I thank the Minister of State. He has demonstrated the benefit of having a line Minister with expertise and knowledge. I thank him for his robust, honest and frank response. There was a lot of meat and honesty in it, which is to be welcomed. I thank him. That again illustrates, as I have said previously, the importance of having the relevant Minister from the relevant Department before the House. This is a clear example of an excellent response. This is clearly a Minister of State who knows what he is talking about…

The Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, is very welcome. I thank him for coming to the House.

Before I call the Minister of State, I welcome to the Gallery the students from St. Joseph's secondary school in Lucan. They are exceptionally welcome, as are all who travel with them. We are dealing with Commencement matters now, which are topical issues that Senators raise. They have four minutes to raise them and then the Minister comes in and responds in four minutes and there is a small bit of engagement and debate. That is what is happening now while the students are here. I call on the Minister of State.

I thank the Senator and thank the Minister of State for giving us that extra time. It is appreciated. It is a very important matter. We are waiting for the next Minister. I thank the Minister of State for giving his time this morning.

The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, is very welcome. I thank her for giving her time this morning to take the next two Commencement matters.

The Minister of State is staying with us for the next Commencement matter. I thank her again for that.

Before I start, I wish to acknowledge and pay special tribute to three people who were very close to Billy. One is Councillor Anna Grainger, a very close friend of Billy's. It is great to see her in the Chamber. The two other people could not come here today: the former RTÉ political correspondent, Seán Duignan, and his wife, Maria. I know they are tuned in and were very special friends to Billy and Anne. Coming up today I asked what could be said about Billy Lawless. I am a great believer in the phrase that to und…

We noticed.

I have just come from a commemoration service across the square with An Taoiseach - many other Members of the Oireachtas were there - dedicated to members of the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána and others who have served the State. This morning, the focus was very much on the families of people in service who died in the past 12 months. There were several wreathes laid there and it is still going on. Maybe if people have time, they might go over to the memorial that is directly opposite our gates. It is important…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for the introduction to the presidential election. It is over and the people have spoken. The people have voted and they are sovereign. Along with my colleagues on this side of the House, I congratulate Deputy Catherine Connolly - she is still a Member of the Oireachtas - on becoming our elected President. Her inauguration will be next week, and I know many of us will be there and look forward to joining her in those celebrations. I also acknowledge her Oireachtas personal assistant, Béibh…

I warmly welcome the ambassador of the Czech Republic, a beautiful country I have visited many times. He is very welcome to the Upper House of our Parliament. I wish to use my time to give thanks and pay a brief tribute to the Clerk of Dáil Éireann. Why do I say Dáil Éireann when I mean Seanad Éireann? Mr. Peter Finnegan formally departs us today. He is a man of immense record, integrity, hard work and commitment. While we will see him around, and it is for Peter to do his own farewells, announcement and speech, I …

I welcome the Minister. We are here to have statements and a debate on higher education with the lead Minister in this area of responsibility and expertise. He will have ten minutes to make an introductory opening statement and group spokespersons who have indicated - I have a list of them in front of me - have eight minutes. All other Senators have five minutes. The Minister will then be called on to reply not later than 6.20 p.m., but it may be earlier. Statements will conclude at 6.30 p.m. That is the running or…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this important Commencement matter. I thank the Minister of State for coming here to address this. In essence, I have asked for the Minister to make a statement on mink farms in Ireland, now closed, and to confirm the status and compensation agreed with the affected operators and if there are any outstanding matters in relation to same. The Minister of State will be aware that the Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 provided for the stat…

That is a very comprehensive response for which I thank the Minister of State. I am glad he confirmed that the compensation had risen to €3.4 million. He mentioned the role of EY. No one does anything for nothing and everyone has to be paid. The outstanding issue is how the demolition will be dealt with appropriately, along with the repurposing of the site and compensation. I hope to come back here in a few months and put the same Commencement matter down. It is to be hoped that, at that stage, we will have a respo…

I join the Cathaoirleach in condolences to James Doolan, a professor and Senator, and remarkable man. I lived close by him in Monkstown because he lived there for many years. He was always a thorough gentleman. He brought great wisdom. He was one of a handful of really great, distinguished Senators in this House. He had varied and wide contributions to make. He was an experienced and well-travelled operator anyway. It was great to see that. I am always conscious when people come into this House, be they nominated o…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Collins to the House. I appreciate him coming. He has vast experience and involvement in local community policing and recognises its importance. County councillors from all parties, including the Minister of State's, and Independents have raised serious concerns about the Department of justice decision to scrap joint policing committees. I am a pragmatist and a realist. Those decisions were endorsed by the Houses of the Oireachtas. I tabled a number of amendments on to this i…

There is an inconsistency in this regard because that does not happen in many of the Dublin local area committees. The structure in the cities is slightly different from that in the counties. I thank the Minister of State for setting out his stall. There is a lot of work done, with more to do. We need consistency. We can see how few local authority areas have got the bodies up and running so there is a lot of work to do. There is a lot of recruitment and engagement to be done. The Government should trust our city a…

Hear, hear.

I thank Senator Andrews for his courageous journey. He walked his talk. It is great to see him back. Clearly, a few days away from home grub is good for the old diet; he is looking well. I ask him to mind himself. It was a huge undertaking. I think I speak for most people in this House in saying he can be assured of our support. It is traumatic. There will be days of unwinding. There will be recurring nightmares of the horrific issues he has seen and encountered. He is brave and courageous. I am proud that he is on…

I agree with the Order of Business. I thank the Leader for making adequate time today for debate on the budget. I will not say too much about it at this point, but I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the very significant and important work of the Parliamentary Budget Office. For those who have not called down to its stand in LH2000 this morning, I suggest they do so. If anyone has not had the opportunity overnight to read its commentary on the budget, it makes for very interesting reading. I will go into …