We will fly over for that with Ryanair.

I have to respond to Senator Clifford-Lee, who gave a great plug for the coastal swimming place in Rush. I am not quite sure how I would go or how I would recommend people to go, given the difficulties she outlined in relation to transport through the tunnel. Last week, she articulated concerns over the cap at Dublin Airport. Clearly, there is a bottleneck with transport out there. On a more serious note, I agree with her that the issue with the tunnel is a challenge, but there are also challenges with housing and …

Much has been said about the swimming coach, George Gibney, in the past 24 hours. It would not be appropriate for me to go into too much comment. Suffice to say, and to share with the House, that I went to school in Newpark, where George Gibney operated from. It is hard to believe that I am here today 50 years on, having shared my time in that school with boys and girls who were the subject of many of the allegations against George Gibney. There are many questions to be asked about Gibney and how he stayed outside …

I thank the Cathaoirleach for accepting what I think is an exceptionally important Commencement matter, namely, the need for the Taoiseach to make a statement on progress on the implementation of the Dublin city centre task force and in particular the role Dublin City Council and its elected members will have over its functions, policies and spending. To set out why this was submitted to the Taoiseach's office, this is a task force established by the previous Taoiseach, who is currently Tánaiste. It did its work an…

I thank the Minister of State very much. First, I want to thank the Taoiseach's office for preparing this speaking note. It is very comprehensive and deals with many of the issues. I thank the Minister of State for delivering it on behalf the Taoiseach's office. I acknowledge and thank the 63 elected members of Dublin City Council and its chief executive, Mr. Richard Shakespeare. This is an exciting time for the capital city of Ireland, Dublin city. I wish the project well. What is really interesting is the synergy…

I thank the Minister of State.

I spoke this morning on a Commencement matter about the Dublin task force and the Taoiseach's Department responded through one of the Ministers of State. Again, I welcome the plans for the Dublin task force. My concern earlier was about the roles of the task force and its interim group of 16 members. It is great to see there are elected members on it. That is positive and augurs well for a model of collaboration between local and central government. We have seen initiatives in Limerick city. People are sometimes ca…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and take on board everything that Senator Casey has clearly said. I welcome the clarity brought by the Bill. To be realistic, the Seanad is a revising Chamber but this Bill has been approved by Dáil Éireann and we know the arithmetic. The Government said there would be no cliff edge and that is clearly not going to happen, which is good. I welcome that. I do not want to take up all of my time. I flag agriculture. I sit on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House.

The Minister of State is listening.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to the House. I know he takes notes, he listens and he follows through. I am sorry the Minister himself cannot be here. I will start by referencing what Senator Clifford-Lee spoke about because I fully support what she said. She lives on the ground, as does the Minister. She knows the constituency better than most. I have heard from local representatives of all parties and none there who are deeply concerned. There is a lot of mixed messaging. They represent the peo…

We will keep the seat warm for the Minister of State.

The Minister of State did a fabulous job the last time.

I was pursuing Senator Fitzpatrick because I thought she would be interested in what I have to say, but I think she is gone. I am going to talk about the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin in her neck of the woods. For the Members who do not know, in this House stands one of the most magnificent oil paintings. It is of John Foster, the Speaker of the House of the Irish Parliament in 1790. He was the man who granted the Dublin Society, now the Royal Dublin Society, the consent to establish a public botanic garden…

First, I thank Senator Ruane for her contribution here today regarding her own experience and that of her friends, colleagues and associates in relation to addiction. One of the great things about Seanad Éireann is the intimacy of this place as a Chamber and how each and every Member on all sides of this House brings their personal experience to their parliamentary work. There is nothing to beat personal experience, the lived experience. I acknowledge and thank Senator Ruane for sharing. It is never easy to talk ab…

I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. This is very significant legislation. In his introduction, the Minister of State rightly acknowledged the very significant contribution of the former Senator, now Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, and her unwavering commitment, support and determination to see this get into the programme for Government and across the line. I acknowledge her dedication and immense advocacy to see this legislation through. It shows what can be achieved with determination…

What about Michael O’Leary?

I welcome the Minister. He is always very welcome in the House. It is great to see him here. I will make a few observations in relation to this matter. I thank Senator Mary Fitzpatrick for suggesting this amendment. She has a strong record in local government. I have worked on the joint Oireachtas committee on housing, planning and local government with her. I take her seriously when it comes to local government because she has a track record in local government. I acknowledge that. This proposal is premature for a…

I welcome and congratulate Senator Garret Ahearn on his appointment as Leader of the Seanad. I want to welcome his family, and it is particularly great to see his father here, as well as his whole family and his wife. The Leader's father and I had a long chat at the count. He is a wise man who counted the numbers pretty quickly at the Seanad count. It is great to see them all here. It is important to say that the Leader of the Seanad is a senior parliamentary role. He or she is appointed by the Taoiseach or the Tán…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “Report to Houses of Oireachtas 3. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the commencement of this Act, report to the Houses of the Oireachtas on creating a framework for child and adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector in the context of this Act, to expand and strengthen safeguards for children and adults to prevent the risk of abuse and harm.”. I thank the Minister of State and his officials for coming to the Ho…