This morning, as we gather here in the Seanad, I am very mindful of the people in the Middle East who are under direct attack and threat. I am really concerned about the civilians - the men, women and children of all ages - who are living in fear for their lives. I am particularly concerned for our own Irish civilians. I acknowledge the messaging from the Minister for foreign affairs and the Department of foreign affairs. I acknowledge the support of our consulate and embassy staff in the region. They are all doing…

I thank the Minister of State for updating the House on the Government's plans for the forthcoming EU Presidency. Obviously, it is a real honour for Ireland to take the Presidency. As the Minister of State said, it will be the eighth time that Ireland will have held the Presidency of the EU Council. I commend all of the staff in the Department, not just here in Dublin but across Europe, who are working to make our Presidency of the Council of the European Union a successful one. It is occurring at a time of unprece…

I congratulate everybody in the north inner city of Dublin. This week, they welcomed the Taoiseach to St. Agatha’s Hall for the launch of the ninth annual north east inner city, NEIC, initiative progress report. The NEIC task force was established in 2016 and since then it has worked under the leadership of the Taoiseach's office. Dublin City Council has a dedicated NEIC task force office working with residents, schools, sports clubs and all of the organisations and businesses in the area to make it a healthier and…

I welcome the announcement of the most recent communications regarding the commitment for special educational needs and the commitment to our special needs assistants. They provide an invaluable service in our schools. They enable young people to access education and they assist teachers, parents and the whole community. They are truly invaluable. It would be really helpful if, at some point in the near future, we could invite the Minister of State with responsibility for disability into the House and have an updat…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, for being in the House this afternoon. I understand that the Minister with responsibility, whose presence I had requested, is travelling overseas, so I appreciate that the Minister of State has taken the time to come to respond to this Commencement matter. I had been seeking that the Minister for public expenditure would attend the Seanad today to update us on his engagement with the Gambling Regulatory Authority on the regulations that will be issued for gambling and …

The Minister of State could not have done better justice to the Commencement, particularly considering his personal history with it. Well done to him. He outlined perfectly how to the lotto works to fund grassroots good causes. I welcome the reply, which outlines very clearly the responsibilities that rest with the GRAI and the Minister for public expenditure. I also welcome the fact that officials from the Department met with the GRAI as recently as December and are examining this issue. I would urge the Minister …

I put on the record of the House my deep frustration and anger with the decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála to overturn the granting of planning permission for the Rotunda Hospital on Parnell Square. The Rotunda Hospital has catered to women, babies and families for more than 280 years. It is hard to know exactly how many babies have been born there, but it is in the many hundreds of thousands. Some estimates put it at a million but, over 280 years, it has taken care of women and their babies and has brought babies i…

I join the Cathaoirleach and the Deputy Leader in welcoming Ambassador Grinevičius, embassy staff and Deputy Dempsey. I would also like to wish all the Lithuanians in Ireland and around the world a very happy national day. I congratulate Lithuanians on their sustained independence. That is not a small achievement in our modern world and I congratulate them and salute them for that. The Government recognises that Ireland deserves a capital that is safe, more vibrant and livable for everyone, and recognises the chall…

I also welcome the Minister of State and thank her for coming to the House to address my request for an update on the drugs strategy. As the Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for the national drugs strategy, she has a significant role in respect of this matter. I commend her on the work she is doing and thank her for her engagement with the Joint Committee on Drugs Use, which has been very welcome and constructive. I look forward to working with her on the new drugs strategy.…

I join the Minister of State in complimenting the local drugs task forces. I served on the original Tolka area task force, now known as the Finglas-Cabra task force. Through that we did incredible work, and the task forces have done incredible work. Not only are they helping individuals and their families and then the wider community to deal with their addiction and achieve recovery, but they have also established really powerful and constructive relationships between the statutory authorities, the Garda, the local…

I welcome the Government's decision this week to introduce Grace's law - a complete and utter ban on scramblers in public spaces. Legislation was introduced in 2023. Regulations should have been introduced sooner. My deepest sympathies go to Grace Lynch's family and friends but also to every other victim of scramblers in our communities. People have lost their lives, people have suffered life-altering injuries and every day scramblers have been used to distribute illegal substances - drugs and other paraphernalia. …

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, for coming in this morning. I raise this Commencement matter to seek an update from the Minister for Transport on the DART+ South West project. I appreciate that transport is not the Minister of State's portfolio and that he is giving his time to be here today. I congratulate him on the very important work he is doing at this time in his role in Europe and I wish him well with the European Council Presidency coming up this year. This morning specifically, I want t…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit for the detailed response. I acknowledge the Government's commitment to funding transportation of €24 billion and the €12 billion for public transportation in particular. I accept the detailed report that is provided here in terms of the strategy and the requirements for works to be completed on DART+ West, Spencer Dock and Connolly Station to allow DART+ South West and the development of Cabra station to progress. On considering this in detail, it is apparent that work is alread…

As we stand here today protected by the wonderful surroundings of Seanad Éireann, our island is being battered. Mother Nature is certainly putting us all to the test with the wind and the rain. My thoughts are with everyone who is being affected by the extreme weather we experiencing as an island. In my own part of the city, the north side of the city, there was chaos. There was a burst watermain in Fairview. The road had to be closed and homes in Drumcondra, Fairview, North Strand and East Wall out to Clontarf, Ba…

I never had the pleasure or privilege of meeting Brian Crowley. I just knew him as hugely successful politician, an MEP, a poll topper and a man who dedicated his life to public service. He was somebody who had incredible commitment to public service. I understand he was hugely talented musically and was a humorous and warm individual. He was clearly a very good friend of the Cathaoirleach and a great colleague to many of my colleagues. I offer my deepest sympathies to the Cathaoirleach and all his family and frien…

On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I would like to offer our sympathies and condolences to the wife and family of Gerard Lynch. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. Overnight there have been welcome developments. This House should welcome the announcement from President Trump that he is pulling back from his planned 10% tariffs on eight European countries. Also, most importantly, he is pulling back from his threat to Greenland. Greenland is an independent state and its sovereignty and independence must be guaranteed…

This morning, I raise an issue I raised before the Christmas break and that is the closure of the The Complex multidisciplinary arts centre in Dublin city. It has now closed its doors. The artists have had to vacate the building. It is a huge loss for Dublin city. It has stripped the city of a vital creative space for community and cultural expression. It pains me to say this but this was not an inevitable outcome; it was completely avoidable. For a long time, way before the end of last year, I had been engaging wi…

On our final sitting of the Seanad this year, I thank Martin, the staff in the Seanad Office and everybody working in the Leinster House complex for the support they have provided to us, the elected Members. We could not do our job without all of their talent, energy and commitment. We are hugely privileged to serve in Leinster House and we greatly appreciate their support. All of their efforts make ours so much more effective, so I thank them. At times, it can be stressful, demanding and challenging, but they alwa…

Will the Leader arrange for the Minister for justice to come to the House and brief us on the findings and recommendations of the Kenova report. The Kenova report was released this week. It is an investigation into some of the darkest moments in our recent history on this island. Most critically in my area, it looked at the Dublin and Monaghan bombings 51 years ago in May 1974 on Talbot Street. On that day 33 people lost their lives. There are surviving family members who are still looking for answers. We all know …

I want to ask the Leader to help save The Complex. The Complex is a unique multidisciplinary arts centre. It is right in the heart of the north-west inner city. It is located on Arran Street East. It is in what is designated in the Dublin city development plan as a strategic development regeneration area. It is a unique cultural hub. It combines artist’s studios, performance space for both large-scale and smaller scale, more intimate performances. Very unique artistic and creative activity takes place there. The Co…