It is great to see the Minister of State in here today. Across the country, local authorities are undertaking significant transport, cycling and public realm projects. These projects often have major implications for local communities, businesses, commuters and residents. Public consultation is presented as an opportunity for people to have their say. Citizens invest considerable time preparing detailed submissions, attending information events and engaging in good faith. However, many people increasingly feel that…

During my time as a councillor, I was involved with Part 8 developments. I have huge respect for South Dublin County Council. To be parochial, these developments have transformed my area of Tallaght. We have fabulous parks. I was involved in a Part 8 process for an older persons' housing developments. The community's views were seen and heard. It is a lovely place to live. Those houses are like gold dust now. I really worry about the section 38 developments, particularly because councillors do not get to vote on it…

Before we proceed, I welcome members of the Roscommon Older People's Council executive, who are guests of Deputy Martin Daly and Senator Gareth Scahill, their local Senator. I will also pass on commiserations to Paddy Joe Burke on Roscommon's loss.

Before we move on to the next speaker, I welcome to the House Alan Del Rio and Aoife Larkin, who are guests of my colleague, Deputy Devlin.

As long as you want.

Is the motion agreed?

I thank the Minister for being here today. She generously gives a lot of her time to the Seanad and it is very much appreciated. I welcome the opportunity to speak on Irish AIDS Day. Following on from many of the other speakers, I want to remember those we lost and reiterate that we stand with those who are living with HIV and that we are renewing our commitment to ending new HIV transmissions and tackling the stigma. I have listened to people speaking, especially Senator Clonan. The thing about shame is that I hat…

I welcome and support this Bill. It is simple in that it is just making sure that people who receive care in their own homes can be confident that the care they receive is safe, of high quality and properly regulated. Every day across Ireland thousands of older people and people with disabilities rely on their home care support services. These services help people with everyday tasks such as getting dressed, preparing meals and personal care, enabling them to remain independent in their own homes. For so many famil…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I welcome the opportunity to raise this important issue concerning tactile paving, dished crossings and the safety of blind and visually impaired people when navigating our streets and communities. I am raising this matter on behalf of one of my constituents from Tallaght, Mr. Vincent Stack, who is part of an organisation called Voice of Vision Impairment. Mr. Stack is blind, and to better understand his concerns, I walked a number of routes with him in Tallaght so I co…

I thank the Minister of State. I now see where the problem lies. I want to put on the record that I have huge issues with the DMURS. They would be better placed, instead of narrowing roads and junctions and making them totally uncomfortable for people to drive on, to focus on tactile paving and to have a standardised approach in order that blind people can navigate their communities safely. DMURS needs to be revisited. I appreciate the Minister of State coming in and providing all the information but, at the end of…

I want to speak once again about givinostat and the urgent need for Irish boys living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy to finally gain access to that drug. Tomorrow marks an important point in the reimbursement process and on Thursday, 11 June, it will be exactly one year since the day we gathered outside and inside Leinster House to explain and show the reality for people living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Those families are still waiting for access to givinostat. Duchenne is the most common and one of the m…

In the past week, I attended two very different but equally inspiring events that highlighted the importance of investing in our young people, not only financially but with time, and the impact that can have on their lives and communities. The first was Citywise Education awards night in Tallaght. It was a celebration of achievement, commitment and community spirit. A special mention must go to Elizabeth Valentine, who was recognised as volunteer of the year. Her award reflected the incredible contribution voluntee…

I thank the Minister for taking this. I want to raise the growing issue of the lack of car parking spaces in newly built apartment developments, particularly in areas like Tallaght and Citywest. I am not the first to raise this in recent times and I will not be the last. We all know how desperately we need these new developments. We welcome them. I am delighted to see my constituents getting their forever homes. It is brilliant in south Dublin each week to see so many homes being advertised on choice-based lettings…

I thank the Minister. I think there is an awful lot of messing going on with parking. I refer back to the car parking spaces that have been in situ for 50 years in Tallaght village. They want to remove them. Recently up in Marlfield a management company tried to impose parking charges for people who had car parking spaces outside their houses. This is absolutely unacceptable and ridiculous carry on. If there is a call five minutes down the road for additional car parking, there should not be a removal of car parkin…

I want to commend Senator Boyhan on his motion. I do enjoy our chats about all things agriculture. The Senator is always very generous with his time and knowledge. As a member of the agriculture panel, I am often asked how a Tallaght girl made it onto the agriculture panel. What would a Tallaght girl know about agriculture? The answer is because my family roots are in Bohernabreena, just a brief ten minutes from the hustle and bustle of Tallaght village, where urban life fades into farmland, rivers, fields, forests…

Last weekend, we had a wonderful celebration of the centenary of Fianna Fáil. I am a bit disappointed about Senator Keogan running down our party, which is a progressive party. I got into politics in 2019. My only real understanding of politics before that was that Seán Walsh of Fianna Fáil got us our first ever house. Fianna Fáil is a party of community. We are inclusive and we care. An example of an issue I noticed was in the election when Opposition parties canvassing against me told people not to vote for me. T…

I thank Senator Andrews for raising the issue of car parking. Hopefully he will speak to his colleagues in Tallaght where they are supporting the removal of on-street car parking spaces that have been in situ for 50 years in the area. That is actually a concern. It would be great if Senator Andrews could pass that message on.

That is absolutely no problem.

I want to update Senators on the status of what is happening with givinostat because people care and I know Senators all care about this. I am told the company has submitted all required documentation and a final offer is on the table. Most importantly, this drug will now come before the drugs group at its June meeting. For those unfamiliar with the drugs group, it is the body that reviews medicines and makes recommendations to the HSE on whether treatments should proceed towards reimbursement and access for patien…

I welcome the Minister of State. I am raising this Commencement matter because we are in May 2026, and the current national cancer strategy, covering 2017 to 2026, is entering its final months. It is essential that we receive a clear update on the development of the next cancer strategy that will guide cancer services over the next decade. I acknowledge the significant progress made under the current strategy. The National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 has delivered real improvements in prevention, screening, diagnosis…