The vacant property grant has been a hugely successful initiative introduced by the Government. To date, over €230 million has been paid out nationally with over 15,500 applications. It has been a huge success and I think most people would agree with that because it is tackling two issues: dereliction, which is a blight on our landscape, and, in bringing down dereliction, creating a home for a person going forward. That is what we all want and we need much more of it. I welcome today's announcement of the grant for…

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 authorising Member States to sign, in the interest of the European Union, the Third Addit…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. The Minister is very welcome. I acknowledge his commitment to this House. He has been very attentive to all debates in the House, which is very much appreciated by me and other colleagues in the Chamber. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I am happy to support the protocol as outlined by the Minister. As he stated, it relates to a proposal for mutual legal assistance on criminal matters. It is vital that we have co-operation and the sharing of information and that it is done legally wi…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit chuig an Teach. I welcome him back to his old stomping ground and thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to be here. I wish to raise a very important issue with him. A striking feature of our towns, villages, sporting grounds and other facilities all over the country in the past few years has been the growth in the provision of automated external defibrillators, AEDs, by local communities. Communities understand the value and importance of the availability of defibrilla…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I commend the Irish Heart Foundation on the work it does. This is a proposal that has come from it. As the Minister of State outlined in his contribution, it would seem to make perfect sense. I welcome the fact that we are looking at this within the next year or so with a view to bringing it into the driver theory test in this country. That is a sensible and welcome development. As the Minister of State outlined, it is about having the knowledge in your …

Thursday in County Monaghan is known as "standard day". The standard being referred to is The Northern Standard newspaper, which has been in circulation in County Monaghan since 1839 when it was founded by a gentleman by the name of Arthur Wellington Holmes. It is with great sadness that I bring the news to the House this morning that, after 186 years, next Thursday will be the last edition of The Northern Standard in County Monaghan. That will cause great sadness and regret to many households throughout the length…

Shocking.

I am conscious of time. I found this afternoon's session very informative on a number of fronts. On a lighter note, I learned from the right honourable and learned Senator McDowell that in the event of the Minister deciding to change careers, there may be a future for him on the cricket fields. I am sure that provides the Minister with a great deal of reassurance. On a more serious note, the debate has been very informative. I have enjoyed it. We are fortunate that we have a number of learned individuals with very …

I report progress.

I would like to share time with my colleague, Senator Curley.

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. At the outset, I commend all political voices in Donegal who have been working to try to find resolutions to this issue. One councillor, above all others, stands out in my mind: Councillor Marty McDermott, who has been working tirelessly on this issue for a long number of years. He has been recognised as a very fair and reasonable voice in relation to this. I am from Donegal and am fully aware of the tragedy and stress that has been bestowed upon the families affected…

The 1974 Dublin-Monaghan bombings resulted in the biggest loss of life in a single day of the Troubles. Some 34 people lost their lives on that fateful day and over 300 were injured. The Ulster Volunteer Force was responsible for that. For over half a century, going into the 51st year now, the families of those victims are still searching for the truth. That journey has taken them on many roads with many disappointments. Yesterday, many of them headed to Belfast to hear the progress report on Operation Denton as pa…

The Minister of State is welcome back to the Chamber. In the last Government we debated councillors' terms and conditions with him and he always had a very receptive ear. I know the councillors have a friend when they have him in that particular role. I wish him well in it. I commend Senator Frances Black on introducing this legislation. In principle, I have no issue in supporting it. Any opportunity we get in this House and in the Lower House to discuss the role of the county councillor is a welcome opportunity an…

Hear, hear.

Some time ago in the Chamber, I raised the issue of the N53, which is the road that links County Monaghan and County Louth, and travels through County Armagh. The condition of that road is very poor. It is very narrow in places, and needs funding to bring it up to a standard that would be capable of accommodating the current volume of traffic. It was always a very important strategic route for that particular part of the world, but now even more so with the great, exciting, substantial news of the partnership betwe…

I too welcome to the Seanad this afternoon Councillor Áine Smith, students from the school in Bawnboy and our other guests. I hope they all have an enjoyable afternoon. I give credit to my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, who is setting the place on fire with his speed of movement in terms of activity in his Department. I acknowledge that and all his staff who work so hard alongside him. I am delighted to see this legislation coming through. The appointment of…

Standing Orders.

The Ceannaire might recall that last week I asked that the Minister for agriculture come to the Chamber to discuss the recently introduced caps in compensation for farmers whose animals were turned down with TB. Will he re-issue that request as a matter of urgency in light of the up and coming Mercosur deal, which is hanging over us? The news this week that Brazilian beef coming into the EU tested positive for banned hormones and had to be recalled is deeply worrying and concerning. It is hugely important that cons…

I was very disappointed to learn that the talks aimed at finding a resolution to the dispute over pensions for school secretaries and caretakers have broken down. As we all know in this House, school secretaries and caretakers are a vital component of our school system without whom it simply would not function. It is disappointing that school secretaries and caretakers had to go on strike initially. We all met them on the picket line. It is disappointing that it appears that those talks appear to have now come to t…

Yes.