It is fitting the Minister of State is here because her constituency is located between Senator Boyle's and mine, between Donegal and Roscommon, so we know she will not let us down. A couple of weeks ago I tabled a Commencement matter on the number of dentists accepting medical cards and the Minister's response was that we needed to look at having more public dentists on the scheme. When this issue we discussing today was raised with me and I realised that Senator Boyle had the same issue, we thought it was very im…

While I welcome the fact there will be 20 additional dentist places available, I do not believe that will meet the demand that I raised a few weeks back. Dental hygienists say that Ireland is experiencing a workforce crisis in dentistry, both in the public and private sectors. Although a call from many dentists has been heard loud and clear in the media, it is not being heard elsewhere. There is a shortage of dental hygienists. At its annual conference this year, the Irish Dental Association was inundated with requ…

I raise an issue in Roscommon with regard to the Gortaganny-Caher area, which experienced wild gorse and bog fires over the weekend. There was extensive damage. I compliment the local fire service on its response and the fire services from neighbouring counties, as well as the air support from helicopters providing water, on getting the fire under control after 36 hours. A number of landowners lost significant forestry and pension opportunities. Some farmers incurred damage of up to €100,000. On Friday last, the Ca…

The Minister of State is welcome. Senator Duffy mentioned the waiting list, which has 83,486 people on it. I will not say anything about the RSA, but its website still refers to an average waiting time of ten to 12 weeks even though we have been experiencing this issue since the Covid-19 pandemic. I hope the solution that the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is coming up with includes additional testing centres in regions currently without them and the seconding of instructors. It is a booming business because som…

I rise today in response to a UN report yesterday that highlighted the fact that Irish teens are among the least happy in the developed world. Irish teenagers are among the least happy in high-income countries, despite leading the world in academic skills. This report also highlights that Ireland's youth suicide rate was found to be above the international average. Two debates have happened in this Chamber recently. I wish to explore the impact of social media on our younger people, especially our school-going chil…

I thank the Minister of State and acknowledge that today is “Hello, how are you?” day. Mental health is a very topical issue. I do not have as much time as I would like to discuss it. Last summer, I had the pleasure of meeting the Minister of State in Castlerea, County Roscommon for the launch of the Discovery College at the CAMHS Connect unit in Castlerea, which promotes positive mental health and well-being in young people while facilitating prevention and early intervention. The real message behind the provision…

Following on from a Commencement matter my colleague, Senator Boyle, had this morning on school safety measures, I noted the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, said in her response that there are currently no plans to reopen the safe routes to school scheme for new applicants. She also referred to the active travel measures that could be utilised by schools for safety measures. The safe routes to school scheme was designed specifically for those measures. The scheme opened and less than 25% of eligible applicants ap…

It is fitting to welcome Councillor Leah Cull to the Chamber this afternoon. She is from the biodiverse-rich area of Arigna in north Roscommon so it is topical she is here. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak during biodiversity week. It is a time to reflect on the beauty, resilience and importance of our natural world and to celebrate the local efforts to make a real difference in preserving it. In County Roscommon, we are very proud to lead by example, and across our towns and countryside individual…

I, too, compliment the Senators for tabling this Bill. Having gone through it, I fully support the Bill in principle. I grew up in a time that, when somebody was sick, one brought a bottle of Lucozade to help the person's sugar levels recover and so on. As we evolved and developed, sports drinks came on the scene. They were great, as they contained carbohydrates and electrolytes, aided recovery and prolonged performance on the sports field, specifically endurance sports. Traditionally, society pushed it to its limi…

I welcome the Minister of State. I call on the Minister to urgently commission a national review of the fire brigade service areas boundaries to ensure the response times and provision of services align with the most recent census figures and, more importantly, with the real need of our people on the ground. I ask for an independent national review of this as well. This is not just a call for policy. It is a call for protection and preparedness on behalf of the lives that depend on a timely emergency response. Rece…

To reiterate, the fire service we and all Senators in this House have is a service we are very proud of. That does not mean, however, we should not look for more and better. I can only speak of my own home area, but in rural areas like Castlerea, where residents have limited mobility and live in isolated locations, delayed emergency services can have life-threatening consequences. Based on the figures in the NOAC local authority performance indicators in recent years, the national average cost per capita of the fir…

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber once again. I compliment Senator Ruane on this legislation. My reading of the legislation is it is intended to improve the fairness of the parole system. While I acknowledge the genuine intent behind it, the right move today is to revisit it in six months when there has been more time to consider it. The current system provides for withholding information from parole applicants in exceptional circumstances under section 14 of the 2019 Act. If there is a case for reform, it is t…

I rise to represent the hospitality sector, specifically in the west of Ireland, members of which approached me recently about the increased cost of business and the reduction in margins. It is lucky that in the past ten days, the weather has brought increased footfall and has had people out using facilities regularly. As we are all aware, however, the climate in Ireland is not predictable. It could be July or August when it is a much quieter time. The hospitality sector is a big employer in and supporter of our ru…

I acknowledge a man from Ballintober in County Roscommon. I extend my sincere congratulations to Dr. John Bosco Conama, who was elected to the fellowship of Trinity College Dublin last week. John is a professor in the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin. His commitment to deaf equality and advocacy issues, alongside his commitment to academia, lecturing, publishing and research is outstanding. He is at the highest levels, not only on national, but on international levels. He is currently the director fo…

I propose to share my time with Senator Kyne.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. The Minister is very welcome. I welcome the motion and the focus it brings to higher education. The area I would like to highlight is the commitment in the programme for Government to investing in and growing our apprenticeships, particularly in construction, retrofitting and healthcare. I mentioned last week the tertiary access route to general nursing, which is starting in the Galway and Roscommon ETB in Castlerea, County Roscommon. There need to be more programmes like that giving acce…

I rise this morning to talk about a good news story this week in Roscommon, which is the launch of a tertiary route to general nursing in Castlerea. The Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board and the Atlantic Technological University, ATU, have launched a new tertiary access route to general nursing. The programme is delivered through the further education and training centre in Castlerea, offering QQI level 5 awards in nursing studies. It is the first of its kind in Roscommon, providing a free and flexi…

I welcome the Minister to the House. The Protection of Retail Workers Bill 2025 is a timely and necessary step in acknowledging the challenges retail workers face and offering them real enforcement protection. I therefore commend the Senators on bringing forward the Bill. Retail workers are the visible face of commerce in every community, from corner shops to petrol stations, local supermarkets and family run stores. However, in rural Ireland these workers are often the same people who run the business. The role is…

It is not that long since you were a Fianna Fáil TD yourself.

Let us pass this Bill and not use it as an opportunity.