Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I welcome some of our Senators back from the beautiful hills and lake country of Breifne, where they were attending the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, BIPA, in beautiful County Cavan.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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It was fantastic.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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They were so overwhelmed by the beauty of the place that some have not even made it back yet.

Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I am surprised that the Leas-Chathaoirleach made it back.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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We are good to go. I ask the Leader to announce the Order of Business.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the draft resolution made under section 60(6) of the Data Protection Act 2018, referral to committee, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, European Arrest Warrant (Amendment) Bill 2022 - Second Stage, to be taken at 5.15 p.m. and to adjourn at 6.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed six minutes, all other Senators not to exceed four minutes, and the Minister to be given no less than eight minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 3, Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022 - Committee Stage (Resumed), to be taken at 6.30 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 2, whichever is earlier, and to adjourn after two hours, if not previously concluded.

Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I want to raise an issue which I have discussed in the House a number of times in the last couple of years.I refer to the problem of antisocial behaviour in Eyre Square in the heart of Galway city. This has been an ongoing issue during the last two years. Although there have been quieter periods in that time, the problem has never been effectively addressed or stamped out. This situation cannot be allowed to persist.

I was born and raised 400 yards from Eyre Square, so I am familiar with the area. I spoke to residents and business owners there again in recent days. Residents told me of being in a state of fear and anxiety, especially at night. As Members will appreciate, businesses are already facing a challenge without people being reluctant to come to an area due to a growing reputation for hassle, antisocial behaviour, outdoor drinking and drug use, etc. Some incidents have had life-altering consequences. These include a young woman losing her sight in one eye. This happened while she was waiting for a bus after a firework was directed at her. Less than two weeks ago, on 12 October, a further incident occurred at 8:45 p.m. when a man was attacked. He was in hospital for a long time.

Something must change. Eyre Square is at the heart of our city. It is opposite the train and bus stations and is often the first impression visitors and tourists get of Galway. The city has largely been a happy and safe place to live and to visit and we cannot allow the actions of a small minority of people to alter this. After the situation on O'Connell Street in Dublin was highlighted by the media in recent weeks, a quick response followed. A Garda liaison office that was to open there has now been changed to a full Garda station. Pledges have also been made to allocate greater Garda resources to the area.

I do not like saying this, but the type of behaviour I have described has happened so often in Eyre Square that it is now a major issue in our city. This must be prioritised. It is not good enough for there to be one rule for Dublin city while Galway city, the capital of the west, is neglected. We need a similar response in our city. Eyre Square has an unused former tourism kiosk which would be an ideal location for a Garda substation. Research has shown that Garda visibility is vital in reducing crimes. An enhanced Garda presence in Eyre Square is essential to ensure the safety of the area. I would be grateful if the Deputy Leader would ask the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, to join us in the House at her earliest convenience to address this vital issue for Galway city.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Crowe for being such an exemplar of proper timing. I call Senator Buttimer.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the decision made regarding the pay claim for the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas. I commend the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, on signing the order in this regard. I commend all involved in the initiative and the effort to ensure the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas receive proper and just pay. I compliment, in particular, my own secretary, Ruth Lawlor, who was active in the pursuit of this pay claim. I hope we can have a debate on this issue in due course.

I primarily raise an issue pertaining to education and special education in respect of special schools. I refer to the need for a debate on reform concerning and action on decoupling special schools from the existing provision of posts of home school liaison officers. I hope the Minister of State with special responsibility for special education, Deputy Josepha Madigan, will come to the House so we can have a debate on the provision of home school liaison officers for special schools. Posts of this nature are not sanctioned now for special schools in the context of existing home school liaison provision.

It is important that consideration is given to the need to expand this type of post to special schools. This concerns community-based education, releasing teaching posts already sanctioned in the budget and empowering special schools to enable them to have home school liaison for those students and families who require it the most. I have met with groups of teachers from Cork who are part of the special schools provision in the city.It is important that the Cork special schools principals group is supported not just by words in the Seanad but by action from all of us. In the budget we promised to provide extra teaching posts and I hope they can be awarded as a matter of urgency. I refer in particular to the need for administrative leave relating to deputy principal posts to be given to special schools. I hope to have that debate in the context of a wider debate on education.

I welcome the young students from Trim, County Meath whom I met in the corridor. I assure them that the Minister, Deputy Foley, has listened to their concerns around the provisions of the junior certificate results and they will be released earlier next year. They are a very energetic bunch of transition year students and they are very welcome.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I join the Senator, on behalf of all colleagues, in welcoming the students and their teachers from Trim. It is great to have them here in the Houses of democracy. They are very welcome. I hope they enjoy the evening, learn a little and be somewhat impressed by us. We will do our best.

On Senator Buttimer's remarks, he speaks for all of us in his affirmation on what is happening to staff and the agreement because everybody in the Chamber values our staff highly. I thank you for raising the issue. I will leave the other issues and questions for the Leader.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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I want to raise an issue that has come to my attention through the national media and a number of representations I have received. I was approached by a couple, Michael Rynne and his wife, Jan. She was diagnosed with a blood cancer in 2011. It cannot be treated, but luckily she managed to get on a drug trial outside of the jurisdiction in Leeds that saved her life. She went from a 98% reading for cancer in her bone marrow down to approximately 1% because of a cancer drug that is not available in Ireland, even though it has been fully approved by European Medicines Agency, EMA.

Unfortunately, people like Jan are not responding to the Covid vaccine. She has received four vaccines. I have the permission of the couple to disclose this information. Jan has not developed any antibodies and as a consequence she is still shielding at home. She cannot see her adult children, who are in their 20s, for fear of contracting Covid because in the UK and Wales – we do not have figures for Ireland – 4,300 people with blood cancer died as a consequence of contracting Covid. If we extrapolate from those figures, given that we are a tenth of the size, we are talking about possibly 430 people. In England and Wales, 200 people with blood cancers have died of Covid because they cannot develop antibodies. The drug Evusheld was fully approved by the EMA in March this year, but is still not available to the 130,000 immunocompromised people in Ireland.

This ties in with an observation made by the Swedish Institution for Health Economics, which carried out a survey of European cancer survival rates. It found Ireland has the lowest rate of survival for cancer throughout the European Union, in particular for ovarian and breast cancer. These are issues that impact on women, 51% of our population. One of the key reasons it identified in this research was that, on average, once a new cancer drug has been approved by the EMA, it takes approximately one year for those life-saving drugs to be made available across the EU to people suffering from cancer. However, in Ireland it takes two years. The research found that hundreds of Irish people are dying unnecessarily because of delays.

I would like a debate on the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics and the corporate pharmaceutical unit in the HSE to find out why they are taking two years to do what everybody else in Europe does in one using the same best practice, governance and interrogation of the data. There is no good reason there should be such a delay and that people should suffer unnecessarily and die.

Pippa Hackett (Green Party)
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Last week my Department opened two new schemes which are positive for farmers, climate, biodiversity and water quality and will help us to reach our targets in the agricultural sector. The agri climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, and the organic farming scheme are fantastic opportunities, but we still hear some criticism. I suspect it comes from those who are not joining either scheme. They say ACRES does not pay enough and the organic scheme is not the bed of roses it is made out to be but, as I speak, more farmers are joining and speaking to their advisers about joining. I thank those who are embracing these schemes and I say to those who are opposed to them that they are voluntary schemes. No one is forcing anyone onto them but we would love people to join them. These schemes are there to support farmers to embark upon a different way of doing things on their farms. It is not money for standing still or business as usual. These schemes come with terms and conditions, as they should do given that it is taxpayers' money we are spending. Expert advice on the schemes is available from farm advisers and planners across the country and we want people to avail of that. Again, I thank those farmers who will apply for these schemes over the coming weeks and I say to them that they are making a good decision. They are not only making a difference to their farms, but they are also doing something really positive for Irish society as we fight the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and water quality decline. The world is changing, Ireland is changing, agriculture is changing and our schemes are changing because we have a massive challenge ahead. The challenge we must rise to is to farm in a way that repairs our broken environment, damaged ecosystems, polluted rivers and dwindling biodiversity, and to farm in a way that enriches our soil, stores our carbon, cleans our air and is kinder to our animals. We need our food production systems to deliver on all of these things. It can be done, but it needs everyone to work together.

We speak proudly of our grass-based system of agriculture, and so we should, but much of this system is heavily reliant on synthetic fertilisers. Arguably we are fertiliser-based as much as we are grass-based. By relying so heavily on fossil fuels to push production and grow grass in this way, we put pressure on our environment and our farmers. I know many farmers who are presently surprised by how well their grass performed with less fertiliser this year. It was surprising to them because much of the advice has been telling them that their grass will not grow if they cut back on the use of chemical fertilisers. The bottom line is this: the sooner we reduce our reliance on fertiliser, the sooner our land will adapt, the sooner our soil will recover and the sooner we will move towards a truly grass-based system.

I will conclude with a plug for anyone who is interested in learning more about how they can farm with fewer inputs. They should check out the BioFarm conference on 7 to 11 November in Carrick-on-Shannon. In person or online, this is a must for anyone interested in embracing a different way of farming, with presenters from a whole area of regenerative and biological farming disciplines, including my own Department and Teagasc. The direction of travel is clear. How quickly we move is up to us all.

Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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Treaslaím leis an méid a bhí le rá ag an Leas-Chathaoirleach maidir le Comhthionól Parliaminteach na Breataine agus na hÉireann. Cúpla lá thar a bheith fiúntach a bhí i gceist. I agree with our Leas-Chathaoirleach who has acknowledged what was a very positive British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly meeting in the great county of Cavan over the last number of days. People will have been listening in intently, given what was happening in London as we were meeting in Cavan, and given the format in which we were meeting. As I said at our plenary meeting in Cavan, in many ways it is immaterial who occupies 10 Downing Street. This is certainly the case regarding the Good Friday Agreement process in the North. It is clear from the elections in May that people there want the Executive, the Assembly and the Good Friday Agreement institutions to be re-established and to work for the betterment of workers, families and citizens across our society. I hope, therefore, that there will be a renewed focus on precisely this aspect. I refer to adhering to the will of the people as expressed in May and also to ensuring the Good Friday Agreement is implemented fully.

I also acknowledge an important announcement today from the BBC in the North and RTÉ around expanded GAA coverage. I also acknowledge an important announcement today by both the BBC in the North and RTÉ about expanded GAA coverage. This is an issue on which I and my colleagues, Sinéad Ennis, MLA, and our First Minister designate, Michelle O'Neill, have engaged with the BBC for some considerable time. It is clear from the announcement that the BBC and RTÉ have listened not only to us but to the thousands of licence fee-paying Gaels across the Six Counties who, understandably and for obvious reasons, expected a greater level of coverage that reflected the interest and participation in Gaelic games. The announcement states that the BBC, as well as upping its championship and league coverage, will show the all-Ireland semi-finals and finals in both football and hurling. I think I am right in saying the BBC has never broadcast a live hurling game, so it is significant in and of itself that the semi-finals and finals would be broadcast live. The same goes for RTÉ.

The point I wish to make in welcoming this is that we should err just a wee bit on the side of caution. The Deputy Leader will know that for some time in this House I have been raising the very frustrating issue of geo-blocking, whereby satellite providers have blocked certain games if there are competing rights issues. These are platforms like Sky and Virgin for those of us in the North. Equally, however, for people in the South who want to watch matches that will now be broadcast on the BBC, the GAA needs to ensure that its games are freely available and accessible to all audiences, all viewers and all listeners right across the totality of the island, particularly when those games are broadcast by public service broadcasters.

I welcome the announcement, however. It is a positive step forward that will be welcomed and no doubt enjoyed by Gaels across the country and beyond.

Annie Hoey (Labour)
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I wish to take a moment to reflect on last week, when I spent two immersive days in Iceland. I was on a study trip with the all-party group on workplace equality, supported by WorkEqual and Alice PR. We were travelling around, visiting people and talking to them about how Iceland became the world's most gender-equal country. We met with trade unions, advocacy groups, MPs and councillors. Even the Prime Minister managed to find time to meet with us. From the research on our trip, it became incredibly clear that there are two big levers as to how Iceland has achieved gender equality. One is sustainable, affordable childcare. Childcare in Iceland is part of the country's education system. It is not seen as a separate, stand-alone system. The second lever is mandatory shared parental leave, which we do not have, of six months for each parent, six weeks of which is transferable between parents. We thought, "Wow, that is pretty bold and pretty brave." Only when the leave was made mandatory did both parents start taking it. Then a shift was seen in how gender equality was playing out in the workplace.

Obviously, all is not yet perfect in Iceland. There are challenges along the way around public discourse, there are gender-segregated workforces and there is still an issue with the bridging of the gap between the end of parental leave and the start of day care. However, Iceland is far ahead of where we are going in respect of ending the gender pay gap, gender equality in the workplace, gender equality in the home and work-life balance.

We also met with the deputy mayor of Reykjavík and heard how local government is empowered and funded. The Government provides the day care, or what we would call childcare. The focus is on the right of the child to be educated. Childcare is not seen as a solution to allow parents to work. Also, I am sure many Senators would be interested to know that in Iceland 30% of people's taxes go straight into local government. Can the House imagine the prospect of 30% of our taxes going straight into local government? Local government in Iceland oversees the provision of school classes, day care, childcare, road planning - all those areas. We could definitely learn a lot from Iceland, not only in respect of gender equality but also in how we deal with, fund and empower local government, leaving national government to deal with the bigger, broader picture stuff.

A key idea I picked up was, as I have mentioned, that childcare, day care and parental leave are rights of the child. They are not a means of allowing the parents to go and work or to do whatever it is they want to do. This is about the right of children to get to spend time with both parents and to have childcare as part of their education. When we in Ireland talk about childcare and parental leave, we just do not look at it through that lens.We are instead looking at it through the lens of how we can get parents into the workforce, or whatever it is, and it is not about the right of the child. WorkEqual is now gathering hard data around this. I am sure the all-party group will be reporting back on that and there are some really interesting aspects there. Icelanders are incredibly happy with it. Every person we spoke to talked about the two big levers, namely, mandatory parental leave and childcare being part of the education system. We need to consider how we are thinking about those two things. Brave decisions would have to be taken if we were to go down that route but we are up for the challenge.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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I rise in support of Ukrainians and the struggle they face daily. I am proud we have been able to accommodate 60-odd thousand displaced Ukrainians. However, I have been disappointed by some recent negative comments about Ireland's attempts to accommodate Ukrainians seeking refuge. I was surprised some saw fit to criticise the State in the mainstream media in terms of all we have been doing. Like many here, I am at the coalface of it. Indeed, Senator Dooley even went as far as the front line in Ukraine to witness at first hand what has been happening there. We have been very accommodating in the State, we will continue to be and I would appreciate a fair, just and balanced discussion on it when it comes up.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Davitt. That was succinct and to the point. Senator Ward is next.

Barry Ward (Fine Gael)
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The Deputy Leader will be aware that in the years since the sham presidential election in Belarus a number of Members of this House, the Dáil and the European Parliament have adopted Belarussian political prisoners. These people were imprisoned not because they had committed crimes but because they had somehow opposed or offended Lukashenko's regime. I adopted a man called Maksim Pauliuschynk who was sentenced to two and a half years for what I believe the Belarussian code terms "hooliganism". Essentially, he protested against the results of the so-called presidential election, which were widely discredited. I am happy to say he was released in May, although it did not come through any great insight the Belarussian authorities had into how wrong they were but because he had served the sentence he was given. Today I have adopted a new individual, a man called Uladzimir Niapomniashchykh. He is a 70-year-old man imprisoned for two and a half years in December 2020 for insulting an official. That is the level we are dealing with. It does not take much to be sent to prison in Belarus. It does not take much to offend the regime and be thrown behind bars in a very difficult situation. It is not the case that prison is enjoyable in any jurisdiction but there is a particularly harsh regime in Belarus and it is in reality being used as a tool of Lukashenko's shame regime. I encourage Members who have not yet done so to adopt political prisoners through the Libereco programme to ensure they put on record their opposition to Lukashenko and the dictatorship and autocracy he maintains in Belarus and to send a clear message Ireland does not stand in any way with the regime running Belarus, but against it and in opposition to what is happening there.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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Well done.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I ask that we have a debate on balanced regional development. The Deputy Leader and Senator Crowe were in Tuam on Saturday for a very well-attended meeting. A number of Senators, county councillors and public representatives from the west were present. There was a strong case for the full roll-out of the western railway corridor for both freight and passenger transport. It made sense and there was strong, co-ordinated, cross-party support for the initiative.

Last night at the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, BIPA, we talked again about regional development. I talked to people about it in the context of Scotland and Wales. It is a very big issue. Today, as I was coming back from Cavan - the beautiful Cavan as the Leas-Chathaoirleach outlined to us - I was thinking about how important regional development is.Visiting the major town centres outside of Dublin, we suddenly realise how Dublin-centric we are in our spatial planning and how we need to reinvigorate what were once thriving communities and rural towns. I ask the Leader to facilitate a debate on balanced regional development.

We were greatly spurred on and enthused by the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, who talked not about why but when the western rail corridor will be completed. It is an exciting and important project which would benefit from cross-party support and enthusiasm to drive it for the west.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I echo Senator Boyhan's call for a debate on rail infrastructure. In the context of the all-island strategic rail review, which is due to be published imminently, a full debate in this House would be welcome. I will also talk about regional development but first, I will speak about the question of the regional uplift for film, television and animation production. This applies to any production that occurs outside Dublin and Wicklow. It has helped the development of content creation in the regions, allowed those who are working in this sector to hone their craft and encouraged producers to move outside the greater capital area in order for filming and content creation to take place.

While the regional film uplift was only introduced a number of years ago, it was starting to gather momentum before Covid interfered to a certain extent. There are no guarantees the regional uplift will continue. While the Government extended section 481 relief and the film tax incentive in the budget, which was very welcome, no statements were made on the regional uplift. If we are to see greater levels of film and television production, as well as animation creation, outside of the greater Dublin area, the regional uplift needs to be continued. Its continuation has been sought by Screen Ireland, Screen Producers Ireland, the Writers Guild and all of those operating in the industry.

I ask the Leader to write to the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, to ask if it is the Government's intention to continue with this very worthwhile initiative and that have a broader debate on film, television and animation production in Ireland.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I welcome Mr. Shane Dolphin and his friend to the Gallery. Mr. Dolphin is working in the Houses. A number of the photographs we see while walking the corridors are of ancestors of Mr. Dolphin's, but I will let him elaborate on that informally some time.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I will also raise the regional film uplift because we have film in Limerick as well. We have Troy Studios, Odyssey Studios and Film in Limerick. The regional uplift is due to be phased out by the end of December. I support the call by Senator Malcolm Byrne. I have already written to the Minister of Finance about this and I hope something might come forward or be introduced in the Finance Bill. The regional uplift has led to employment in the area. Irish film companies and others from the USA and other regions have come to the area and provided jobs. It has also given local employment because a local painter will be brought in to paint a studio and the Limerick School of Art and Design, for example, has been involved in costume design. The uplift has a considerable knock-on effect.

I will also welcome the fact that Pathfinder has started at University Hospital Limerick and congratulate the staff involved. Pathfinder is a service provided to people aged over 65.When a person rings 999 or 112, a senior team, including a paramedic, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist goes out to that person. In most cases, the team is able to treat the person in his or her own home. This saves people, particularly vulnerable older people, from having to go to overcrowded accident and emergency departments and is a very welcome addition to our health services. It started as a pilot scheme in Dublin and has now been rolled out in Limerick and Waterford as well, which is very welcome.

I welcome the fact that Limerick has been included in the night-time economy scheme announced today by the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. At one time there were more than 500 nightclubs in Ireland but now there are only 80. There has been a huge reduction and the hospitality industry needs this welcome boost.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I also want to raise UHL but want to do so in a different context. Colleagues may be aware that today a new record has been broken. Nationally, we have 669 people on trolleys, including 28 children, without a hospital bed. Given that this is 25 October, God knows where we will be in another month or in December. As usual, UHL tops the list, with 80 patients on trolleys today. There were 86 patients on trolleys there yesterday. The hospital has apologised as usual and has advised people not to attend there if at all possible. I do not know how people are supposed to react to that. Frankly, people are afraid to go to the emergency department anyway.

I want to quote from a letter written by a doctor in UHL to a senior consultant, in which he explained how on one night in UHL, 20 patients had been at the hospital for 16 hour without having blood taken, any monitoring of their vital signs, or being given essential medications or fluids. He said that staff at the hospital were "grossly overwhelmed" and were using "extremely dangerous practices". He said that triage nurses were being inundated. “We had no idea what was in that box [patient list], nor did we know what was missed over the course of the night ... This thought follows me home and I can only hope that this mess has not led directly to the deterioration or death of a patient.” Patient's lives are most certainly at risk.

For 12 years, the crisis in our hospitals has gotten worse and worse under both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. I cannot count the number of times I have asked for fundamental change at UHL and yet it continues to be ignored. Now we are facing into another stark winter. We have been told that additional beds will be provided in 18 months' time but even after those beds come on stream, according to the manager of UHL, the hospital will still be 87 beds short. This is a failure of planning and of staff retention and recruitment. I have been told that there is now a crisis in University Maternity Hospital Limerick too. We do not have enough midwives and mothers are being sent home early. That is how bad it is there. How long more will this crisis have to go on before we have fundamental change? I am asking for an urgent debate because the people of Limerick should not have to put up with this for one day longer.

Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)
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I ask that the Leader would organise a debate in this House on the issue of forestry. Forestry and the continued planting of trees is really important to our economy from a couple of perspectives. First, there is a shortage of timber in Europe for construction and Ireland could benefit handsomely into the future if an appropriate level of planting is done to meet the needs of the next generation. In addition to that, the planting of forestry has a really positive impact on the environment, in that it removes carbon from the atmosphere and continues to do so over its life cycle.

I have met foresters in recent weeks, as have others in this House. They are really concerned about the lack of an initiative from Government in terms of what will be ready for planting next year. State intervention and incentives are required and there is real concern that there is no plan in place to allow foresters to plan for next year's forestry planting. I would like to see that resolved without delay.The next aspect of that is those who want to plant forestry and cut their timber have to go through a licensing process, which takes forever. There are people waiting two, three and four years to get licenses and permissions. We have to find a simpler way.

When trees and cash crops are planted, such as Sitka spruce or whatever it is, they are planted with the expectation that they will be harvested when they are ready, within 25 to 30 years. Why do we have to have a whole series of licensing at every step? Can we accept that if somebody is given a licence to plant a wood with the ultimate purpose of cutting it, there should not be a need to go back progressively to get more permissions to put a road into it in order to take the timber out or have another licence to fell or replant? If it is to be planted, let there be a one-stop shop and one permission to get it done. Put it all in at the beginning, even if it takes a little bit of time then. There should not be this elongated process that goes on for a decade. I would like to see that as soon as possible and have a solid debate here on that issue.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Dooley for the specific proposal.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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On 22 October, Daniel McConnell, the political editor of the Irish Examiner, wrote an excellent piece about how general data protection regulation, GDPR, commercial sensitivity and various other excuses are being used to deny members of the press and Members of the Oireachtas access to information. This is something that has concerned me for some time. For example, I put in a freedom of information request recently and I sought information regarding the tender for consultancy for the Department of Transport in the area of search and rescue – the Irish Coast Guard contract. I asked for the results of the tender and the names and qualifications of the committee that assessed it. One might ask why I would want the names and qualifications. It is a well-established fact in this House that there is no aviation expertise in the Department of Transport. So who advised on the five tenders that were submitted as to which one would be the ideal one for the Department?

It is simply not good enough that the Department hides behind such things as the need to preserve confidentiality with regard to the subject matter, circumstances and communications with the following reasons: the release of records would impair future decisions; premature release could contaminate the decisions-making process; and premature release of records would impair the integrity and viability of the decision making. The decision was made, so what is the problem with telling us who helped to make it?

This is constantly happening in this House. We are all here to ensure that our taxpayers, including ourselves, get the best value for money. When people start hiding behind GDPR, other pieces of commercial sensitivity and nonsense such as that, they are stopping us from doing our job. Unless we stand up and put a stop to this, it will get to the stage where we will be just merely filling the furniture in this House and the Lower House. It has to stop. It behoves all of us to get behind this and put an end to it once and for all.

Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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We received fantastic news last Thursday with the notice from the Minster for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, of an allocation of funding for out-of-hours GP services. I have raised this a number of times here in the Seanad on the Order of Business but also through Commencement matters. It was a crisis for our GP network. I am so grateful that the Department of Health and the Minister are looking, seeing and supporting GPs in our region.

It has been a long haul for those GPs. They have been working excess hours and it has been a long time since they have had any type of support. This support for out-of-hours services potentially could be for expansion of the Westdoc scheme into the east Galway area to the Ballinasloe and the south-east Galway side. It is important that we see this is an ongoing support and it will continue in future budgets. From what I understand, this is coming out of our main budget, which is fantastic news. It is absolutely vital support and it means that GPs in our rural areas will be supported into the future.

Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy Leader does not need me to extol the praises of greenways, coming, as she does, from Mayo where they were ahead of the posse. I welcome the new north Kerry greenway, which will be opened by the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, on Friday. It is something we in north Kerry are particularly pleased with. I want to acknowledge that and pay tribute to the many people who made this a reality, including the local councillors, particularly Councillor Jimmy Maloney from Listowel whose project it was from the beginning, in conjunction with the local authority and the roads agencies and everyone else involved.

Having walked the greenway prior to its opening, it is only now that we realise how important it was that local landowners and farmers were on side with this project and the effect it could have on them. All the local group of landowners wanted was that the greenway would be delivered to the highest standards. They achieved this under the leadership of a former Fine Gael councillor, a neighbour of mine, Denis Keane Stack, who the Leas-Chathaoirleach will know very well. They played their part. All they wanted was the highest standards, for which future generations of Listowel people and north-Kerry people will thank them.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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Perhaps we will put it on the summer holiday agenda; it sounds very attractive.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I wish to raise the issue of where we are going with our retrofitting programme. I read about the issues in the Irish Examinerpertaining to our aim of reaching the target of 500,000 houses. Where are we with those targets? It is an interesting debate. Perhaps we need to look at where the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is in this debate.

From my point of view and that of the people I meet in my clinics, there is a complete breakdown in communication. People do not know how the one-stop shop works, how active it is or how to engage with it. There is also a need for a debate on whether we need to have that kind of one-stop shop for small projects, such as windows and doors. For the elderly population that want to apply for a grant, the one-stop shop is very daunting for them.

It is time we had a real debate in this House about what the next step forward will be. The figure of 500,000 units is significant, and if we want to achieve that target, we must have complete buy-in from Departments and the public. I think we have lost that communication battle. In the past few weeks, I have seen the number of people coming into my clinic asking about how we can engage and deal with the one-stop shop.

There is a need for a real debate on this so we can get the communication issue sorted. On whether the one-stop-shop model has been effective, I think a review is required as well as a review of the target of 500,000 units. That is a significant figure. Is it achievable at present? We have to be honest and say that it probably is not. If it is not achievable, we need to put a plan in place to make sure it will be achievable.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise the issue of antisocial behaviour and public safety. I draw the House's attention to a public transport safety survey that my colleagues and I conducted over the summer months, to which we had more than 1,300 respondents, largely from across the Dublin area. Of those who responded, 93% had witnessed antisocial behaviour on public transportation; 36% were victims of antisocial behaviour; 63% said they did not report the antisocial behaviour; and almost 80% favoured our proposal, which is to have a dedicated Garda unit on public transportation.

We need a debate on antisocial behaviour and public safety. We are investing significant amounts of public funds into public transportation, as is right from an environmental and social perspective, but we have to make it safe. People will not use public transportation if they do not feel safe.This survey gives a clear message from the users of public transport. They do not feel safe. They experience far too much antisocial behaviour and they want gardaí dedicated to making our public transport safer. I would appreciate if that could be arranged.

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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Will the Leader arrange a debate with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth regarding the reports over the past number of days about Ukrainian citizens who do not have accommodation? It is important to recognise that although it is a difficult situation for people who come into this country, 52,000 have come from Ukraine and they have been housed and protected through a range of measures. The support that the Irish people have given in opening their homes to Ukrainian citizens for an indefinite period needs to be recognised. There are challenges, which will be greater over the next couple of months. Those challenges are no different here than in other countries. The Czech Republic is only double the size of Ireland and has taken in 400,000 people. Warsaw, the capital of Poland, has increased its population by 25% in six months. It is not as though they have all the houses to be able to accommodate everyone. The people who are fleeing Ukraine are not looking for protection. What they are looking for is safety and education for their children.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Ireland has my full support and I admire her hugely but I was deeply disappointed by her comments at the weekend when she said that the people of Ukraine were not warned about the housing situation in Ireland. That is just not the case. The ambassador has been told that the housing situation is a real challenge in Ireland for Ukrainians coming. The four Ukrainians Members of Parliament who spoke in this Chamber, which has played a key role in building relationships between both parliaments, knew that the two serious challenges that we in this country have regarding Ukrainians were housing and childcare. That is why those MPs left this country, went to the UK and put huge pressure on Michael Gove who was Minister at the time, to open up the UK's borders more to relieve some of the pressures that Ireland was under. The ambassador has my support always but in this aspect her comments were not factually true and were unhelpful in many ways. It is important that we a debate here, especially on the modular units. Seven modular units are meant to be up and ready. One is in Thurles, County Tipperary. We were informed of that approximately six weeks ago. We have heard nothing about it since. The people in Thurles and in County Tipperary would like to support that modular unit going up but it needs to be done quickly. The engagement with the public in Thurles needs to happen as well. Can we have a debate here as a matter of urgency?

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
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I ask that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage give the House an update on the redress scheme for defective apartments. Throughout the country families, through no fault of their own, are living in apartments and houses that are unsafe. They are living the real-life effects of the light-touch regulation that successive Governments presided over. Recently I met with residents in Hunters Wood who have had to have their balconies removed because they are defective and unsafe to stand on. They are at their wits’ end and do not know how they are going to be able to fund the works. Likewise residents in Park West have been in touch outlining how they are being asked for €15,000 per year for three years and then a further €8,000 in the fourth year. How on earth are families expected to find more than €15,000 while paying their mortgages and struggling with a cost-of-living crisis? They are being told that if they do not put up the money they will not get the fire safety certificate and they could be moved out of their apartments.

Families need clarity on the redress scheme. They need to know it will be 100% redress and that it will be retrospective for those homeowners who have paid thousands of euro just so that they can remain in their homes. Families need to know that there will be interim measures for those living in unsafe buildings. We are all realists and know it is not going to be possible because, unfortunately, we are dealing with hundreds of thousands of defective homes. That is again down to the light-touch regulation and not any fault of the homeowners. It will not be possible for all of them to be dealt with and processed immediately and, therefore, what they need are interim measures so that those living in the most unsafe buildings will not be made homeless.What they need to hear is that, as a bare minimum, fire wardens will be employed so that they can remain living in those buildings. We need to hear from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage as to what is happening with the redress scheme because these families simply cannot wait.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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In view of the decision by the Cabinet today regarding new licensing hours, which must be legislated for, I ask for an urgent debate on taxis. In my home town, we will eventually have no taxi service if things keep going as they are currently. When a person has a taxi, the plate dies with that person if he or she retires or passes away. The plate cannot be handed over to a son, daughter or other family member and it cannot be sold on or given to anybody. We must remember that those taxi people have built up a business and have built up goodwill. They have the proper vehicles, some of which are wheelchair accessible, but they can do nothing with them other than sell them and close the business down.

In our town, we have a day service but we do not have a night service. The proposed new licensing laws will extend opening times into all hours of the morning but we will have no taxi service to bring people home from the hostelries. There are lots of things wrong with taxi plates and the regulation of taxis. If one gets a new licence, one's vehicle has to be wheelchair accessible but it is not necessary for every taxi to be wheelchair accessible. If taxi drivers buy a new electric vehicle, they can get a grant of €20,000. However, the outlay could be €60,000 and they have to scrap their old car which might only be six or seven years old. These days second-hand cars are worth a considerable amount of money but the old vehicle has to be scrapped, which is ridiculous. I ask that a debate be arranged on this issue at the earliest opportunity.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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Thank you Senator Burke and without entering the debate, I heard of a case through my own clinics which reflects exactly what you have said. It was a case involving a taxi driver who was not able to pass on the business and it is a very serious matter.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I concur with the comments and second the proposal from Senator Burke regarding taxis. The exact same problem exists in my own area in a number of towns, where a parent is not able to transfer the business to a son who is willing to run the business and where there is a shortage of taxis. The vehicles are wheelchair accessible but they cannot transfer the licence. As Senator Burke said, there is a proposal for longer opening hours in public houses. I have my own opinions on that and do not fully agree with it but regardless of that, we need to have a taxi service.

Senator O'Sullivan mentioned the greenways, which are a fantastic addition to our countryside. There are more and more people out walking and cycling on them but it has been brought to my attention that lots of people, particularly children, do not wear helmets. It is not mandatory to wear a helmet but that may need to change. We will be dealing with legislation with regard to e-scooters and so on and we should consider making it mandatory for children and adults to wear a helmet when on a bike for their own safety. It is worth considering and if children start wearing them when they are young, they will continue to do so later in life.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Edgeworthstown enterprise hub in Longford, co:worx, which was nominated for an EU award. Approximately 800 projects from across the EU were shortlisted down to 20 and co:worx is one of the 20 projects on the shortlist. The project started with a voluntary group in Edgeworthstown approaching me and the local authority. We worked with the local authority to purchase the former Ulster Bank building that was for sale in the town. The project received funding from Government, including from the town and village renewal scheme, enterprise funding and LEADER funding, which was used to turn the building into a working hub that is the envy of many around the country.It shows that with collaboration between the community, the local authority and the Government, we can develop a project like that. I pay tribute to the voluntary committee in the local area that has seen this from the start through to fruition, and has now seen it actually nominated. I hope it is successful. I congratulate the committee and the local authority that supported it along the way.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and all Members who contributed to the Order of Business today.

Senator Crowe kicked off this afternoon's proceedings by requesting a debate on antisocial behaviour, particularly in Eyre Square, and by highlighting the apparently different treatment between the capital and other urban areas. I agree with his remarks in that regard. A debate has been scheduled with the Minister, Deputy McEntee, on public order and safe streets for Wednesday, 23 November. I note that Senator Fitzpatrick requested a similar debate on antisocial behaviour. We will have that with the Minister in the latter part of November, which is great.

Senator Buttimer asked for a debate on special education, particularly home school liaison officers, with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. That request has been sent to the Minister of State. He also welcomed the pay increases for staff of the Oireachtas, which we all welcome. I know that a number of secretarial assistants in this House worked very hard on that campaign over a number of years to get not just the pay increase but also a change in their title and acknowledgement of the actual work they do. The change in role and duties is important as well.

Senator Clonan spoke about cancer care and particular drugs available in other jurisdictions that are not available here. He requested a debate on the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics. I suggest that a Commencement matter might be more appropriate, to start off with, regarding the specific question of why it takes two years here as opposed to one year somewhere else. He might see how that one goes. We can look for a further more in-depth debate if that is not successful.

Senator Hackett spoke about two new schemes that have been launched by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine along with the Minister, Deputy McConalogue: the agri climate rural environment scheme and the organic farming scheme. She made the point that while some people are being negative about these schemes, from her perspective they reflect the way things are going. It is just about how quickly we get there, not if we get there.

Senator Ó Donnghaile spoke about the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly gathering in Cavan and commended all Members who were involved in what looks like a successful event. He also made comments in regard to the Northern Ireland protocol in the context of what is happening in the UK and the change of Prime Minister. We will be watching closely to see what happens in that space. He also welcomed the fact that the BBC will now provide coverage of certain GAA championship games. That is welcome.

Senator Hoey spoke about her recent visit to Iceland with the WorkEqual group. It was interesting to hear that they look at it from the perspective of the right of the child as opposed to getting a parent back to work. I am not sure we have got the balance right in this country in many respects because it is difficult to be a parent and to work. Parents are going back to work sooner than they would like. The current approach does not work for families. It puts a lot of pressure on families, marriages, relationships and children. Households are very stressed. While I am not sure about the mandatory aspects of it, the question of more leave for parents merits discussion. At the outset, providing or offering more leave to parents would be a welcome start in that direction. Society as a whole would benefit because children would have a less stressful environment rather than people coming and racing, day and night.

Senator Hoey also spoke about the prospect of 30% of taxes going to local government. She clarified that in Iceland, local government does a good deal more and has responsibility for education and other areas. It would be interesting to debate whether we should have more devolved local government or keep things more centralised. There are always different views on that. I would favour more devolved government. We have had much tinkering around with local government in recent years, some of it successful and some not so successful.

Senator Davitt spoke about Ukrainian refugees and criticised some of the negative commentary about the State’s response. I agree with him. There is no doubt that we face challenges. Countries such as the Czech Republic were mentioned. Countries closer to Ukraine clearly have taken in more refugees simply by virtue of their geographic location. A country like ours, which is further away, is taking in more than many other countries per head of population. We are a destination that Ukrainian refugees are coming to because we are hospitable, we have been welcoming and we are doing a very good job in providing a safe place to be. We have 12,000 Ukrainian children in our schools and between 42,000 and 45,000 Ukrainians are in State accommodation. That is a success story. That is not a negative story; it is success. We need to acknowledge that because there are people, particularly in the public service and the Civil Service, who have been working around the clock to put it in place. My own local authority in Mayo meets on a weekly basis as a crisis management team to address the situation and deal with the people who are coming in every week. For those people working on the front lines here, it is a question of the State’s response in a wartime situation. This is not something we could plan for. We did not foresee it. We have not had war in Europe since 1945. It is worth acknowledging that all in all, we are doing a pretty good job considering what we have had to deal with. Less of the negative commentary would be welcome. I note that some of the commentary, such as the contention that we are housing Ukrainian refugees but cannot manage to house our own people, is divisive and dangerous. We need to call it out when we see it because it is not a question of us versus them. We are all in this together. Every member state is struggling with the pressures of this and it is not going away any time soon. It is incumbent on us as public representatives to show leadership and be responsible in our commentary.

Senator Ward spoke about Belarus and the gentlemen he has adopted, which is his own term. Some of those with whom the Senator is working have been imprisoned for very minor matters. We could hardly even call them offences. He said that the regime needs to be consistently called out for what it is.

Senator Boyhan spoke about balanced regional development. He referred to the West on Track regional development conference that I attended, along with Senator Crowe and others, at the weekend. There was a big focus at the conference on the reopening of the western rail corridor, WRC.

Senator Malcolm Byrne mentioned the all-island strategic rail review. A debate request has been submitted in that regard. We hope to have that debate when the report is published, which is imminent. We will wait to see what the comments are in regard to the WRC but I agree with many colleagues that it is not a matter of if it opens, because it will open. We are determined to get that rail line open not just for freight but for passengers as well.

Senators Malcolm Byrne and Maria Byrne spoke about the regional uplift scheme. It might be worth a Commencement matter at the outset to see if there are plans to extend it or replace it with something else. However we can certainly request a full debate on that issue after the recess at the start of November.

Senator Maria Byrne spoke about Pathfinder being initiated in University Hospital Limerick. It was a pilot in Dublin, but it is now being rolled out to Limerick and Waterford. This sounds like a fantastic scheme whereby older people are treated in their homes as well as possible which avoids those over 65 years of age having to come into hospital. She also spoke about the nightlife economy scheme and the fact that it is being extended to Limerick.

Senator Gavan spoke about the numbers at University Hospital Limerick. I know there has been an ongoing problem in the hospital. It seems that there has been more of a focus on this hospital than any other hospital in the country from elected Members across all parties. The Minister has responded by having meetings there and setting up a task force. Additional beds are coming in. There are challenges in the health service, but I would caution against creating an expectation that it is fixable overnight. Other parties have created an expectation, if they are ever in a position to deliver.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Six years is hardly overnight.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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I think they have created an expectation. If they are ever in a position to deliver, I hope they can-----

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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The Deputy Leader is having a laugh.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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-----deliver in as quick a manner as the Senator has suggested is possible. We may agree to disagree on that front.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Six years.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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There should not really be a back-and-forth, with respect, but the Senator is speaking as though nothing has happened.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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Let the Deputy Leader speak without interruption.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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The point I was making is that many representatives-----

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Things are getting worse.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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Senator Gavan, let the Deputy Leader speak without interruption.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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-----across parties consistently raise this issue in this House. The Minister for Health has taken a very strong interest in the issue. Many measures have been put in place. I am not saying it is solved but it would be nice on occasion to acknowledge the good work that is happening. The message consistently going out is that-----

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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Tell that to the patients on trolleys.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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If the Senator does not want to hear my response, he should not ask the question. The message consistently going out from this House is that there is nothing good happening in University Hospital Limerick and that is simply not factually correct. That is the point I am making. Many good things are happening there as well.

Senator Dooley requested a debate on forestry. That has been scheduled for 15 November. I agree with his comments about having one licence to plant and to fell. Obviously if you are doing one, you are likely to do the other. There should have been a bit more foresight in that. I believe it is mandatory to replant if you fell, so all three should be put into one licence. That debate is scheduled.

Senator Craughwell raised a specific issue about the use of GDPR and commercial sensitivity as excuses to restrict access to information. As he always does, the Senator raised the issue of the Irish Coast Guard contract. I do not have a specific reply for the Senator in that regard other than to say it might be worth raising the use of GDPR, and where it is appropriate, as a specific Commencement matter.

Senator Dolan spoke about and welcomed the funding for the out-of-hours GP service. I commend the Senator, who has raised that issue on many occasions. It is a welcome service for people in the locality.

Senator O'Sullivan raised the north Kerry greenway, which is opening on Friday.He commended Councillor Jimmy Moloney on his hard work, and all the local landowners. I can attest to the fact that if one does not get the landowners and farmers on board, it will not be a successful project. I commend the local authority because I know it took Mayo local authorities an incredible amount of work behind the scenes, in getting some 50 farmers and landowners on board, to get the Great Western Greenway up and running. It is a big task, and achieving it is commendable. I am aware a large team of people was working on that in Kerry.

Senator Lombard asked for an update on SEAI and the retrofit programme. I suggest the Senator table a Commencement matter to get an update on the progress of the programme.

Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about antisocial behaviour. Again, a debate on that is scheduled for 23 November.

Senator Ahearn asked for a debate on the issue of accommodation for Ukrainians with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. That debate will be requested.

Senator Boylan asked for a debate on housing. A general debate on housing is scheduled for 8 November, which will hopefully suffice.

Senators Burke and Carrigy asked for a debate on taxis and the lack of flexibility in the transferring ownership of a plate and business. A request for a debate on the matter has been made.

Senator Carrigy spoke about greenways and the use of helmets, which merits consideration. Encouraging and trying to educate users would be a good way to deal with the issue raised. I join the Senator in congratulating Edgeworthstown enterprise hub for being shortlisted. I wish its members well in their endeavours. It is nice to end the Order of Business on a positive note.

Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy Leader for her comprehensive and individualised responses. Many references were made to the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly meeting held yesterday, which is significant, and the Deputy Leader mentioned it also. I congratulate my constituency colleague, Deputy Brendan Smith, co-chair of the body, who brought the meeting to Cavan and made a huge success of it. It was one of the best conferences I had the privilege of attending in many a day.