I want to raise an issue that seems to be a policy flaw. Many of us have advocated for victims of domestic abuse. We have gone to the audiovisual room and listened to their stories. At the moment, if the male or the female victim of domestic abuse is living in a council house and they have to leave for their own safety, the years they have had in that council house are wiped clean. They no longer have those years, and they also have to wait 12 weeks to get back on the housing list to receive HAP payments and suppor…

I welcome the Minister. There is no question that we need urgent and ambitious action to fix our electricity grid, which has been crippled by decades of underinvestment, bad planning and mismanagement. That neglect has left us in a critical infrastructure deficit, with soaring prices and a grid that cannot even connect new homes or maximise our renewable potential. Just this summer, 80 families were unable to move into their new homes because there was no electricity connection. Across the State, renewable generati…

I welcome the Minister of State. It is nice to have him back here. My Commencement matter relates to wind turbines and the effects they have on rural communities. Two wind farms are being proposed in County Limerick, one in Coolcappa and the other in the area of Bruff and Dromin-Athlacca. Both of these wind farms will have wind turbines of 158 m, which are extremely high wind turbines similar to the ones seen on the main motorway from Limerick to Dublin, so you can imagine the height of these near houses. These win…

Like the Minister of State, I see reducing energy costs as definitely a plus. However, if you cannot build on your land and you cannot get planning permission because your land is now going to be too close to the turbine that went in last year, it does not matter what the electricity cost is as you cannot live there. One without the other does not seem to work. That is my issue. These two policies, one trying to repopulate rural areas and the other trying to provide for wind energy, are going against each other. Th…

I welcome the two Ministers of State. I thank them for being here. It is an important and topical issue that we need to be discussing. We need to make sure that these farmers are getting the supports that they need. I am delighted to hear of the extra hours that the Department has allocated. Farming is one of the most important, but also one of the most dangerous professions in this country. Our farmers are the backbone of rural Ireland. They provide us with our food, sustain our local economies and preserve the ru…

Today, Limerick Chamber sent an email to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, requesting allocated funding of €2.2 million for the next phase of works that need to take place on the Mackey roundabout in Limerick. The Mackey roundabout is the main roundabout off the M7 but it links up to the Dublin Road, the University of Limerick and the national technology park. Every day, this has backlogs onto the M7, which cause serious safety concerns and congestion. The businesses in the area have been asking for these works to be c…

I will start by saying we support the intent and objectives of this Bill. Clearer air is something that we all want for our families, communities and future generations. This legislation represents an important step towards achieving that. We all know, as the Minister of State said previously, that the main sources of air pollution in Ireland are solid fuel burning and transport emissions. While air pollution is often seen as an urban problem, it is still a very real problem for rural Ireland. Across County Limeric…

I want to raise the issue of wind farms, most particularly in County Limerick. There are two action groups: Coolcappagh action group and the Bruff–Dromin–Athlacca action group. They are both in the process of putting in submissions to stop major wind farms from being located in their areas. There has been very little consultation with the communities on these wind farms. They are dividing communities. A landowner may be willing to give up their land for a massive wind farm near a community that does not want it. Th…

I am here tonight not just as a Senator but also as a mother and as chairperson of a community-run crèche. I have seen from all sides what is happening here. We have heard a lot of talk about investment in education, which is absolutely welcomed. The budget announcement of 1,700 new special needs assistants is welcome, but with such promises comes deep concern. According to the Department, 38% of the SNA workforce holds an early years qualification. Expanding the SNA workforce without addressing the conditions of t…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The Bill is fairly straightforward and I thank the Department for the helpful briefing note that was provided to everybody. The financing of houses, social housing in particular, via the local authorities and the funding of approved housing bodies, AHBs, is most definitely of huge importance. There is a dire need for people on housing lists to be homed more quickly, for people who are working to be able to get a mortgage before they are too old to qualify for one and fo…

I want to raise something I noticed last week. The National Ambulance Service was in before health committee last week to take questions. Its representatives stated, and it was reported in TheJournal.ie , that the service would be interested in having doctors going out with its crews. I found it quite amusing, considering there is a charity that works under the National Ambulance Service called CRITICAL which practises this. It has doctors on its books. The only difference is CRITICAL personnel are volunteers so th…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the all-island strategic rail review and to put on record the needs of Limerick and the greater mid-west when it comes to rail. I also welcome the all-island approach taken by the review. For far too long, transport planning has stopped at the Border, and too often it has actually stopped at the M50. For decades, successive Governments have presided over line closures, chronic underinvestment and a transport policy that overwhelmingly prioritised Dublin and its commuter belt. T…

I wish to start on a positive note. We had the announcement over the weekend of Ireland and, more important, Clare and Limerick winning the bid for EuroPride 2028. I congratulate those who went forward with the bid, including Limerick Pride, QuareClare and The Outing Festival, with the help of Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, UL Events, Mayor John Moran, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. This is fantastic to get for the region. Not only will we have the Ryder Cup in 2027, they reckon that this event i…

I welcome the Minister. I have a specific query. I made the same query on the Order of Business earlier. It is not something that everybody would think of, but as a reformed smoker who uses a vape, it is definitely a bone of contention in my house. I gave up cigarettes seven years ago because I just could not afford to keep smoking as a result of the fact that the tax on cigarettes was increased every year. I switched over to vapes. A bottle of juice for the vape contains 10 ml and costs €5. As of 1 November, 50 ce…

I want to raise public transport, particularly in County Limerick. I have received a couple of emails from commuters in east Limerick who travel from Kilfinane to Colbert Station, which is the train station in the city. They travel from the east of the county to the city for work or college. I am informed that every day, there are between 70 and 80 people trying to get on a 52-seater bus. This means that at least 20 people are standing at a bus stop somewhere having to wait for the next one, which might not come fo…

I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for giving up her time to be here. In the past few weeks, Senators on this side of the House and across the floor have raised the lack of basic public transport services in our rural communities. I spoke on the Order of Business about the transport difficulties in rural Limerick caused by the lack of capacity and unsuitable times, but I could just as easily have been speaking about countless counties in Ireland. The story is the same everywhere: bus services do not exis…

I welcome the Minister of State. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. I thank my colleagues in the Independent Group for tabling this important motion forward, and especially Senator Craughwell for his heartfelt and to the point graphic, but needed, speech. It is great to hear the lived experience. I also welcome all those in the Gallery. The motion highlights what too many patients and family already know, which is that cancer services in the State are in crisis. The focus today is on head and neck ca…

I want to raise an issue concerning domestic abuse. I want to highlight that it is not just confined to what we can see. It is not just bruises, shouting or visible harm; it also includes financial control and economic abuse. The abuser restricts access to money, sabotages employment or leaves victims appearing financially stable on paper, whereas in reality they control all the finances. This form of abuse traps victims' independence and prevents them from seeking justice. Yet our legal aid system, the very system…

I thank the Minister of State very much. I am delighted to see this area is being looked at now. I have one request while it is being looked at and this is to take into account the fact that sometimes one party may be entitled to legal aid and the other is not. If that is the case and if proceedings are being drawn out by months and sometimes years, could this aspect be looked at again for that person who is not entitled to legal aid at the start to see if they may be entitled to it halfway through? The Minister of…

I raise the issue around the treatment of mothers and families who experience miscarriages. Too often women going through the most devastating moments of their lives are placed in the same wards or have to use the same entrances to the hospital as parents leaving with their newborn babies. It is an extra agony they have walking in to the hospital. For those grieving the loss of a pregnancy, it is an additional and unnecessary trauma. A mother who contacted me after her own loss felt unseen and said that she did not…