She is.

I move: Tuesday's business shall be: - Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of EirGrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Act 2022 Section 10 Order 2026 (without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Motion re Referral to Select Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the (Taxes on Income and on Capital) (the Principality of Liechtenstein) Order 2026 and the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income and Capital Gains) (Sweden) Order 2026 (without debate and any division claimed to…

There have been five different requests from the Opposition Whips. If we were to take them, we would not be able to bring forward the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Bill 2026, the Postal and Telecommunications Services (Amendment) Bill 2026 to support postmasters, the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026 or the Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 202…

He just left.

I add my thanks to those of the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, and recognise all Members who have spoken in this debate. No one who sits in this House can be indifferent to the question of our constitutional future or the aspiration in Bunreacht na hÉireann to unite all the people who share this island, recognising the diversity of identities and traditions. The Government is committed to the unity of the Irish people. We believe the way to achieve this is through a sustained focus on reconciliation, mutual res…

I am vice-president of the party, a party born out of a national movement to achieve an independent Republic and unite Ireland. This question is complex and politically sensitive. It requires patience, partnership and enduring consent. Article 3 of the Constitution, as amended by the Irish people after the Good Friday Agreement, states, “It is the firm will of the Irish nation, in harmony and friendship, to unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identiti…

I move: Tuesday's business shall be: - Supplementary Estimates for Public Services [Votes 30 and 31] (back from Committee) (without debate, to moved together and decided by one question and any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Motion re Thirteenth Report of the Standing Committee of Selection (without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Motion re Restoration of Seller’s Legal Pack for Property Buyers Bill 2021 (without debate) - Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill 2026 (Commit…

I have noted all the comments made. We have a really busy schedule to get through this week. We have a lot of legislation, so the Order of Business stands.

I also issue a céad míle fáilte roimh páistí na Gaelscoile. They are very welcome here today with Senator Shane Curley. I thank Senator Clonan for raising this important matter in the House. I also thank him for his constant advocacy for people with disabilities, including intellectual disabilities. Expanded access to specialist mental health services, including the national clinical programme for mental health intellectual disability, is a priority for me. It is estimated that four in every ten people with intelle…

I have the HSE's back on this. I will tell the Senator why. In budget 2026, I was able to fund 300 new posts. The difference between the mental health budget and the rest of the budget is that funding for those 300 posts is ring-fenced. I wrote to the six regional executive officers across the six regions to say I had secured this funding under the mental health budget. Three hundred whole-time equivalents is quite a significant number; it is the most I have got in the six years. There were 15 posts for intellectua…

I thank the Deputy for his advocacy in relation to ADHD, for the way he speaks openly about it and also for forming a cross-party committee on ADHD. As he knows, the model of care was launched in 2021 for adults with ADHD. We look after children with ADHD through the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. There was a recommendation to have 14 funded adult teams. All 14 teams have been funded. Eleven are in place and we are working to get the last three under recruitment. However, when the model of care…

I move: I move: Tuesday's business shall be: - Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 51(3)) and (Section 60(6)) (Commission of Investigation into the Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools) Regulations 2026 (without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026 (Second Stage) (to conclude after the first round, not to exceed 3 hours and 34 minutes) - Motion re Offences Against the…

In relation to Report Stage amendments, I will have a word with the Minister after this session and we will look at that to see about the timelines. In relation to everything else that was raised, we can discuss it at the Business Committee on Thursday. We had a very solid Business Committee meeting last week. We have a lot of legislation to get through this week so the Order of Business stands.

No.

I thank Senator Cosgrove for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. It is something I am very familiar with because my husband has the exact same diagnosis. It is amazing how lived and living experience can come into a lot of the stuff we deal with every day. To look at the Senator, we would never in a million years think she is dealing with a condition that can be very debilitating at times, when the knees start rubbing off each …

I welcome Deputy Conor D. McGuinness and his guests from Waterford to the Visitors Gallery of the Seanad. Senator Cosgrove makes a valid point. When we talk about expanding the chronic disease management programme, there are many issues that have to be addressed. We understand why including chronic diseases like kidney disease at stages 4 and 5 would take precedence over some other conditions. I give the Senator a commitment that I will talk to the Minister’s officials about the GLA:D programme. The Senator is righ…

I thank Senator Scahill for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer. He is not in a position to be here himself but he asked me to take it. We all recognise that volunteers are the backbone of every community. The majority of us who end up in politics have probably come through the community system. If you are on one committee you are on five. There is no doubt that we are involved in so many things locally. That is how I ended up becoming a politician after being i…

I thank Senator Scahill very much for raising this topic. I agree that there continues to be a need for LEP funding to support the excellent work our community groups deliver nationwide. It must be acknowledged that €72.9 million has been provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht since 2018. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, was in Waterford last Monday week and he attended 16 events. A lot of money is being delivered but I take on board what the Senator says. The Minister of Stat…

I thank the Acting Chair.

Hear, hear.