I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I congratulate him on his appointment and wish him the best of luck. I thank Fine Gael for bringing forward this excellent Private Members' motion. It was well thought out, so well done lads. We in Fianna Fáil welcome this debate and the fact the Government is supporting the motion. Fianna Fáil is committed to making sure that all of us can age well, with dignity and support. We want people to stay in their own homes for as long as possible but with the correct suppor…

I wish to raise farm safety. When we think about farm safety, we usually think of machinery or slurry pits, but now that the calving season is well under way, I want to talk about accidents with livestock. More than a quarter of fatal accidents on farms and just less than a quarter of non-fatal accidents are to do with livestock. I would like the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, to come before us to lay out his plans going forward on farm safety. It could perhaps be made a bigger segment of training in …

As we approach International Women's Day, it is fantastic to see two women in the driving seats this morning. If you see it, you can be it. Well done ladies. Some €82 million has been allocated to Cork to fix and develop 104 regional and local roads. While this is extremely welcome and a very large amount of money, members of Cork county and city councils believe it is not enough. The road network in Cork is becoming very undone. When there is heavy rain, especially in rural areas, streams burst, go onto the road a…

I rise today to speak to the subject of special needs and disability, not from the usual angle but from the angle of the families of these people. Through my current work and also through a previous life, I have assisted families with assessments of need applications, therapy applications, etc. I always found it difficult to deal with the families because many of them are hurt and let down. While I thought that might just be me being a sensitive soul - although many Senators might not think I am, I am - over the we…

I wish to raise the topic of hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, and ask if the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications might come in to discuss this topic. Hydrotreated vegetable oil is seen as a replacement for fossil fuels such as road diesel, agricultural diesel and kerosene. It is a very good replacement but the only crux is that when VAT and duty, etc., is added, it makes the product very expensive. As it is dearer, people are not swayed to using it. Could the Minister perhaps come in and speak …

I congratulate Senator Kyne on being appointed the Leader of the Seanad. I know he will do a fantastic job. I rise to talk about the now-ceased SEAI boiler grant. I understand the reason it was ceased but I am concerned about older people who just want a new boiler and a grant for one. The air to water and the retrofitting is just too much hassle for someone in their later stage of life. Can something be done, such as the reintroduction of something for older people who just want a boiler? In time, it could be phas…

A Chathaoirligh agus a Sheanadóirí, tá an-áthas orm a bheith i bhur láthair anseo inniu mar Sheanadóir nua Fhianna Fáil. I am absolutely thrilled to have been elected to this House and I thank everyone involved on my journey. I pay particular tribute to my husband, Paddy, and my sons John and Philip, who have stuck with me through good years and bad years in my political life. I also remember my late parents, Phil and Teresa Murphy, my late brother Con and my two other brothers, Dan and Phil Murphy, who have contri…