Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second the Order of Business as outlined by the Deputy Leader. I congratulate the Cross and Passion secondary school in Kilcullen, County Kildare on having been acclaimed as the first ADHD-friendly school in Ireland. I commend the dedication of the teachers and staff who have committed a lot of time to expand their own knowledge of ADHD and learn strategies to support students with ADHD in their school. I understand a new classroom programme has been designed and is rolling out now and that a number of schools will be coming on board. I commend the Cross and Passion school in Kilcullen and recommend that other schools take that up.

The Deputy Leader has often spoken about the Permanent Defence Forces and recruitment and retention issues. There is no doubt that there are a great many challenges while our Defence Forces are faced with missions at home and overseas. Increasing the age limit for cadets and the possibility for direct graduate entry is crucially important in meeting the challenges so that the Defence Forces can widen their selection pool. The review of the age limit was recommended in the Public Service Pay Commission report in 2019. I know that we are awaiting a debate with the Minister Defence in respect of the commission report. This could be really important as a simple step that would help support recruitment.

I have spoken to a number of farmers over the past few days in south Kildare. We are at a crucial stage in farming. While the announcements yesterday of €12 million to support tillage were certainly very welcome, it is really important that we do more. I raised the cost of fertilisers a number of months ago. Now we are at a critical juncture not just in terms of cost but of availability. I call on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure a subsidy is put in place based on tonnage, not hectares. The cost of green diesel also needs to be examined. I request that we ask the Minister to come here to have a debate on the crisis farmers are undergoing.

The final issue I want to raise is that of the travel clearance requirement that non-Irish EU citizens crossing the Border will face after Tuesday’s vote. At Westminster on Tuesday, MPs voted to reinstate the requirement for a US-style visa waiver for non-Irish EU citizens crossing the Border as part of proposed British immigration laws. The imposition of any border control is concerning and we should do everything we can to keep a fully frictionless border on this island of Ireland.