Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the Order of Business, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion regarding the restoration of Bills to the Order Paper, to be taken on conclusion of No. 1, without debate; and No. 3, the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024 - Second Stage, to be taken at 5.15 p.m., with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, and time may be shared, with the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I support the Order of Business as outlined by the Leader. I congratulate Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy, a Newbridge and County Kildare native, who is to be appointed Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces on 1 June when Lieutenant General Seán Clancy will be going to chair the European Union military committee. I know Rossa very well. He is a very fine person. There are huge challenges ahead of both gentlemen, and I wish them well.

Yesterday was World Wildlife Day. I want to give a shout-out to Dan Donoher, who has done incredible work in setting up Kildare Wildlife Rescue, a sanctuary for wildlife on Grey Abbey Road. While it is based in Kildare, the sanctuary actually has a national brief and is unique in that it looks after wildlife only. I know Senator Noonan, in a former life, visited it-----

Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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I did indeed.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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-----and was very impressed with what he saw. It is important that we do what we can to protect our biodiversity, which includes our wild animals, birds and plants.

I wish our Special Olympics athletes well. They are flying out to Turin on Friday next for the Special Olympics World Winter Games. There are 14 athletes competing and there is a full team of 23, including managers and coaches. I understand that 80 family members are travelling with them, and 50 volunteers. Our 14 athletes are competing in floorball and Alpine skiing, as well as taking part in the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes programme and Global Youth Leadership Summit. A huge congratulations to those 14 individuals who trained really hard to secure their places. They are shining examples of perseverance and determination. I will also give a shout-out to the 260 clubs around the island of Ireland and those who participated but just did not qualify on this occasion. I know that we all wish them well.

I also want to mention section 39 workers. As we know, where the HSE has outsources its responsibilities to voluntary groups, they hire their own staff to do the same work. These are section 39 workers. They are not public servants and do not receive public service pensions. While historically they got the same pay, after pay was cut during the recession it was not restored to section 39 workers.

There are thousands of people working in section 39 organisations. A pay agreement was struck at the WRC in October 2023, which has not been honoured. Most of these people do really important work in the areas of health, social care and disability. It is really important they are supported and I certainly want to stand with them and I urge the Government to ensure that this pay parity is reached, agreed to and implemented.

Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)
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I want to discuss the issue of bus escorts and transport police. I am on the board of an amazing special school in Navan, County Meath, called St. Ultan's. It was a big eye opener for me to see the work done there by all the staff. From 8.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. the school is a hive of activity. However, there is one area that I did not understand until I began to work with the school. This is the issue of transport to and from the school, and indeed to most special schools, and the difficulties associated with this. Some 24 buses with vulnerable children arrive from all over County Meath and in some cases from Dublin all at the same time. The children are escorted by bus escorts, who do an incredible job. These schoolyards like the one I work with are packed with buses, bus escorts, children, parents and staff. The principal and vice principal have to stand in the yard to help get the children off the buses and direct them to where they need to go. They may also have to arrange for them to have a little run around after being on a bus for sometimes more than an hour. Members will appreciate that this is quite overwhelming for some children. The rest of the children are sent off to their classes to begin their day's work.

Members may be thinking what is the issue here. Very often, bus escorts are unavoidably sick, they have to take their holidays, or they may have an unexpected situation, just like most employees in any job. When they are unwell, the calls to the schools will start from 5.30 a.m. It is up to the school principal to sort this out, along with everything else, and as Members can appreciate this can be very difficult. It is left up to the school to be, more or less, the employer of the bus escorts. For this, they get 5% of the bus escorts' wages to cover administrative costs. However, it way more than that.

Special schools are at capacity. The role is challenging and managing bus escorts is just adding to a pot that is about to boil over. I ask the Department of Education to look at this situation from a fresh perspective. I am not sure if people realise that the management of the school is stretched enough. In cases such as St. Ultan's school, this means looking after 24 extra staff who are not technically part of their work remit.

I also spoke to staff at another fabulous school in Navan, St. Mary's Special School, in Johnstown. This school manages 21 buses and 24 bus escorts. I ask the Department of Education to consider a transport manager to look after this. It is worth noting that these schools are not looking for their own transport managers but rather one who could work on behalf of a few schools. Imagine taking this stress away each morning from the people whose goal it is to teach people in the school rather than look after transport. It would be transformational.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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A conversation needs to be had in Ireland about the much-publicised Government plans to get rid of the triple lock. It is one thing to get rid of something but what will it be replaced with? That is not yet clear but I am sure it will be when the legislation is published. My hope is that the legislation is not guillotined in the way so much legislation has been in this House. This is not the fault of any one person but there was a tendency towards the end of the last Government for legislation to be not put through pre-legislative scrutiny and to be guillotined and pushed through the Houses. This happened with the wording of the two amendments to the Constitution that were rejected by the people last year.

We need to be very clear what we mean if we remove UN authorisation as one of the layers of the triple lock. In effect, this would mean that the only recourse is Government approval and Oireachtas approval. However, if there is a simple Government majority, as is the case now, it means that any future Government can send any number of Irish troops anywhere in the world, without recourse to the wishes of the Irish people.

We need to be really careful about that.

Do I trust the Government? Do I trust my colleagues across the floor? I do, but governments get it wrong. If we get it wrong in the sending of Irish men and women – our children and grandchildren – it is a very serious matter. Therefore, I propose that under no circumstances should a simple Government majority be allowed to send Irish troops abroad when that number is over 50. It is reported that the Government will put in place a new threshold of 50 troops. I imagine that such a detachment could be dispatched by Cabinet in the event of an emergency. I do not have an issue with that. At the moment, the number is 12. That is impractical. I would have suggested 120. If it is more than 50 troops to be deployed, a two-thirds majority of the Dáil and Seanad should be required and there should be a free vote, with no Whip imposed. Everybody should vote with their own conscience when putting men and women in harm’s way. No TD or Senator should ever be whipped into making a decision to send our troops into harm’s way. Things are very febrile, at present, but it is not the end of the world order. It is a change in the world order. We should not abandon our shared and collective values of the rules-based order; we should cleave ever more closely to it. Let us see what is on offer. I ask my colleagues in the House to think carefully because future generations will hold us to account.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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Apartheid Israel has stopped bombing Gaza. It has decided to change its strategy and starve the people of the Gaza Strip. Withholding food and emergency aid is genocide. It is sickening. It is also against international law to continue to do that. Yet, the Irish Government still has not sanctioned Israel. There have been no sanctions. There are no consequences for Israel in the context of its actions or anything it does. It can drive a stagecoach through international law and nothing happens. Israel must face consequences. Ireland, instead of ensuring that Israel is sanctioned, has decided that it will water down the occupied territories Bill. It will not support the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill. The Tánaiste and Minster for Foreign Affairs comes out with statement after statement condemning Israel's actions but does nothing to ensure that there are consequences for Israel. His social media is fantastic, but that does not do anything for the people of Gaza. The people of Gaza and the West Bank need to see Israel sanctioned for the bombs and terror it is inflicting on them. When you think it cannot get any worse, it does. Israel’s strategy is to starve the people of Gaza who have already been bombed unmercifully. The Tánaiste and the Minister of Foreign Affairs needs to come in and explain why he is not willing to sanction Israel and why Israel can act with impunity.

Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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I wish to be associated with the comments made by Senator Andrews.

This morning, the Climate Change Advisory Council and the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council published a joint report. They pulled no punches by calling giving it the title A colossal missed opportunity. I have seen titles on other reports, but that really cuts to the chase. The report anticipates, with a wide degree of variance, that there are potential fines for Ireland of between €8 billion and €26 billion for overshooting on targets relating to transport, buildings, small industry, waste and agriculture.

We are likely to fall well short. In the previous programme for Government there was a lot of questioning of the reason we fought so hard to get to 7%, but we did so to meet basic requirements under international law for the Irish Government. We made significant progress, but it concerns me that the commitments that were made and a lot of the heavy lifting that was done by the previous Government might be dropped this time. This report might focus minds on what needs to be done and about the trajectory of the work that needs to continue over the next five to ten years. If we do not act, the consequences could be devastating.

There are significant challenges for Ireland in many sectors due to effort-sharing regulations and the land use, land use change, and forestry, LULUCF, as we are not on track in regard to these areas; neither are we on track with the energy efficiency directive. We are going to fall well short of the targets in all of these areas. 2030 is coming towards us like a fast train in a very short period.

The report gives Ireland two options. First, we could buy the allowances and buy our way out it. Ireland has set aside a potential loss of revenue from carbon credits of €500 million that we are entitled to sell, Second, we could just knuckle down and start to hit those targets. It is very important that collectively here in this House, although the particular responsibility lies with the Government, we ensure there is a capital spend of 10% over the next five years, which could help us to achieve that.

It is not just that, as the report also outlines co-benefits to the country in terms of energy security, the economy, and making our homes warmer. That will help all of us. We can also look at the cost of the storms. We had a very good debate here on Storm Éowyn last week. We are likely to be further hit by an increase in such weather events. If it is okay, I will make one further point, which was discussed in the debate. I refer to the calls in this House and from around the country for generators for communities. Councillor Pádraig McEvoy from Kildare County Council contacted me about the community in Clane, which wants to buy battery storage. That is an important issue. For the same outlay as we could have on running generators, we could have battery storage in all of our communities. We should pursue that. Communities in Midleton, County Cork, and in Leitrim are also doing this. This report is a wake-up call to us all. I urge the Government to act on the findings of the report.

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise farm safety. When we think about farm safety, we usually think of machinery or slurry pits, but now that the calving season is well under way, I want to talk about accidents with livestock. More than a quarter of fatal accidents on farms and just less than a quarter of non-fatal accidents are to do with livestock. I would like the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, to come before us to lay out his plans going forward on farm safety. It could perhaps be made a bigger segment of training in the agricultural colleges. It could also be part of transition year studies. Many lives could be saved if the issue was highlighted.

Nikki Bradley (Fine Gael)
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I would like to talk about Little Angels, an incredible school in Letterkenny, County Donegal. This is my second time today talking about the school and I will continue to talk about it until we resolve the issue that I am about to share. Little Angels is a special needs school that has been in operation for decades in Letterkenny. It caters for pupils ranging from the ages of three to 18. The previous school, which we visited last year, while offering excellent services was not big enough and therefore a new state-of-the-art facility was to be built. So began a 14-year long process for the building of a new state-of-the-art facility. However, there is one problem; the new facility is also not big enough. I want to know how over 14 years, this development could not be halted or changes could not be made.

This was widely reported in the media in Donegal. We are now at the stage where, unless a solution is found, nine children will not have a place in September even though they have waited and waited. This is simply not good enough.

Last Sunday, there was a parents meeting in Letterkenny. While parents are dealing with a huge amount, they also have to become the chair of this new committee, social media experts and secretaries and speak publicly, which is not easy for everyone. However, solutions were found during the meeting. I call for the Minister to come to the House so that we can fast-track this. We can hold meeting upon meeting but we do not have time. We need to find a solution in the next few weeks so that, when September comes, those nine children can continue their education and avail of a service that is owed to them.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Last week, the Children's Rights Alliance published its annual report grading the last Government's performance in protecting children. While the report is to be credited with delivering a vital and necessary assessment, there is a major and shocking failure in it; in more than 300 pages, it makes virtually no mention or assessment of the almost 6,000 children in the care of Tusla. How can a report on the Government's performance in child welfare simply forget to mention this? This is worrying, considering that the Children's Rights Alliance comprises approximately 150 member organisations, many of whom receive funding from Tusla. Consequently, I ask that the Minister for children appear before the House to answer questions regarding the independence of this report. How can a partially Government-funded organisation that serves as an umbrella for numerous Government-sponsored NGOs be expected to give a neutral assessment of a Government agency? How does the Department of children expect to resolve such conflicts of interest?

The omission of an assessment of Tusla is extremely concerning for another reason. In the past two years, a number of independent voices, including Judge Simms, UCD and the Child Law Project, among many others, have warned there is a serious danger that shortcomings in Tusla are being exploited for child trafficking. I therefore call for the Minister for children to appear before us to answer whether her Department has heard these concerns and what she is planning to do to address them.

Anne Rabbitte (Fianna Fail)
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Earlier today, I hosted Sonas in the audiovisual room, which represents a women's refuge from domestic violence. We heard harrowing stories from a number of articulate ladies with lived experience. While Cuan has been set up and progress is being made, a lot of progress is still needed in the delivery of support for people fleeing domestic violence. I ask the Leader for the opportunity to have statements in the Seanad to discuss the matter and open it up to all parties and none to contribute to the conversation.

I did not realise until today that the living standards in some of the women's refuges are not fit for purpose. I did not realise that they were not regulated or inspected, including by HIQA, yet we are putting children and women in them. That was a large part of the conversation today. I would appreciated if the Leader could take that on board.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I rise to talk about Milford primary school. On 31 March 2023, the then Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, visited this school in Milford. The Department of Education was advised the school needed to get a new site, but the Department of Education refused to pay for it. In February 2024, a landowner gave five acres of land to the school at no cost to the Department. In April 2024, an application was made to the Department for a new school. In May of that year, the school principal and Fr. Stephen Gorman went to Letterkenny to meet and lobby the Minister, Deputy Foley, for a new school.

Prior to the general election, the Department of Education promised that someone from a technical department would examine the new site. This was carried out. However, nothing has come back from the Department on it. The board of management has worked tirelessly on this issue. It is getting nowhere fast. The school needs to be built as a matter of urgency. It is an old building and this issue simply cannot be kicked down the road any longer. Will the Leader find out and get me an update on where the school is at this minute?

Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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I would like to call for a debate on mental health services as soon as possible. I would particularly like to focus on the funding crisis facing Save our Sons and Daughters, SOSAD, currently. SOSAD provides a valuable service and has probably saved hundreds of lives. It offers a freephone service, a messaging service and it has two drop-in centres, one of which is in my home town of Cavan, as well as a counselling service. Most of the staff are volunteers. There are only 16 staff, comprising six full-time and ten part-time. They are currently in negotiation with the HSE for a service level agreement. Last November, they were promised by the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, that there would be ongoing funding coming to keep the services operational until that service level agreement is put in place. The work and negotiations on that agreement take time. They are at crisis point now. They are actually pulling back on services. They doubt there is enough funding to last another month.

There is nothing to fill the gap if they go bust and cannot provide a service. They are actually receiving referrals from the HSE and from GPs. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, please to engage with SOSAD and ensure there is sufficient funding to keep them going for approximately six months until the service level agreement is worked out between them and the HSE, and hopefully put in place to ensure sufficient funding for a service going forward.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
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I call on the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, with responsibility for the OPW, to come to the House, not for the first time, to tell us when the minor flood relief scheme works in Listowel and Kilocrim will commence. People are living in fear. These storms can hit at anytime. When I was elected to the Seanad, I said I would do my utmost and my best to represent the people of my community, which was totally devastated by a recent flood event. There has been nothing, no information and no communication back from any Department to me. I call on the Minister of State to come to the House. This event devastated more than 100 homes and businesses. Listowel racecourse was completely destroyed. If that happened again, we would lose probably the best tourism asset we have with many people coming to the town once a year for the Listowel races. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister of State to come to the House to give a response and a commencement date for the works.

Laura Harmon (Labour)
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I want to raise the issue of gardaí in Cork city. It is alarming that the Garda Representative Association, GRA, said that there is a shortfall of 125 gardaí in Cork city and that this is affecting the health and safety of gardaí in the city because of the work they have to do and the extra work they have to pick up as a result. The official figures from Garda management state that there are 673 gardaí in Cork city. However, the GRA said the figure is estimated at 478. That is because many of the gardaí stationed in the city are actually working in national or regional units so they are not directly answering calls in the city. The GRA also estimates that, at any one time there are only 90 gardaí answering calls in the city due to rostering and leave arrangements. There is a shortage of gardaí in the city as there are in many cities across the country. I call on the Minister for Justice to specifically address this issue. We had a discussion on community safety in the Chamber last week. A specific discussion on Garda numbers and recruitment in Cork and in Ireland would be welcome.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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I thank the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association for raising a crucial issue and bringing it directly to the doorstep of the Dáil and Department of agriculture today. I had the privilege of joining the protest and hearing at first hand the genuine concerns and frustrations that these farmers are facing due to the recent decision to include mineral soils under GAEC 2. This policy fails to differentiate between peat lands and mineral soils and is simply unfair. It places a disproportionate burden on farmers, who are already grappling with the pressures of rising costs, changing regulations and the complexities of sustainable farming.

The farmers I spoke to today were not against environmental protection. They are passionate about preserving our lands and heritage, but they are asking for fairness and for policies that reflect the reality of farming life on the ground. I urge the Minister for agriculture to listen closely to the concerns and issues raised by the INHFA. Rural Ireland’s future depends on our ability to protect the environment while also ensuring that family farms can survive and thrive. This policy was a sleight of hand. It disproportionately affects farmers in western counties and wrongly classifies good land, thereby imposing unnecessary and unfair restrictions. The proposal must be halted. I call on the Minister for agriculture to stand with the farmers, not in opposition.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call Senator Paraic Brady, I welcome Leona Brady, who is most welcome to Seanad Éireann. Leona is on TY placement with her father and we look forward to the report card that she will give to Senator Brady on this particular speech. Leona should take out the pen and paper and we will see how he gets on.

Paraic Brady (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach. I would like to discuss the issue of fly-tipping in local bogs and amenity areas. It has become a huge issue, not only in the county of Longford, but throughout Ireland. People are making huge amounts of money by lifting household and building site rubbish and fly-tipping it. This comes at a great cost to our local authorities. I call for a discussion on this issue and for greater powers to be given to local authorities with regard to cameras at black spots and other areas that are known to be subject to fly-tipping.

The rules are that, if someone is caught fly-tipping, he or she gets a slap on the wrist and a €250 fine the first time and a €1,500 fine the second time. However, these rules are not working. We need to be serious about this if we intend to protect our environment, bogs and walkways. I am calling for an increase in the fines to a minimum of €10,000 - yes, Members heard what I said. If these people are not prepared to pay this, then it should be taken at source from whatever they own. This is the reality. Unless we get tough on this, it will continue throughout the whole of Ireland.

Some might laugh at that. However, people are fly-tipping recyclable tyres, recyclable plastic and household waste. It is unacceptable in this day and age, with all of the companies out there providing a service by lifting bins and so on. It is a big issue that needs to be addressed in this House. We need to give the local authorities the powers to address this. We need to start as we mean to go on by increasing the fines, and if people do not pay them, they will get jail. We need to stand up and be counted on this. It is a huge issue that is affecting rural Ireland at this time.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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It is no secret that I am on the other side of the triple lock debate. The triple lock is like having your children come to you to ask if you mind if they go on summer camp, and you say that you are sorry but they will have to go up the road and ask the neighbours, and if the neighbours say it is okay, then they can go. We are a sovereign state. We were a proud sovereign state until 2001, when the triple lock was introduced. The triple lock needs to go. I do not disagree with what Senator Clonan said with respect to building in safeguards so we do not finish up sending troops somewhere.

I would ask Members of this House and the Lower House to consider decisions that have been made since the start of the war in Ukraine. Does our Constitution mean anything? I would ask people to look at the decisions that have been made and then to look at Article 29.5.1° of our Constitution and ask themselves whether that particular section of the Constitution has been breached. We talk about neutrality all the time here. Neutrality is an irrelevancy unless there is a war and a country is faced with a war on its doorstep, at which time it would decide whether or not to be involved. If decides not to be involved, then it does not matter who kills who as one is not going to get involved. It is as simple as that. Article 29.5.1° places a grave onus on the Government when it is making decisions to have sight of the Constitution and what the Constitution says with respect to raising armies and supporting armies. I believe we need to do that and do it fairly urgently.

I have a question for the Leader. I mentioned the post-2013 pension in Galway yesterday, and the Leader would have heard that himself. There is a misconception that because it applies to the public service at large, it is not damaging the Defence Forces, the firefighters and An Garda Síochána, but it is. We need a debate with the Minister on that if the Leader could organise that.

Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein)
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I stand here today with deep frustration and disgust at the Government's continued failure to address the dire lack of special needs school places for children in Ireland. This is an issue very close to my heart and you are all going to hear me talking about it quite a lot until the time comes that every child on this island has a suitable education place.

Every day I receive calls from terrified parents in Laois alone, including a mother with 26 school refusal letters. That is 26 schools saying they cannot take her child. Another father broke down on the phone to me yesterday. His child should be thriving in a classroom but is regressing at home. Today I want to highlight Sofia and her son Isaac. This is a heartbreaking case that speaks to the reality for so many families. Sophia was forced to quit her job and to home school Isaac because there was no available ASD places last year. She is still fighting this year. This is a mother who wanted to work and who wanted her child to receive an education like every other child in this country but instead was left with no choice but to sacrifice her career to ensure her child did not fall through the cracks. This is not a personal choice; this is a Government failure.

This crisis is not just about numbers on a page. Last Friday night 54 parents slept outside Leinster House in protest, not for themselves but for their children who have been abandoned by this Government. These 54 parents who should have been at home tucking their children into bed instead spent the night in the cold, desperate for the Government to listen to them. This is not a new crisis. It has been ignored for years. Some families are now in their second and third year of waiting. They are left with no choice but to home school while their children regress. That is not education, that is not inclusion and that is not acceptable. Can the following question be put to the Minister? Will every child have a suitable school place by September, and not vague commitments? Will it be in a timely manner, and not another plan that will take years to implement? We have seen money spent elsewhere. We have seen decisions made overnight when it suits, so why are the most vulnerable children in our country not a top priority?

Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent)
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I request that we have a debate with the Minister for the environment on a report that Ireland will face fines up to €26 billion if we fail to meet our EU climate targets. That is an extraordinary amount. It is equivalent to all of the money that we might take in corporate tax receipts for one year that we hear of. It is equivalent to the entire health budget. Those are the kinds of fines we face if we fail to produce radical and significant policies in climate change. I would like a debate on that. Perhaps the Leader will request that urgently with the Minister for the environment.

I would also like to highlight something that perhaps relates to some points made earlier.

For a neutral country, the work of peace is not something that just appears in war-time. It is even more important at those times when we are trying to build peace. Today, we have heard worrying reports that Commission President von der Leyen is suggesting that we should arm Europe to such an extraordinary extent that we would suspend the fiscal rules. By the way, those rules were not suspended in order to deal with the very real and pressing climate crisis to allow countries to transition rapidly to reducing their emissions and prepare for the worst effects of climate change. The really worrying part is, as reported by the media, that the Social Cohesion Fund would be redirected to weapons. The Social Cohesion Fund is exactly the kind of thing that actually and holds peace, as seen in Northern Ireland and in a Europe with a history of millennia of fighting.

Who likes a lack of cohesion and of investment in social cohesion? The opposite of it is division. Not only is it a complete misdirection in terms of what will actually give us peace and security in Europe, but it is also an open invitation to those who would seek to sow division and create the kind of climate that we saw with the austerity and lack of investment in social cohesion of the past that set the agenda for the rise of far right. We have seen the effect of these kinds of issues in the United States and many European countries. I would like to know what Ireland is doing to bring our wisdom on peace building into the discussions that are happening because it seems to be sadly absent at the moment.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank all Senators for their contributions on the Order of Business.

Senator O'Loughlin raised a number of issues, including congratulating the new Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Rossa Mulcahy. We all join her in wishing the Irish team well at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin. She also raised issues regarding biodiversity and section 39 workers. I will ask if we can get a statement on those matters at a later date.

Senator Nelson Murray spoke about St. Ultan's school in Meath and made a very interesting proposal regarding whether we needed transport managers for a number of schools in terms of the bus escorts. It is an important issue and perhaps she might like to raise it as a matter on the Commencement. I will also raise it with the Minister for Transport.

Senators Clonan and Craughwell again raised issues regarding the triple lock. I understand the Tánaiste brought proposals to the Cabinet today and in time we will know exactly what those are. Regarding pre-legislative scrutiny, there would have to be a proposal if we were to remove pre-legislative scrutiny for that issue. Today, the Tánaiste asked why we should ask Vladimir Putin for his permission as to where Irish men and women can go on peacekeeping missions and pointed to how the UN Security Council had not found itself in a position to mandate a new peacekeeping mission since 2014 even though that was not because the world had not needed peacekeeping. This is an issue that will generate considerable debate. In response to Senator Clonan, I certainly have no plans to impose guillotines on this very important legislation.

Senator Andrews spoke about people in Gaza starving owing to Israeli blockades. I know that four truckloads of aid funded by Ireland are waiting in Jordan to get into Gaza with critical supplies, including food. It is vital that this aid be allowed to flow. We also need to ensure that the ceasefire holds and that the hostages are released as well. We are continuing to monitor that very important situation. I will ask the Tánaiste for a debate on this important issue.

Senators Noonan and Higgins spoke about the potential fines of up to €26 billion as outlined today by the Climate Change Advisory Council.

I will ask the Minister for the environment to come in for a debate to discuss the report from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council. There is a lot of food for thought on those issues. The most important thing we can do is ensure the plans we have are put in place and enacted and that we do not incur those fines. The climate advisory council and such keep our feet to the fire in relation to our commitments. That is what they do. They were set up by government to ensure that government is kept under pressure on behalf of the Irish people to deliver on commitments.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony called for a debate on farm safety. I will ask the Minister. This time of year, calving is at full steam. There are associated dangers for farmers at calving time, particularly on suckler farms. The mother always protects her baby and she sees the farmer as a threat in those cases and can react. It is important farmers are conscious of the dangers during calving season. It can never be highlighted too much.

Senator Bradley spoke about the Little Angels special school in Letterkenny. It is an important issue - nine children are facing not having a place in September. That can be put forward as a Commencement matter for a more detailed response. Senator Keogan asked for a debate on Tusla and, as she called it, its shortcomings. I will ask the Minister to come in to talk about that and make statements on Tusla.

Senator Rabbitte spoke about domestic violence and women's refuges. A lot of work has been done in relation to Cuan. Some counties, unfortunately, still do not have refuges. We need to be able to respond to those. A number of years ago I visited the refuge in Galway with the Minister at the time, Deputy McEntee. I recall rather naively asking if residents can have friends or relatives come in to visit. Of course, the answer was no because you do not know who is coercing whom in those situations. It is an important issue. I will ask for a debate on that.

Senator Boyle raised an issue regarding Milford primary school. I ask him to submit a Commencement matter to get a more detailed answer as to where that school is at. Senator Tully sought a debate on mental health and mentioned SOSAD in Cavan and an SLA is being worked out over the next six months. I will ask for a debate on that matter with the Minister. Senator Kennelly asked that the Minister of State, Deputy Boxer Moran, come into the House to discuss flooding. I will try to get him in but for a more specific debate, the Senator can submit a Commencement matter if he has not already done so or keep renewing it. Senator Harmon spoke about gardaí in Cork. The allocation of gardaí is a matter for the Garda Commissioner but in relation to overall number, the Government is recruiting. Templemore was closed during Covid. The Minister at the time, Deputy McEntee, made changes to the ages of recruitment and retirement. We are trying to increase the number of gardaí and, therefore, Cork and elsewhere will get their share of gardaí as recruitment continues.

Senator O'Reilly spoke about the protest by the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, INHFA, outside the Department of agriculture. I attended there earlier. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, who I hope will be able to meet the delegation from INHFA, stated we have a legal obligation under the good agricultural and environmental practice for the protection of wetlands and peatlands. It is a mandatory condition associated with the basic income support for farmers. Ireland succeeded in getting two deferrals up to January this year but the Commission made it clear there will be no further extensions. The standard has to be in place before the basic income support for farmers scheme opens for applications. That said, the group today have particular concerns regarding the inclusion of peatlands and mineral soils together in one parcel. If there is more than 51% peat in that parcel, the parcel in its entirety will be treated as peatland. That should be looked at again. I will engage with the Minister on that matter.

Senator Brady discussed fly tipping, which is a scourge in rural areas on farms, boglands and woodlands, and in many of our scenic areas.

There have been recent changes in relation to the use of CCTV, where there were delays for some time over the use of data, etc. I think this has been rectified. It is up to the local authorities to continue to enact, to monitor and to enforce, as well as to continue monitoring operators who might be up to no good and providing cheap removal services without having the relevant licences to tip.

Senator Craughwell asked for a debate on the issue of Garda and Army pensions, which I will try to agree to. Senator McCormack raised the issue of special school places in County Laois and the particular case of Sofia and her son Isaac, who has been home-schooled. I will again ask for a debate in relation to special education.

Senator Higgins raised issues regarding the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, and again I will ask for a debate with the Minister on this matter. She also raised the topic of the comments and actions of President von der Leyen in relation to what she called the rearmament of Europe. Of course, we all wish the Continent did not even have to consider going down this route. It is, though, dealing with particular challenges, including the threats, the real invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the recent comments and decisions by President Trump concerning withdrawing support from Ukraine. There is a grave concern, therefore, that Ukraine could be run through by Russia if it does not have support from the European Union. These are very difficult decisions that are being made and President von der Leyen is responding to real threats and looking at the need for Europe to increase its defence spending to combat these real threats.