I welcome the Minister to the House and it is always great to see her here. I thank Fine Gael for this Private Members' time because it gives us an opportunity to talk about the inflationary crisis that this country faces. The Minister has said that we cannot have people coming into the Oireachtas day in, day out asking for stuff and we need to be strategic. I fully agree with her on that. However, I attend the Order of Business every day and I listen to Government Members talk about hospitals and health issues. In…

We all know about the squeezed middle and that term is overused. We all accept that there are issues that concern the large proportion of income tax. As the Minister and I know, and I do not wish to give her or the Members of this House a history lesson, the cost of renting a home is too high and it is nigh impossible for most people to purchase a home. Pension and social welfare payments are not sufficient to meet the costs of living. Too many people simply cannot survive on the minimum wage and it has failed to k…

I shall continue to raise my voice if I am heckled by the Senator at the back of the Chamber. We have enough party jesters in the establishment without a party jester at the back of this Chamber.

A Leas-Chathaoirligh-----

If I continue to be heckled I will ask for-----

Yes. Without interruption, may I repeat that healthcare is in crisis. Childcare is in crisis. Housing is in crisis and the Government simply cannot deliver. Education is in crisis. People cannot live on their social welfare payments, so payments need to be increased. I suggest that the tax cuts are an example of Fine Gael recalibrating its message in order to be politically attractive to its narrow electorate.

It is interesting that the first time we get all this heckling is because the group has been attacked.

Tax cuts over welfare is essential but I do not want tax cuts over essential funding for essential services. Too many people must wait between two and four years for cancer treatments and I cite an article from one of today's national newspapers stating people have had to wait four years to be treated for a rare cancer gene but cannot afford to see a consultant. As that is the reality, we must be realistic. The coalition has been too slow to respond to the soaring fuel and food costs and we need a mini-budget. I wi…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This Commencement matter relates to the LEADER programme, which the Minister of State will be very aware of. He knows of its enormous benefits. I am asking some questions and seeking clarification on the next round of LEADER funding. The local development companies under the LEADER programme were initially set up in response to the multidimensional nature of social inclusion throughout local areas. This was to be a responsive, innovative and integrated approach to build…

I thank the Minister of State. His reply, while welcome, involved some uncertainty and vagueness. There were references to what will, could and may happen with the programme. I would like something a bit stronger than that. I know this does not relate directly to the Minister of State's Department but he might bring back to the officials in the Department some greater certainty. We are very familiar with the CSP and LAGs, as is the Minister of State. I welcome the fact that he has confirmed there is engagement. How…

It is interesting that Senator Malcolm Byrne should end his commentary on local government because I want to spend my few moments today paying tribute to one of the most distinguished county councillors this country has ever seen. We learned last night of the death of the Independent Councillor Noel Collins from Cork County Council. He was a wonderful man who represented east Cork first and was elected over 54 years ago. Many may not know but he started off as a Fine Gael councillor for a short period of time and h…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I think it is particularly apt that the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is here, given his strong credentials in relation to the environment. I too recognise what Senator Higgins has spoken about in respect of the Aarhus Convention and the right of citizens to engage on environmental issues. I am always talking about it in the House. However, and I do not like using the expression, but we are where we are. Senators Craughwell and McDowell made the point that Derrybrie…

I have spoken at great length over many years on these vaccine trials and it would be remiss of me not to do so today. I shared with the Seanad in recent weeks that I have done an extensive interview with the BBC covering this issue that will be broadcast. There has been some update on it in the last two weeks and I understand it will be broadcast in early July, which the BBC has confirmed to me and I am conscious that the footage of these Seanad deliberations will form part of that. I want to reiterate that where …

I join with Senator Higgins in thanking the Minister. He has listened. I spoke about this issue on Committee Stage. Much of this is about belonging. It is a sense of who they are, where they have come from and the relationship or lack of it with extended family. It is always interesting when we see programmes on television tracing family history. The interviewer might ask if the person would like to see a picture of their mother, father or aunt. It is very powerful even though it might only be one picture, but it i…

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I welcome the Minister's amendment. I want to touch on something Senator Higgins said. We have said this all along, and in fairness to the Minister he has also said this continuously, that we must be terribly careful about how we manage people's expectations. I heard Senator Higgins talk about information not being there. If there is nothing there, there is nothing there. We must just be upfront. There is a suggestion that there is information somewhere for everybody who was in institutional care. There is not. The…

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.