I would like to start by seconding the very appropriate motion brought forward by Senator Ward. I want to comment on the organic farming issue. It is very important we should have a decent debate on organic farming. It is important we should not be talking down the organic sector. I do not think it is a slur to become an organic farmer. We have more than 3,500 organic farmers who have signed up in the new tranche. We have nearly 200,000 ha of land now in organics. I am a farmer myself. I am a dairy farmer, not an o…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber to discuss the proposed changes to the scheme of reasonable accommodation in the certificate examinations, RACE. The scheme currently in place allows for accommodations to be put in place for students who need them when taking examinations. There is a proposal from the Dyslexia Association of Ireland to ensure extra time is given for children taking State examinations. In most, if not all, European countries the normal scenario is that students with a diagnosi…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I welcome that the proposed review will include an examination of the provision of assistive technology, which is a really important factor. It is bread-and-butter stuff. In undertaking the review, the SEC must move away from the report that was published 20 years ago. We need up-to-date guidance. The findings of the expert review group that sat more than two decades ago are out of date. There must be a root-and-branch review of what is required in the n…

Last week, I rose to highlight the ridiculous issue we had in west Cork regarding Garretstown beach, which adjoins Garrylucas beach. Both beaches had blue flag status for a number of years. Unfortunately, Garretstown lost its blue flag because the recycling area was not close enough to the beach. I am delighted to report to the House that progress has been made on this issue. An Taisce has seen logic and sense and has again granted blue flag status to this beach. I want to compliment the local council. I also want …

The Joint Committee on European Union Affairs met today and commenced its consideration of a proposal from Seanad Éireann to approve the terms of the agreement to establish the European- LAC International Foundation, signed in the Dominican Republic on 25 October 2016, a copy of which was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 30 March 2023.

Before I call Senator McDowell, I acknowledge Mr. Adrian Kelly, who is in the Public Gallery. Mr. Kelly is involved in the education and training board, ETB, in Louth. Mr. Kelly is Senator Craughwell's guest and he is more than welcome to the Chamber.

I lend my full support to the legislation that is being proposed. It is a very worthy piece of legislation that needs the attention of the Government in an appropriate manner to make sure we can get it on the Statute Book. I acknowledge the good work done by Young Fine Gael to progress the legislation, working with my colleagues in the Seanad to make sure it was drafted appropriately. It is a wonderful piece of legislation. There is a gap in the Statute Book. This legislation needs to be enacted to ensure that we h…

I only got part of the Minister of State, Senator Hackett’s, contribution. There is a huge issue about where we are going with the new measures proposed for nature restoration. A real debate is required in this House on how we will deal with this. I am deeply concerned about what is being proposed. An awful lot of fluff is being talked about here but 20% of Europe’s land is proposed to be rewetted. If that is to happen, saying there will be no impact on food supply and food inflation does not make logical sense. If…

All politics is local and the issue I raise today is a local one in many ways. We have an unbelievable scenario in Ballinspittle, where there are two wonderful beaches. Garrylucas is one of them. Garrylucas has now lost its blue flag because there is no recycling on the beach itself. It is 20 m away at the next beach in Garrettstown. It has recycling and blue flag status. We are stuck in a scenario where An Taisce, in its wisdom, has declared that one of our beaches in beautiful west Cork, with the weather shining,…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell. It is great to have the opportunity to debate this issue regarding the Minister for Education's need to review the process of assessment of the criteria for people seeking the assistive technology grant. It is a very serious and significant issue, with the Ombudsman for Children having received more than 1,800 complaints, 30% of which related to education, and my understanding is that the majority were about this particular issue. This concerns the ability o…

There is an awful lot there. I appreciate that the Minister of State is not the Minister in line. We need to have an urgent review of what is happening here because nobody is joining up the dots. It is bizarre.

I welcome the opportunity to make a submission to this review. The review is something we have been calling for and talking about for so long. There are many issues here. The idea of going back to a circular, which came out in response to a parliamentary question in 2021 or 2022, needs to be explained and taken apart. It is out of date, and not fit for purpose. However, the real issue here is that we need to have a body of work in place to make sure that children reach their full potential. Technology has changed d…

I welcome the whole new approach to it, but we need to make sure it happens sooner rather than later.

I wish to raise an issue of which you are probably very much aware, a Chathaoirligh, which is the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in the Cork-Kerry region. Unfortunately, more than 600 children are waiting for more than a year for an assessment by that service. Nearly 1,000 people are on a waiting list in the region. The Cork-Kerry region is totally out of synch with the rest of Ireland when it comes to CAMHS provision. Currently, some 40% of the waiting list nationally is in the Cork-Kerry regi…

For the past 25 years we have been trying to get a relief road in Bandon. There was a public consultation in July 2022. However, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, has not adhered to the timelines it put in place in July. I wrote to the Minister for Transport on the issue. I pointed out what Bandon has done in the past ten years, including flood relief schemes and mains drainage. The Minister has not come to Cork South-West since he became Minister for Transport. I asked him to come to Cork South-West and look …

It is about making sure that Departments give the service due to all constituencies in the State and not just the ones they want to attend to. I respectfully suggest that the Leader write to the Minister and ask him to attend this hearing here. She should discuss his activities and make sure he attends every constituency, not just the ones that he wants to.

The Minister of State is more than welcome. It is great to have him in the Chamber again. I compliment his work in the Seanad. It is always great to see him here taking these Commencement Matter debates. The issue I raise relates to Desmond Castle in Kinsale. It is a unique structure which has been closed due to structural issues since 2018. The castle's history is unique. It goes back to the 1500s and is a classic urban tower, three storeys high. It was once a prison which held prisoners from Spain, Portugal, Holl…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. The frustration of the community is the biggest issue. This site closed very abruptly in 2018 and has not reopened five years later. We need to build our tourism offering in Kinsale. It is the really significant site for us, right in the heart of the town. It is an indoor complex that can deliver so much for us. I believe the works that are happening are important but we need to have a definitive timeline, number one on when the works will be finished. M…

I would like to comment on the issue of food inflation and where we are with that debate at the moment. There is a debate out there on where the retailer is in all of this. I keep coming back to the point about the primary producers. We cannot have a situation where we are going to sort out food inflation by going back to the primary producers and looking for a cut in the price they are getting at the farm gate. If we do that, it will be a major step backwards. Realistically, the primary producers are the ones who …

This afternoon I would like to raise the issue of where we are going with food inflation and how that issue will be debated, in particular in the next few weeks. It is an issue that this House should take a lead on. We should have a real, significant debate with the Ministers involved regarding food inflation. Our primary producers need to be protected in this debate. I am genuinely concerned about where these primary producers will go regarding this debate. We cannot have a scenario where we will decide we will so…