I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on acquiring the role. I look forward to working with him. The title of father of the House is one that will suit Senator Wilson very well. I look forward to working with each and every one of the Senators. Some of them I know already and others I look forward to getting to know. My career path to the Seanad has taken place over the past 11 years. I worked in local authorities, I was a member of the opposition for five years, and I have been in government and served as a Minister of…

I thank the Deputy for raising that issue. The data on the particular organisation the Deputy spoke about was that it had a number of houses that were not running at capacity. That was relayed to my Department and the Department of public expenditure and funding was secured to ensure it could go full tilt. It is now able to provide children's services seven nights a week, 52 weeks of the year. Some of its service houses were not in operation seven days a week. Funding was secured and it has been given to the new in…

It is important to say that in every budget in recent years we have secured funding for assessments of need. However, in July this year we changed the approach and secured additional funding which was approved by the Cabinet to enable the provision of private capacity for the delivery of assessments of need for our longest waiters. To date this year, we have increased the number of assessments by 23% on this time last year. It is important to note that more than 1,400 assessments of need have been delivered through…

I thank the Deputy for his questions. I will answer on the ADHD piece. The Deputy stated that the clinic is closed. My understanding is that it is not closed but it is not taking any additional referrals at the moment. I have written to the mental health unit there because I do not agree with that approach. Approximately 40% of all children referred to CAMHS will be diagnosed with ADHD. It is important that those children have access to supports. I only became aware of this in recent days. My understanding is that …

One rotten apple spoils the barrel, or so the saying goes, but it should not. Every party, like every large organisation, is going to have members with history, problems and secrets. The true measure of a party is not about whether it has these rotten apples, it is how it deals with them. Nowhere is this more critical than when it comes to the safety and protection of our children. What we have seen in recent weeks, whether the McMonagle affair, the recent exodus of TDs amid claims of censorship and kangaroo courts…

I disagree.

That was two years ago.

That is not true, there was one-----

I thank Deputy Tully for tabling this motion this evening. I welcome the advocacy groups in the Gallery. I wish I had half an hour to answer everything but I have ten minutes. I will try to keep to the script but I will answer other pieces to the issue as well. As the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, I am fully committed to the continuous advancement of rights and the alignment of services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as are my colleagues in government. As …

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan. He has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design and improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the relevant local authorities. TII deliv…

I will start by apologising for being late to the House.

Over the past 25 years, the Government of Ireland has invested heavily in our national roads network, with an extensive motorway system now in place. The motorway network has seen almost tenfold expansion since 2000. Due to the outlined funding constraints for national roads, a prioritisation exercise was necessary from the outset. In line with the NDP and Government policy, the Minister for Transport allocated national road funding for 2023 in a manner which sought to achieve the following key outcomes: protection…

I thank Senator Kyne for his opening contribution. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, who wishes to thank the Senator for raising this important issue. It gives me an opportunity to update our colleagues in Seanad Éireann on the agri-climate rural environment scheme, known locally as ACRES. As the Senator correctly said, ACRES is the flagship agri-environment scheme provided under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, with an increased environmental ambition, as re…

As the Deputy has acknowledged, I am taking this on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton. I stress that enabling students with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is an absolute priority for the Minister and this Government. It is the Government's priority to ensure all children have an appropriate school placement and the necessary supports are provided to our schools to allow children with special educational needs to flourish and prosper. It is important to highlight that th…

I thank the Senator for providing the opportunity to discuss this important topic. I reiterate the environmental ambition of ACRES, with Ireland leading the way among other member states in rolling out a national results-based scheme. The first year of such ambitious schemes brings with it complexities and challenges. The Government regrets delays that have been experienced by many participants in receiving their payments. As I outlined, however, the Minister has put a measure in place for those challenges for the …

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. It is important for me to say I have been given my script by the Department of Health on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, who apologises for not being able to be here. The Government is hugely committed to supporting the nursing and midwifery workforce and has provided for an unprecedented level of investment throughout its term, which has enabled the delivery of a record expansion of the HSE workforce. Growth in the number of staff in our health servic…

I will bring back the name of Shelagh National School to the Minister of State. The Deputy is a very strong advocate in this space. With the recruitment of the extra NCSEs - doubling numbers - I have no doubt there is provision for a new NCSE to look after the wee county of Louth to ensure there is proper capacity building in primary and post-primary. When you look at the numbers going from national to secondary school, you need to ensure capacity building is taking place. The Department of Education continues to e…

Again, I thank the Senator. It is important to reiterate the Government's commitment to nursing and midwifery. Through the Government's record investment, our health service workforce has expanded exponentially since the beginning of 2020. There are 27,901 more staff in total, with the largest portion of this figure made up of nurses and midwives, amounting to 9,375. Despite this incredible increase, we continue to expand our nursing and midwifery workforce this year and next year, with an increase of 500 posts for…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. Ireland is, in general, a diverse and welcoming country but there are people living here who live in fear simply because of who they are - their identity. The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill had been due to repeal and replace the hate speech provisions in the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 and legislate for hate crimes for the first time by crea…

Absolutely.