I want to raise a couple of matters on the Order of Business but directly refer to the matter raised by Senator Keogan. My heart goes out to the family, friends and children of the latest victim of gender-based violence on this island. Sarah Montgomery was murdered. She was pregnant. She was the mother of two children. When are we going to get real as a society? The number of women, and mothers, being killed in their own homes at the hands of people known to them is shocking. We should not be shocked at this stage …

On the increased costs on businesses from the insurance companies, the ire being directed at the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, is misdirected. We all know the current mechanisms lie within the legislation passed by the previous Minister for justice. I will leave it at that.

Talk to Paschal.

I call on the Leader to invite the Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien, to the House for a debate on the roll-out of BusConnects. I was at a meeting last night in Lusk attended by representatives from Skerries, Loughshinny, Lusk and Rush, who are very concerned about the removal of the only direct service to the city, the No. 33 bus, which is due to be implemented next year. The communities have come together because we are very concerned about the lack of a direct bus. It will be replaced under the BusConnects…

I also raise the issue of Fiona Pender and the search for her body that is under way. Senator O'Loughlin raised this matter. It is a story that has haunted us all. We all want a good outcome for her brother, now her only serving next-of-kin, whereby her body and that of her unborn baby - Fiona was seven months pregnant - are found. I raise the need for a debate in the House regarding addiction services for women in particular. We know from the statistics that women face specific barriers in accessing services. Ther…

I commend Senator O'Loughlin on introducing this Bill. It is essential in this day and age that we have effective laws to combat very serious crimes. Previous speakers have outlined the emotional, physical and financial risks of catfishing. However, emotional damage is also done through catfishing. I have spoken to some people who were catfished and they pointed to the loss of trust in people and the loss of trust in doing anything online. Our lives are becoming increasingly online. When dealing with a bank or a sh…

I thank the Minister for coming to the Seanad to talk about this important issue. She is going to do well in this role. It complements her previous role as Minister for Education because the education of children is on the same spectrum. As the Minister outlined, there has been unprecedented investment in early years education over the past number of years. Childcare fees for parents have been slashed. Investment in pay and conditions and support for early years education has been unprecedented as well. The educato…

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House and I thank him for being here to respond to my Commencement matter. When I submitted this matter, I asked that the Minister engage with the NTA on implementing fairer fares for north County Dublin. The fairer fares scheme has been rolled out to some extent and I know more work has to be done on it but I am speaking specifically about the two stations of Balbriggan and Skerries. They are in the Dublin commuter zone and all other stations in Dublin are in the Dublin…

I am well aware the Department and the Minister are not involved in day-to-day operations of public transport, but the opening paragraph of the Minister of State's response stated that the Minister is responsible for policy. This is why I am asking for engagement. It is the policy of the Government to encourage people onto public transport, to lessen the burden of cost on commuters and to make fares fairer. Balbriggan and Skerries have been caught in this Dublin commuter zone. The Minister of State named a number o…

The Minister of State is welcome to the House and I am particularly glad he is taking this motion. I commend Sinn Féin on laying the motion before the House and giving us the opportunity to discuss this important topic. We are all aware of the issues facing families with special education needs. The Minister of State has a deep, personal and long-standing commitment to this topic and there is no better person to be in charge of this. I look forward to seeing significant progress in the next couple of years under hi…

The Minister of State is very welcome back to this House. I congratulate him on his appointment. This is my first time standing before him in the Chamber since his promotion. I am sure he will bring his skills and talent to the position. It is really important that we are having this discussion. All our communities and families have, unfortunately, been hit by road fatalities and serious injuries. Road safety is of the utmost importance to every community. I wish to raise a specific issue around driving test centre…

There is a need for a debate on the national swimming strategy for the period 2024 to 2027. This was launched last August by the then Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, and aims to provide everyone in Ireland with an opportunity to swim. The strategy focuses on enhancing facilities, coaching, safety awareness and pathways for high-performance athletes. A key component is an allocation of €500,000 to Swim Ireland for hiring swimming activators within local authorities, promoting increased swimming participation…

I also welcome those from St. Joseph's in Rush. I am very familiar with it. It is great to see them all. They are all very welcome to Leinster House. Before they came in, I raised the issue of the need to develop a swimming pool for north County Dublin. It is an issue the guests have contacted me about through the years. I am working on it. I look forward to a trip to St. Joseph's in the near future.

A month of celebrations.

I extend my congratulations to the Minister and wish him the very best of luck in his brief. No doubt, given his background in agriculture, he will have no need to get up to speed on many of the issues within the Department. I rise today to talk about the Common Agricultural Policy, which has been very important to this country's development since we joined the European Union. I particularly want to touch on the aspect of LEADER funding for communities. In north County Dublin, it has been particularly important in …

The Minister is very welcome on this day to mark International Women's Day. We are, of course, discussing a very important topic. It is one in which I know she will excel in her role as Minister for Health. The previous Minister, Stephen Donnelly, changed the landscape for women's health in Ireland during his term of office. I am sure she will continue that very good work and expand on the very many good schemes that were started. However, it is step-by-step, incremental change and, as was pointed out, this is a co…

I second the motion. I am very happy that the Minister has attended. It is our first item of Private Members' business, which reflects the importance the Fianna Fáil Group is placing on transport. I was very happy to see that the Minister got this brief because I know he understands this issue, which is a top priority for the people of north County Dublin. I will raise a number of issues. Senator O'Loughlin touched on some of them. She laid out the core tenets of the motion very well. We need people to have faith a…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. The Minister of State is very welcome to the Seanad to discuss this important matter. As he knows, I am passionate about the delivery of services for my constituency. One of my top priorities is the delivery of a new school building for Rush National School. It is a matter I have continuously raised in the Seanad and one we need to keep raising and pressing the Department on because this is a project that has been in the offing for 18 years. The school leadership, under Morgan Doran…

I thank the Minister of State for his response, which outlined the long and sorry history of the delivery of this project. It is not good enough. The people of Rush and, in particular, the children of Rush National School deserve better. I am glad to see that Department officials will keep the school authorities updated as this stage progresses. Regarding doubling down on this commitment and getting them to engage in a better way than heretofore, I can guarantee that the school leadership and board of management wa…

I welcome the Minister to the very important debate we are having. I specifically raise the issue of domestic and gender-based violence. We are at a record high of gender-based violence, with 20,000 more reports to gardaí in more than four years. It is good that people are coming forward and reporting to gardaí but it is clear there has been an increase in violence in the community. Women and children are dying in their own homes at the hands of somebody known to them and whom they have been in an intimate relation…