Before I start, I welcome Cathy Wheatley from the Irish Families Through Surrogacy and Ivana Holub, who is a surrogate and who gave evidence before the Joint Committee on International Surrogacy. They are very welcome. I know this is a very big day for them. I thank the Minister, for his run-through of the Bill but mainly for prioritising this issue since he came into office four years ago. Something that I and my colleagues - I see Senator Ardagh sitting behind me there - have been passionate about is providing a …

In fairness to everyone in the House, we need to move on.

Next Tuesday, 18 June, at 1 p.m.

The Order of Business is No. 1, Employment Permits Bill 2022 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 12.45 p.m. and to adjourn at 3 p.m., if not previously concluded; and No. 139, motion 2, Private Members' business regarding reform of waste management, to be taken at 3.30 p.m., with the time allocated for the debate not to exceed two hours.

Go raibh míle maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. I thank the 15 Senators who contributed to the Order of Business. Senator Malcolm Byrne, on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, raised the recognition today of the state of Palestine which was done in tandem with Norway and Spain. I think most people in Ireland welcome this. Other Senators raised the issue also. The position is that we recognise that a two-state solution is the only way forward for the region. At the moment Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are not committe…

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding arrangements for the address to Seanad Éireann by Mrs. Mary Robinson, former President, on Wednesday 12 June 2024, to be taken without debate on conclusion of the Order of Business; No. 2, Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024 - Second Stage, to be taken at 3.15 p.m. and to conclude at 5.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed 15 minutes, group spokespersons…

I thank the 15 Senators who contributed on the Order of Business. Senator O'Loughlin, on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, was first and she spoke about Bruce Springsteen and his connections with Rathangan. I was suffering from major FOMO over the weekend looking at absolutely everyone I know, including my husband, going to the Bruce Springsteen concert while I was at home. Between that and Girls Aloud, I think I was the only person in the country who did not go to a concert at the weekend. I am in favour of support…

I move: That Seanad Éireann agrees with the recommendation of the Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight that, in accordance with the provisions for the address to Seanad Éireann by Distinguished Persons, Mrs. Mary Robinson, Former President, be invited to address Seanad Éireann on Wednesday, 12th June 2024, and, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, unless otherwise ordered, the following arrangements shall apply: The proceedings in respect of the address shall commence at 1 p.m. and shall conc…

The Minister of State is very welcome. It is great to see a former colleague sitting in the Minister's chair. It gives us all hope. We were delighted to see his appointment. There is no better man than him to be in a public health role because I know of his deep commitment to public health through the work he has done to date. I wish him the very best of luck. I commend my Green Party colleagues for tabling the motion. It is really important that we discuss loneliness. Senator Hoey outlined clearly the deep health …

I am sorry to have to raise this Commencement matter because the issue is an ongoing one. Rush National School is a school in north County Dublin that was built in 1953 and now has 700 pupils. Morgan Doran is the principal and runs an excellent school. It has served untold numbers of people from Rush and it is an excellent school. Plans have been afoot to build a new school on the site for in excess of 17 years. This would be a 32-classroom school with two autism classrooms and all the ancillary rooms needed for a …

I thank the Minister of State for that update. Can we get somebody within the Department actually to liaise with the school? That information was not communicated to the board of management. It is operating in a vacuum and obviously has to report back to the parents and the whole community as to what is going on. However, when no communication is going back that is a frustrating situation for the board. There is a bit of progress but this school project needs to be put on a fast track. It is unacceptable to wait fo…

I thank the Cathaoirleach.

I want to briefly put some matters on the record of the Seanad. I know I am not going to convince anybody one way or the other by anything I say. Senator Mullen spoke about a better alternative to abortion services. For the person choosing to avail of these services, this is the best option for them. Many of them are people of deep faith, but for one reason or another, are in this situation. Often it is not something they would have ever envisaged, but this is the situation they are in and they are trying to do wha…

Next Tuesday.

Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. Fáiltím roimh an Aire le linn Sheachtain na Gaeilge. Is iontach a bheith anseo ag labhairt faoin Ghaeilge, ach tá an-chuid fadhbanna ann. Cé go bhfuil an-chuid déanta, tá fadhbanna ann faoi láthair, faoi mar a dúirt mo chomhghleacaí ó Chontae an Chláir, an Seanadóir Róisín Garvey. Tá fadhb ag an Ghaeilge sa chóras oideachais agus tá gá ann do pholasaí don Ghaeilge ó réamhscoil go dtí an tríú leibhéal, rud nach bhfuil ann faoi láthair. Tá an-chuid déanta ag an Aire O…

Like Senator Conway, I congratulate the Minister and his officials, who have worked so hard on this legislation. It is well overdue but it is fantastic that we have finished considering it here in the Seanad, allowing it to be moved swiftly to the Dáil. I hope colleagues in the Dáil will be as co-operative as all the Senators have been in order to produce really good legislation. I, too, pay tribute to the Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senator Mark Daly, for his work on this. The day after I was elected to the Seanad in 201…

On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I would also like to express my sympathies to the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party, to the wider party and to the family, friends and community of John Connor. It must be an awful shock to lose somebody so suddenly like that, so they have our sympathies. I would like to welcome the deal that was backed by the DUP overnight. It was great to wake up to such news after having such high hopes over recent weeks that a deal would finally be arrived at. It was great to wake up and hear thi…

The Order of Business is No. 1, Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023 - Second Stage to be taken at 3.15 p.m. and to conclude after two hours if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, all Senators not to exceed ten minutes and the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; No. 3, motion regarding the statements for information of voters in relation to the Thirty-ninth Amendment of the …

Twenty-one Senators contributed - it was 20 until Senator O'Sullivan came in - and all of them paid glowing tribute to Senator Norris. It is now my turn to do so as Acting Leader on this very special day. It is a great honour. Senator Norris is the longest-serving Senator for a reason. That reason relates to everything people spoke about today, namely, his dedication to public service and his courage and commitment to causes that were very unpopular. The action he took in speaking about his personal life was an ins…