I welcome the Minister of State. The immigrant investment programme, IIP, was launched in 2012. This programme benefited organisations and communities across the country to the tune of €1.25 billion following its introduction. It was closed in 2023. I understand that there are a range of issues pertaining to the closure and winding down of the scheme. We have seen a real impact on investment in County Mayo in particular. Westport United received €2.8 million in 2023. As the Minister of State will be well aware, Isl…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I am aware that he is here on behalf of the Minister for justice today, but the reply is disappointing, specifically because there is nothing comparable in terms of funding for sporting organisations, clubs or community groups at present. It is not as if the Irish State can match the programme or put something else in its place. We had the begging bowl out and had the programme as an incentive for people to invest and engage in Ireland when we were under economic and fin…

I will take the opportunity to highlight the commemoration celebrations of the birth of Admiral William Brown from Foxford, County Mayo. Members may be interested to know that he was the founder of the Argentinian navy. He was born in 1777 in Foxford and led an incredible life. He was very much inspired by the opportunity to help to achieve independence for Argentina, having left Ireland, which was under much oppression and political, economical and societal strife at the time. The impact he made is incredible. The…

I join other Members of the House in congratulating my friend and colleague Garret Ahearn on his promotion to becoming Leader of Seanad Éireann. I know it is a great honour and privilege for him and all his family. I acknowledge and welcome them all here this afternoon, Laura, Daniel and Jamie in particular. While it is not my job, I would like to suggest if there is homework this week that with a bit of support from colleagues it might be dismissed on this special occasion.

Better again. I also acknowledge Senator Ahearn’s father Liam. I know that his late mother, Theresa, would be immensely proud and I am sure she is looking down on him with pride. Senator Cathal Byrne spoke of the public service within the Ahearn family, through council chambers and both Houses of the Oireachtas. I know they all hold those values with great pride. I look forward to supporting Senator Ahearn in every way I can throughout his term as Leader. My colleague Mike Kennelly has done a lot of advocacy on the…

I support the community of Strade in County Mayo who are campaigning to have a bus route returned that is a vital link for their whole community. The 52 bus route connects Ballina and Galway. It always connected into Strade where two new bus stops were recently built. Unfortunately, however, Bus Éireann ceased the bus route, much to the dismay of everyone, including me. Thankfully, a public service obligation kicked in and Citylink took over the route. Sadly, the village of Strade was left out of this important rou…

This weekend in Ballina there will be two very big 40th anniversary celebrations for two very special organisations that I would like to highlight on the floor of Seanad Éireann. The first is the Ballina Arch Club, a voluntary social group for adults with special needs. It has been a brilliant source of joy down through the years for parents, family members and adults with special needs, bringing them together in social settings. It provides brilliant opportunities for people to hang out together, go to events toge…

I stand in support of the people of the Lacken-Ballycastle-Killala area and Erris in their opposition to two proposed wind farm developments that are being advanced in both of those areas. These are areas of scenic natural beauty, home to rural areas and people who have faced depopulation and many challenges down through the years. They are resilient communities. Both of these proposals totally contravene county development plans and the wind energy strategy. They contravene "Wild Mayo", which was a Fáilte Ireland …

Do not start it.

Out of order.

I acknowledge Members across the floor for putting forward this Bill. I know it is very well intentioned. I do not want to sound patronising but obviously, I support the Minister of State and the Government in terms of the practical reality of its implementation. From the Fine Gael side of the House, we will not be supporting the Bill. We see what is happening before our eyes and especially over the past number of years, it has been absolutely devastating. However, in the practical reality of implementing this legi…

I would like to take this opportunity to join colleagues in mourning the loss of a friend and former Member of this House, Ernie Caffrey, and offer my sincere condolences to his family. Ernie was a representative of both Mayo and Sligo county councils at different times in his life. He has a unique legacy and served here in the Upper House from 1997 to 2002. He lived an incredible life dedicated to family life, community life, volunteerism and the common good. He was a volunteer on the Moy Valley Resources board of…

I would also like to acknowledge and welcome the Swedish ambassador to the House. Today I would like to highlight the 40th anniversary of Knock Airport in my home county of Mayo. This is an incredible milestone for what was snubbed as the "foggy boggy runway" when it was first proposed to be built. However, Monsignor James Horan had the vision to light that spark in the west and to have the faith to see through what many people dismissed as a project that could not be done. He famously said, "They said it couldn't …

Is the Senator saving to buy a Volvo truck?

It is a Volvo truck he is saving for.

I welcome Ailbhe and thank her for being here to support me in an internship role. I welcome confirmation by the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Deputy O'Brien, that his Department will now undertake an integrated strategy on the use of surplus renewable energy. It is an issue I have raised many times in committee and on the floor of Seanad Éireann, specifically focusing on dispatch down when turbines are being turned off because of oversupply to the grid. The Minister's confirmation today is very…

I welcome the MEPs from Midlands-North-West. I put on record my support for the suspension of the Israel trade deal with the EU. It has been mentioned by many Senators. This is the mechanism that Ireland should use in supporting all MEPs. Do they all support that suspension? It is the most pragmatic approach to take in a European context. That is the best move forward. There has been progress on the occupied territories Bill here, but at European level, we can have an impact on what is a devastating humanitarian cr…

I join my colleagues and Senators from across the House in congratulating our former colleague, Seán Kyne, on his magnificent election in the by-election. He has been a brilliant colleague to work with over the past 18 months or so and has a wealth of experience that he will return to the Lower House, Dáil Éireann. I congratulate him, his family, and everyone who helped to make it possible. I wish him well. He will definitely be a loss to this House. I raise flood relief schemes and the OPW. In my area of north May…

I thank the Minister of State for being here this morning. My Commencement matter is quite straightforward. There has been incredible social unrest, and unrest generally, due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, with Israel and the US targeting Iran and the knock-on effect that has had with Iranian missile strikes on a number of countries in the Middle East where we have many of our citizens. Thankfully, many of our citizens are returning home safely. There has been improved connectivity. I acknowledge the Min…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. My motivation here is to make that it as easy as possible for people returning home and for a bit of flexibility to be given to them. I acknowledge the reply and understand it is so important we have safe roads and strong regulations in that way, but we also need to be dynamic, practical and fluid as we were during the invasion of Ukraine in the context of the unrest and ongoing war in the Middle East that have resulted in our citizens being displaced. It is great to see…