services, up-to-date and accurate census information clearly displays the state of the nation, informing Government policy and programmes alike. Thus, it follows that the inaccuracies in the information received obfuscates the reality of the situation on the grou…

The Minister of State is very welcome. The question regarding these regulations is a simple "Why?". What need is there for the expansion of testing and vaccination centres? Is it primarily for testing or for vaccinations? I find it hard to believe we need to ramp up the vaccination roll-out given we have administered just shy of 11 million vaccine doses - unless we are planning for a second booster. Perhaps it is for testing. What evidence is there our current testing centres are insufficient or being overrun? Perh…

I thank the Fine Gael Senators for moving this motion. It gives us a valuable opportunity to recognise and applaud the work being done and to identify where more work needs to be done and where the gaps in our system lie. The sheer volume of aid raised through donations of money and supplies and the time and effort spent volunteering to help refugees, along with the hospitality and generosity of people opening their homes, is a true testament to Irish people putting their hearts into helping their neighbours. Every…

One night.

The Minister of State is welcome to the House. I thank him for coming in to answer this matter. I raise this matter because it has been brought to my attention by an Independent county councillor in Cork, Mr. Declan Hurley. Much attention has been paid in recent weeks to the rising cost of living in Ireland. We are not unique in that respect in the western hemisphere. From cuts in excise duty to lump sum payments, the Government is engaging in a suite of measures to aid families and individuals in maintaining their…

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate his reply but it is not enough, judging by the way things are going with inflation at the moment. While I know the green agenda means getting rid of coal eventually, the price of a bag of coal has gone up by 50% since last September and it will go up again in May with the increase in the carbon tax. The price of 1,000 l of oil is almost €1,500. What the Government is giving at the moment is simply not enough in the context of current inflation rates. The Government defini…

I commend each person in Ireland who is helping those fleeing the war in Ukraine. We will never know the true extent of the efforts of volunteers around the country but they are at work everywhere and I thank all of them. We are sorely aware, however, that injustice and suffering continue the world over. In Afghanistan last week, the Taliban reneged on a promise to allow girls to attend secondary school, with thousands of girls turned away from school gates. One girl, who spoke to the Afghan news outlet TOLOnews, b…

The issues of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, free from Government suppression, are timeless pillars of a free and functioning society. Yet, this is timely. As our media flirts once again with restrictions, the debate about proportionality of the extreme and unprecedented measures taken to combat Covid-19 must remain free and open. I ask the Acting Leader if we can count on him to combat these injustices on either side of the world.

I, too, want to talk about the energy crisis. The vote by the Cabinet to reduce the excise duty on petrol and diesel was the correct response to a wild and unsustainable fluctuation of price in a commodity which experiences elastic demand. The idea behind the excise cut is, of course, that the reduction is passed onto the consumer and helps tackle the cost of living, with the implications that if the goal is not achieved, then the cut becomes pointless. That is exactly what we are in danger of experiencing, as repo…

I welcome the Minister. Everybody opposes hate crime and hate speech. The problem is that everyone thinks they know what hate speech is, such as a gang of football hooligans hurling racist abuse at individuals on a street or a boy or girl who is made to feel small and unwelcome because of his or her appearance. The thing about hate speech legislation is that it governs much more than these clear-cut cases. What about statements of fact? If I said most shoplifters are women, I do not know if that is true. If it is t…

I thank my colleagues, the Members of this House and the international community, including the ambassadors representing Turkey, Korea, Cyprus, Singapore, the Vatican City, the Philippines, Jamaica, Colombia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Chile, Croatia, Iceland, Portugal, Georgia, Norway, Indonesia, Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands, Australia, Estonia, Latvia, Israel, Greece, Lesotho, Brazil, Finland, New Zealand, Lithuania, Guatemala, Slovakia and Kenya who showed up to show solidarity with our Ukrainian fr…

I want to start by wishing women everywhere well on International Women’s Day, which, oddly, we will be making statements on tomorrow in this House. It is a great shame that our slot was put back until tomorrow. I wonder if we can we have a debate in the House on public liability insurance for businesses and community groups? The cost of insurance has been inflating for years and the public liability insurance premiums continue to rise, despite a significant fall in the size of injury awards. A report late last yea…

The Minister of State is very welcome. I thank him for coming here to discuss this important matter for the residents of the Stamullen and Gormanston areas. The Defence Forces currently own 261 acres of land in the Gormanston area, upon which Gormanston Camp is based. The camp and the disused aerodrome occupy a certain portion of this land and much of the remaining land is leased for agricultural use. The land to which I refer is filed under folio numbers MH11409N and MH6108N. It was previously zoned for industrial…

There are 261 acres.