I thank the Senator for raising this important topic. Unfortunately, as she is aware, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is currently chairing a European Council meeting of his own format. However, I am extremely familiar with this, not just as the son of a Cavan woman, but also as someone who has a considerable number of family members still farming across both Cavan and Monaghan who have been very active in this campaign for the entirety of its duration, even appearing in national newspapers at times. As the Senator c…

There are two or three critical issues to this. The Senator mentioned different expert opinions. If this was just a one-off, it was the first time we were discussing it, there were simply two different opinions and you would choose between the two, that would be one thing but this has been going on for 14 years. There has been repeated independent expert opinion, which has been accepted. That is the stage we are at. When it comes to the level of engagement, community engagement is deliberately in place for EirGrid.…

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions this evening, for the points they have raised and for bringing these important topics to the House. As set out in the Minister, Deputy O'Brien's, earlier remarks and the counter-motion, the Government is committed to maintaining a sustainable PSO funding model that supports continued network growth, service improvements on public transport, the delivery of BusConnects and Connecting Ireland, commuter rail expansion and future investment, while ensuring public transpo…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Recent actions against LGBTQI+ organisations and persons in Türkiye are deeply concerning. As he outlined, reports indicate that, since 12 September, the Turkish authorities have launched a co-ordinated operation targeting LGBTQI+ organisations, activists and associated businesses. The operation, called “My Family is Safe” by the Turkish Minister for Justice, is reported to have moved from the police operation phase into formal judicial proceedings. While the in…

To make it abundantly clear, every person, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic, is entitled to equality, dignity and the full enjoyment of their human rights. Being LGBTQI+, forming an association and defending rights are not crimes and should never be crimes. Ireland remains in full solidarity with LGBTQI+ persons and their allies globally, particularly in Türkiye right now. Over the past 18 months of my work in this current role, I have had the distinct displeasure of ha…

I am grateful to Deputy Butterly for raising this very pertinent and personal issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan. As the Deputy is aware, as part of the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, the Government has committed to the development of a national policy on transitions, which will map out how we support young people completing school into the various pathways for life after school. This work is ongoing and a report is expected by the end of this…

I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this timely issue. The provision of transitions supports for students in schools is a key priority for the Government, and for the Department more broadly. As outlined, there is a commitment under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 to work within Government and with others to improve retention rates and progression for disabled children and young people as they deal with transitions within education. Both pilot programmes have identified the need…

I thank the Deputy for her Topical Issue. I am here today on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, who are in Brussels on EU Presidency business, to address the associated felling licence process. I hope the response will provide an element of clarity. I will, of course, put the questions the Deputy has placed to the Minister and the Minister of State, and ask for an answer to be directed to her as quickly as possible. Merlin Park in Galway city, as the Deputy has outline…

I accept the Deputy's requests but I will point out two things that I think are important in order to be helpful. It is important a separate question be put to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage as the management of woodland is a matter for him. Felling licences come under the Department of agriculture. This is exempt from a felling licence, as I laid out in the previous reply, but the management is perhaps a more pertinent issue, given the concerns raised by the Deputy and the community at lar…

I am grateful to the Deputy for the opportunity to update the House on the digitalisation of health records and the progress being made to support patients and healthcare professionals through safer, more connected care, stronger research and innovation and a more sustainable health service. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. As Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, I should highlight the success and the efficiencies of the digit…

I am grateful to the Deputy for his comments, which I will bring directly back to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. As the Deputy is aware, the digitisation of health records is already under way and being delivered in three stages. The HSE health app is designed to provide patients with greater access to their own health information. The national shared care record is connecting data that is already in digital format, albeit stored in separate data silos. It is helping healthcare professionals to see more inf…

I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this pertinent and timely issue. For the benefit of the House, if the Deputy does not mind, I might give a bit of context as requested by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. The microgeneration support scheme, MSS, provides supports to domestic and non-domestic applicants, in the form of grants for solar PV installations, up to a maximum of €1,800 in 2026 for household installations. As announced this morning, the scheme will also provide as of next week a new €9,000 grant for home…

As I have set out, the electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European Union regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are deliberately commercial, liberalised and competitive. Responsibility for that regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including in the context of the CEG, is solely a matter for the CRU. Regarding the development of tariffs under the CEG arrangements, the CRU is of the view that the competitive approach whereby suppliers set their own competitive expor…

I am grateful to Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this once again. I welcome the comments by his party leader this week when she declared that this is a great State and a great place to live in. It makes a welcome change from most other days of the week. There is a considerable amount of preparatory work going on from political parties across the spectrum. The Deputy referenced our own work in Fine Gael, but also the work of the Labour Party and the Social Democrats, who appeared at the SDLP conference last week. Crucia…

No.

I thank all the Senators who have spoken and contributed to this debate, which I was following in between votes in Dáil Éireann, when I was not present myself. Like others, I acknowledge Senator Black on her lifetime of work on this issue, particularly since we were in the Senate, together with An Cathaoirleach and Senator Higgins when we first debated the original iteration of this Bill. The question for this Government at this juncture is, what can we do and how can we act at this time to make a difference in lig…

It removes landmines for children.

It trains people to remove landmines.

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this important regular debate, particularly those who have placed very pertinent questions that I will try to answer as thoroughly possible in the time available to me. I will start with the issue of Irish unity and how Europe relates to that as raised in questions by Deputies Ó Laoghaire, Ó Murchú and Gould and, indeed, in their party leader's opening intervention. One thing that is important when we talk about the constitutional future of our nation is how Europ…

It is the same with every medicine, treatment or equipment used in medical advice. It gets approved on a European basis and then has to be approved. It is just like when we pass legislation at a European level, it has to be transposed into domestic legislation. I take the Deputy's point, however, that it is not quick enough. When other member states are doing it quicker than us, that is something we need to reflect on. It goes to the point more broadly of competitiveness and the interests of the competitiveness age…