I have given the relevant letter to the Minister.

Averil Power and her team from the Irish Cancer Society are here with us today doing their great work in promoting cancer care, supports, counselling, transport and the multitude of services it provides. They are on here the ground engaging with us and, I hope, making a few bob. Ms Power is a former Senator and is doing amazing work. I wish her well in that. This ties in with what Senator O'Loughlin said about cancer care. Many will be aware that there is an organisation called Home and Community Care Ireland. The …

I raise the issue of the residential zoned land tax. Many of us who are involved in rural communities will know that this week is the last call for the residential zoned land tax. Farmers with land that may fall within the scope of this residential land tax should be fully up to speed on the implications of this tax and ensure their maps are updated in their local authority. This is very important, and I want to flag the need to look at them because this is a tax on active farmland in some cases, which it should no…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this matter. I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for coming here to directly deal with this issue. My Commencement matter addresses the need for the Minister to make a statement on the Irish emigrant support programme, ESP, in the United Kingdom and the ongoing funding opportunities. I spent a week in London, including St. Patrick's weekend, as did many Members of the Seanad and the Dáil as part of a delegation led by Deputy Feighan. I wish to thank him for that ong…

I thank the Minister of State for the detail and his passion for this important subject. He mentioned Dún Laoghaire Harbour. He and I know it because we both served on the council where the harbour is located. It is known locally as the harbour of tears and we understand why. So many people emigrated. They did not fly; they left mainly from Dún Laoghaire and Dublin ports. There were two key messages I am very encouraged by. The Minister of State said: An important part of Ireland's diaspora strategy is a commitment…

I join with others in commending the Cathaoirleach on his round of engagements in the US. As always, he did us very proud there. He is fiercely committed to it and that special relationship with the United States of America. That prompted me as I was coming up the stairs where we now have a collection of photographs to consider again the John F. Kennedy battle flag that was on display for many years at the bottom of the stairs. It is the item that is most sought after and prized in these Houses. That and the Procla…

We are happy too.

Yes.

I congratulate Deputy Heydon on his elevation and achievement. No better man is deserving of the post. I know quite a bit about him. I am sure he knows that my roots are in Kildare. He lives in Blackrath in Colbinstown, which falls between two great places in my life, mind and heart, namely, Grangecon in west Wicklow, which is close to where the Minister is from, and the lovely village of Narraghmore. The day it was announced that Deputy Heydon would be the Minister, I happened to be in the Hob, formerly Kelly's pu…

Last year, the Department of agriculture confirmed it had suspended the operations of the Shannonside Foods plant in County Kildare. There was much discussion in this House, as there was at the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, of which I was a member. There was also a lot of discussion and debate about this issue in the Dáil. I acknowledge the amazing work of "RTÉ Investigates", which initially investigated the issue and highlighted it in the national media. The allegations concerned animal welf…

I think this is the first time I have been in the House since the Minister for Health took up her position in health. I wish her well. I have known her for some time. She is my local TD, so I see the work she does at the coalface in our constituency. I genuinely wish her well. I think she is the right person. She has the tenacity, commitment, intelligence and political nous necessary for taking on this task. Before I concentrate on section 1, I might put the context for those who have joined us since the previous S…

I do not want to let the opportunity go without thanking the Minister for her very productive engagement. It bodes well for us. We, on this side of the House, thank her and acknowledge and echo what she said about the people on the front line of the health service whom the Minister is dealing with and witnessing every day, who are doing important work. We must acknowledge that as it is very important. The level, depth and sincerity of the Minister's engagement and her openness to engage are something we do not see …

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. He has vast experience in this area as a Minister of State in the Department. My Commencement matter sets out the need for the Minister to make a statement on the timeline for the full publication of the Planning and Development Act 2024 and progress on the An Bord Pleanála IT project. When I submitted this, the Government had not at that point issued its press release setting out its timeline of the implementation. Within an hour or two of it being submitted, I re…

I thank the Minister of State very much. There is a lot of information in that, if I was ever convinced, or needed to be convinced, that the Department needed to exercise its governance and have a governance unit as regards An Bord Pleanála. I respectfully ask the Minister of State to take a message to the Department, including the senior manager, that it should initiate a full and comprehensive governance review of all matters relating to IT in An Bord Pleanála since 2014. I am deeply concerned and have substantia…

I thank the Minister of State.

I move amendment No. 1: In page 9, to delete lines 10 to 15.

As agreed, I will speak on amendments Nos. 1 and 2 together. I thank the Minister of State and the officials from the Law Reform Commission who are with us again today. We have had engagements with the Minister of State since we last spoke and I thank her office and staff for that. These have been meaningful and practical and we should reach some sort of reasonable compromise. This matter we are dealing with today is complex. I have learned an awful lot about it in the past two weeks. It is important, therefore, th…

As the Minister of State said, we have had meaningful discussions about this. I do not want to delay the Bill - it would not be appropriate as a lot of work has been done - but the natural follow-on is for it to go to Dáil Éireann. This Bill was initiated in Seanad Éireann which is more unusual. Given there is a body of work to be done, may I respectfully suggest to the Minister of State that she should not be in too much of a rush to bring the Bill to Dáil Éireann given the number of outstanding issues and the con…

I again thank the Minister of State and her officials. As we start a new term in the Seanad and Dáil, a lesson in politics is that there is much to be gained from practical and respectful engagement with Ministers. That is the way to go. This debate demonstrates again that, working together pragmatically, we can achieve collectively what we set out to do.

I raise the issue of house planning in Gaeltacht and rural communities. I call on the Minister for housing and planning to take practical steps to allow native Irish speakers to be allowed to submit a planning application but, more importantly, to be granted planning permission to build a single home on their lands. We need to be mindful of Government policy on the Gaeltacht areas. If we have no Irish speakers, we will have no Gaeltacht areas. If we have no Gaeltacht areas, we will not have the provision and suppor…