I was pursuing Senator Fitzpatrick because I thought she would be interested in what I have to say, but I think she is gone. I am going to talk about the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin in her neck of the woods. For the Members who do not know, in this House stands one of the most magnificent oil paintings. It is of John Foster, the Speaker of the House of the Irish Parliament in 1790. He was the man who granted the Dublin Society, now the Royal Dublin Society, the consent to establish a public botanic garden…

First, I thank Senator Ruane for her contribution here today regarding her own experience and that of her friends, colleagues and associates in relation to addiction. One of the great things about Seanad Éireann is the intimacy of this place as a Chamber and how each and every Member on all sides of this House brings their personal experience to their parliamentary work. There is nothing to beat personal experience, the lived experience. I acknowledge and thank Senator Ruane for sharing. It is never easy to talk ab…

I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. This is very significant legislation. In his introduction, the Minister of State rightly acknowledged the very significant contribution of the former Senator, now Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, and her unwavering commitment, support and determination to see this get into the programme for Government and across the line. I acknowledge her dedication and immense advocacy to see this legislation through. It shows what can be achieved with determination…

What about Michael O’Leary?

I welcome the Minister. He is always very welcome in the House. It is great to see him here. I will make a few observations in relation to this matter. I thank Senator Mary Fitzpatrick for suggesting this amendment. She has a strong record in local government. I have worked on the joint Oireachtas committee on housing, planning and local government with her. I take her seriously when it comes to local government because she has a track record in local government. I acknowledge that. This proposal is premature for a…

I welcome and congratulate Senator Garret Ahearn on his appointment as Leader of the Seanad. I want to welcome his family, and it is particularly great to see his father here, as well as his whole family and his wife. The Leader's father and I had a long chat at the count. He is a wise man who counted the numbers pretty quickly at the Seanad count. It is great to see them all here. It is important to say that the Leader of the Seanad is a senior parliamentary role. He or she is appointed by the Taoiseach or the Tán…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “Report to Houses of Oireachtas 3. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the commencement of this Act, report to the Houses of the Oireachtas on creating a framework for child and adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector in the context of this Act, to expand and strengthen safeguards for children and adults to prevent the risk of abuse and harm.”. I thank the Minister of State and his officials for coming to the Ho…

The Minister of State's opening statement was circulated. It runs to a page and four or five paragraphs. The final paragraph refers to the development of this regulatory framework. Does the Minister of State see that lovely term "regulatory framework"? The framework was in the amendment. The document states that the development of this regulatory framework has been a key priority for the Government, which is great and positive, and represents an integral part of the ongoing development of the statutory home care sc…

The Bill is coming through, and that will take 12 months. We are going to then have a transitional period about which the Minister of State spoke eloquently at committee. He was pressed on that point by various members. He said that the reality is that there will be a transitional period. There will be phasing as new people come in. There are other sideshows going on to address the shortage of carers and all of that. There is a three-year timeframe. I heard what the Minister of State said. I am conscious that the O…

I will be brief because I am aware it is the end of a long day for many of us. I wish the Minister of State well. The way he conducts himself and his business makes matters easier to deal with. I wanted to acknowledge that because it is a significant part of the success of navigating this Bill through the House. That is a credit to the Minister of State personally and I thank him for that. He has made a number of commitments, which I look forward to. I will be tracking them, as he doubtless knows. I make a final pl…

Absolutely.

Hear, hear. Well said.

I congratulate Senator Ahearn, who has been appointed Leader of the Seanad. I also congratulate Senator Cathal Byrne, who will be the Government Chief Whip in the Seanad. I wish them both well. It is an important step and a great honour and privilege. I hope from all sides of the House that we will work constructively. While we might not agree on policy or legislation, we will agree on how we conduct ourselves and the way we in this House order our business. I wish them both every success and happiness in their ter…

I also welcome Deputy Conor D. McGuinness and his visitors to the Seanad.

I thank the Minister of State very much. I really appreciate her coming into the House today to deal with the first two Commencement matters.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. The next Commencement matter is in the name of Senator Kennelly. It relates to the establishment of driving test centres, in particular in Listowel, County Kerry. As there is a list of every test centre in The Irish Times today, it is very topical that he should be raising this issue. The floor is his.

I thank the Minister of the State for his time. We appreciate him coming to the Seanad.

The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is welcome to the House.

I thank the Minister of State for his time and for coming to the House. It is greatly appreciated. I thank the Senator for raising this as a Commencement matter.

I note the Order of Business proposed by the Leader. In the weeks coming up to the summer recess, we are going to be busy. If there is a lot of additional legislation coming down the tracks, I ask the Leader to consider extending the sitting times, either to start earlier or finish later. The Seanad is a revising Chamber. We have important legislative work to do. The Ministers and Members on all sides of the House need time. Let us work together constructively to see if we can start an hour or two earlier. I unders…