I thank all the Senators for their contributions this evening. Senator O'Loughlin acknowledged the number of events for St. Brigid's Day, especially in Kildare. The Senator also commented about the sad passing of Vivian Carroll. He was a stalwart of Newbridge and Kildangan. May he rest in peace. His family and friends are in my thoughts. Senator O'Loughlin also welcomed the fact that Grace's law, which proposes to ban the use of scramblers in public places, has been approved by Cabinet. The Minister proposes to int…

I move: That Seanad Éireann: - expresses its deep sadness on the death of Máirín Quill; - conveys its sincere condolences to her family; and - expresses its gratitude for her notable contribution as a member of Seanad Éireann to Irish public life and for her dedicated service to the people of Ireland.

The Minister of State is very welcome. I thank him for agreeing to come in to discuss the marine and inland fishing sector. I will not dwell too long on the marine sector because my colleagues have covered that very well. Regarding the scientific advice of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, that is, of course, something that we have to abide by and agree on. However, that only works is everybody abides by it and there is no illegal fishing by third countries and no illegal fishing of our valu…

The Order of Business is No. 52, motion 1, Private Members' business, motion regarding health procurement, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business and to conclude at 12 noon, and notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders the proposer and seconder should be given no more than eight minutes, the contribution from the Minister shall not exceed 15 minutes, all other Senators shall not exceed five minutes and the proposer shall be given three minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 1, Mental Health Bill 202…

I thank all the Senators for their contributions this morning. Senators Fitzpatrick, Clonan, Noonan, Sarah O'Reilly and Martin Conway raised issues relating to storm damage and the response to it. Reference was made to the merits of engineering solutions and nature-based solutions, as referred to by Senator Noonan. I will request a debate on this matter. Senator Fitzpatrick commended the work of the ground crews, the councils and Uisce Éireann and referred to the supports that exist. Senator Clonan spoke about prep…

I move: That Seanad Éireann: acknowledges that: - genomics is central to the future of healthcare, including diagnostics, personalised medicine, and population health management, and that expanding domestic capacity would provide faster turnaround times, leading to improved patient outcomes, enhanced data governance, and more sustainable cost structures; - strengthening domestic expertise aligns with the Savings and Productivity Programme’s objectives of driving efficiencies, reducing expenditure, and improving com…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to debate this matter, which is quite specific. We are a very advanced country. We pride ourselves on the capabilities we have, our positive results in relation to health, our medtech sector and foreign direct investment in medtech, and the growth of artificial intelligence and what that can do in healthcare. There is so much positivity about our healthcare. Genomics is essential to the future of healthcare, including diagnostics, personalised medicine and population hea…

I thank the Minister for being here, but also for her enthusiasm, interest and excitement in relation to genomics and genetic testing, and for the updates she has given on the national genomic processing units opening on 16 February, and the national genomics medical centre. These are positives in this whole area and the Minister quite rightly outlined the possibilities of AI doing a better job than a human being. While we do not want that in every area, perhaps, it is certainly exciting in medicine and diagnostics…

The Order of Business is No. 1, Air Pollution (Amendment) Bill 2025 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 1 p.m. and to adjourn at 2.30 p.m. if not previously concluded; No. 2, statements on the nitrates derogation, to be taken at 2.30 p.m. and to conclude at 4 p.m. if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, time may be shared, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, and the Minister to be…

I thank all the Senators for their contributions this afternoon. I will start with Senator O'Loughlin, who quite rightly acknowledged the role of St. Brigid, the only female patron saint, and wished everyone well for St. Brigid's Day. She acknowledged the previous Government's announcing of a new bank holiday and the choosing of St. Brigid's Day as an additional national holiday, and her and others' role in that. She also talked about the network meeting with representatives of the Kildare Chamber of Commerce, Pete…

The Minister of State is welcome, and I acknowledge the sentiment of this amendment. This relates to regulations a number of years ago on air pollution, smoky coal and the impact that was going to have on the sale of turf. There was a lot of hoo-ha at the time and a lot of valid and genuine concerns, but also a lot of misinformation. The Government, we and Fianna Fáil backbenchers had robust meetings at the time with then Minister, Eamon Ryan, about these issues. It became quite clear that this was not in any way a…

Next Tuesday.

Next Tuesday at 2.30 p.m.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding appointment of the chairperson of the Standards in Public Office Commission, to be taken at the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 55(2), Private Members' motion in the name of Fianna Fáil Senators regarding the Defence Forces, to be taken at 1 p.m. and with the time allocated for the debate not to exceed two hours; No. 2, Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024 – Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 3.30 p.m. and to adjourn at 6.30 p.m., if not pre…

I thank all Senators for their contribution this morning. I will start with Senator O’Loughlin who acknowledged TradFest and, indeed, AbleFest, which is an inclusive music repertoire for neurodiverse children and adults. I certainly concur with that and wish them well in their initiative. Certainly, it is very inclusive and welcome. She also, along with Senator Comyn, raised the passing of Ziva Cussen, who was an initiator of the charity, Too Young to be Heard, which amplifies the voice of victims of breast cancer,…

I move: That, pursuant to subsection (2A) (inserted by section 2 of the Standards in Public Office Act 2001 (No. 31 of 2001)), of section 21 of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 (No. 22 of 1995), Seanad Éireann recommends the appointment of Ms. Justice Elizabeth Dunne, currently a Judge of the Supreme Court, by the President on the advice of the Government to be the Chairperson of the Standards in Public Office Commission.

I welcome the Minister to the Chamber and congratulate her on her appointment. We have had nearly 50 Ministers for Defence and Deputy McEntee is the first female Minister for Defence. I congratulate her personally and politically on that. I thank my colleagues in Fianna Fáil for tabling this motion. I am sure Senator Craughwell knows that if his group tabled a motion, its members would also have 16 minutes on this or any other topic they wished to pursue. Senator Wilson spoke about today's world. It is safe to say …

The Minister of State is welcome. I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement matter, which relates to the N59 in Connemara, County Galway. The Minister of State is very fond of Connemara, Clifden and Ballyconneely. It is a very special place but it is obviously also a place where people live. It is not just for tourists or visitors. It is a community for people in the area and we are very proud of that area. We have seen some very welcome progress on the N59 over the last number of years. The…

I thank the Minister of State for the update on behalf of his Department. It is important we keep this project moving forward and that, subject to planning approval of this alteration, which has been a long time in preparation, planning and co-ordination, work takes place. As we move towards tender documents and contracts, it is important we keep this project moving, highlighted and on the radar of the Department of Transport and TII. For the community in Connemara, the project is hugely important in terms of safer…

The Order of Business is No. 1, Mental Health Bill 2024 - Committee Stage (resumed) to be taken at 5:30 p.m. and the proceedings thereon, if not previously concluded, shall be brought to a conclusion at 8 p.m.