I welcome our friends from the British Embassy who are visiting this afternoon. I look forward to hosting the delegation of visitors from the UK transport committee on Thursday. I wish to raise the issue of defective concrete blocks, particularly the pyrite in my constituency of Mayo, as well as the mica scheme. The issue has devastated so many homeowners along the western seaboard. Within the new programme for Government there is a commitment to a review and expansion of the scheme to allow improved eligibility bu…

Next Tuesday.

I raise an opportunity in County Mayo. I have spoken regularly on the regeneration of our market towns, bringing life, energy and families back into towns and villages across Ireland, including in my county, Mayo. At the weekend, I attended the launch of the community futures plan for the Killasser-Callow community. There was brilliant energy and vibrancy about community-led proposals for improving the community. It is very much a grassroots-led approach. There is a swimming pool in Swinford, in the periphery of Ki…

I report progress.

I wish to share three minutes of my time with Senator Joe O'Reilly. I will keep my contribution brief.

I welcome the Minister of State back to the Seanad. It is great that he is here to discuss such an important topic for us all and for communities across the island. Sadly, in 2024, 174 lives were lost on our roads and that is 174 too many. I welcome the Minister of State's commitment to Vision Zero. All of us across the Chamber need to work collectively to achieve and improve safety measures on our roads, and in our neighbourhoods and communities across the country. The Minister of State will be aware that 89% of t…

I thank Senator Brady for sharing time. I thank the Minister for joining us in the Seanad and congratulate him on his position, work and effort to date. The most important thing that politicians do is listen and he has done a great job of that so far. He has kept his finger on the pulse in terms of the different matters that arise in what is a very challenging portfolio. I would like to highlight the LEADER programme. It has the potential to be a brilliant asset to communities across the country. However, the chall…

I raise the total scandal of Eir and the lack of customer support being afforded to customers throughout the country, but in particular in my constituency of County Mayo. We have examples of customers of Eir who are out of connection since Storm Darragh on 12 December last. We also have numerous elderly customers of Eir who still have not been reconnected since the damage of the storm. It is a total scandal that this is allowed to continue in this day and age and that customers are left without any Internet connect…

The Minister is very welcome, and I thank her for joining us for the discussion on such an important topic for so many vulnerable people. I raise a specific example of an issue regarding scoliosis, which relates to a 16-year-old child in my constituency of Mayo who was born with neurological issues and in 2020 was diagnosed with scoliosis. In 2023, he was examined and identified for surgery. Unfortunately, since then he has not had treatment. He has a 103-degree spine curvature and has all of the identified reasoni…

I raise a matter that has been, politically, incredibly pressing over the past number of years in counties Mayo, Donegal and Sligo. That is the issue of defective concrete blocks. In my home county of Mayo hundreds of homeowners are affected. It has been the scourge of their lives and has brought financial and mental health challenges to every homeowner who has been negatively impacted by it. There is a commitment in the programme for Government for a review of the scheme. I ask that we bring the Minister for the h…

I want to raise a matter that is close to the heart of the community in my home constituency of Ballina. It is now more than a year since a tragedy occurred at a pedestrian crossing on the Crossmolina road. There was a fatality but a life was also saved thanks to the heroism of James Moyles, who protected his niece from tragedy. This has been raised continuously by councillors at a local council level. We have been pleading with TII for an assessment to be carried out and for the junction to be made safe. This also…

I welcome the Minister of State back to the Seanad and thank him for making the time to discuss this issue with me. Investment in road infrastructure in the areas I represent in Mayo has been underwhelming, to say the least. For the past three decades, we have been campaigning and advocating for investment for the upgrade of the N26. It is an incredibly busy roadway with thousands of motorists commuting on it every day, but it has had little or no investment over three decades. It is the gateway to the north west a…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I welcome the commitments for funding and prioritisation of the investment in both the N26 and N58. They need to be prioritised and kept on the table and we need a whole-of-Government approach to make sure that these are delivered as soon as possible. More specifically, in respect of the local transport plan for Ballina, we need to see action, not bureaucracy and not consultant after consultant. Simple things, such as traffic lights needing to be replaced, took years to …

I raise a matter that is close to my heart. I met constituents on Monday, the parents of Mike Henry Benson. He was diagnosed with scoliosis. His parents, Penny and Michael, have been battling for their son in recent years, seeking to have the case heard and to get adequate treatment. Mike Henry has neurological impairment, scoliosis and type 2 respiratory failure. He is on oxygen every day and by night is on respiratory support.

I am speaking with the permission of the family. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his contribution. The situation they are asking to be highlighted and addressed relates to a second opinion. Crumlin children's hospital has stated that it cannot operate on Mike Henry. The family is desperate for a second opinion. I am asking that we write to the Minister for Health so we can discuss the matter. I am making representations offline. I am asking that we fight for Mike Henry in this difficult situation for his family. All …

I welcome the Minister of State and thank the front-line personnel throughout the country who responded very quickly to the extreme weather event that affected so many. I offer condolences to Kacper Dudek's family on his tragic passing and on the illnesses and bereavements caused by the storm. If ever there was a case for local government reform, Storm Éowyn has demonstrated it. The orbits of the ESB and Uisce Éireann need to be interlinked with local government and councils. They cannot be operating in silos. We n…

Through the six years in my role as a county councillor prior to being elected to the Seanad, County Mayo was plagued with the challenge of the housing crisis, which impacted right across the county. In council buildings I sat next to people in desperate domestic situations who were looking for a new lease of life and to get on the housing ladder. At a county development plan level, we are told it is down to our local area plan. I sat on the Northern and Western Regional Assembly and we were told in respect of regi…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I welcome the Minister and thank him for his contributions last week and this afternoon. My experience of policing in County Mayo has been very positive. I served on Mayo County Council over the past six years and the model I found most effective and efficient in terms of being close to the people and gardaí being the guardians of the peace on the ground was the community policing model in the towns of Castlebar, Westport, and Ballina where I am from. The community policing model is…

This a moment of great opportunity for Irish sport. This weekend the new League of Ireland season began and I had the good fortune of attending the Bohemians versus Shamrock Rovers game in the Aviva Stadium. It was incredible to see the energy and the enthusiasm and the sheer number of fans who attended. I compliment everyone who was involved in that. Over the weekend 51,000 people attended League of Ireland games in the Premier League division alone. If we compare that with ten years ago, just 18,000 people attend…

I join in congratulating Senator Kyne on his appointment as Leader of the House. I wish him every success and I look forward to working with him. I second Senator Ahearn’s request for a debate with the Minister for Transport. There are a whole swathe of issues in the west of Ireland and projects that urgently need investment and delivery. We need to move on from the stage of talk. There has been much inertia on projects, and a lack of delivery on projects. The western rail corridor, which Senator Cosgrove raised, i…