Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the Senators for their contributions. Senator O'Loughlin started off and referred to St. Patrick's Day, as did Senator McCarthy. A number of Senators referred to volunteerism in their local parades as well. I compliment the Taoiseach on the visit in Washington and on dealing with President Trump as he did. Senator O'Loughlin also spoke about a visitor that President Trump had on St. Patrick's Day. Obviously, that is his own business but, as Senator Tully said, there are lots of other people who would be more worthy of an audience in the White House on St. Patrick's Day than said individual. I join Senator O'Loughlin in standing with victims of sexual violence. She also spoke about the number of recruits to An Garda Síochána and called for a debate on juvenile crime. I will raise this with the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan.

Senator Ahearn talked about the temporary accommodation measures and host families of Ukrainians. I know he has a keen interest in matters concerning Ukraine, having visited there and having raised this on numerous occasions over recent years. I am pleased that there will be a motion before the House next Thursday, 27 March, in respect of the extension of the temporary accommodation measures, which run out on 31 March.

Senator Clonan talked about the Shannon report and the need for voices of survivors to be heard. He called for a public inquiry. I will ask the Minister if he will come into the House. The Senator may wish to put down a Commencement matter on that specific issue, as he will receive a direct response.

Senator Tully referred to some Garda stations having fewer gardaí at the end of 2024 than at the start and highlighted Cavan Garda station. Changes have been made to the recruitment process, although we lost some time with the closure of Templemore. The Minister at the time, Deputy McEntee, made changes that have increased the numbers applying for An Garda Síochána, so we will see increased roll-out. Obviously, where gardaí are deployed is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. They are put in areas where there is most need, not just where there is a growing population but where there are threats to public safety and so on. We will keep an eye on that in terms of a debate in the future.

Senator Noonan has called for a debate on the Climate Change Advisory Council's report.I have put in a request to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on that matter. I will see what can be done. There is good news in the EPA report on water quality in some of our rivers. We have seen, over recent years, a reduction in fertiliser use, better management of fertilisers and a reduction in the national herd, which has helped in that regard. The Senator is correct; there is a particular issue in the south east, which is more intensive in terms of tillage, and we want to see improvement in water courses across all parts of our country.

Senators Black, Andrews, Stephenson and Higgins raised the ongoing tragedy in Gaza. I have made a number of requests of the Tánaiste to come to the House for a debate. I spoke to him at lunchtime. He will be in Lebanon next week, but we hope to have him before the House the week after that to talk about the ongoing situation in Gaza.

My words will not mean a lot, but I know the Government condemns Israel's overnight air strike on Gaza and other actions which have resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths over the past couple of days. I call on all parties to respect the ceasefire and hostage release deal, for an immediate end to hostilities and a return to talks aimed at implementing the second phase of the deal. All parties should implement their commitments in full. The remaining hostages should be released. There needs to be an immediate resumption of humanitarian aid at scale to the people of Gaza. We as a nation are extremely concerned about the situation in the West Bank, where Israel has conducted the single longest operation over 20 years. More than 40,000 people have been displaced as a result, combined with unprecedented levels of violence and record levels of settlement construction. There is a huge risk of destabilisation. A lot of very important contributions have been made about people starving, genocide and human rights abuses. As I said, I have made a request to the Tánaiste in person to come to the House. He is obviously very willing to do so, subject to getting the diary sorted on that.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony referred to returning emigrants and American people coming here for work and business. She made a valid point regarding reciprocal driving tests. I advise her to submit a request for a Commencement debate on the matter to get a formal response. I will raise the matter with the Department.

Senator Linda Nelson Murray referred to the important issue of speed. When we knock on someone's door, whether canvassing outside of an election period or otherwise, it is one of the main issues people raise. They refer to the speed of cars, speed going through villages, speed outside people's houses and red lights being broken. Once upon a time, people were advised that if the light was amber and they could not stop safely, they could proceed, but it now seems to be the case that when a light turns red, two or three cars pass. That seems to be a common occurrence. Obviously, there are costs for any of these things, but what cost for a life or somebody being maimed and hospitalised or suffering an amputation following an accident? As the Senator, who is a former councillor, knows, low-cost accident schemes have been in place. There is always an issue in terms of funding, but it is money very well spent. I will again request a debate with the Minister for Transport on these matters.

Senator Boyhan spoke about the Shannonside Foods plant. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, will come before the House tomorrow to discuss related issues and there may be an opportunity for the Senator to raise the matter. He may also raise the matter in a Commencement debate.

Senator Manus Boyle spoke about the local improvement scheme. It is an issue in every county. There is no doubt that the €12 million concerned could be spent in Donegal, Connemara or different parts of the county. The scheme is always oversubscribed. Funding has increased. Issues were raised by Councillor Tommy Griffin in Kerry last year regarding the value for money of some schemes and whether some counties are able to get more done than others for the same money. There are a lot of issues with the scheme. It is a worthy scheme. Since the former Minister, Michael Ring, reopened the scheme, funding has increased every year. We need to see that funding increase continue. It is an important issue and I will request that the Minister, Dara Calleary, come to the House to discuss the matter. Senator Kennelly welcomed the LNG planning permission in Tarbert. This 600 MW power plant is something that has been discussed for a long time. There is significant employment potential in the area when it proceeds. He also talked about CCTV and antisocial behaviour. There were stumbling blocks to the use of CCTV for many years but those have been rectified. We hope to see the roll-out of CCTV in many areas and that the data collected can be used. As far as I know, that has been sorted.

Senator Brady raised the suspension of the Stena Line and its importance to the live export trade. It is important in ensuring we have a proper baseline for beef prices in this country. We have seen the strength of the live trade in recent years. It has contributed to reductions in the herd and to an improvement in prices at marts and factories, as can be seen weekly. It is an important issue. Calves are now valuable, which is a good thing. A valuable calf is one that is well treated. It is important to make that point. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, will be in the House tomorrow to discuss matters and there will be an opportunity to raise it with him. I will flag it in advance with him as well.

Senator Duffy rightly talked about Eir and issues pertaining to it. Eir has gone through a lot of changes in the past 20 years or so. I cannot say that things have improved. I do not think Eir has the necessary staff. It has good staff on the ground who are doing their best but I do not think the numbers are sufficient. Eir did not do what the ESB did, which was to bring back retired staff, including recently retired staff, following the damage evident after the storms. There are still trees down on lines. Even in Galway city, a tree was still down on a line in Bushy Park in Ballagh. There are ongoing issues. People have still to get their phones back seven or eight weeks later. The work is ongoing. There are Oireachtas lines available to assist people in getting answers. Staff are doing the best they can but there are not enough of them. That is the crux of this important issue. I will seek a debate with the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, whom I think is now in charge of that area.

Senator Craughwell inquired about the local community safety partnerships. I do not have an answer for him on that issue. There were pilot schemes in Longford, Waterford and Dublin's inner city. Appointments were made to the office of safety partnerships. The Senator is correct that there has been an absence of a structure since the JPCs ended. I will try to get an update on when they will be up and running across the country.

Senator Scahill raised the cap on Dublin Airport. I do not have an answer on that. I suggest he raises the matter in a Commencement debate. We would like to see continued growth in the other airports, not just in Dublin. There are wonderful airports in Shannon, Ireland West Airport Knock, Cork and Kerry that have international flights. There are many airports along the west coast. We want to see Dublin grow but we want other areas to grow as well. It is a real issue. If we reduce the number of visitors it will have an impact across the country. I also congratulate Lisa and Aoife O'Rourke on their successes.

Senator Keogan called for a debate with the Minister for children on Tusla and child protection. I will follow that up again.

Senator O'Reilly raised school bus criteria. It is a real issue. Either everybody is eligible or there are criteria and a cut-off point. The cut-off point must be a specific distance in kilometres. I will seek a debate on the issue. There was always concern about what used to be known as concessionary tickets. There may be a different name for them now. Some children did not have a place available on a school bus. The Senator correctly referred to quality of life and a reduced carbon footprint due to a reduction in car use. It is a no-brainer that additional places would be provided on school buses. The provision is subject to having enough bus drivers and buses, which are ongoing issues. We debated the issue in the last term, including increasing the retirement age for bus drivers by a couple of years, which might be of assistance. They are all the matters that were raised here today. I thank Senators.