I thank the Minister of State. I am disappointed by the answer, though. The State has 261 acres and only 50 acres are being used for military training currently, so losing 5 to 6 acres would not make any difference to it, but it would make a major difference to the community. The Franciscans sold their site for the development of a new school. This means that the soccer club has to get off the site in April. The club is paying €20,000 per year to use that facility. It has the capacity to buy land but there is nothi…

Up to now, I have not spoken on the Ukrainian war but I do so today. Over the past week, approximately 1 million people have crossed the borders into safe jurisdictions. These 1 million people will be looking to resettle in Europe. Yesterday, there was a call by the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, for volunteers to come forward to see how we could help and house the people that are going to come to our country. In that regard, figures of 20,000, 25,000, 30,000 or 40,000 have been mentioned. As leaders, …

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. He has been instrumental in bringing the credit unions forward in terms of how we do banking in this country. Now is an important time for credit unions in this country. As we come out of Covid and the economy picks up again, the reinvigorated movement of money around the country presents great opportunities to examine our financial systems and improve upon them. There seems to be a joint understanding that the role of credit unions can be built up to better meet the …

Senator Ruane is moving the motion and sharing her time with Senator Flynn. Is that agreed? Agreed. I formally welcome the Senators' guests from Housing Action Now in collaboration with a collective of artists.

I draw attention to the recent announcement by the United Kingdom Government that the country will end telemedicine abortions by autumn, a decision we should follow. The UK provision was first introduced in March 2020 by the British Government as a temporary Covid-19 response. When our then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, followed suit in early 2020, modelling the system on the UK decisions, we were also told this would be a temporary measure. Covid-19 restrictions are increasingly being lifted and our nearest …

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Seanad to discuss the very important issue of mental health and particularly the mental health of our young people. I could not even read the Maskey report. I regularly deal with the parents of children who are fighting for mental health support. It is scandalous that in 2022 the State has once again let down 46 children that we know of and there could be more. There is not a town, village or parish that has not been touched by problems with mental health. Very often …

I also welcome the Minister of State. This is the first time I have addressed him. I congratulate him on his appointment and offer him continued best wishes. I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to discuss this matter of the utmost importance, which will continue to impact more and more women as time goes by. We have a wonderful tradition of sport in this country and our sportswomen are going from strength to strength. From qualifying for this summer's Hockey World Cup, to Leona Maguire's rise through …

I thank the Minister of State. Certainly, what he has outlined and indeed done himself with regard to funding women's sport and its organisations has been very impressive. However, the question I have is that when we speak about women, we need a definition of that category and we need to protect that category of women within sport. I understand that last year, a freedom of information request went into Sport Ireland asking about this and it stated it had not even discussed self-identifying males competing against f…

It is lovely to see the parents of Senators coming in. I am little envious that I do not have my mother anymore. Senator Hoey does not have her father anymore and Senator Carrigy does not have his mother anymore but it is so lovely to see that Senator Dolan is able to share these moments with her parents. On Monday the Children’s Rights Alliance published its annual report card, which provides an analysis of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party’s Programme for Government: Our Shared Future, and how it perform…

Ireland has always been at the forefront of speaking up for those who have been oppressed. We recognise the interconnectivity of the countries of Europe and the world at large and that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We have had calls in this House to address serious human rights abuses occurring in all places over the world, from China in the East, to here in the West, and addressing the issues in our own country as well. I find it odd that we have heard nothing of the well-publicised, high-p…

The Minister is very welcome to the Chamber. The Bill has been in the works for some time and will bring about drastic change for people and companies working in broadcasting and streaming. It will affect everyone in the country in some way. It is a large Bill and at times a technical one, but its main effects are laid out in an accessible manner. It will result in the replacement of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the new coimisiún na meán, whose remit will extend beyond that of the BAI into the realm o…

I appreciate the Cathaoirleach letting me in. Tomorrow, 18 February, is Care Day, which is a global celebration of the successes and achievements of children and young people in care. It is important we celebrate the young people who overcome adversities - sometimes mental, physical and sexual abuse - let them know we are proud of them and their achievements to date, and hope a future of opportunity, equality and equity is there for them. The resilience of these children and youths must be commended. As leaders and…

I also support my Fianna Fáil colleagues. On Second Stage, the then Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, pointed out that the Bill allows for the removal of the AED during an identifiable medical emergency that has been notified to the emergency services. This would mean that if somebody throws a lifebuoy to a person without notifying the incident or some other person notifying the incident to the emergency services, he or she would be guilty of a crime. The people who are going out to save lives are going out to sav…

Senator Gavan should withdraw those comments.

The universal social charge, USC, has found itself in the spotlight once again. As we look at measures to combat the unsustainable rise in the cost of living, I believe we should be looking at the USC. The USC was introduced at the height of the financial crisis in December 2010 by the late Brian Lenihan of Fianna Fáil to help to shore up a huge hole in the public finances and to replace the income levy and the health levy. The USC now generates a tax revenue of around €4 billion per annum for the State. It is very…

Her mother, Ms Breda Murphy.

I call Senator Conway. He has eight minutes.

There is plenty of time. If the Senator would like, he may extend his speech to eight minutes.

I am sorry; I indicated that I wanted to speak. I think it was sent through that I was speaking on this Bill. Was it not confirmed?

Okay. I prepared so much. It is not often I get to support the Green Party colleagues. I want to commend them. This is an important Bill on which the Minister of State can act very swiftly. I support it as it will allow for an immediate exemption from planning permission for solar panels on schools. It will also provide for the removal of other restrictions on solar panels from the planning regulations for homes and businesses. There is a growing demand for the installation of solar panels on homes, schools, commun…