I welcome to the Visitors Gallery Deputy John Connolly and his visitors to the House. They are very welcome to Seanad Éireann.

The Senator is forgiven.

When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Is that agreed? Agreed.

I will share time with Senator Kelleher and he will speak first.

The people of the nation are hurting. Over the past number of weeks in every community, town and village, the protests and demonstrations have reflected huge frustration and anger across the community. It has left a sour taste this afternoon in the Seanad and the Dáil and has divided us. It has divided us in reaction to a fuel crisis that has shocked international markets across the world. We are facing an international crisis. As a country, we have always worked well under pressure, whether that be the financial c…

Do they have homework?

There is a vote in the Dáil.

I welcome the Minister of State to the floor of Seanad Éireann. Something I, along with my colleague, Senator O'Donovan, have raised continuously, is the maintenance of piers, harbours and slipways across the country. Indeed, in my home county of Mayo, it is something I have advocated for as a county councillor, and more recently as a Member of the Oireachtas. Something that sadly has borne out our worst fears was a recent tragedy at Belderrig pier, where Joachim McNulty sadly lost his life. I have met Joachim’s da…

I thank the Minister of State again for his reply. His commitment to meet the family is greatly appreciated. To follow up on Senator O’Donovan’s point, the investment in piers and in repairs to piers, slipways and harbours is welcome. It can be more. On the specific aspect of maintenance, the resources supplied by local authorities is something we need greater understanding of. We need safety audits and assessments in respect of all our piers, harbours and slipways. We need to find out the cost of making them safe …

I want to highlight on the floor of the Seanad an event I attended at the weekend in my home county of Mayo on the community futures programme. This programme identifies an area, generally a rural hinterland. In this case it is Brackloon, which is a series of townlands that have come together to devise a plan, future and strategy for their community. The programme engaged with 279 submissions from 345 households in the area. It identified community needs. It identified opportunities within the area and identified t…

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for being here for this Commencement matter, which calls on the Minister with responsibility for nature, heritage and biodiversity to carry out a breeding cormorant survey on the Moy catchment area, including Lough Conn and Lough Cullin, to assess their impact on the decline of salmon in the River Moy. This comes with the backdrop of a decrease in the number of salmon being caught on the River Moy, which is the jewel in the crown and is recognised internati…

I thank the Minister of State. He is here on behalf of the Department and the Minister and I thank him for taking the Commencement matter. However, I am none the wiser in terms of the issue I raised. The latest assessment of Ireland's breeding cormorant population indicates a broadly stable picture since the mid-1980s. However, the context in which I am raising this is the rapid and significant decline of the salmon population on the River Moy. That is clearly outlined in the Commencement matter. It has been outlin…

Something that has been discussed at length over the past weeks, both here and in the Dáil, is the cost of living and the pressures people are feeling, whether at the pumps, with home heating oil, as hauliers or for school transport. I have engaged with a number of bus operators, for example, that are in fixed-price contracts with the Department of Transport for school bus routes. These fixed prices were for a certain defined number, which is now being well overshot with the current fuel prices. It is becoming unvi…

I would like to highlight an initiative I visited on Monday at the foot of Croagh Patrick in the Croagh Patrick visitor centre. It is an immersive virtual reality experience that guides people up the mountain. I am highlighting it because it is a good example of a tourist attraction that would generally be inaccessible to many people for reasons of disability, inability or mobility. Thankfully, because of the ingenuity and the innovation from the Mayo north-east leadership programme, they have invested in this 3D t…

It is a great privilege to second this Bill. I compliment Senator Murphy on bringing it to the floor and on his work and advocacy on this proposal so far. This is an important Bill because tradespeople are the lifeblood of our economy and society. If this Bill is supported, the message that will go out to those in the trades is that they are valued and are being listened to. This is a very important element to communicate. In my home county of Mayo, we have had tool-marking initiatives, which we also have across th…

Now.

In light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, it is very disappointing to see how quickly both retailers, petrol pumps and home heating oil providers are instantly jacking up prices. It is totally unfair because it has been already outlined that a spike in crude oil prices should not result in an immediate knee-jerk reaction or an increase in the price of wholesale fuels at petrol pumps and from home heating suppliers. Just this morning, I was talking with a bus driver who said that yesterday, to fill a tank…

I join with the Cathaoirleach in welcoming our visitors from Norway to the Gallery. I thank Fianna Fáil Senators for bringing forward this important Private Member's motion during what is a seminal moment in time. We see the development of and advancements in technology, including AI, and the brilliant opportunities that provides for society, along with incredibly dark elements that need to be addressed and legislated for. This week I attended an information evening in Ted's Bar hosted by Achill Island Smartphone F…

I share my condolences on the passing of former Senator Mary White with her family and loved ones. I am monitoring with interest the proposed talks about a merger between Aurivo and Dale Farm, which is based in Northern Ireland. Aurivo is a brilliant company owned by over 10,000 farmers. They contribute a huge amount to each of the communities where they are based and where the production is based. I would welcome a discussion with the Minister for agriculture on it. Without trying to interfere in a process that wi…