Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion on the report of the Committee of Selection, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of the Order of Business; No. 2, motion regarding the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Thursday, 3 April 2025, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of No. 1; No. 3, statements on childcare, to be taken at 1 p.m. and to conclude at 2.30 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 ten minutes, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; No. 4, statements on housing, to be taken at 3 p.m. and to conclude at 5 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 ten minutes, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 5, Private Members' business, Air Navigation and Transport (Arms Embargo) Bill 2024 – Order for Committee and Committee Stage, to be taken at 5.30 p.m. and to adjourn after two hours, if not previously concluded.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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Today is World Autism Acceptance Day 2025 and it is an important day in the calendar when we are asked to pause and to recognise the importance of neurodiversity, to give recognition to the strengths and talents of autistic people, and to promote and champion understanding, acceptance and support for neurodivergent people.

I congratulate everyone who participated in Dublin city's first ever half-marathon last weekend. The sun shone in Dublin city and it was a truly glorious day weatherwise. More than 12,000 individuals set off and did the first ever city half-marathon. It was a huge success. In the north inner city many local people got involved, and I commend a young man, Dwayne Edgar, who, during Covid, set up the Inner City Running Club. This is a club that has engaged many inner-city residents and has taught them to get up off the couch, the sofa or the chair and go out and learn to run. They are an incredible group of people and they are supported by others such as Ruthanne, who did an incredible job coaching people for the first ever city half-marathon.I also commend all of the team at the north-east inner city office, NEIC, and Dublin City Council on supporting and making this first ever city half-marathon a reality. It was a great event. I congratulate all the participants, not just the winners, but everyone who participated. The city really came alive for it.

As we here we all hold out breath waiting for announcements from the other side of the pond, which the President of the United States is heralding what he calls liberation day, whatever transpires later this evening and whatever the outcome of his pronouncements, I hope we as a country stand united together, but united also with our European partners. We live in an incredibly challenging world. We are challenged environmentally, economically and socially. Now, more than ever, when we as a civilisation are probably more educated, more privileged and more developed than at any other time in the history of the planet, it is important we pull together. Tomorrow, the Tánaiste and Minister for trade will come to the House. It is important that everybody in the House engages constructively with the Minister following those pronouncements.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I want to bring up an issue that is very dear to my heart, which is the National Ambulance Service. It is very important we get a review of the National Ambulance Service for rural communities. To provide a brief background to this, a while ago my mother became very ill. Thankfully, my sister managed to get out to the dispensary in Killybegs where the local doctor kept her and looked after her until the ambulance came. The ambulance was an hour and a half away. It came from Letterkenny. We have an ambulance base in Killybegs. Up until that event, I thought there were two ambulances based there all the time. When I got to Letterkenny and started to do a bit of digging around, I found out there was only one ambulance and one crew there. That had been changed a year or two ago. The ambulance is sitting at the side of the house, the base is there, and we have no crew. The Leader knows Donegal well. From Letterkenny to Malin Beg is maybe an hour and 45 minutes. It is a total disgrace we are not covered in these areas. The ambulance from Killybegs covers from Malin Beg, to Inver Bridge down as far as Fintown, down in Glenties.

At the end of the day do the people in the rural communities not need to be looked after too? They talk about the golden hour response time. We are well outside the golden hour. I am not asking for a fortune to sort this out. I just want the Minister to put a second crew in and reinstate our ambulance service in Killybegs to cover the rural parts of Donegal.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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This week I want to raise the case of a 14-year-old boy in Tralee, County Kerry. His name is Daniel Collins.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I apologise for interrupting, Senator, but it might be better if you do not use the name unless you have the permission of the person.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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Let me be clear: I would never use the name of a family or a child without their express permission.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I am just going by the rules of the House, Senator Clonan.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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Actually, it is an interesting point because this is the situation for disabled citizens in Ireland, where to get any kind of support or assistance, they have to go public with their situation.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Senator Clonan, just to be clear to you, because it is a minor, it also places the name and the actual details of that individual on the record for all time, which they may regret. That is the reason-----

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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Hold on a minute, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. I have the permission of the parents, so I will not be impugned.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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You have every right to proceed if you have permission. I am just making it clear.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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I will not be impugned in this way. If anybody thinks that vindicating or advocating for the rights of a disabled child will somehow embarrass them in the future, that is an absolute disgrace. I call on you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh to withdraw the formula of words you have just used there and have them struck from the record, because I will not have my contributions here framed in that negative way.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Senator Clonan, I am only making it clear for the business-----

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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No, you are not making it clear. You are making it unclear. You are creating an element of doubt. You are obfuscating, you are conflating and you are eliding, and I will not tolerate it.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Senator Clonan, you have every right-----

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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I want the clock set back to three minutes. I am here to advocate for the rights of disabled children-----

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Senator, I have no issue-----

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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-----and I would never raise or mention the name of a child without their parent's permission-----

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Okay. Thank you.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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-----and if you want, I can hand you the email with that permission-----

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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No, that is fine.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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-----if you are not going to take my word for it.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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No, that is okay.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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I think we need to start again and I want that formula of words you used removed from the record because I will not have my contributions framed in that manner.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Senator Clonan, I am only making it clear-----

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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No, you are not. You used a formula of words-----

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Senator Clonan, you have three minutes if you would like to continue.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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-----that brought me into disrepute and impugned my integrity.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I am not saying disrepute. I am only just-----

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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I am saying it because that is what you did.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Well, that is your opinion, Senator Clonan.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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It is not my opinion; it is an objective fact-----

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Senator Clonan, the floor is yours.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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-----if you look back at the record.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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The floor is yours, Senator Clonan.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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I want the clock set back to three minutes.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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You can have three minutes.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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Can we start again? I raise the case of a 14-year-old boy in Tralee, Daniel Collins, who, like thousands of other disabled children in Ireland, is not receiving the support, therapies or surgical interventions he needs to grow and thrive as a young man. He is 14 years old, he has autism and cerebral palsy and, since August 2024, he has been categorised as an urgent case for spinal surgery. His scoliotic curve has now increased to beyond 90°. If that continues, it will render him inoperable. For the last long eight months, over the autumn, the election, Christmas, January, the inauguration of Donald Trump and the arrival of spring, through all those rites of passage that family have been left completely in the dark with no review other than to say he is an urgent case. Like Mikey Henry, whose case I raised her last week with the permission of the parents, who attended, Daniel Collins is struggling for breath. His kidneys are being affected so he is having renal problems. His breathing is compromised. Like Mikey Henry, and as was the case with the my son, he is at risk of becoming inoperable. I am sorry to say Mikey Henry, whose case I raised last week, has been deemed inoperable. That is in this country. For shame.

I am going to come in here every week. These parents are begging for the cases to be raised and brought into the public domain because that is what you have to do in Ireland to get any attention. I am very frustrated by it and I am very upset by it. I absolutely reject the idea that anybody whose case we raise here somehow has their privacy or confidentiality compromised. They are screaming out for help. Do you not understand that? Excuse me, I am upset. Daniel Collins is from Tralee, County Kerry and Mikey Henry is from Mayo. This is a countrywide problem. It affects every single person in this House. All Members have constituents who are being failed in this manner. The reason they are being failed is Ireland is the only jurisdiction in the European Union where disabled citizens do not have the legal right to surgical interventions, therapies and supports. We are the only one. Even in Trump's America these people have a legal right to treatment, but they do not have it here. Surely we can use our collective will to enact legislation to vindicate their rights. That will then compel CHI and the HSE to do what we are asking them to do. Every single person in this room has the same frustrations I experience with the HSE. They are recidivists, they are incorrigible and they will not do what they are charged to do as agents of the State but they will-----

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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-----spend millions and millions on legal fees and senior counsel to put families like this through an adversarial system-----

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat, Senator Clonan.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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-----and to push back against them getting their treatment. I am asking the Leader that we have a debate with the new Minister with responsibility for children, disability, integration, youth and so on, Deputy Foley, to try to see whether there is-----

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat, Senator Clonan.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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-----a way forward with this. I do not want to come in here every week for the next four years and raise-----

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat, Senator Clonan. Your three minutes are up.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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-----these cases. Let us turn it into a good news story and try to change something for children within the life of this Government.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I raise the issue of animal welfare, particularly dog welfare. Last week, three dogs were shot and dumped in a bog in Westmeath. This Government's attitude to dog welfare, and animal welfare generally, is lamentable. We see images of horses around the country that are emaciated, have open wounds and are without water. Dogs are in pounds or are being shot and dumped. The Government needs to invest in pounds and rescues to help these especially vulnerable dogs. There needs to be an improvement in microchipping so abusers can be prosecuted. There needs to be a real crackdown on puppy farms. Whether the Government wants to admit it or not, Ireland is the puppy farm capital of Europe. Although there are dog welfare laws, they are weak. To compound that, the enforcement of those laws is particularly ineffective. One example is the epidemic of dog abandonment in Ireland. The law considers it an offence to abandon a dog but, in practice, there is no deterrent. There is no enforcement of the laws. A total of 7,510 dogs entered Irish pounds in 2023, which was an increase of 80% since 2021. There is clearly no deterrent. It is important we have an awareness of the poor enforcement of dog welfare laws in Ireland. We need the Minister to come into the House to explain what he plans to do to ensure dog welfare and animal welfare generally in Ireland are improved.

Malcolm Noonan (Green Party)
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I support the comments made by Senator Fitzpatrick. We await the announcement from the US Administration as it continues to play deal or no deal with the global economy. We in Ireland need collectively to adapt to a rapidly changing world order. That involves seeing this as an opportunity to wean ourselves off our overdependence on corporation tax receipts and to start localising, for example, our energy systems, farming and food systems, indigenous industry and SMEs, and to look towards other trading partners.

There is a fear among cultural and heritage institutions that they may be seen as collateral damage when it comes to possible budgetary cuts later this year. Perhaps the warning salvos were sent out by the Minister in respect of the issues around the scanner at the National Gallery of Ireland. As the US Administration scours cultural institutions, LGBTQI, black history, the Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center, culture is being stripped out and history is being erased. It is a worrying time as we see that happening. A part of our opportunity must be the ramping up of investment in culture and heritage. It is a fantastic opportunity. We see this as an investment. Our national library and national museums have been starved of funding over successive terms of government. I managed to give an uplift to the Heritage Council and other heritage organisations during my time in government. There is a genuine fear there.

Will the Leader arrange a discussion and invite representatives of the national cultural institutions for a discourse on funding and their future long-term needs? There is a repository in Swords that harbours a lot of artefacts on behalf of the OPW the National Museum of Ireland and the National Monuments Service. There is a bigger piece of work required on the national development plan in that regard. We should see this as an opportunity. We should consider the value of culture and heritage not just from the point of view of our social well-being and identity but also from an economic viewpoint. It is important we have a debate in the House. Perhaps we could invite the cultural institutions to have a discussion on their requirements as other countries are pulling back. Part of the opportunity, as we consider what might unfold in the next 24 hours, is that we can look at the value of culture and heritage to our economy and society.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Before I call the next Senator, I welcome the students from Ramsgrange Community School. They are guests of the Ceann Comhairle, Deputy Verona Murphy. They are very welcome. I understand colleagues of theirs are also due to visit. I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House.

Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to speak on a matter about which I am becoming more worried by the day. In the past couple of days, a fifth case of foot and mouth disease was confirmed in Slovakia. In fact, the Slovakian Government has now declared an official state of emergency in the country. This originated with one case in Germany on 6 January, followed by identified cases in Hungary and now Slovakia. In Slovakia, it is happening in a wider territory of the country. There have been cases confirmed on the Hungarian and Austrian borders.

While I welcome the fact that the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon, has urged vigilance within Ireland following the initial outbreaks, we need to go a step further. I propose that, if possible, the Minister comes to the House to address this issue. If that is not possible, I ask the Leader to relay to him the suggestion from this House to commence a targeted public awareness campaign which would particularly target people from Ireland who travel to or from the areas where cases have been confirmed. Such a campaign would ensure that people would be vigilant and aware of the consequences of possibly having come into contact with animals while in those areas and then visiting farms or coming into contact with animals when they return home. Indeed, some people may bring meat from areas where there are outbreaks.

The last outbreak of foot and mouth disease in this country was in 2001. Many of us here can remember the consequences of that at the time. We do not need or want to go down that road again. On this occasion, a stitch in time would definitely save the proverbial nine, and indeed more. We need an awareness campaign because many people outside the agricultural or political bubbles are not even aware that there have been cases. The general public, and in particular people who are travelling to and from those areas, need to be made aware in order that they can be cognisant of their movements when they return.

Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael)
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In light of the impending announcement later today which poses uncertainty for businesses throughout Ireland, I wish to highlight the student enterprise programme run by local enterprise offices. The national competition has been taking place, with the national final due to take place in May. On the way to Dublin yesterday, I had the pleasure of dropping in to the Athlone Springs Hotel, where the Roscommon final, run by the Roscommon local enterprise office, was taking place. You would be enthused and encouraged to see the young people coming up with their business ideas. I am sure the students from Ramsgrange Community School who were here a moment ago are very familiar with this initiative as well.

A number of businesses were represented, including the textile business and the creative arts element. A number of them would be commercially viable and ready. I wish to acknowledge some of the awards: the commercial potential award went to Devine Design from Elphin Community College; the one to watch was Treasured Threads from Mercy College Roscommon; the best business report went to Bee Bright Candles from Castlerea Community School, which is my old school; the best stand and display on the day was Kommunication Keychain from Roscommon Community College; and the sustainability award was won by Poll2Pole from Scoil Mhuire Strokestown, where students came up with an innovative way of repurposing old electoral posters for use as farm safety signs. I know some Members have advertised to the latter group already. The Technical University of the Shannon had an award for innovation which was won by Farm Alert, an unbelievable idea from transition year students. It utilises GPS and smartwatch technology to alert family and the emergency services if something happens to a farmer working on his own on his land. The farmer would be able to instigate this alert. I wish to acknowledge the programme, which is encouraging tomorrow’s entrepreneurs today. Some 28,000 second level students participate in it annually. As I said, the national final will take place on 8 May. I wish all the schools the best of luck.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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Many in this room will be aware that at the fall of Kabul, when the western states left Afghanistan, the Irish ambassador to the UN at the time issued a statement that Ireland stood with the women of Afghanistan. What exactly did that mean? It meant sweet damn all, to be honest about it. Few of us can be unaware of what is going on in the Middle East. It does not matter which side of the argument you are on, whether it is the side of Israel, Gaza or Hezbollah. All three sides - Hamas, Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Force - are guilty of war crimes.

I am delighted the State has taken a position, with South Africa, against Israel for what it is doing and the genocide it is committing in Gaza. However, few of us think about what is going on in Iran. Over the past number of weeks, we have had people from Iran in the Chamber. The 2024 figures on the total number of hangings show that 993 people were hanged in Iran for political, secular or sexual orientation reasons. Of these, 78 were announced and 915 were not. Four hangings were carried out in public, 32 women were hanged and six minors are currently political prisoners. Most of us will have seen a piece on Facebook where a young student took off her headdress outside her college. When she was tackled by the police, she took off the remainder of her clothing and walked around. She was executed. While we look at high-profile places like Gaza, Lebanon and Israel, let us not forget the brutality that is taking place in Iran. The only way we will stop that type of brutality is by talking about it. I ask for a debate at some stage on the issues confronting the nations of Iran and Afghanistan.

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Fianna Fail)
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Today is World Autism Awareness Day, a day on which we raise awareness about autistic people. As Fianna Fáil spokesperson on disability, I am here to raise awareness about autistic people and to celebrate difference in general. We all need to reach our potential and our best, whatever that is. It may also be a time to talk about how we can help autistic people with early intervention and early assessment of need, etc., but today is their day and it is important we acknowledge it.

Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
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I raise a very serious health issue, namely, the lack of proper provision of home care hours for our elderly people, particularly in rural Ireland, with counties Kerry and Cork having the longest waiting lists of elderly people seeking to avail of the home care package. The number of older people in the country waiting on these hours stands at 5,556, of whom, astonishingly, 1,018 are in the Kerry and Cork areas. That is unreal.

Alarming figures show that the number of over 65s has increased by 41% to 833,000 people since 2013. Even more astonishing is that the number of over 65s is projected to double by 2051. It is critical, therefore, that waiting lists are taken seriously. A recent report by Home and Community Care Ireland shows that waiting lists in rural Ireland are rising. As stated, counties Kerry and Cork have 1,018 people waiting. Counties Limerick, Clare, Galway and Mayo have a combined waiting list approaching 1,000 people. The biggest increase in the number of older people in need of home care - 30% - has been in counties Cavan, Donegal, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Sligo and Westmeath, where the HSE has rationed its home support hours.

Waiting lists in Dublin were below ten people in each month of 2024, which shows the urban-rural divide in the provision of home care hours. That is astonishing.The programme for Government commits to supporting older people to stay at home and in their community by providing more homecare hours for rural Ireland. We are faced by family members every week on the lack of homecare hours for their loved ones. I am calling on the Minister to debate on the floor of the Seanad this very serious issue which could get out of control.

Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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Today is World Autism Awareness Day. I have just come from the launch of the Same Chance report 2025, prepared by AsIAm, and there are some startling statistics within the report. Of the people surveyed, 91% feel that being autistic is a barrier to being accepted in our society. More than 50% of them were diagnosed privately as there is still no public pathway to diagnosis for children or adults, especially adults. Some 48% of those people surveyed said they did not feel safe and 44% had experienced discrimination in the past year. More than 70% of those surveyed feel our education and healthcare systems are not inclusive.

I was a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism and we produced a report with 109 recommendations. I am still a member of the all-party parliamentary group on autism. The purpose of that group is to oversee the implementation of these recommendations.

The autism innovation strategy was introduced in the term of the previous Government and was very welcome. However, it is a time-limited strategy and needs to be embedded in legislation. There has been some progress on that. What is the status of that legislation? Will it be introduced this year? I ask for an update on progress in respect of the recommendations of the joint committee, which cross all Departments.

Paraic Brady (Fine Gael)
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I wish to raise a number of issues affecting my local village of Drumlish and Ballinamuck. The credit union in Ballinamuck closed a little less than six months ago and it is now being raised that our local credit union in Drumlish is due to close in the coming months. We have also received notification that our local post office is in danger of closing and is under review.

Our two local gardaí, Donal Madden and Justin Browne - I have permission to name them - who have given significant service to the community, have now retired. This leaves us with one garda to maintain a huge rural area in north Longford. I urge the Minister for Justice to come to this House to address the concerns about the lack of numbers of gardaí in rural stations. We have seen an increase in the number of gardaí on the streets of Dublin and other cities but we must not forget that the rural people of Ireland expect a service and need to be protected too. I hope that will be addressed sooner rather than later.

Unfortunately, a local publican, Tom Cassidy, who served the community for 18 years retired last Sunday. Tom has been a great servant to the community in Drumlish and Ballinamuck for many years. We ran charity events and raised funds and he made his premises available free of charge to the local community for fundraisers. He supported our community for a number of years. I hope this is not a trend that is coming whereby we lose gardaí, post offices, credit unions and local pubs. I hope some of this can be addressed.

Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)
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Last week I was contacted by three second-year students - Dara Flynn, Avie O'Brien and Abbie McMorrow - who attend Ursuline College in Sligo town. Their names are . As part of their CSPE project, under the guidance of their teacher, Regina Grennan, they invited an ambassador for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind to talk to their class and discuss her experiences of navigating Sligo town with her guide dog, Sasha.As well as being an ambassador, Jackie McBrearty is also visually impaired. She spoke with warmth about how her guide dog Sasha had opened up the world to her, allowing her to explore her surroundings in confidence. However, Jackie also made very clear to the students that she faces challenges daily and, most shockingly, discrimination, which is clearly a breach of laws.

A survey carried out by the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind in December 2023 found that 83% of guide dog owners had had a negative experience while trying to access and participate in services and amenities in the previous 12 months. This is in spite of legislation that allows guide and assistance dogs to enter otherwise restricted spaces. Institutions and businesses throughout our State are subject to the Equal Status Acts. Ireland is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which compels, not requests, services and amenities to make themselves accessible to those requiring the aid of an assistance dog. This includes all forms of public transport, which should be a given, such as planes, trains, trams, ferries and taxis. All forms of hospitality, including hostels, hotels and Airbnbs, legally must admit guide dogs. This extends to cafés, restaurants, pubs, etc.

Sadly, compliance with the legislation does not seem to be observed. Jackie reported to students that she had been refused entry to Sligo University Hospital. The word "humiliation" was used by Sligo barrister and Paralympian Martin Gordon, who was also refused access to a Dublin restaurant in 2023. This kind of discrimination is not okay. The Ursuline College students recommended that we address private bin providers, e-scooters and electric bicycles. The owners of these should be held accountable and training should be provided to all hospitality staff and public service staff.

Aubrey McCarthy (Independent)
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I have permission to mention a name, although I will not mention the full name. A good friend of mine is facing his last few months of life. Jason's case highlights a critical gap in Ireland's palliative care system, in particular for non-cancer terminal illnesses. His family are struggling to secure clear, co-ordinated care due to a lack of urgent out-of-hours and crisis response palliative services. Despite his complex medical needs, there has been no structured plan to manage his end-of-life care. His transplant and palliative care teams have not provided clarity, leaving his family caught between different services without designated responsibility for his care. This has forced his family, including his wife, Aoife, into a position whereby they cannot bring him home from Naas General Hospital until a proper care plan is in place.

Beyond Jason's personal case, this situation reflects a broader systemic issue. Families face non-cancer terminal illnesses do not have access to the same level of psychosocial and palliative supports as cancer patients. Simple policy changes such as extending the amazing cancer supports that are in place nationwide to all terminal patients could make a profound difference. Addressing this gap is urgent. Jason's family and others in similar situations need immediate and structured palliative care that ensures their dignity, clarity and proper support throughout their journey. Jason is an amazing man who just wants to die at home with dignity, surrounded by his two kids and his wife Aoife. The support should be there to allow this to happen.

Mark Duffy (Fine Gael)
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A matter of concern to many of my constituents in County Mayo is the state of disrepair of the piers and waterways on the Mayo coastline. On Kilcummin pier, there are proposed clearance works. Small fishing boats are unable to dock at the pier because of the storm debris and rocks that need to be cleared. The slipway is in a treacherous state and it is the same for other slipways in the north Mayo area, including those in Ballycastle, Killala, Ballina and Lacken pier. It is really important for fishing industries in these communities, but also for the amenity groups that enjoy our beautiful coastline, that there be safe and usable infrastructure with slipways and piers. There is an ongoing issue with Lacken pier where erosion damage has persisted for some years without repair. I have called on Mayo County Council to initiate an application for funding to repair the pier. We need to work with both the junior and senior Ministers with responsibility for the marine to ensure we have ongoing maintenance. It should not have to be raised to the level of the Seanad or national level for ongoing maintenance plans to be in place. There should be a standardised approach and ongoing support for local authorities to carry out this work on our piers and waterways across County Mayo. I would like this to be raised with the Minister and to have a broader discussion to ensure that we have an ongoing maintenance plan for the safety and usability of piers along our coastline.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Yesterday, the Office of the Ombudsman for Children released its annual child death review. The document is harrowing and heartbreaking. It serves as a strong condemnation of the Government’s inaction and a serious call to action.

When a child dies in tragic and unnatural circumstances, families are left in a state of uncertainty, grappling with grief and unanswered questions. In one case, the family of a boy who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while under the care of the child and adolescent mental health services were forced to wait for over ten years for a report, which they said left them with no real answers. Our existing review mechanisms are so fragmented, lack the statutory power needed to compel co-operation and are so unable to gather comprehensive data that they may as well not exist. This is unacceptable.

We have seen the benefits for such mechanisms in other countries. In England, the child death review overview panels have significantly improved the understanding of child fatalities and have led to targeted interventions that save lives. In Ireland, we have the national paediatric mortality register but it is not enough. We need a robust statutory mechanism that can systematically review all child deaths, identify preventable factors, has the powers to obtain the information it needs and can ensure that lessons are learned and applied where necessary. I urge the Government to act swiftly and establish a statutory national child death review mechanism. The report highlights that 1,490 children died unnaturally last year alone. It is urgent we begin the serious work to reduce those numbers.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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Members will or should know that from today, the Policing Authority and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate will be dissolved and a new policing and community safety authority, PCSA, will be established. This transition is happening as part of a wider policing reform programme called A Policing Service for Our Future and comes as a result of the commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. Since its formation in January 2016, the Policing Authority has been committed to overseeing the performance of An Garda Síochána and has championed equality, diversity and inclusion both within the policing service and across our communities. That is an important point we must acknowledge.

I express my gratitude to everyone who has worked and supported the Policing Authority over the past nine years. Through their collaboration, trust and shared commitment, better policing has been made possible. I also thank Helen Hall, its CEO, in particular for the enormous leadership role she took on with this task. Since the Policing Authority was established in 2016, it has held 150 authority meetings with the Garda Commissioner, of which 44 were public. It has appointed 346 senior Garda members to Garda staff. It has also had more than 260 engagements with stakeholder groups and organisations and received more than 3,500 consultations and responses.

I ask the Leader for a debate on the local community safety partnership. He will be aware, as are many of us who represent and work closely with our city and county councillors, of the disquiet about how these partnerships were to be established, overhanging issues that have not been resolved, and councillors who indicated their desire to chair some of these partnerships and are still waiting to hear what is going on. The whole thing has become rudderless. For most of us, who are elected by our city and councillors, we owe it to them to champion that issue of community policing and local community safety partnerships. I ask for a debate with the Minister for Justice on this specific matter in the coming weeks.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank all Senators for their contributions, starting with Senator Fitzpatrick, who acknowledged World Autism Day. I join her in acknowledging the important celebration of children and adults with autism. Senators O'Mahony and Tully also raised this matter and talked of the strengths and challenges faced by many in the autistic community. We acknowledge the work of all members of the autism committee in the previous Dáil and Seanad, which will return in this Seanad and Dáil as well. Senator Fitzpatrick also congratulated all 12,000 participants in the Dublin city half-marathon and expressed concern about what is likely to happen later today with tariffs from the United States. She highlighted that countries in the European Union need to stand together, which is an important point.

Senator Boyle raised the issue of the National Ambulance Service, which is an important issue in rural Ireland, rural towns and urban areas. It is quite clear that over a long number of years, response times in the west have been below average. That is just a fact. There have been improvements and there has certainly been investment by successive Governments over recent years. There are new ambulance bases, I believe, in Belmullet and in Tuam, County Galway. There is an additional crew in Galway city. The Senator is right to advocate for County Donegal. It deserves the same level of response times as any other part of the country. I acknowledge that in the most isolated rural communities, there are, unfortunately, high wait times. A colleague raised a matter in the other House where somebody who had been in an accident waited four hours at the side of the road for an ambulance. That is not good enough. It should not be tolerated and people deserve better. The Senator might put forward a Commencement matter about the specific case and should certainly engage with the National Ambulance Service. Its teams have, at least in my part of the world, had good engagement with Oireachtas Members. Even online, issues are raised relating to what plans the service has to invest. However, the Senator is right to raise this important matter.

Senator Clonan talked about the case of a young boy who has a number of serious conditions - autism, cerebral palsy and scoliosis - and has called for a debate with the Minister, Deputy Foley, on disability. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, will be before this House on Tuesday, so I am sure Senator Clonan will have an opportunity to raise that case. He could also contact the Minister of State in advance to get a fuller response.

Senator Andrews asked for a debate on dog welfare and, indeed, animal welfare. I will try to arrange that. He talked about enforcement for puppy farms. There have been significant initiatives to try to improve funding and legislation relating to puppy farms and dog breeding establishments. I will certainly ask the Minister with responsibility to come to the House.

Senator Noonan talked about investment in culture and heritage. I commend his own work as part of the previous Government with regard to greater advocacy for heritage, an area close to his heart, and to investment, whether in our national parks or wildlife services or in our built heritage. I will call for a debate on those matters at the earliest opportunity. Senator Paul Daly spoke about worrying cases of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe. I will ask the Minister if he is in a position to come to the House, or I will at least make him aware of the Senator having raised the matter. We all remember 2001 and we certainly do not want any threat of that. It is important to raise awareness to those who might be travelling. If it is to a stag weekend in Slovakia, they would not be thinking about foot-and-mouth disease but there are consequences if they bring it home. I will raise that.

Senator Scahill talked about the student enterprise programme. Congratulations to all the schools in Roscommon on their successes and best wishes to them in the national final on 8 May. Great work is being done across our schools in a wide variety of areas, which the Senator highlighted.

Senator Craughwell talked of the women of Afghanistan and Iran. In the western world, we like to think and acknowledge that the rights of women and minorities improve with each generation and that with each decade there are additional rights and wrongs of the past are highlighted and improved upon. It is regrettable that, compared with even the 1970s, the rights of women have gone backwards in certain parts of the world where women had more rights then than they have today. I will ask the Minister for foreign affairs to come to the House to debate that issue.

Senator Kennelly talked about a waiting list for elderly people and carers. That is a concern because our elderly deserve the best. A number of years ago, the issue was funding of home care hours. The issue now is getting staff to provide the hours. The Senator might have a different view locally in Kerry but across the healthcare sector there is an issue with getting staff. I know from dealing with cases in my area that it is just impossible to get people to implement the hours needed to do very important caring work. I know of a company where managers are out doing the work themselves because they cannot get people in. There has to be greater work on that issue. Some weeks ago, the House debated a Fine Gael Private Members’ motion on this very important matter. I will ask that the Minister come to the House to discuss caring and home care.

Senator Tully raised the autism and AsIAm and asked for an update on the legislation. I will try to get an update for her.

Senator Brady talked of his home area in Drumlish and Ballinamuck, and a series of worrying closures or threats of closure, which he is quite right to highlight. I do not have an answer for him. There are a number of issues. I urge the Senator to engage with An Post directly in respect of the post office. Obviously, the pub is a private matter. Hopefully someone else will take over that establishment, which, as the Senator said, is important for the local community. The Senator also indicated he would like the Minister for Justice come to the House to discuss Garda numbers. I will request that. While allocations are a matter for the Garda Commissioner, the Minister could highlight those issues to the Garda Commissioner.

Senator Cosgrove talked about Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Volunteers with the Irish guide dog association do tremendous work. The Senator spoke of very worrying cases of discrimination in both hospitality and public services. I will raise that matter with the Minister to see what can be done because it is important that people have a good quality of life and blatant discrimination is dealt with.

Senator McCarthy talked about a good friend of his, Jason, who has a terminal illness and will be facing palliative care. This is a very serious issue. I wish Jason’s family the best as they deal with these difficult issues over the coming months. I know from experience that hospices do tremendous work, as does the HSE, in fairness, liaising with families to provide the best pathway to allow people to die with dignity and, where possible, in their own homes if that is their wish. If Senator McCarthy engages with his local hospice, it will provide a clear outline. Senator Duffy talked about piers along the Mayo coast, including Ballina, Lacken and Killala. Local authorities have staff to deal with these issues, provide plans and apply to the Department for funding. If the Senator has particular cases, he can raise them directly with the Minister and Department, but the starting point is the local authority in terms of ensuring applications have been lodged and the relevant Department has adequate funding to try to fund all projects or as many projects as possible that come in from the local authorities.

Senator Keogan spoke about the Ombudsman's report on the national paediatric review of child deaths. All deaths are tragic, especially child deaths. This is a matter for the Coroner Service. Where there is suspicion, matters are dealt with via autopsy. If she has a specific issue, I will certainly raise it and I will ask for a debate on the Ombudsman’s report with the relevant Minister.

Senator Boyhan spoke about the policing service for the future and local community safety partnerships. It was somewhat contentious legislation but it is the law of the land now. It is important that the issues in that legislation that relate to the replacing of the JPCs are proceeded with as quickly as possible. If the Senator puts down a Commencement matter for the Minister, Deputy Jim O’Callaghan, perhaps he will see the most up-to-date data on that. If not, we will try to get a debate on the new policing model and Garda numbers with the Minister at a later date.