I thank the Minister of State for agreeing to take this Commencement matter and the next Commencement matter.

You would always be welcome back.

I thank the Minister of State. We greatly appreciate his time here and we really appreciate him coming to the House.

The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, is very welcome to the Seanad. We greatly appreciate him giving us his time to deal with the next two Commencement matters, the first of which is from Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee and relates to reading classes for children with dyslexia.

I thank the Senator. Before we go to the Minister of State for his response, I welcome part of a group of Senator Kennelly's guests from Presentation Secondary School in Listowel, County Kerry. It is timely that they are with us because Senator Clifford-Lee has raised an issue in relation to special reading classes for children with dyslexia. It is an important point in terms of education. I welcome the students and their two teachers, Norma Dowling and Louise McAuliffe. They are the first half of a bigger group co…

Before I call the Minister of State to respond, I welcome the second half of the guests of Senator Michael Kennelly from Presentation Secondary School, Listowel, County Kerry, including their teachers. The Senator certainly has a following. He has a lot of people here today. I hope they all enjoy their day. This is the Commencement matter debate of Seanad Éireann, which takes place every day. Topics are raised by different Senators. It just so happens that these two are about education, so they are particularly int…

They might go over and live on your side.

I thank the Minister of State for his time here this morning on Commencement matters. It is greatly appreciated by the Seanad. I thank Senator O'Loughlin.

I welcome and thank the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan. He is coming from the Department. In essence, this is quite a simple Commencement matter. The answer might be a bit more complex. This relates to the imposition of commercial rates on childminders' homes. These are not necessarily crèches. These are small operations where a parent may have their own children and may take in a child or two on top of that to mind on an informal but regulated basis, in that it is a professional system. The conte…

Really what I am saying is let us get it down to brass tacks: a family or a parent who decides to take a child in and make €200 a week has to pay rates. Let us keep the message simple because that is how we communicate with our electorate: anyone listening in who is caring for a child and is in receipt of money is liable for rates. Despite all the announcements about concerns for childcare and supporting rural communities and families, people in difficulty and people who cannot access childcare or moderate supports…

I wish to raise the issues that were highlighted on last night's "RTÉ Investigates" documentary on our prison services. We have not completed the Mental Health Bill, but this documentary raised a whole load of very serious questions about mental health in this country, how we are coping with it and how we throughout the State have aided and abetted and literally threw people out into what they call "community care". Many of them have now found themselves in our prison services. The "RTÉ Investigates" team needs to …

I second the motion.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for coming to take this matter. I know she is not the lead Minister but I appreciate her coming and I know we on this side of the House, as do all our Members, appreciate her coming here and hearing what is to be said. I commend my colleague Senator Conway on the excellent way he has presented this Private Members' business. I thank his team and his supporters who have worked with him because I know he has widely collaborated on this. The question has to be…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, for his time in the House.

The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, is very welcome.

I thank the Minister of State for giving of his time. It is appreciated. We have six Commencement matters and six different Ministers coming in, which is a big story in itself.

I thank the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Heydon, for attending. He is very welcome. It is a busy week for him.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House and giving of his time.

Our next matter is in the name of Senator O'Loughlin. The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, is very welcome.

Before I call the Minister of State, I welcome to the Visitors Gallery the students who are guests of Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire. They are all very welcome to Seanad Éireann.