Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)

We started this morning with Senator Comyn and I share her tribute to Kevin Geraghty from Collon. Having people in one's life who are stalwarts, as the Senator described Kevin, is so important. As every single one of us know in this Chamber and in the other Chamber, putting your name up to run for election can be a lonely business no matter whether you are a member of a party or running as an Independent. Having these good people in your life is so important. We send our condolences to Kevin's family.

The Senator also spoke about a problem with school places in Drogheda. It is important that we build sustainable communities. We need houses, and we have a housing crisis, but there absolutely has to be a matrix of forward planning with every single local authority to ensure that there are adequate childcare places and school places. I agree there needs to be a debate on the co-ordination of that. We will ask for that debate. We need to speak to the Minister of State with responsibility for planning and local government because it is important those two areas work well together.

The third issue she raised was a second railway station. Public transport is absolutely key to all that we do. Drogheda is certainly of a size now and the Senator referred to the soccer team moving over to that area. With regard to planning, the bridge and the second station should be part of the third phase. Bettystown should be looked at. We have to look at more stations where we have railway lines going through towns and villages. It keeps people off the roads. It stops all that traffic at key times.

Senator Ní Chuilinn spoke about the FAI and the committee meeting yesterday about safeguarding issues. She rightly raised the issue of the proposals coming before an EGM next week calling for term limits to be extended. Good governance is absolutely key. I would have thought that the FAI would have learned a lot of lessons over the past few years, but it is clear it has not. I recall when the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, had responsibility for sport and the FAI was not adhering to the gender balance on boards, he was clear that funding would be pulled. At the very last minute, the FAI capitulated, and the funding was secured. It is important that the same action would be used at this point in time. Funding is tied to good governance. That is the way that it should be. We certainly support the Senator in her call. We will speak with the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, in relation to same.

Senator Conway spoke about 25 October being the 40th birthday of Ireland West Airport. We all think of Monsignor Horan and the incredible he did on ensuring that what was then called Knock airport was put in place. It is quite incredible to think we are getting close to a stage where all almost 1 million passengers per year use Ireland West Airport. He made the point that similar funding and support needs to go to Waterford Regional Airport, which is supported by three local authorities.The Senator spoke about a second item - unfortunately, he is no longer here - which was the use of the phrase "I rise to speak". I see no issue whatsoever. When any of us stand to make a point or a speech, or to raise an issue, we can and should open whatever way we choose. I believe in no way that it is AI-generated. The Senator and I disagree on that point.

Senator Nicole Ryan spoke about battery storage in a sensitive area of biodiversity and said there are local concerns. I do not know whether it is at planning stage or has received planning permission. Consultation is obviously key in relation to the local area. We need clarity around why the area was chosen. To be fair, the Senator raised a fair point about the general criteria in respect of battery storage and the regulation of same. We will look to have a debate on that issue.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony spoke about the lack of public toilets nationally and about the difficulty, particularly for those in the hospitality sector in some of our tourist towns. I support her call. I have a particular gripe about public toilets not being available in railway stations, which is ridiculous. In many cases, there are toilet facilities but they are locked and commuters are unable to use them. People may be commuting quite a distance to a train station. Trains may be delayed. People may be going to medical appointments, etc., and are unable to use the bathroom. I have raised the issue numerous times with Iarnród Éireann and I make that call publicly.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony is right to say that people do not necessarily gather in a place that has a public convenience and that we tend to go for more leisure and recreational meet-ups. We need public toilets. The biggest issue we had in the past related to cleaning those facilities. Unfortunately, we have people who are not civic-minded when it comes to such public facilities. They have no respect for the facilities or for those who must come in and clean them. There are good examples, particularly on the Continent, of paying for toilets with a €1 coin. None of us object to that if we are taken short. Those facilities are self-cleaning. I believe we need to look at that issue and I support what the Senator has said.

Senator Nelson Murray spoke about the RSV vaccine and the importance of its roll-out. She said we need to highlight it. It is good to hear that Savannah is thriving. It is a very difficult time for parents when their young babies end up in hospital. I imagine it was a very difficult ten days for the Senator. She was right to point out that with the RSV vaccine, hospital stays are reduced by 65%. When we think of our busy hospitals, that is important.

I would like to add something to that. Approximately two weeks ago, Pfizer provided a briefing in Buswell's Hotel. It was chaired by Joe Duffy. Its representatives talked about the importance of the RSV vaccine for our older generation. The vaccination schedule for babies and young children is very good although I know we can go further. However, there is no vaccination schedule for older people. That is a matter we should discuss with the Minister.

Senator Nelson Murray also mentioned the chicken pox and HPV vaccines. I would add shingles to the list. That vaccine must be included. Perhaps we should look for a debate with the Minister on vaccines in general. They save lives, no matter what.

Senator Boyhan spoke about rural communities and the need for all of us to stand with them. Every Member of this House would agree. Generational renewal for farmers is a key issue. I was in Brussels with the Joint Committee on European Affairs for the past two days. We met representatives of the IFA. We had approximately 16 meetings over the two days. We met our MEPs and the permanent representative about preparations for the EU Presidency. We have insisted that agriculture and generational farming will be a key part of that. The statistics are frightening if we look at food security. We need to preserve our rural communities and the rural way of life. We also need to support those who are interested in farming but do not have a farm to inherit. One of the key concerns relates to the number of farms that are looking for planning permission for solar energy, etc. Italy has introduced legislation to specify that good farming or stud land will not get planning permission for solar energy. It needs to be land that is suitable. Those are important areas.

We yesterday met the former CEO of Irish Rural Link, Mr. Séamus Boland, who many Senators will have met, in Brussels. He is the first Irish person to take the presidency of the EESC. He will have the presidency for two and a half years. The role is concerned with civil societies and rural communities across Europe. He will have a key role at European level. We need to co-ordinate policy. I said to him that it would be good to get a briefing from him on all these areas for all Oireachtas Members in the audiovisual room.

Senator Rabbitte spoke about Portiuncula hospital, which provides a terrific service for people in Ballinasloe and right around the area. She spoke about the need for clarity, which was finally given at the health committee yesterday, in respect of the Walker report. Sadly, the clarity was that the recommendations were not implemented. That is wrong. The Senator's call is for availability and access to high-quality services. There are no maternity services for the women who live in those areas between Galway and Dublin. That is simply wrong. Emergencies happen, even with the best will in the world, and women and their partners need to know that they have timely access to interventions that are needed. I fully support the Senator in that regard. We need fully implemented and funded services with safe access. We need the Walker report to be implemented and we will send that message to the Minister. We will ask her to address the House.

Senator Boyle spoke about two families with special needs in Donegal. They are going to Clonmanny National School. The Senator spoke eloquently and compassionately about the challenges that families face when they have children with special needs. I speak as such a family member. The Senator rightly said that the unconditional love you have for that family member is unsurpassed and unmatched, and you want to do everything that you can. In terms of the specifics he raised about children having to access transport on the side of a busy road, I do not know the minutiae. I know that, this year, 23,000 bus tickets and the access to transport were provided to those with special needs, which was an increase of 4% from last year. The Minister will be in the House for a scheduled debate on school transport next week so there will be an opportunity. Perhaps we need a bit more detail but if there is any support I can give, I am happy to do so.

Senator Cosgrove spoke about child poverty and homelessness. No matter which side of the House we are on, we all want to do our best to eradicate poverty, particularly child poverty, and homelessness. One of the reasons the Government decided to provide free schoolbooks was in order that families would not be under pressure coming up to September. That has now been extended right through the primary and secondary cycle. There is also the hot school meals programme. I appreciate that there may be technical issues in respect of the roll-out in some places so perhaps the hot meals have not been provided. The important thing is that those children have a meal. I know that the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, are working together to have the best nutritional and dietary advice to those who are providing the meals, and rightly so.We want to make sure that those children are getting the proper nutrients. Many of us had the opportunity to meet representatives from the Simon Communities earlier. Simon does a lot of work to support these families for which it should be commended.

Senator Crowe spoke about the challenges facing vintners and those in the hospitality sector. On the flight last night, I met Adrian Cummins. He had been over meeting some of his European counterparts. We discussed the demise of the pub, which is a social spot, particularly in our rural communities. For many, it is the one spot where they go to have a chat and share the issues of the day and not be judged. As a society, we would lose so much if we were to lose those community and social spots. The Vintners' Federation of Ireland, VFI, has made recommendations. We hope that its members' social and cultural role would be appreciated and supports would be put in place.

Senator Scahill spoke about the delay in getting responses from boards and agencies. He is 100% correct in what he said. It is most frustrating to receive holding answers and there is no follow-up and people end up having to, in the midst of everything else, chase up answers. Obviously, the timelines are being broken and enforcement is needed. I suggest that we ask members of our own political parties and none, who are members of the commission, to raise this. We will write to the Clerk of the Dáil and the Clerk of the Seanad and we will bring it up at Cabinet level as well to make sure there is action on it. The point is very well made and we will support it.

Senator Curley spoke about Gort being an area where small schools have teaching principals who have been in the pilot project where they are released for one day and how well that is working. Those pilot days are working right across the country. I do not know how teaching principals do their job. They are incredible people. We have to ensure that we give them all the support we can. We support that this pilot scheme would be rolled out next year. I think the plans are there to roll it out. The Senator also raised the issue of the capitation grant. We are still not back, even though, in the past two years, the capitation has increased by 22%, to where we were at in 2011. That is what is completely wrong. Every year we support it and we hope that, in the budget, it will be there.

Senator Curley also raised the point about the IFA and CAP being tied to LEADER funding. This funding is so important, particularly for the rural communities that we represent. We will ask the Minister to come in to talk about this. The CAP came up in every single meeting we had in Brussels over the past two days. I know that, apart from the Minister for agriculture, at Cabinet level, there is support and concern. The plans in the next MFF are for the EU budget to increase by 60%, but where it is going is changing because the key priorities in Europe are defence. Many of the countries on the eastern side of Europe are trebling and quadrupling their defence budgets. Their MEPs are applying pressure in Brussels in relation to that funding.

Senator Cathal Byrne spoke about the tillage sector. Tillage is a critical part of our country in terms of bedding and feed. While beef farmers are doing well now, tillage farmers are not. We fully support the Senator's call for the interventions that need to be made to support tillage farmers.

Senator O'Reilly spoke about the NCSE and supporting SNAs. She noted that the new guidelines seem to be limiting. To be honest, I have not read through them so I do not know. Certainly, there should be proper consultation. We will ask the Minister of State with responsibility for special education to look at this and to come here to talk to us. He is passionate about doing the right thing for the sector and for the children and students who need the support.