I wholeheartedly support everything my colleague Senator O'Loughlin has said and, I have no doubt, what will be said today in the House by Members of all parties and none. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. Earlier, I spoke about this matter. I am encouraged that this is being taken very seriously by everybody. What has happened over the past 24 hours is atrocious in the absolute sense of the word. All of the things that have happened in the past couple of years have been atrocities during a gen…

There are many things one hopes never to have to raise in the House and unfortunately what happened in the small townland of Drumgowna just outside Tallanstown in County Louth yesterday morning is certainly one of those, with such a tragic loss of Mark, Louise and Evan O'Connor. It is not an exaggeration to say that there is a pall of shock and disbelief over the entire county and beyond into Monaghan at what happened. I know it is part of a Garda investigation and we will not go into further details but we send ou…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I thank him for coming to the House. He is always amenable to talking about this and other topics. As a townie who used to cycle to school, I am a little disappointed to hear from my colleague, Senator Murphy O'Mahony, how many romances I may have missed out on. Perhaps that was a good thing. I will not repeat what has been said by my colleagues. The school bus system has, in the main, been a success. Some 172,000 children are accommodated. Funding has almost doubled in recent yea…

I also extend a warm welcome to Stella O'Loughlin. She can see the inner workings of the Seanad at first hand. I begin with a tribute to Kevin Geraghty, a wonderful and warm Fianna Fáil stalwart from Collon, County Louth, who passed away recently. He was in his 90th year and was a member of the third generation of his family in Fianna Fáil in County Louth. His father Nicholas founded the first Fianna Fáil cumann in 1927, which will shortly be celebrating 100 years in existence. Sadly, he was predeceased by his brot…

I second the motion. I say that with pride. I am absolutely behind Senator O'Loughlin and her words today. I thank the Cathaoirleach and the Minister of State for coming here today. I could not agree more that there are very pressing issues in our country today, but we simply cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza. We are seeing images and report every day of families torn apart, children dying of hunger and entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble. It represents an absolute outrage that none of us can ignore any m…

I wish everyone a welcome return to the House and an especially warm welcome to Martin Hughes. I would like to be associated with the welcoming wishes and also wish Martin Groves and Bridget Doody a long and healthy retirement. I will stay with congratulations. As a proud Louth woman, I congratulate Dundalk's own Kate O'Connor on her outstanding achievement in securing a silver medal at the World Athletics Championship. Her success is a source of enormous pride not just for County Louth but the entire country. She …

Like my colleague, I begin by commending the Minister of State and my colleague, the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, on the decisive and proactive stance both have taken on migration since assuming office. It has been a clear and firm message to everybody that while Ireland has a proud humanitarian tradition, we cannot allow our migration system to be overwhelmed or abused. The leadership of the Minister and the Minister of State brings a much needed sense of direction and reassurance to this debate. It i…

I join colleagues in thanking the Belgian ambassador for her many years of service and wishing her bonne chance in her new adventures. I stand here, on the last day of term, with a sense of gratitude that I have had an opportunity to raise so many local and national issues. It is a privilege to be able to do so and we do not do it alone. Without wanting to sound like an Oscar winner, I thank the many people who are involved in enabling us to do this, from the ushers who meet us in the morning to the staff who give …

I want to raise an issue of serious concern today that was reported by one of my former colleagues, Mr. John Kierans, in the Drogheda Independent this week relating to ambulance cover in Drogheda and the wider north-east region. Paramedics quoted in the article say that Drogheda is regularly left without a local ambulance as crews are being dispatched long distances for non-urgent calls that could and should be managed differently. The core issue appears to be the advanced medical priority dispatch system, AMPDS, w…

I am sharing time with Senator Rabbitte, five minutes each.

I thank the Minister of State for coming here today. I rise today as Ireland continues to bask not just in sunshine but also in the success of one of our finest athletes, Katie Taylor. Her brilliance on the world stage continues to inspire, reminding us what is possible with talent, support and opportunity. Katie's journey lit a path that many others have since followed. Indeed the way was paved for her by Deirdre Gogarty. We have seen our women's football team reach the World Cup, our rugby players demand reform a…

This past Sunday, like many of my Oireachtas colleagues, I had the honour to attend the National Day of Commemoration at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. It was a really moving and dignified ceremony remembering all those who died in past wars and on service with the UN and honouring all who have served in our Defence Forces. While I stood there, I found myself thinking not just of those we lost, but also of those still with us, many of whom are struggling. After the parades and ceremonies, too many of our veterans f…

I thank the Minister of State, the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, and the Department for all the incredible work carried out, even in the short time the current Government has been in office, to improve connectivity, reduce transport and commuting costs, improve EV charging, increase train and bus options, and, especially in my home town of Drogheda, effectively cutting the cost of a ticket to Dublin by half. We know the DART service is well on target to extend to the town. I speak once again, as I did in my first weeks…

I welcome one piece of vital infrastructure in County Meath, although I am shocked another project just a couple of kilometres from County Louth will not be included in the national development plan. There is a widespread welcome for the green light given to the Slane bypass in County Meath. It is much-needed infrastructure that will save time and countless lives. I acknowledge the work done by one of my colleagues, Councillor Wayne Harding, to get it across the line. There is genuine shock in Ardee, County Louth, …

I speak in support of this matter, which goes far beyond simple logistics or commercial viability. I speak of our post office network, a cornerstone of Irish community life, and the urgent need to ensure its survival and sustainability. The post office is not just a facility. It goes even beyond a public service. It is a social connector and, in many parts of rural and regional Ireland, a vital lifeline. Whether it is a pension collection, a child benefit payment, the BillPay service, banking or simply a familiar f…

Thank you, Minister, for coming in to answer those Commencement matters. I would like to welcome some of our groups here. I feel like I am in the ballroom of romance; we have the ladies on one side and the gentlemen on the other. We have guests of Senator Chris Andrews, the Ringsend and Irishtown golden girls group. You are all golden girls and fabulous blondes. We do have more fun, do we not? We also have the Terenure Men's Shed. I hope you are both enjoying your trip to the Seanad today and that perhaps you will …

I welcome to the Seanad the Minister, Jim O'Callaghan.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I thank Members for their attention and attendance here today. With that final Commencement matter, the House stands suspended until 11.30 a.m.

I add my words of support to my Fianna Fáil colleagues here on the matter of the student contribution. We are in coalition and in government together. It is beholden to both of us to address this issue and come to an agreement. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, made it perfectly clear what is happening with the student contribution and did not promise an increase. We are looking at a cost-of-living measure, which, as we know, is just not feasible this year. We are both committed to our programme for Government. We have…

It is only a matter of weeks since I asked for compulsory swimming lessons in schools in the wake of three drowning tragedies. I again stand here following the tragic loss of another young life to the waves over the weekend. Kofi Owusu, a 15-year-old Louth teenager, lost his life on a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon while swimming near the Nanny river footbridge in Laytown, County Meath. It is not specifically known if the young man jumped off the bridge into the water, something which has been common practice for…