Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)

I thank all Senators for their contributions this morning. I will start with Senator Anne Rabbitte who mentioned the particular case, or cases, of compulsory purchase orders, CPO in Galway. People had lands acquired for infrastructure projects, which in this case was for road widening and road realignment, but have not been paid. It is not good enough and the Senator is right to raise the matter. For any landowner to be waiting more than ten years to get paid is not good enough. In the first instance, I will raise this matter with the chief executive of Galway County Council and I will certainly join the Senator in anything I can do to ensure that case is put to rest.

Senator McDowell put on the record issues regarding the armoury section of An Garda Síochána and called for a debate with the Minister for justice, Deputy O’Callaghan. I will certainly request that debate. It is an important issue and he has obviously put a lot on the public record in this Chamber. In doing so, I hope it gains traction and that this is examined. A new Garda Commissioner will be appointed in the next number of weeks and I am sure the Minister will engage with that new Commissioner on matters such as this.

Senators Crowe and McCarthy have raised the European Court of Justice’s possible decision in respect of compensation for asylum seekers. I absolutely agree with Senator McCarthy that this will cause issues. The Senator used the term “recipe for disaster”, and I agree. Pitting Irish people and the homeless against asylum seekers, and what that might result in, is worrying. I will request a debate with the Minister for justice in September. I also acknowledge Senator Crowe’s comments on this matter. It is of concern because of the implications of such a decision. While we have rights and responsibilities, we also have rights and responsibilities to Irish people as well and I wish to acknowledge that.

Senators Cummins, McCarthy, Ní Chuilinn and Duffy raised the issue of the broadcasting staff who will have to sign on for the summer. I will raise this initially with the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to determine the stage this matter is at. If we write requesting the contract be stopped or paused, I do not know what will happen. I wish to ensure we have broadcasting services when we return in the autumn. Certainly, it is a valid issue. It has been highlighted in this Chamber and most of us have expressed support for our broadcast workers in recent months. I will engage with the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in this regard. I know we have representatives present in the House today who were appointed from various groupings.

Senator Joe Conway spoke about signing up to Europe and standing against Russia. We have had a lot of debate in this Chamber on Gaza, the West Bank and Palestine, and rightly so, but we cannot forget the other war we have and the illegal invasion of Ukraine. We still have the Ukrainian flag outside on Merrion Lawn as a symbol. I acknowledge the work of the former Ceann Comhairle, Deputy Ó Fearghaíl, on those matters. He was a very strong advocate for Ukraine and stood against the illegal invasion of that country.

Senator Stephenson also raised the issue of the broadcast workers. As I said, I will engage on those matters.

Senator Margaret Murphy O’Mahony raised the issue of postal votes and the fee of €25 for signing off on that and argued it should be waived. It is a valid issue. She may raise it as a Commencement matter. I am not sure whether the Department of Health or the Department of housing and local government is responsible because it has the franchise section. Maybe it could waive that cost in some way.

Senators P.J. Murphy and Duffy raised the issues of concern regarding veterinary prescriptions. As both Senators know, the Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulation Act was passed in these Houses in the summer of 2023. That is the law we are working with. There may be some sections that are now being commenced, but the law has been agreed and passed. There were debates on those matters at the time. I will raise this matter again with the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon. Perhaps there are issues with the commencement of some of these regulations.

Senator Sarah O’Reilly raised issues with the roads in County Cavan. As I have said previously, there will never be enough money for roads throughout the country, including in Cavan. There is always extra demand. I could say the same about Conamara because we have boggy conditions, which means, even with nice new roads, they sink quite quickly with traffic. All we can request is that there is ongoing investment in our roads in Cavan and elsewhere. I will certainly continue to advocate for that. I hope the Senator has success in a Commencement matter being chosen on that issue in the autumn.

Senator Ryan raised issues regarding affordable housing. She is of course absolutely correct about those cohorts of people who do not qualify for social housing and, indeed, do not want social housing. They want to be able to own their own home but fall short of being able to get affordable housing or purchase their own home. It is a huge issue throughout the country, not just in Limerick. She is right to raise it. I will keep the pressure on this issue and will request a debate with the Minister, Deputy James Browne.

Senator Scahill raised the issue of school buses. I congratulate the Senator’s advocacy on getting that matter sorted. It is a success for the children and parents of Ballymoe. It is important. It is a positive when public representatives, including councillors, and other people, who have the local knowledge, engage with Bus Éireann. It is a positive for Bus Éireann because it enables it to get the best routes to be able to weave their way around rural Galway and rural areas elsewhere and to ensure the best services are provided.

Senator Keoghan raised the 10,852 abortions and that one in six pregnancies have ended in termination. I draw her attention to my comprehensive response to Senator Mullen this week or last week on this very important issue.

Senator Ní Chuilinn again raised the issue of the broadcasting workers.

Senator Mullen raised the dig in Tuam. As he knows, the Institutional Burials Act 2022 was debated and passed in these Houses. I am sure he participated in those debates at the time and put his issues on the record. There was always divided opinion, even locally in Tuam, on the best approach. That decision has been made now. He is right in terms of rewriting history. I remember when the late Pope Francis visited Ireland and was with the then Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, in Dublin Castle. As he said quite rightly, the churches were the Department of Health and the Department of Social Protection before they were actually established in this State. Religious institutions played an important role. We are where we are now, however, and legislation has been passed. We have to ensure those remains are given a dignified burial. There was debate at the time and there probably still is debate locally on that matter. Senator Nelson Murray raised the issue of dental services. We had a comprehensive debate on the matter in Private Members' business recently. Deputy Colm Burke has consistently raised the need for additional places in our dental colleges and I know Senators Scahill and Boyle have raised the issue of dental hygienists. We raised it here because we believe it is an important issue and it is not getting adequate attention and investment. We are storing up trouble unless more is done regarding dentists and the reform of the dental Act. The Dentists Act goes back to 1985. It needs modernisation. There is also the work of the Dental Council and what happens when a dentist is suspended. If the practice closes overnight and someone leaves the country, what happens to the clients? There are insurance issues. There is a lot in that whole area that needs investment and attention and I will certainly raise that again with the Minister for Health.

Senator Andrews spoke about the Dublin task force. I would hope that a Dublin task force is a positive thing. As I understand it, the task force at Cabinet level is being chaired by the Taoiseach. He will be in the Chamber in October and Senators will have an opportunity to raise these things. Obviously, having a focus on a particular area is right and proper. Dublin is a big city. If, within that task force, there is a focus on particular areas such as Pearse Street, that would be a positive and investment would be needed in that regard.

Senator Joe O'Reilly has raised the issue of carers and our elderly and, in some cases, those who are not so elderly who require support and care. The population is getting older. There are challenges as things stand today in terms of sufficient staffing. It is not so much resources or the funding, which may have been an issue a number of years ago, but actually getting people physically to do the work of carers. As the population gets older, it is an issue of which we need to be acutely aware. We need to continue to invest, improvise and see how we can do those things better. The Senator is right that there is a commitment in the programme for Government to an ending of the means test for carers and a move towards a statutory home care scheme as well.

Finally, I join with others in thanking all the staff in the Seanad Office. I extend thanks to Bridget Doody, Martin Groves, the ushers, the cleaners, the caterers and all who make these Houses function and assist in democracy in this great country. Long may it continue. As I said, all those people and groups are vital cogs in that wheel to keep things turning and moving. I thank them and I thank everyone for the courtesy shown to me over the last number of months. I hope they enjoy the summer.