I bring colleagues' attention, prior to the budget madness of next week, to a briefing I am hosting in the audiovisual room next Wednesday at 11 a.m. about stem cell transplants and the lack of stem cell transplant facilities in Ireland. Currently, you can only receive stem cell transplants in Galway or St. James's Hospital in Dublin. There are 2,400 people diagnosed in Ireland every year with a blood-related cancer, but the lack of stem cell therapy means that a lot of people are excluded from accessing this treat…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo linn inniu. I am looking for an up-to-date position on road safety improvements along the N22 between Macroom and Ballincollig in County Cork, particularly at the Castlemore junction. First, I acknowledge that we have seen significant work on the N22 over the last few years. We have seen the delivery of the Macroom bypass, which has made a massive difference to Macroom town and the environs. It was a very positive step. The town and community had been promi…

I thank the Minister of State for outlining that message and taking my question. I do not for one second want to take away from the massive volume of investment and work that has been done on this road. The delivery of the bypass between Ballyvourney and Macroom was a massive achievement. It had been discussed in the area since the 1970s and it was delivered in 2023. The bypass is working well. I appreciate that a lot of money is invested in roads in County Cork and I acknowledge that the county has one of the larg…

I want to speak about Walk Out Wednesday, which many Senators in the Chamber will have participated in this morning. Walk Out for Women is a campaign which is being led by Monica Murphy of Waterford. I commend her on the work she has done on this and for the cross-party support it has got here in Leinster House and nationally following the reports. It is great to see that many workplaces were involved in it this morning. It is raising awareness of gender-based violence and domestic violence. It is important that we…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as a bheith anseo inniu. I want to raise the issue of the ECCE scheme and its impact on children who miss the eligibility criteria by only a matter of days or weeks, particularly kids with additional needs. I would also like to ask whether any changes to these criteria are being considered. Currently, there are no exemptions to the lower age limit for the ECCE scheme. This means that a child who misses the eligibility threshold by only a few days or weeks must wait an entire addi…

I thank the Minister of State for the response. I note it is not quite within the responsibility of his Department. It is a very standard response. It is disappointing in terms of the question I raised. Again, I appreciate that it is not his responsibility. Unfortunately, I do not have a written copy and do not have a note of what he said. He outlined the mandatory criteria. That is all well and good, but kids operate on a different basis. I heard an example today of a child who has additional needs. Nobody is taki…

I thank the Minister for being here this evening. This is an important motion. It is vital to discuss rural Ireland and its continued and ongoing development. It deserves policies that recognise its value and invest in its future. I am from north-west Cork, which is quite rural. I see every day the strength of rural communities in Mallow, Millstreet, Macroom and the village I am from, Aghabullogue. There are many people who keep rural Ireland going, from community groups to farmers and school groups. They are the s…

The all-Ireland road bowling championships were held in my local village, Ballinagree, over the weekend. Many Members may not be familiar with the sport of road bowling. It is very much a minority sport. It is very popular all over Cork, in many parts of Northern Ireland and some western counties. The gathering that was there at the weekend was of hundreds of people. There were six major competitions varying from under-18 men and women, to junior men and women and intermediates. It was such a fantastic display of o…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to present the Bill. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to Second Stage of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026. As the Minister of State has outlined, the Bill implements the reforms agreed in 2024 which should accelerate the supply of housing. The housing crisis is the defining challenge facing this country and we all see the impacts in our constituencies. The Planning and Development Act 2024 was the largest reform of our planning legislati…

Next Tuesday.

I thank the Minister for being here with us today. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is a very practical Bill that seeks to improve the operation of both our social housing system and our residential tenancies framework. While it will not solve the wider housing crisis, it contains a number of measures that will improve consistency, provide greater legal clarity and strengthen confidence in the way the system operates. As has been outlined, one of the most significant aspects of the Bill is the in…

Next Tuesday.

Next Tuesday at 12.30 p.m.

I thank the Minister of State so much for being with us to discuss this important issue. It is one that affects many families countrywide, namely, the lack of a clear plan for provision of accommodation for those with intellectual disabilities. Many families, parents, siblings and guardians provide care at home for loved ones with intellectual disabilities. This is saving the State millions in service costs ever year, but the question that has been asked for quite some time is what happens when the carer can no lon…

I thank the Minister of State for such a comprehensive reply. I welcome that there is a lot of positive news as regards investment, and I am delighted to see there is progress being made. As I said, it is maybe not as fast as we would like. I commend the Minister of State; I know the volume of work she has been doing on this, particularly when she has been in this particular ministerial role for such a short period. I know she is doing a lot of work on this issue. I am concerned about the €40 million to deliver 199…

Yes. It is a big weekend ahead. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I am raising the matter of the introduction of budget measures to prevent the closure of rural pubs. It is very similar to the matter that was just raised by my colleague Senator Kennelly, which was directed at the Minister for enterprise, whereas this is directed at the Minister for Finance. Senator Kennelly has raised the idea and now I am looking for the funding. The Minister of State is well aware of these issues within his o…

I note the content of the reply and there are a few things I will respond to. This proposal from the VFI is compliant with the alcohol structures directive. Obviously, there is a question to be answered in terms of state aid but I would be confident that, given the role of the pub in rural society, the proposal does not fall under the state aid provision and would not interference through state aid. The Minister of State's reply does not specify whether it is. I take the Minister of State's point on excise. We have…

I wish all the Senators a happy St. John's Day. St. John's Day is a religious festival which we celebrate quite strongly at home in Aghinagh. There will be a mass celebrated at St. John's Well tonight at 8 p.m. and following that, there will be a platform dance on the Mushera platform on Mushera mountain between Aghinagh and Millstreet at 8.45 p.m. RTÉ will be there also, briefly, to do a clip, because it is doing a piece on traditions in the area. I wish well everyone who is attending it and the group behind the M…

I would also like to be associated with the expressions of congratulation to my colleague, Senator Ahearn, on his appointment as the Leader of the House. He has been a fantastic Acting Leader over the past few weeks. In case there was any doubt, he has really proven himself. I am looking forward to the remainder of his term as the Leader. I acknowledge Senator Ahearn’s family members who are here with him today. It is also an incredibly proud day for them. They are proud of him all the time in light of his politica…

I thank the Minister of State for being here with us this morning. I want to speak about the Key to the EU programme, which is a fully-funded EU primary school programme. As the Minister of State knows, in the second half of this year, in just shy of a month, Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a Presidency which will not only shape what we say in Brussels, but should shape what we do at home in our classrooms with the next generation of European citizens. The hosting of the Presidenc…