Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Congratulations to all who have been elected or nominated to the Chamber. It is a particular honour for me to give what is my maiden speech. I begin by congratulating the Cathaoirleach on his appointment to the role and wish him the very best of luck. From what people have said, I have no doubt he will leave a very strong legacy and I look forward to working with him. I also thank the Clerk, Martin Groves, and his team for the work done during the count. I look forward to working with the Seanad staff and colleagues across all parties.

I am conscious that I am joined here by my parents, Peter and Theresa Byrne. It is a particularly honourable moment for me given the fact I started out in public life when I was elected at 27 to Wexford County Council. Similar to Senator Duffy, I contested three elections in the last year. When I started out on Wexford County Council, I never expected that I would end up as a Member of Seanad Éireann. It is a particular honour to be here and I very much look forward to the time ahead.

I am conscious that I am, and am proud to be, from Wexford. To the best of my knowledge, I am the only Member of the House from Wexford and that will be very important for me with regard to the issues I prioritise in the Chamber. We have challenges in County Wexford, and I am thinking in particular of the need for the Oilgate to Rosslare motorway to be developed and finished.I am thinking particularly of Wexford General Hospital and ensuring it is resourced with staff, that the long-promised 97-bed unit extension gets delivered and that we have all of the supports necessary for our accident and emergency department, which covers not only County Wexford but the south-east region. I hope this is something we can work on and that our new leader will ensure we have a debate on that issue.

I congratulate our new leader, Senator Kyne, who was elected, like me, on the cultural and educational panel. I very much look forward to working with him. I also thank my partner, Sarah, and my two young children, Aoife and Eoin. Aoife will soon be four and Eoin just recently turned one. Childcare is a big issue for me. As a young Senator I am very conscious of the fact that is an issue that disproportionately affects young families and that is something that I want to prioritise in this Chamber. I am very much looking forward to working with everyone here.