Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will work in reverse order. Senator Maria Byrne welcomed the beds announcement. We all breathed a huge sigh of relief yesterday. The sheer scale of it was very impressive. The Minister also spoke about it at length following the debate in the Dáil on the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill. It is great. Senator Maria Byrne in particular is a huge advocate for University Hospital Limerick. I do not think a week has gone by without her raising her concerns and advocating for the people of Limerick who rely on that hospital. She is absolutely right about the escalation of the beds. Anything we can do to support that will be important.

The directly elected mayor is mentioned in every advertisement that goes out from the Electoral Commission. I think of Councillor Butler. I have had the pleasure of working with him on the Fine Gael policy laboratory and a more diligent person could not be found. I congratulate the Senator on all her hard work. It will be fantastic to see a directly elected mayor in action in Limerick. The Senator is right. Limerick has the convenience of Shannon Airport and the size of the city which has a beautiful history. It would be fantastic to see it being a shining light for everyone else and every other city that may follow suit.

Senator Dolan talked about canvassing in Roscommon and noted the time people take to engage on the doors. It is an important point, because we hear on social media about abuse. We see and read abuse. The media tend to highlight it and we, as politicians, talk about it, but actually when you go to a door and ask for a vote either on your own behalf or for someone else, people are interested. Irish people are very clued into their democracy and keen to take that opportunity to talk and the number of unpleasant experiences is extremely low. People are friendly and facilitative. It is good. I thank the Senator for highlighting that. We need to vote. Whoever you are voting for, make sure you get out and vote. That is the most important thing. I love the campaign that is running at the moment that tells people to vote or someone else will be their voice. I love the hairdressing and naming a child versions of it. They are clever and capture the point of going in and exercising our vote. My mother brought me as a child into the polling booth with her. I thought democracy was fascinating. It captured my imagination for what was possible.

The increase in funding for the adaptation grant is absolutely to be welcomed. Senator Dolan made a valid point. Certainly any time I have had the honour of being Acting Leader in the House, I write in a report to the Leader's office all the things that need to be advocated for. However, it strikes me that matter is ideal for a Commencement matter and I encourage her to raise it.

Senator Murphy, followed by others, welcomed back Seán Defoe and absolutely praised his bravery in telling his story and stood with him in the difficult time he has come through. That is a great and a big welcome back to him. When people tell their stories in public, it encourages others to act, as was said by Senator Malcolm Byrne.

Senator Murphy also welcomed the €250 million sports capital funding. It is my understanding that they will be in receipt of funds in September. We all received a voice message from the Taoiseach this morning explaining that and that all valid applications will receive an allocation, which is fantastic. It is really good.

Senator Murphy also raised an important point about the fraud and scams, and €100 million being stolen. This is an area I am also involved in raising awareness about, even of people changing their passwords on their email. If people get access to an email account, they get access perhaps to where a password has been changed and to all the emails that sit there and we never delete or even think to delete until we are prompted to do so because we are running out of memory. There are simple things we can all do. The National Cyber Security Centre has brilliant information on its website as do Cyber Safe Ireland and others.

Senator Lombard spoke about beaches and lifeguards. It is great that the municipal authorities provide 40 lifeguards but that seems like an incredibly low number compared to the number of fantastic beaches we have. He is right that we should have a strategic plan. Again, it strikes me that would begin with a Commencement matter for the Minister of State with responsibility for local government who is our colleague.

Senator Malcolm Byrne also spoke about Seán Defoe and wished all the candidates in the local and European elections the best. He talked about the people who help, the people who come out to support candidates. There is nothing like arriving at a canvass and finding a lot of people with you. It is heartening and encouraging and there is a great camaraderie. While we do not regret the polling day being behind us, the sense of a team being out together is fantastic and it right that those people are thanked.

Senator Black continued to advocate for Palestine as she has done for years now. That is vital and important. It is my understanding that the Minster spoke yesterday about carrying out inspections of aircraft and also highlighted that diplomatic clearance is required for overflights of Ireland and that strict protocols are involved. Perhaps we need to keep following up as a Seanad with the Minister to ensure he is implementing all he can in that regard.

Senator Hoey spoke about the number of empty houses and vacant properties while out canvassing. It is striking. Quite a sizable number of them depending on the area are vacant as a consequence of the fair deal scheme. Movements were made on that to facilitate them being used. However, there are a lot of them. In my home constituency of Dublin South-Central there are record numbers of vacant and derelict properties. We need to hold our councils to account for what they are doing in that regard and to follow up on it.

The Senator also correctly raised the issue of housing in the Gaeltacht and that it is a local housing need specifically relevant to an teanga. We will have lots of opportunities to talk about it when we debate the Planning and Development Bill, which we will be steeped in for weeks.