I thank the Minister of State for her commitment to the Seanad this morning. It is no easy task to respond to four Commencement debates.

I raise the issue and ask for a debate, as the budget approaches, on the 9% VAT rate. I come from a rural part of the country where tourism is really important to how we will sustain ourselves in future. Other speakers have mentioned the talk in the media and in political circles about price-gouging and hotels implementing costs for rooms and food which are too high. There is a difference between a family-run hotel in west Cork and a conglomerate based in Dublin. That rural-urban divide in the prices needs to be ta…

I thank the Minister. It is great to have her in the Chamber. I formally second the motion. This is an important debate we are having about the school transportation scheme, which is a unique scheme that helps many families throughout the State in getting their children to school. It is part of their daily routine and structure. It is a part of how communities operate in rural Ireland. It is important we have an appropriate scheme that suits the needs of people. We took a major step forward in recent months by chan…

It is unprecedented that five Senators are speaking about the same Commencement matter. I have never seen it before in my time in the Oireachtas. Realistically, I have 172 or 173 kids on to me from west Cork at the moment. The majority of them had school tickets last year but because of the change in the scheme, they have been effectively thrown off the bus. These are working families who are trying to live their daily lives and their routine has been taken away from them. To compound that, I have spoken to a paren…

I might be wrong, but I think the review was started in February 2021. This issue is not about the review of how the transportation system will work for schools. The issue is that there was a change and we had a mass of people come on board looking for the scheme. Because of that, people who were always on the bus have been thrown off the bus. That is my problem. I am aware of hundreds of kids in west Cork who have been eligible to ride the bus for four or five years and are now thrown off it because the criteria h…

I agree with my two colleagues on the issue of cystic fibrosis. What we saw this afternoon was a real, passionate cry for help in so many ways. The 35 kids who are waiting for this drug are stuck in limbo as they wait for the negotiations next Friday between the Department and the drug company. Accordingly, I suggest to the Leader that we might write to the Minister to say the matter was raised. Perhaps we should put on the schedule that the Minister should come in and speak about the issues regarding CF. It is a r…

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I think the last time we met was at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action in Leinster House. I am not a member of the committee, but I took the opportunity to attend so that I could be briefed on this important issue. We had four hours of debate that day. This debate is still ongoing and we still need clarity on many issues. Obviously, what the consumer will pay will be addressed in the budget. Businesses also need to be included in that. For small…

It is great to be here on this last day of the Seanad. This is a very important motion which gives us the opportunity to debate where we are in the agricultural sector with regard to animal health, in particular the issues pertaining to the motion. If we look at what the farming community has done in recent decades, there has been dramatic and huge change in practices and in education. There is a great need for that education to continue. I have often spoken about issues like the age profile of our farming communit…

I will raise a very unfortunate issue about which an article appears in today's edition of the Irish Examiner . It is about how we dealt with the organs of children following post mortems. I was approached by a constituent, Ms Laura Kelleher and her husband, who now reside in Australia. They were involved in this unfortunate issue at Cork University Hospital. They were distraught that the organs of their daughter, Hope, were not disposed of appropriately and they were not kept informed regarding it. It was very dis…

Senator Eugene Murphy has eight minutes.

The Minister is more than welcome to the House. This is a really important piece of legislation, which I welcome. As a parent and father, this issue about the cost of care for children is huge for Irish society. There is a fear out there more than anything else. It is the fear of what it could cost rather than what it actually will cost. We are taking the fear out of that today, which is a really positive step. This is part of a suite of measures that are coming into place. I often listen to the older generation, i…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and the opportunity to debate this important matter. The aquaculture legislation, as amended, goes back to the 1997 Act, and I would like to discern where we are in the process of examining the legislation and putting more definitive timelines in place to help applicants and communities affected by proposals. This is a significant issue. Aquaculture licences are controversial in some locations because a body of water is taken for industrial use. It can have a major imp…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response in respect of the developments in the licensing system. It is important that it has moved to a more digital age and documents can be uploaded online. That is a positive step forward because, previously, those making submissions had to post them to Clonakilty. The digitisation of the system is very important. The core of the problem, however, is that there is no definitive timeline for when applications will be adjudicated on. In the case of an application…

I want to raise the issue about the retirement of senior members of the Garda Síochána. It is an issue that has been in the media for the past few weeks. The issue of senior members of the Garda Síochána having to retire at 60 is an issue that we have to look at. We have civilians working in the Garda Síochána who have the option to stay in the service up until 70 years of age but a member of the Garda Síochána's retirement age is 60 years of age. Sixty is an exceptionally young age. Sixty years of age now compared…

I support the motion. We are trying to flag key issues that need to be addressed while taking into consideration the global issues we have seen, particularly in the last three years when we have seen a pandemic that has affected the world. In Ireland we put nearly €50 billion into the economy to keep it going over that period. That gives an indication of what support the Government put in place to support our society. We have seen a massive war that we thought we would never again see in Europe. That has had a sign…

I welcome the Minister of State. It is great to see him here. I wish to raise the plight of a school that is perhaps the school furthest away from this complex, namely, the Beara Community School in Castletownbere. Its location is very peripheral. It is right on the coast. Its catchment includes not only the town of Castletownbere but also the surrounding villages from Eyeries to Ardgroom and Adrigole. It is the centre of secondary education on the Beara Peninsula. The school has a major plight. It is trying to sup…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. This issue is about trying to make sure we have this dedicated unit put in place. The amount of work that is being done by the Beara Community School to make sure that it is managing very capably with what it has at the moment is appropriate, but it really needs to get this dedicated unit on the ground. It needs for this process to be fast-tracked. I cannot understate that. It really is important. The geographical location of the school means it has no other option an…

The Minister of State is welcome. It is great to be here. We are fully in support of this important piece of legislation that has been talked about for a long time. When talking about the circular economy, education is a major issue in terms of explaining it, especially from the younger generation to the older generation. I was at a meeting a few weeks ago and the circular economy came up. A man put up his hand and said he had no idea what we were talking about. We need education on the entire terminology relating …

I very much support this proposed legislation. I join with others in thanking Senator Martin for proposing it and for all the work he has done regarding it. I met the protestors outside Leinster House this morning. There is a real sense of urgency regarding this legislation. That is apparent when I meet people and talk to them on the ground, and even on the basis of the number of emails I have received in the past ten days, in particular, on this issue. It is very welcome legislation. I look forward to going throug…

I acknowledge and welcome our distinguished guests in the Gallery. It is great to have them here and they did a wonderful interview on the radio this morning. I congratulate them and they are more than welcome. I will address a theme that the Leader and the Leas-Chathaoirleach are well aware of and that I have often spoken about, that is, dyslexia services. We have an issue in that many schools are doing something called Drumcondra tests, which most Members are aware of. That basically means that the end-of-year as…