I thank the Cathaoirleach for those very kind words. We are 45 or 46 days away from the local elections. This debate about what we are going to do about local government and where it is going to be a part of our society needs to happen in a very appropriate place like this. Limerick is going to be the leading light when it comes to local government in the next few days. Limerick will have a directly elected mayor. Five full-time staff will be working directly with that directly elected mayor. The role will have a b…

I was not aware we had the wonderful Minister of State in front of us. I want to acknowledge the kind words the Cathaoirleach said. The Minister of State is a great ambassador for politics. I think he first ran for election in November 1982 and he is now a junior Minister. I am delighted to have him here. I am bringing this issue of where we are going regarding athletics in County Cork to this forum this afternoon. This is a really important issue. We need get an understanding of how we can make sure athletics in C…

We need a viable solution for the athletics crisis in County Cork at the moment. That solution can be provided by Bandon Athletic Club, which has done all the preparation work and all the ground work, including kerbing. The provision of an injection of cash to put the actual track in place would mean we would have a track this summer. Unfortunately, if we do not have that, more than 8,000 people will have to travel outside the county. There is no real acknowledgement within the Department of the crisis we have at t…

Like my colleague Senator Joe O'Reilly, I compliment the wonderful work and distinguished career of Dick Dowling, who, as a councillor, Senator and TD, was a wonderful public representative from the mid-1970s into the 1980s and Garret Fitzgerald's era in politics. His death represents a significant loss to the Fine Gael family and to people in his home county of Kilkenny. I want to acknowledge that in any way I can. I want to raise what is a major issue in my part of the world, namely a bus service that was cancell…

I thank the Minister for attending this welcome debate on agriculture. I can blame him for many things but I cannot blame him for the weather. The past seven months have been frightening. It has been appalling. Since last September, it has not stopped raining. In my part of the world, an inch and a half of rain fell last Monday week. To say it was depressing is an understatement. Where we are as an industry and a community is frightening at present. We are looking at a scenario where no tillage work has been done a…

I also acknowledge the new Senator and wish him the best of luck. I hope he enjoys his experience in this wonderful House. We should have a debate with the Minister for Education about Irish oral examinations in the past few weeks. We have had a bizarre situation in which the profile for having oral examinations count as part of the leaving certificate has been changed. Traditionally, the examinations take place in school time. This year, as happened during the Covid-19 period, we had them during the Easter holiday…

The Acting Chair should have told me as I would have met him. It is great to have the Minister of State in the Chamber. I am discussing the issue of Ballinspittle National School, one which I have continuously raised since I entered the Seanad. We have been looking for a new school since 2018 and the timelines are quite frightening. In June 2018, a design brief was approved for this and it has being going through different stages from stage 1, 2, 2A and 2B. Last year, we received information that it was going to te…

I raised this Commencement debate last April and I got an interesting response regarding the tender process. There is a real slip in the timelines outlined. Last April, I was told that it would take six to eight months for the tender process to happen. Today, I am told it will take eight to 12 months. For some reason, the timeline for the tender process has slipped in comparison with what was outlined in the Commencement debate on this matter 12 months ago. At that time, I was also informed that it would take 20 mo…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber to discuss the need for the Minister for Transport to provide an update on progress for phase 2 of the N71 Bandon southern relief road. As the Minister of State is very much aware, Bandon is the biggest town in west Cork. Its population has increased dramatically since 2016. According to the most recent census, it has gone up by 17% to over 8,000 people. There has also been significant investment in the town in the past few years, including €30.5 million spent…

The biggest issue is not meeting the timelines. The report the Minister of State mentioned has actually shied away from going into timelines, because they have failed to meet the timelines we have been given by them on a continual basis. This project was quoted as costing €7.2 million four or five years ago. It is probably a €10 million project now. A sum of €150,000 was allocated to it last week, but that will not even pay for the stamps relating to the project, given the amount of work that needs to be done. Engi…

Last week, I raised a report the Irish language committee published a few months ago in which it expressed the view that exemptions from studying Irish should be removed from children who are dyslexic. This is a very important issue, which I have raised repeatedly. I have spoken to the Leader and others about trying to ensure the report is placed on the Order Paper. That would allow us to have the Chairperson of the committee come before the Seanad to discuss the report. I note it is still not on the Order Paper. I…

Was he good?

I might come up with something unusual this afternoon. I am seeking a debate on a report that has been published by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Irish-speaking Community. Is it appropriate to bring the Cathaoirleach of that committee before the House to debate the report it published in early February? The report had some very unusual findings. It states that the exemption available for dyslexic kids should be taken away. That is a very serious issue for the parents and fa…

Have we started yet?

It is great to have the Minister of State in the House. It is nearly like her Wednesday morning coffee break at this stage. Every Wednesday morning, I have the pleasure of talking to her about health issues in Cork. I raised this issue about a dedicated cataract service for Cork that has been spoken about for many years. The regional centre that will be based in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital is a project we have probably been talking about since 2014. It is a project that has cost almost €5 milli…

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the news, in particular her announcement that the transfer of services will be complete by March 2024. That is literally two or three weeks away. There has been major concern locally that this has slipped and slipped, and there have been issues as to how CUH and the Mercy were combining with the new South Infirmary and how they are all tying together. The capacity now needs to be spoken about. That is really important. We need to start talking about that and what the service…

The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is more than welcome. I raise the issue today of the review of dental services in west Cork, which is a very significant issue that we are trying to deal with at the moment. It is very appropriate to have a Minister of State with an understanding of west Cork with us this morning. That is very helpful. The issue I raise is the school dental service. We are dealing with a shocking scenario whereby at the moment we have only two dental clinics open in west Cork, in the Bantry and…

As the Minister of State rightly pointed out, the issue here is geographical. Unfortunately, trying to get services in locations that might not be the centre of Ireland is becoming a huge issue. How can we promote posts in those areas? As the Acting Chair is from Donegal, he probably knows this more than anyone. How can we get people to take up these posts? We have many vacancies and it is becoming a massive issue. It is across a plethora of specialties now. It is not just a dental issue rather it is across the ent…

A small village in south Cork, Ballinspittle, was badly flooded at 5 o'clock this morning. A torrent of rain came down through the valley and washed out businesses such as restaurants and pubs, while several residential properties were badly damaged. This is happening more frequently. Today is the second time in three months that Ballinspittle has been flooded, with the same houses and restaurants in the same location affected. In every town and village, the potential to be flooded is now a continuous threat and pu…

I will follow the majority of those in the House by wishing the best to the Bruton family, in particular John's wife and siblings, including Richard, our close colleague, on the death of his brother, John. He was a unique individual. He was a TD and Minister, a Taoiseach and an ambassador, and overall he was a statesman. He will be sadly missed. I got to know John during the 1994 by-elections. There was a unique situation in Cork in 1994 whereby by-elections were required both north and south of the River Lee. One …