Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the arrangements for the sittings of the House on 28 and 29 May 2025, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; and No. 2, statements on public procurement, to be taken at 11:45 a.m. and to conclude at 1.15 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 each, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes each, time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than ten minutes to reply to the debate.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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We awoke this morning to the continuing, distressing news from Gaza. It is almost impossible to listen, watch and witness the wilful, deliberate starvation and murder of innocent people in Gaza. We also have the news today of the shooting in Washington D.C. and the two deceased there. Obviously, I offer all of our condolences and sympathies to those who knew and loved those two innocent individuals in Washington D.C. However, more than 50,000 men, women and children have lost their lives in Gaza. It is continuing as we stand or sit here. Our inability to effect any change in Israel's wilful, deliberate killing of innocent people is incredibly distressing.

We all welcome the announcement from Ms Kaja Kallas to review the EU-Israel agreement, but it is just not enough. We, as a European nation and a country that will take the European Presidency in 2026, must insist on an immediate suspension of the EU-Israel agreement. Anything short of that is meaningless. We must insist that Europe act as one, take greater authority and use our relationships internationally, with the UN and others, to achieve an immediate ceasefire and the provision and access of humanitarian aid. It is humanitarian aid - the most basic aid - that we should be insisting be released into Gaza. Anything short of that is just not good enough. I have raised it many times but we raise it again and every day we need to insist until there is some change in the situation.

On a completely local issue, I am sure many Senators met the post office masters yesterday. It is an issue I have raised a number of times in this and the previous Seanad. It is only two weeks ago that I was calling for a debate with the Minister on the future of the post office network. I would appreciate if the Deputy Leader could get a date from the Minister for that.

I welcome and congratulate all of the recipients of the community heritage funding of €1.9 million that was announced this morning. The individuals who give their time voluntarily in all of our communities to protect and champion our heritage need to be congratulated, and I do that this morning.

Aubrey McCarthy (Independent)
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I rise not only as a Senator, but as someone who has walked alongside some of the most resilient people who are in recovery in our country, those who have faced not only addiction, but also homelessness, marginalisation and social exclusion. I see them fighting daily for a second chance at life. Most of the Senators know my involvement in rehabilitation. In Ireland today, the need for detoxification beds is nothing short of urgent. Currently, we only have 18 inpatients bed for detoxification. Waiting lists are growing longer at rehabs such as ourselves at Tiglin, Coolmine and Merchant's Quay Ireland, with some individuals waiting nine months to a year. These people are often in chronic addiction. That delay means it is not just a statistic. It is families whose loved ones are losing the opportunity for recovery. There is a deepening despair. Often, rehabs such as Tiglin ring families to say they have beds for the families' loved ones only for those loved ones to have passed away due to overdose. The recent statistics on deaths from drugs have been horrendous.

I know personally that recovery is possible. I have seen it at first hand, not just from the data, but from the stories of people who have come through Tiglin. I have seen people coming through our Lighthouse café on Pearse Street who are broken by addiction and in trouble and then they leave six or nine months later with qualifications, supported housing, family support and so on. This shows it is not just about getting clean, as people say, but about rebuilding life brick by brick. That involves the community, the Oireachtas and what I mentioned last week, namely, education. Education is central to what we do at Tiglin and we have a partnership with the South East Technological University. In the past year alone, 111 or 114 students have completed the SETU course. An Tánaiste launched a report about the evidence-based outcomes of that educational partnership. It showed that education in recovery was not just an optional extra, but a vital pillar for sustained recovery. We cannot do this alone, though, and agencies such as Tiglin need to be supported. Today at 12.30 p.m. in the audiovisual room, we have service users talking about their own lives and how they have come through rehabilitation.I am calling on my colleagues to attend today, if they can, and support the expansion of services such as Tiglin, particularly in the areas of detox beds and in the areas of education. Recovery capital is what this is all about. It is not just about survival; it is about transformation. That is, I hope, what Senators will hear today. We do not have to stand on the sidelines. We can move forward and be the ones in this Oireachtas who drive change.

Nicole Ryan (Sinn Fein)
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I am taking this opportunity to highlight a matter of public safety that simply cannot wait. There was a serious accident in my constituency two weeks ago at Barrett's Cross, known locally as Kerryman's Table, in Mushera near Aubane. A passenger was left in a coma. Thankfully, it was non-fatal, but we are seriously dangerously close to a tragedy and the community knows it. They have been sounding alarms for years. I commend Senator Lynch, who has been working closely on this issue. The junction has been a scene of far too many accidents and the residents are living in fear. I have met with families in the area and the message is clear that something must done and done fast. The problem, however, is that Cork County Council, like many others, is constrained by limited funding and rigid national criteria. It often cannot act swiftly or decisively on local safety issues even when there are lives at stake. The solution in this case is a staggered junction, a proven and simple intervention already used in places in the constituency like Boherboy and Dernagree, but without dedicated funding or flexibility the council cannot deliver this. I call for the relevant Minister to come to the Chamber and outline what has been done to review the current funding models for local road safety measures. We need to empower the councils with the resources and autonomy to act before, not after, a fatal accident occurs because communities like Aubane deserve to feel safe on their roads.

Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to speak about Citywise Education, an organisation in Tallaght that has become a cornerstone of positive change in our community. Citywise is more than just a youth centre; it is a place where ambition is nurtured, potential realised and futures are shaped. Since its founding, Citywise has provided a safe, inspiring and supportive environment for young people in Tallaght, operating from the Durkan Centre for the past 20 years. Its impact is seen not only in educational support through after-school programmes, STEM initiatives and mentorship, but also in the strong sense of belonging and confidence it builds in the youth. Citywise encourages young people to dream bigger, work harder and believe in themselves. Each week it provides out-of-school and after-school programmes to more than 500 young people. It compliments the vital work of local schools by offering fun and engaging activities for young people from third class all the way to third level. Relationships are built early, often starting with children as young as eight. In many cases, these children grow into mentors, staff members and leaders, like some of their current staff. Through academic support, study groups, mentorship and career guidance, it is helping to nurture young people's aspirations and give them the tools to turn their dreams into a reality. The results speak volumes. A total of 95% of participants go on to third level education. That is an incredible achievement, especially considering the barriers they may face. Citywise is not just about academic success, it fosters a powerful sense of community spirit, connecting generations, bridging cultures and showing what is possible when we believe in our young people.

Recently, I have visited Citywise on two occasions. The first was when I took part in a careers evening and I walked away knowing the future was bright. Who knows, I may have found a few future politicians. I also had the privilege of attending its annual award ceremony. I want to share what I witnessed. All too often Tallaght makes headlines for the wrong reasons. It is often described as a disadvantaged community, a label that overlooks its strength, resilience and potential. What I saw at Citywise that night was the complete opposite. I saw a community that is rich: rich in love, rich in encouragement and rich in determination. I saw young people filled with ambition, families overflowing with pride and mentors who pour their hearts into helping others rise. I saw excellence, not struggle; I saw hope not hardship. It is a shining example of what happens when a community comes together to invest in its young people. It is where potential is recognised, nurtured and celebrated.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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Frequently, we talk about, and I know the Deputy Leader does as much as I do, members of the Defence Forces, especially in places of danger, such as the service in Lebanon. Rarely do we ever talk about members of our public service who put their lives at risk for their fellow man, such as what we saw yesterday in the firing of shots over the heads of Irish diplomats. Feilim McLaughlin and his crew were out in Palestine on the West Bank. It is abhorrent that the Israelis would feel that they could intimidate diplomats in carrying out their duties. These are people who visit refugee camps and who make things sure when it comes to humanitarian aid, not that there is any getting through at the moment. I heard Simon Harris this morning talk about six truckloads sitting in Jordan unable to get in while 14,000 children are at risk of losing their lives. I pay particular tribute to those members of our public service who are not military and who put their lives at risk, not just in Palestine and on the West Bank but in other countries where starvation and civil war are a fact of life. Our public servants are out there on the ground doing a great job. When we have the Minister for foreign affairs in the House, we should lay out a short section to deal with that specific issue, which is about those who risk their lives for their fellow man.

Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)
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Tesco is taking over the lease of a SuperValu store in Virginia, County Cavan. I have been informed that all local suppliers have been told they must be prepared to give a 40% margin immediately on their goods. This is just going to hammer local suppliers. They were supplying SuperValu and, if they want to continue to supply Tesco, they have to slash their prices. They cannot afford to do that. They are already barely keeping their head above water. They have families to support, transport costs, production costs and so on. They are providing fresh meat, some of which is organically produced, and fresh fruit and vegetables.

What we are seeing is a decline in the number of people who are providing that sort of food in this country because of this practice. It is time the Government introduced a ban on below cost-selling. It is something that can be raised with the Minister for enterprise or the Minister for agriculture, because many times it is agricultural produce that is affected. What is happening is devaluing the goods farmers work so hard to produce. I ask that this issue be raised with both Ministers or whoever is the most relevant Minister to examine this and perhaps have a debate on it in the Chamber.

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Fianna Fail)
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I stand here to speak about the worry of the farming community now. There are mixed messages coming from Europe regarding potential changes in the CAP system. The rumour is that Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 structures will be changed. This is money that is totally allocated for agriculture. There is talk at the moment that, instead of having its own ring-fenced budget, it will be thrown in with a bigger budget, as it were. Obviously, this will cause huge worry and have consequences, particularly for small farmers and for food security. It is important and the farmers are right to be worried. I ask that we invite the Minister, Deputy Heydon, to the House to ask him what he knows, if these changes are to come about and what are his plans and ours to fight this.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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The British establishment is complicit in genocide in Gaza. It funds genocide in Gaza. It supports genocide in Gaza. The same British establishment has now charged a young Irishman in his 20s from west Belfast of a terror charge for waving a flag. It is bizarre and it is political policing. It is trying to silence Kneecap. Kneecap are not the story; genocide in Gaza is the story. We need to ensure our Taoiseach and Tánaiste tell the British Government that this is completely unacceptable and that we are not going to take it and roll over like we do on many issues. As has been previously mentioned, I raise the concern about post offices. The post office on St. Andrew's Street, off Grafton Street, was closed on a Saturday a couple of weeks ago because of staff shortages. Rathmines post office is being sold off, which is shocking in and of itself, and is also experiencing serious staff shortages. There is a real need to invest, as the IPU said. There needs to be investment in the postal service or else it will be gone. We have to stop selling off State assets, such as the post office in Rathmines, which is a fantastic centre and facility for Rathmines.

Anne Rabbitte (Fianna Fail)
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I raise an issue relating to the education and training boards. Over the past number of years, we have seen the magnificent work that was done in the ETBs, particularly in respect of apprenticeships. I must applaud the previous Ministers of State with responsibility, Deputies O'Donovan and Collins, for the work they did to ensure there was an expansion of delivery, particularly for the trades. We also need to look beyond the trades at health and social care. We need to look beyond SNAs and towards the training of occupational therapist assistants. We need to look at the training of speech and language assistants and physio assistants. There are some very good models of where this works. The Leas-Chathaoirleach will be aware that Limerick has some really good models for the training of physio and occupational therapy assistants. It has been delivered in St. Gabriel's for a long number of years, with phenomenal success.

I genuinely believe that our ETBs need to be able to make that model of health and social care available to ensure that we have a balanced regional approach in the delivery of health and social care supports. We see the impact of SNAs, but we also need to realise that health and social care need supporting. While we have fantastic clinicians who can write up fantastic programmes, they need to be delivered by assistants who actually have the time and the training. An apprenticeship model was put in place at Tusla. We now need to look to an apprenticeship model for OTs, physios and speech and language therapists throughout the country. I would welcome the opportunity for a debate in the House on that with the Minister of State with responsibility for apprenticeships and FET.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome students from Alexandra College, Milltown. I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House. As is customary in the Seanad, they will have no homework for the rest of the day.

Joe Conway (Independent)
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I will make a few observations on our status as an island nation and do a small comparison between us and New Zealand, which is a country that has roughly the same population and the same demand on connectivity we have. I am somebody who is based in the south east, which is the only region that does not have a regional airport. I will contrast that with New Zealand, which has 28 regional and international airports on its two islands. Many of those double up as civilian and military facilities. We have a great difficulty in County Waterford because we get refused or disregarded when we look for an airport runway extension. I do not want to sound begrudging, but that is very disconcerting for people in the south east when they see €200 million being given to Cork Airport and the debacle of the CHC and Bristow helicopters, where €40 million of taxpayers' money is being paid out for a lesser and more inferior service.

Now that the CASA aircraft has gone to Shannon Airport to do maritime patrol on the west coast, is there a strong argument to have a military facility at Waterford that could be used for pilot training and navigation exercises? I would go even one step further in saying that, in the context of defence and European co-operation, we should be thinking of extending the use of Waterford Airport to the French air force and the Royal Air Force, where they could do navigation for offshore missions and training. It would add to the viability of Waterford Airport.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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We started with Senator Fitzpatrick, leading for Fianna Fáil, talking once again about the very distressing scenes and news coming from Gaza, including wilful starvation and the murder of more than 50,000 people, 70% of whom are women and children. Every day in Gaza, at least ten children lose at least one limb. Just think of the lifelong consequences for them. Yesterday, we saw the horrific shooting in Washington of a young couple who were about to get married. An Irish diplomat was present. We also saw the Israeli defence forces shoot - I will not say "at" - around a diplomatic corps, including some young diplomats from Ireland, which, again, was shocking and appalling. We need to use every single opportunity to call all of that out.

Next Thursday, the Tánaiste will be in the Seanad to discuss Gaza and give us the timeline for the occupied territories Bill. This is something we are all engaged about and with, and want to see progress on. We will all have the opportunity to speak. It will take place slightly earlier at 9 a.m. next Thursday. That is important. I will also reference the decision, which was mentioned by the Senator, to review the EU-Israel association agreement to examine compliance with human rights. This is something that Ireland first called for last year. Spain joined with that call. We must do everything to let Israel know that the world is watching and what we find absolutely unacceptable. The Taoiseach spoke about this last night. He said that he would do everything to ensure that work was put in place and the recommendations would be implemented. Increasingly, there is more support for that stance, but having had the opportunity in a different organisation, INPACE, to speak about Gaza, I was quite shocked at the level of support for Israel. Europe is not speaking with one voice and we need to speak with one voice.

Senator McCarthy spoke about the sadness and tragedy of addiction, marginalisation and homelessness for those suffering from addiction, and the waiting list for detox beds. He is right that it is important to give people a second chance, and an opportunity for recovery, to build their own lives and to rebuild the lives of their families. It is always important to have hope and to give that opportunity. The Senator is hosting a briefing in the audiovisual room at 12.30 p.m. I certainly encourage anybody who can go to it to do so.

Senator Ryan spoke about a serious accident at a junction in her constituency. I am glad that no fatality occurred but these are all warning signs. She mentioned the fact that Cork County Council was constrained by funding. A staggered junction is a very expensive thing to do. We will ask the Minister to attend to speak about the current funding for road safety and the criteria that are used. That is something that would be of interest to all.

Senator Costello spoke about Citywise. It is wonderful to hear about organisations such as Citywise that operate a very proactive and positive model supporting young people and their families and catering for children both out of school and after school. She mentioned that approximately 500 young people attended the Durkan Centre. It is so important to positively endorse that work. The annual awards she mentioned support the encouragement and determination of young people. I commend all of those involved. Senator Craughwell spoke about the situation involving one of the members of our diplomatic corps, Feilim McLaughlin, in Israel. We are served by excellent diplomats all around the world. I have had the opportunity, as have others, to meet people in different missions. We are extremely well served. The incident that happened yesterday, where people set out to intimidate those who were trying to find a pathway for peace and a way for us to support the vulnerable, was shocking.

Senator Tully spoke about a large multinational taking over a store in Cavan and the fact that local suppliers were told they had to take a 40% cut. That is shocking. The model we all want to see right around the country is one where we have food security, there is sustainability of supply and people are paid fairly. That is why a commitment was made by the Minister of State, Deputy Charlie McConalogue, when he was Minister for agriculture, to set up a department to address the cost of supply and ensure everybody was getting a fair price. This case should be referred there. Senator Tully called for a ban on below-cost selling. I agree that we need to have a debate with the Ministers for agriculture and enterprise and to perhaps widen it out to the new and important position that was created approximately two years ago.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony spoke about the concerns of the farming community, and rightly so. When we are at this point in the procedure and we are looking at potential changes in CAP, it is nearly like looking down the barrel of a gun for those who operate within the agricultural sector. It is getting more difficult. We need to ensure that the CAP funding is ring-fenced for agriculture and food security. We will invite the Minister, Deputy Heydon, to attend.

Senator Andrews spoke about the situation with Kneecap. While I may have a reservation about what happened yesterday in terms of bringing them in, I have to say I would not support anybody flying a flag for Hezbollah and I would not support anybody using the term "Kill Tories" in his or her songs. I was listening to a piece on this on "Morning Ireland" this morning, and it was interesting. It said that, no matter what, Kneecap were taking it in their stride, it was adding to their notoriety and they were not going to lose any concerts because of it. While I was surprised by what happened, we still have to call out people who support terrorists and have a chant, bearing in mind that two MPs were murdered in the UK over the past few years.

The Senator also spoke about post offices, as did my colleague Senator Fitzpatrick. It is a shame to see the office on St. Andrew's Street closing on a Saturday. It is a very fine post office, one of the finest that we have in the country. We are seeing the Rathmines office being sold off. Senators Andrews and Fitzpatrick spoke about the presentation we had with the Irish Postmasters Union yesterday, which said that the equivalent of €3, or one cup of coffee, per citizen per year would support post offices. There is no option but to do that. Post offices are a lifeline in many communities, urban and rural. The service they give is second to none. When I had to go to buy a Leap card, because Newbridge is finally covered by the Leap card system, I was delighted to find I could get it in the post office. I could go in on a Saturday and get it. Long live all our post offices and our postmasters. They do a wonderful job. We will look for a debate on it.

Senator Rabbitte raised a good point regarding apprenticeships in the education and training boards. It has been wonderful to see the apprenticeships that have been added and developed over the past number of years. We know that there is a shortage in terms of health and social care. It makes sense to me to have apprenticeships in, as the Senator said, occupational therapy and speech therapy. We need to make those available. We will look for the Minister for higher education to attend the House. It is something that we can ask to be raised within the higher education committee.

Senator Conway spoke about the difference between Ireland and New Zealand. It is a very fine country and I was privileged enough to visit it once. The Senator compared the amount of airports and so on. We are in a different situation. Ireland has the land bridge, which facilitates us in going through Britain to France and so forth, and we have a very good ferry service. That said, we need to look at the viability of all of our regional airports. We will ask for a debate on that. Many of them got funding last week, I believe. The sunny south east is a beautiful part of the country. We want to encourage people all around and outside of Ireland to go into Waterford and explore it.