I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, for coming to the House to take this Commencement matter on the urgent need for the development of a comprehensive national genomic and genetic testing service which is publicly governed, clinically robust and capable of delivering timely and advanced diagnostics in areas such as oncology, rare diseases and inherited conditions. We are at a critical juncture in Irish healthcare. The advances in personalised medicine, early detection and preventative care increasingly …

I thank the Minister of State for the update. She will agree that it is a case of "a lot done, a lot more to do". I ask her to keep the House informed as we approach those deadlines and I thank her for her commitment.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, to the House.

The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, is welcome back to the House.

I stand here to speak about the worry of the farming community now. There are mixed messages coming from Europe regarding potential changes in the CAP system. The rumour is that Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 structures will be changed. This is money that is totally allocated for agriculture. There is talk at the moment that, instead of having its own ring-fenced budget, it will be thrown in with a bigger budget, as it were. Obviously, this will cause huge worry and have consequences, particularly for small farmers and for …

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That” and substitute the following: - “Seanad Éireann resolves that the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 be read a second time on this day 12 months, to allow for further consideration of issues arising in the Bill.” I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue today. Equality is one of the fundamental principles upon which our society is built. It is not just a legal concept. It is a societal aspiration, one that demands vigilance, commi…

I thank the Cathaoirelach for choosing my Commencement matter. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for taking time out of his extremely busy schedule to reply to my matter. Councillor Patrick Donovan, a member of Cork County Council, does Trojan work in the field of disability and inclusivity. I want to publicly acknowledge his contribution to the disability sector. He really is a hands-on councillor in this regard. He has secured a commitment for a few car parking spaces for people with hidd…

I thank the Minister of State for his acknowledgment of the importance of this issue and for his commitment to looking into it and working on it. I look forward to working with him on this. These spaces are slightly wider than the usual disability space. There is a lovely sunflower on the space so it is different from the bare cold look of the normal disability space. The words "invisible disability" are also written on the space. I thank the Minister of State for his commitment and I acknowledge again the work of …

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House and she is doing a great job. She is empathetic, sympathetic and totally on top of her brief. The proof on how well she is doing is that budget after budget, the allocation for mental health is increasing. In fact, it stands at 44% since 2020. Mental health is no longer the poor relation in the whole health budget. Maith thú for that. Many a broken heart is hidden behind a smiling face. It behoves us all, both public representatives and the public, to reach out to …

I stand in support of the camogie players in the skort debacle. As a former camogie player at local level, it was often pointed out to me that my heart and lack of fear of the hurley made up for my lack of talent. That is a matter for another day. Skorts are very uncomfortable and restrictive. In this day and age, it is fair gall to tell girls what to wear. Even in primary and secondary girls schools, students have the choice to wear skirts or pants, and rightly so. It is so old-fashioned to try and tell any girl w…

I thank the Cathaoirleach, Senator Mark Daly, for choosing this Commencement matter. I thank the Minister of State for taking time from his busy schedule. He is welcome back to the Upper House. I am sure that, like me, the Minister of State remembers sitting his driving test. Research over the years shows that people find sitting their driving test harder than State exams or college exams. They are rolling a practical test and a theory test into one and the period of time that the tester is in the car with a person…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply, for acknowledging that there is a problem and for his commitment and the commitment of the other two Ministers to resolve this. The ten weeks would be fairly acceptable because it is ten months in some areas at the moment. With regard to Sunday not being an option because of having to offer a day in lieu, perhaps that could be cut out. Perhaps double pay could be offered rather than a day in lieu, which would obviously nullify any expediting of the list because they woul…

I wish to raise the matter of school transport. The return to school for young people, particularly those who are transitioning from primary to secondary school, can be a very difficult time. Year after year, we see the mess that school transport ends up being. People are not sure whether they are getting tickets, particularly with concessionary tickets. The applications are open now and are closing at the end of the month. The payments have to be made by 6 June. Anyone who goes to the bother of paying is a genuine…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit agus déanaim comhghairdeas léi. Gabhaim buíochas léi agus tá súil agam go mbeidh an t-ádh léi. It is both an honour and privilege to address the House as Fianna Fáil spokesperson on children and disability on an issue that is very close to my heart: the advancement of the rights and the improvement of the lives of people with disabilities in our country. This is not just about policy or politics; this is about building a society that cherishes all of its people equally. Fianna Fáil…

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, a day on which we raise awareness about autistic people. As Fianna Fáil spokesperson on disability, I am here to raise awareness about autistic people and to celebrate difference in general. We all need to reach our potential and our best, whatever that is. It may also be a time to talk about how we can help autistic people with early intervention and early assessment of need, etc., but today is their day and it is important we acknowledge it.

Tá áthas an domhain orm a bheith anseo ar an maidin álainn Mhárta seo. This is my first time leading off for Fianna Fáil on the Order of Business. As with the many other firsts I have experienced since being elected to the Upper House, I feel privileged and am delighted to be here. I pay tribute to our county councillors throughout the country, both party members and non-party members, all 949 of them. It is a role that is often undervalued and underrated. Councillors are the front of house or the bread and butter …

I raise the hassle caused by the lack of a driving licence exchange agreement with America. People moving from America and, more importantly, the returning Irish must go through the ordeal of doing either six or 12 driving lessons and resitting their test, even if they have been driving around New York and Boston for years. If they prove they passed the test in America, they get away with only six lessons. Otherwise, 12 lessons are required. Unfortunately, the relevant authority in America will only write to an Ame…

I would like to discuss tourism. There is no doubt that tourism in Ireland is on the decline. We all know that. To prove to myself that it was not just in my mind, I compared a similar period and category. I researched the number of foreign visitors who completed a trip to Ireland in December 2023 and December 2024. Unfortunately, there was a 12.2% decrease in the number of people who visited us and, more worryingly, there was a 20.4% decrease in spending. There is something radically wrong. I am biased in saying t…

Níl ach cúpla nóiméad ag teastáil uaim. Cuirim fáilte ar ais roimh mo chara, an tAire Stáit. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis. Go n-éirí an t-ádh leis. Tá an-áthas orm a bheith anseo inniu ag caint faoi Sheachtain na Gaeilge. Inseoidh mé mo scéal féin. Fadó fadó, nuair a bhí mé óg agus ag déanamh m'ardteistiméireachta, bhí múinteoir Gaeilge an-mhaith agam. Mother Bernadette is ainm di. Is múinteoir an-mhaith í agus, mar sin, bhí Gaeilge fhlúirseach agam agus ag gach cailín i mo rang. Thar na blianta, ní raibh mé ag labha…

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for giving her time and for extending it a few times. It is great to see a female Minister for Health. I wish her luck going forward. International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Today, to mark International Women's Day we are discussing women's health in the Seanad. Being a woman brings many joys but in life it is not physically easy being a woman. We have to deal with periods, pregnancy, …