Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Collins, go dtí an Teach seo inniu. I welcome the Minister of State. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I welcome the motion put forward here by my colleagues this afternoon. I agree with every single word that was said by them in relation to the motion. I also take on board the sentiments and comments of Senator McDowell, the former Minister for justice, as well. There is no doubt that being a member of An Garda Síochána is a unique profession. Very few people put the…

I never doubted the Minister of State, she will be glad to hear.

Cuirim fáilte mór roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach. She is very welcome back to the Chamber this afternoon. I thank her for taking the time out to be here. They say a stitch in time saves nine and the evidence that the shingles vaccination not only protects people from what can be a very painful illness and its possible complications, but also helps prevent cardiovascular disease, stroke and dementia is surely a case in point. Shingles is an infection that causes a painful rash caused by the chickenpox virus and…

I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive response. I know she is taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I welcome the fact that the HSE is in negotiations with the provider of the vaccine. It is a welcome development and hopefully positive news might flow from that. We all agree that shingles is a very debilitating disease. Unfortunately, when someone gets it at a certain age, it is very hard for them to get rid of it and it has negative consequences on the quality of their life…

Today, as other Members have stated, members of the National Ambulance Service find themselves on the picket line. I visited a number of them this morning in County Monaghan before I travelled to Leinster House. The one thing they all had in common was that none of them wanted to be there. As much as that is for sure. They wanted to do what they do very well; look after the communities in which they serve. Their big gripe, as they explained to me this morning, is that their service has changed completely from what …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, to the House this afternoon. The licensing fees for selling tobacco and nicotine products in Ireland are increasing dramatically to an annual system under the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023. Up until this point, tobacco retailers faced a one-time fee of €50 per annum, and there were no licensing requirements for selling vapes. The new fees that apply per premises for tobacco product…

I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive response. I fully agree with her about the ills of smoking and we can add vapes to that. We are all trying to do what we can to limit, where possible, the use of these products. That said, I still feel strongly that small outlets, small convenience stores and small off-licences in many of our rural towns and villages are disproportionately affected by this legislation, which came in three years ago. Although I believe it went through both Houses, the fee amount wa…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit chuig an Teach seo ar maidin. I thank the Minister of State for taking time out of his busy schedule to be here. We can all agree that our roads have taken a severe battering from incessant rain over the past number of months. Roads are badly damaged everywhere, from country, local and national roads to our streets and motorways. In addition to funding from local authorities' coffers, a sum of €718 million in State road grants has been allocated to local authorities for the improve…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I fully appreciate that this is not his area of responsibility and that he is taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister of Transport. Coming from rural Ireland where we have no train network and a limited bus service, the only show in town to get from A to B for many families is the local and regional roads. The condition of the local roads in Monaghan and Cavan has reached a critical stage. School transport is being affected because some…

I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure: Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union vis-à-vis the United Kingdom …

I too welcome the visitors to the Gallery. I hope they enjoy their day in Leinster House. I welcome the Minister back to the House on this very important motion, which I am very happy to support on behalf of the Fianna Fáil grouping. It is vitally important we have the maximum co-operation with our nearest neighbour, the UK, in our fight against crime. Fortunately, relationships between our Government and the UK Government seem to be on a much better footing than when the Brexit vote took place, which is a positive…

At 2.30 p.m. next Tuesday.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach seo inniu. I thank the Minister of State for taking time out of his schedule to be here. Monaghan and Cavan county councils, that of the Minister of State and many other local authorities around the country are undergoing a process referred to as the register of electors’ data cleansing project. In layperson's language, that means trying to tidy up the register. It is a huge volume of work. As I am sure Senator Tully has done, I have spoken to colleagues in local au…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I pay tribute to the staff of the local authorities for the huge volume of work they are doing on this. As I have said, thousands of letters have gone out. Monaghan County Council has sent out 2,000 letters to people three times looking for them to engage. I encourage these people to engage because if they do not do so by 31 May, they could be removed from the register. There is a reluctance among people in some parts to pass on their PPS number as they …

The Minister is welcome back to the House. We in Fianna Fáil very much welcome this important debate. We are acutely aware of the significant capacity pressures across the prison system and the challenges they create for staff, those in custody and the general public. Providing adequate prison capacity is essential for public safety, rehabilitation and the effective functioning of our justice system. That is why I am delighted to hear that the Minister is prioritising investment in the prison estate, with €495 mill…

For a change, says you.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. Recent data from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine shows that in 2025 we imported 40,000 tonnes of beef, which is the equivalent of about 118,000 steers, based on average weight. It is a strange statistic really, when we consider that we export seven times more beef than we import. Our largest customer for our beef is the UK. It is ironic that the majority of the 40,000 tonnes of beef we imported last year came from the UK. Farmers are asking what I would claim is a legit…

I welcome the Minister and his officials back to the House to discuss this very important legislation which the Minister is proposing to introduce. From a Fianna Fáil perspective, I welcome this debate and support this Bill. As we know, it is not always possible to get criminal convictions against criminals who are destroying our communities. However, we can bring them before the civil courts and seize the assets they have secured through criminal activity. These proceeds of crime should be taken from them and inve…

Next Tuesday.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta O’Donnell, chuig an Teach seo inniu. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House this afternoon, and I thank him for taking time out to be here. As the Minister of State is well aware, floods have brought havoc to many parts of our country. Unfortunately, these are no longer rare or isolated events and with climate change being what it is, they are going to increase with the passage of time. In an instance like that, when floods are potentially going to affect ho…