I will turn to our Distinguished Visitors Gallery once more now that I have the names of our visitors, who are the family of a very key member of our staff in the Houses of the Oireachtas, one of our ushers, Darren. I welcome his wife, Tina, and their nine-year-old daughter, Caoimhe. I understand poor six-year-old daughter Oonagh drew the short straw and she is in school today. I have no doubt we will welcome her again one day. All of us are so grateful for the wonderful work Darren and all the other ushers do in t…

I begin by marking Workers' Memorial Day today and remembering all those who lost their lives or were seriously injured through going to work. A ceremony was held today in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, which was a really important reminder that workplace safety can never be taken for granted. The figures are quite stark. Last year, 63 people lost their lives in workplace incidents, which was a 75% increase on the previous year. Thankfully, fatalities are lower so far this year but even one death is one too m…

Tá fáilte roimh an Aire um tráthnóna. As Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on media and communications, I welcome the opportunity to speak on the delivery of this vital national broadband plan, and more importantly, what it is already beginning to mean for communities right across Ireland. When we talk about broadband, we are talking not just about cables under the ground or fibre up the poles but about a student in rural Louth, Donegal or Kerry being able to attend an online lecture without the screen freezing every few …

First of all, I would like to be associated with the comments condemning the online abuse that my colleague, Senator Flynn, has received. No one should be subjected to that and, unfortunately, women representatives are especially open to that. It just should not happen. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a community football group, namely, Drogheda Boys and Girls FC, that was really struggling after waiting four years for the most basic of changing facilities for their teams. There are 21 teams in all. It is a very…

Senators Nessa Cosgrove and Malcolm Noonan intend to share time. Is that agreed? Agreed.

My apologies, I did not realise that Senator Brady had not spoken.

Has the Senator spoken on this already?

I am afraid we have called on the last speaker.

We really have to call on the Minister to talk.

We take note of the Senator's comments.

I call on the Minister to respond.

Everyone may be experiencing what I will describe for very different reasons. Imagine lying awake at night, tossing and turning and unable to switch off. The room is too warm and suddenly too cold and night sweats come and go. Thoughts are racing, replaying the day just gone and worrying about the day ahead. All the while, one knows one really needs some sleep. For many women going through menopause, this is not the occasional bad night. Rather, it is night after night of broken and disrupted sleep. Life is difficu…

I thank the Minster of State for taking it so seriously. I note from the Minister of State's response that the issue has not really moved forward since it was raised in the Dáil last year. I must note that our President, Catherine Connolly, raised this issue. We need to see why it has not been approached by any of the marketing authorities. If there is such a demand for it then clearly it is falling between two stools here. We need to make sure we are bridging that gap to make it available. As I mentioned before, i…

We have just marked world Down's syndrome day this past Sunday. I always love to see those incredible children and families who are rocking the odd socks. It does raise awareness. I wish to raise an urgent issue regarding an apparent lack of appropriate special class provision for children with Down's syndrome across the country. New figures from the National Council for Special Education were sent to me by the Louth-Meath branch of Down Syndrome Ireland and they show what seems to be a stark imbalance. Of 88 new s…

We are all proudly wearing our daffodils today to remind everybody that it is Daffodil Day tomorrow, Friday, 20 March. One in every two of us will experience cancer and it will take €6 million to be raised tomorrow to help the Irish cancer services with their vital work. They did bring something very worrying to my attention, namely, the cost of car parking for those who are going through chemotherapy or attending oncology units in hospitals across the country. In my own closest hospital in Louth, Our Lady of Lourd…

As Fianna Fáil spokesperson in the Seanad for arts and culture, I will use my time to congratulate Ireland's very own slice of Kerry gold, Jessie Buckley, on her magnificent win. It is the crowning glory of what has been an incredible few weeks, becoming the first ever Irish woman to win the best actress Oscar. I do not want to sound like I am making an Oscar's speech myself but we have to mention Marina Cassidy and Tim Buckley, her very proud parents. She has made everybody right across this country, and particula…

As there are no other contributors, I call on the Minister to reply.

I welcome guests of Senator Cosgrove who has brought her dad and it is lovely to see Seán O'Callaghan. He is sliding in the door as we are concluding business. We have other guests also, including the former Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

When is it proposed to sit again?