Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I am delighted to congratulate France and its people on their national date, known as Bastille Day, which we will celebrate on Monday, 14 July. I welcome the ambassador, H.E. Céline Place, who is accompanied by an Cathaoirleach, Senator Daly, the convener of the Irish-French parliamentary friendship group, Deputy Barry Ward, and staff from the embassy. They are all very welcome to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. I hope they enjoy their day. I extend best wishes to all in France for Bastille Day.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I add my voice of welcome to our distinguished guests from France. We look forward to celebrating with them on Monday.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of the Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 60(6)) (Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry) Regulations 2025, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, statements on various transport matters, including BusConnects, the regional bus network, the western rail corridor and increasing capacity at regional airports, 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, the time for group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes, that of all other Senators not to exceed four minutes, and time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than eight minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 3, Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025 - Second Stage, to be taken at 1.30 p.m. and to conclude at 3.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, the time of group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes, that of all other Senators not to exceed four minutes, and time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than eight minutes to reply to the debate.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I join in the welcome to our distinguished guests. We stand in solidarity with the victims and families of the genocide in Srebrenica and we renew our call for an end to the genocide in Gaza.

On domestic matters, I welcome the announcement by the Minister for justice of his intention to bring a memorandum to Cabinet next week, on 15 July, regarding the personal injuries guidelines. I am sure his communication yesterday will be welcomed and not only by other Members of the House. I commend Senator Nelson Murray. Senators have worked very hard to support small businesses and enterprises throughout the country and address this issue. The Minister was constrained and compelled by legislation to bring forward a memorandum but he does not need to seek approval for a resolution and he has indicated this is his intention. I welcome that. It is a very welcome reprieve for small businesses throughout the country.

I congratulate the team at the Gate Theatre at the top of O'Connell Street. It is part of the Rotunda complex. Last night, it had its opening night of the Martin McDonagh play The Pillowman. The play is an exceptional production with exceptional acting. It is a unique piece of theatre to be staged in Dublin. It is not for the faint-hearted. The acting is superb. It is incredibly witty and delivered with great emotion. Very weirdly, it examines the deepest and darkest elements of the human condition. I encourage everybody to support the Gate Theatre and see the play. It is an exceptional production. I wish it well with the run.

Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)
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I very much welcome our distinguished guests to the Gallery. They will enjoy sunshine at the weekend. The weather is looking good so they are very lucky.

I feel the need to speak today because the rejection yesterday of the personal injuries guidelines was momentous for every hard-working small business and for every community group, festival about to be organised, sports club, GAA club and motorist. It was the right decision. I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, for that decision. I thank the subcommittee on insurance, which met yesterday.I thank my Fianna Fáil colleagues and Senators Byrne and Crowe who stood up on this issue. It took a team, including Sinn Féin colleagues and Independents. Everyone stood up and had a go at the personal injury guidelines because we could all see it was the right thing do. Yesterday would have been wrong time for this to happen, when businesses are under such immense pressure with the increased cost of doing business and everything they are faced with.

The proposed increase probably would have been rounded up to 20% by insurance companies. I had messages from people saying if their insurance were to go up any more, it would be detrimental to their business. That is not to take away from the fact there are many businesses, groups and festivals that still cannot get insurance. We still have a lot of work to do on insurance reform. For example, the play centre sector, which I am involved in, organised a group scheme about six years ago. If we did not have a group scheme, there would not be a play centre insured in Ireland. We all have to come together - there are more than 100 centres involved - and get insurance that way. It is still not sorted out and there is still a lot of work to do but I welcome what happened yesterday. We can see the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, did his due diligence and thought about what he was doing. He made the right call. I raised the issue about 11 times in the House - I was not counting, I swear. I really appreciate this decision, My Fine Gael colleagues and I brought a motion on this issue four weeks ago, which had the full support of the House. I thank Senators for that.

It would be remiss of me, in my last 20 seconds, not to wish the Meath GAA team the best of luck this weekend as we face Donegal in the men's senior semi-final and also the ladies who are playing the following week. I urge everyone in Meath to come out for both the men and women. They are both equally important. The best of luck to them.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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Bienvenue en Irlande to our French allies and great friends. Vive la France. It is great to celebrate France and Ireland; the Iiberté, égalité, fraternité, and now sororité, that exist between our countries. Today also marks the anniversary of the massacre at Srebrenica. I was proud to serve in former Yugoslavia with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and to be part of the peacebuilding in the former Yugoslavia, in Banja Luka and Prijedor. This reminds me of the genocidal actions of the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces are a multiconfessional army. It has Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Bedouin Arabs, Druze and Christians. Criticism of the Israel Defense Forces is not criticism of Jews or Judaism; it is criticism of war crimes. The femicide, infanticide and mass murder - the slaughter - of the innocent in Gaza are war crimes. Netanyahu is a war criminal. We remember that today. Hopefully, we will see some movement towards a ceasefire, and a permanent one at that.

I raise the issue of more than 100 members of the Air Corps in Baldonnel who have died prematurely of different types of cancers, such as pancreatic, bladder cancer, and other unexplained illnesses. That is 100 dead out of a workforce of 1,000. This is a serious issue. If we think that a couple of miles to the east, Dublin Airport has thousands of passenger jets landing and taking off every year, millions of passengers transiting through and aircraft maintenance and we do not have those fatalities, there is something amiss in Baldonnel.

This week, a 56-year-old flight sergeant passed away from pancreatic cancer. In the past three years, we have had two deaths from pancreatic cancer and one from bladder cancer. We speak repeatedly about threats to Ireland from the war in Ukraine and elsewhere but if a chemical weapon had killed one tenth of our Air Corps, we would rightly demand that no stone be left unturned to get to the bottom of this. That is what is happening to our loyal service personnel in Baldonnel and their families. To think if losing a father, husband or brother at the age of 56.

We plan to recruit hundreds or thousands of personnel and acquire new aircraft but we have to ensure we can guarantee their safety. I ask for a debate, possibly in the autumn term, with the Minister for Defence, Deputy Harris, on what measures can be put in place to protect our people.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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As the House knows, the Ryder Cup, a world renowned event, is coming to Adare, County Limerick, in 2027. It would be remiss of us not to look at the tourism prospects this could bring to Ireland. In County Limerick, we have what is called the Desmond trail. It has Adare Castle, Askeaton Castle and Desmond community centre in Newcastle West.

Adare Castle only opens from June to September, with limited space so you will see minibuses going in there. Askeaton Castle has been closed for the past three years until further notice, even though we opened a new parklet a couple of weeks ago in Askeaton town. Askeaton also has an impressive Franciscan friary which would bring an awful lot of tourists to the town.

We need to look at building a tourism plan off the back of the Ryder Cup to ensure tourism is boosted, not just around the time of the Ryder Cup but also in the future. We need to look at OPW sites to see what we can do to get them back up and running all year around. In somewhere like Adare they could be open all year around because it is a big tourist village.

Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats)
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I also pay my respects to the victims of Srebrenica and their families. It is particularly difficult to stand for a minute's silence when we know there is also a genocide happening in Gaza. While standing I was asking myself what day we will be standing to commemorate all the Palestinians who have been slaughtered.

This week, the Journal Investigates team published figures after analysing the wait time for people who had been diagnosed with cancer from diagnosis to the start of their treatment. The target of the national cancer control programme is to start treatment in 90% of cases within 15 days of receiving a diagnosis. To read that in Carlow and Kilkenny, which are served by St. Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny, these targets are being met in only 65% of cases is really shocking. Kilkenny and Waterford hospitals are two of the lowest performing hospitals in the country and both serve large swathes of the south east. Therefore, across the region, cancer services are seriously underperforming. When people get a cancer diagnosis, their world stops. They have panic, all the concerns that come with that and the confusion and fear for their own lives, and for their families and friends. Their whole life is thrown into disarray and all they want is to get started with treatment as soon as possible. We all know the quicker people get treatment, the better their health outcomes. Delayed treatment is not just delay, it is inextricably linked to how successful that treatment will be. The CEO of the Irish Cancer Society said, "This is not just a delay - it can be life altering."

I want to make clear I am not in any way criticising the staff of St. Luke's Hospital or any other hospital. They do Trojan work in extremely difficult circumstances. Again, the Government is letting people down. We need a debate in the new term on the waiting times for cancer patients. We need an update from the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, on what urgent steps are being taken to address these delays and we need to have a discussion on regional disparities for cancer and other treatments. If these waiting times get longer, we risk the health outcomes of people across this country. In a country as rich as Ireland, this is simply not good enough.

Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I highlight that the first ever under-23 all-Ireland camogie final will take place this Saturday in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. It is a battle between Galway and Cork and throw-in is at 2 p.m. I encourage anyone in the area and from my county to attend and see history in the making, as the camogie association has rightly marketed it. I wish both teams well, although I am hoping the cup's first trip will be westward.

Similar to Senator Stephenson, I raise the reporting done this week by The Journal on the failure of our hospitals to meet treatment target times for cancer patients.Hospitals have a target to start treating 90% of patients within 15 working days on medications such as chemotherapy. From a Galway perspective, figures compiled by The Journalshow that, although the figure for UHG was 91% in 2023, it fell to 76% in 2024. So far, the figure to date for 2025 is 73%. At Portiuncula hospital, Ballinasloe, the figures went from 53% in 2023, which was considerably low, to 74% in 2024, and has increased slightly to 75% this year. The issue has affected hospitals throughout the country. Many others have worse rates than those in Galway. Indeed, The Journal found that "since 2023, all but one of the public hospitals offering these life-saving treatments missed the HSE’s monthly target at least once". Meeting these targets is critical for our patients. This is not like the delays in other areas, which are inconvenient. Delays in starting cancer treatment can be massively life-altering.

We need to quickly examine how we can best address this. It will likely require additional investment in some form ahead of budget 2026. This needs to be priority. I would be grateful if the Leader were able to raise the issue with the current Minister for Health and if she could attend the House at her earliest convenience.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I want to raise an issue I brought up in the past but have got no feedback on it yet, namely, the issue of the benefit-in-kind scheme for the National Ambulance Service. The Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, said she passed it on to the Minister for Finance. The Revenue Commissioners have to make the decision on this. It has been four months since first I brought it up in this House, which is plenty of time for them to make a decision on it.

At the end of the day, do these people not understand rural Ireland? Not all of us live in cities.

Having that vehicle at the side of the house means that, when a 999 call comes in, people who are off-duty are still able to respond and go to their local communities, like GAA clubs. These workers are a great benefit to the country, to be honest. It is a small issue that needs to be sorted out. It would provide great value for the rural communities. In Donegal, for example, we could be an hour and a half away from the major hospital in Letterkenny. There is no cover at the weekends. These people are turning out. I have seen them and have heard stories that they were not even on duty but they turned out. We need to get on top of this and try to get the Revenue Commissioners to make a decision on it in order that we know where it is going.

I wish Donegal all the best on Sunday. I hope we will be in the final.

Aubrey McCarthy (Independent)
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I echo the concerns of my fellow Senators regarding what is happening between Israel and Gaza at the moment. Yesterday, I had a visit from the Ukrainian ambassador and officials from her embassy. She said that it seems that Ukraine is forgotten about. Overnight, there were drones and attacks in Kyiv again. In recent months, Russia has launched more than 1,000 missiles and drones, devastating homes, hospitals and essential infrastructure. An estimated 700,000 Russian troops are currently active in Ukrainian territory. The scale of the destruction is vast. Entire cities have been reduced to rubble. The true toll in civilian numbers is unknown. It is not merely a geopolitical conflict; it is a grave humanitarian crisis.

Ireland really played its part and we have certainly welcomed more than 100,000 Ukrainians into Ireland. Ukraine must not be forgotten. It is defending the border of Europe. Ireland must continue to stand firm with Ukraine, not just in spirit, but in real, tangible support. Our role in humanitarian assistance was complimented by the ambassador yesterday, but she is asking for advocacy for international accountability in this conflict. Ukraine's fight is a fight to preserve the principle of freedom and sovereignty within Europe, as well as the democratic values that all of us in this House share. I urge the Leader and fellow Senators to reaffirm our commitment to supporting Ukraine during a very dark hour, through aid and solidarity as well as an unwavering voice for peace in Europe.

Anne Rabbitte (Fianna Fail)
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I raise the issue of Portiuncula hospital and the moving of high-risk pregnancy and antenatal care from Portiuncula to University Hospital Galway or to the Midlands hospital in Portlaoise. While I understand that we must put the care and protection of the mum and the baby and the risk elimination front and centre at all times, it is important that I also raise that we were in this situation in 2018. A report in 2018 identified an awful lot of the same issues then as were raised yesterday by the Saolta group. I have my concerns as to why we have found ourselves back here again. I have concerns regarding the capacity of other hospitals to be able to cater and support high-risk pregnancies and antenatal care. I also have a query. If all the critical cases and high-risk care are removed, what is the capacity to retain the staff to ensure their skills are kept up while the review is ongoing? At the same time, in terms of what fell short in 2018 in relation to governance and oversight, I have to query where the governance and oversight from the clinical side fell down on this particular case.

The programme for Government commits to a review of the maternity strategy. I would like to hear from the Minister as to where we are going with the maternity strategy. When will it be brought forward to be reviewed? I also acknowledge the support of the Minister for Portiuncula in the past six months since she came into office. There are critical concerns and a lot of upset today on our side of the county.

Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
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Today, I have two issues. The first is to seek a clear and urgent update following the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton's recent visit to St. John of God services in St. Francis's Special School and St. Mary's of the Angels in Beaufort, County Kerry. There is a need for new respite day services in Beaufort. That visit gave families, staff and the wider community some hope that the State and agencies, such as the HSE and St. John of God, are finally listening. We now need them to turn that hope into action. What is needed is not just the restoration of services but also the development of a new purpose-built respite day service on site in Beaufort. The demand is growing, the need is undeniable and the local commitment from staff and families is unwavering. Respite day services offer more than just relief to families; they offer dignity, routine and quality of life to those with complex needs. These families are not asking for extras but for basic support that should be the bedrock of any compassionate society. I am asking for the Minister of State to come to the floor of this House with a comprehensive and successful report on that, now that the stakeholders are meeting, which is good.

Second, I am looking for clarity and urgency on a matter that is not just critical for the north Kerry area, where I come from, but for national energy security and the status of the LNG project. As we all know, Ireland currently has no gas storage solution. That is an extraordinary and, frankly, unsustainable position for any modern economy, especially at a time when geopolitical tensions and energy market volatility are the new norm. I understand, very importantly, that Gas Networks Ireland has opened the door to private ownership of the proposed €900 million Shannon LNG terminal. This marks a significant shift, with the potential to begin the project's real momentum after years of delay and uncertainty. Equally noteworthy is that they are willing to consider a power-purchase agreement or lease agreement with a corporate partner, signalling a move away from the State-owned floating storage model. That could accelerate development, encourage private investment and, most important, secure our energy supply on the Shannon Estuary. What we now need is clarity for the investors and communities. I call on the Minister to outline the Government's current position on the Shannon energy project. Has there been meaningful engagement with potential private partners? What timelines are we working toward? What supports will be provided to ensure this project can move from planning to production? We are in the summer recess now. I call on the Minister to come and give us an update on that.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat.

Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
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May I finish? I hate to be the last person here to speak about their county. The Kerry senior football men are coming back up to Dublin to represent a very proud county in football terms. I have heard the Donegal and the Cork anthems in the past couple weeks. I have kept quiet until now.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator missed mentioning Meath.

Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
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Yes. I wish the Kerry boys all the best on Saturday.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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Israeli citizens can enter Ireland without a visa, yet yesterday 33 children and 14 mentors from Palestine GAA had their dreams of visiting Ireland in a couple weeks pulled from under them when their visa applications were denied by the Irish immigration service. It is a painful double standard that those living under apartheid are burdened with yet another layer of exclusion and discrimination while those enforcing it are welcomed with no restrictions. Clearly, the Government’s so-called claim of solidarity with the people of Palestine only goes so far. How can our Government say they are pro-Palestine when their actions prove to be pro-Israel? These are children who have barely left their refugee camp, never mind their country. They have never been to the beach, or on a plane or a train. They have never known what it feels to be truly free. They live in constant fear of being bombed, shot or imprisoned without trial. They live in fear of taking the wrong road or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The trip was going to be two weeks’ respite for them. My head spins when I hear the Tánaiste and Government Ministers get up and say they support Palestine and support sanctioning Israel, and yet their actions lead to the rejection of 33 children coming here to play GAA for two weeks during the summer. Palestinians are, unfortunately, used to being let down by others. Ireland cannot be another one to let them down. We owe them that much. Give them their visas. Let them in, just like the Government lets in Israeli citizens. It is important that the Minister for Justice comes in and explains the logic for refusing 33 young kids coming here to play sport for just two weeks in the summer. It is completely unreasonable and unfair. It highlights the double standards between the Government’s talk and claims and its actions.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Deputy Leader to call the Minister of State with responsibility for local government, John Cummins, to the House. A topic I had discussed and have been working on for quite a while is the security allowance for councillors. I am delighted there has been movement on it. I praise the Minister of State and the senior line Minister, James Browne, on this. Much of it has been aired in the media so far. The various councillors are asking us questions about the circular and looking for the nitty-gritty details, but we do not have the exact answers. We could do with a bit of clarity on it. We could delve through the detail in it. It would be worthwhile to bring the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, to the House to talk about his good news announcement so we can get it rolled out with the councillors. This came about on foot of the serious concerns of gardaí regarding security for elected representatives. I am delighted the Minister of State has followed up and is taking this seriously. It is a worthwhile debate. We should have it soon; next week if possible or, if not, when we return in the autumn.

Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael)
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I rise today following a meeting yesterday with the Irish Hotels Federation, IHF, which is a representative body that represents more than 900 hotels and guesthouses employing approximately 66,000 people nationally. We in this House are all familiar with their ask with regard to the VAT rate. However, I wish to look a bit further and call for a discussion in this House on how we can support them in training up their staff. There is no training fund for that sector. Many of the institutes have to pay for that out of their own funds. It is a very important sector. We have invested heavily in our tourism sector in this country and we need the IHF to provide the bed nights and the other services to our visitors to make use of and value our investment. I call for a discussion on training but also on sustainability, and supporting that sector in accessing sustainability funding so that it can reduce its carbon footprint and costs. Like every business, this sector is under significant pressure. I would welcome a discussion on that. It is possibly too late for next week, but we could discuss it early in the next term.

While I am standing, I also mention the personal injuries guidelines. I compliment the Minister, Deputy Jim O’Callaghan, and the subcommittee on insurance reform. I compliment all the Members of this House who raised this issue in recent weeks and months, especially Senator Linda Nelson Murray. It is great to see that the Minister has listened to the representations and has supported the businesses that this would have a big effect on.

Joe Conway (Independent)
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We often have heard the expression than an Englishman’s home is his castle. If that be the case, many of us feel that an Irishman’s or Irishwoman’s home is their birthright. I think that is engendered by the fact that most of us were lucky enough to grow up in secure homes. They would not have been palatial, but they would have wrapped around us not just walls but the wall of love that we all grew up in. It distresses me when I talk to the younger generation and hear them say, with resignation in their voices, that they do not think they will ever own a home of their own.

To that point, I read an interesting article by Eoghan Dalton in The Journal this morning about 80 homes in Portlaoise that are ready, finished and impeccably turned out, but the people who have bought them cannot move in because of lack of capacity in the ESB substation in Portlaoise. We have talked a lot in the past few weeks about planning and balanced planning. That strikes me as the nadir of planning - that houses are fitted out and finished but the people who have bought them cannot move in. They are not sure if they will be able to move in for Christmas now, having been promised last January. I would like to solicit the assistance or interest of the politicians in the Seanad and the other House, particularly from the Laois-Offaly constituency, to get on to the ESB to see what the heck is going on. It is not a very seemly manifestation of how we are planning for the housing crisis.

In the few seconds left to me, I would like to pick up on what Senator Paul Daly said yesterday when he spoke up for farm safety. I did not get the time to do so yesterday, but it would be well worthwhile if we could give great publicity to that. I would say everybody in this House knows somebody who has lost a life on a farm. It is important that it be underscored.

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Fianna Fail)
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I rise to welcome the announcement by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, of a commission of investigation into historic sexual abuse in day schools and boarding schools. When one thinks of abuse, one is inclined to think of the homes that were going at the time. They forget that it happened in boarding schools and schools, just because a child was going to school and going home at 3 p.m. Between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., in many schools, many bad things happened.I welcome that the Minister is doing this. I would like to bring her before the House so she can go through the terms of reference and what she intends doing with the whole thing. It is very important we get this right and acknowledge the awful things that did happen in regular schools and not just homes. I would like that she come before us, please.

Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent)
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To add a comment to the other topics, in relation to the electricity connections, we need to talk a little bit about data centres given the rolling cuts we all saw yesterday and the fact we have had a massive escalation in energy and electricity demand from it, over 200% of an increase. It is an elephant in the room and it needs to be addressed. Even in Portlaoise, where there is apparently a difficulty in connecting houses, there are new data centres going in there. We have to be honest, that if we bring in something that is using 21% and might use 30% of our electricity, that is having an impact on our electricity security and needs serious, genuine thought and action.

Regarding visas, I hope we can have a compassionate approach over the summer. We are seeing too many situations in relation to medical visas and student visas for travel. These are students from Palestine who hope to start in September and who are still waiting for their visas and to make transport arrangements, and, of course, it relates to the planned GAA tour. I am genuinely hoping these will be addressed. I really urge Government members to press the Minister so that we would not have a rolling series of heartbreaks over the summer but actual humanity shown to the extremely small numbers who have managed to find a possible way to travel and to live normal lives in these horrendous times.

I want to quickly speak to the cost of fees and the changes relating to them. We know Ireland massively underspends on higher education. We are at 3.2%. The European average is 4.5% with many countries well over that. The cost and the knock-on effect of the gap that has been identified in terms of higher education funding has come to press those who are working in the institutions through the insecurity of their contracts but also, crucially, the impact is being felt by students. Bearing in mind we are meant to have free higher education in Ireland which was the goal many years ago and the breakthrough, the idea is that taking fees from €3,000 to €2,000 was made as a cost-of-living measure and that it would now be removed when we know the cost of living has not gone down at all, particularly not for students in terms of accommodation. Research from NUI Galway found student accommodation costs in Ireland and Dublin are among the highest in the European Union. The general cost of living for Ireland is also one of the highest costs in the European Union. Students are incredibly burdened by the cost of undertaking education. The Minister, Deputy Browne, said there would be no exemptions or supports from the reforms in rental pressure zones. Landlords will be able to raise rents as they see fit for all new tenancies. PhD students, who are carrying out some of the most important research here in Ireland, are often receiving just €22,000 per annum or €1,830 per month to survive and live on. I appeal that we have, even at this late stage, a debate on this before we rise for the recess. The idea of layering an extra €1,000 a year on students who are already struggling means we will have students losing out and we will lose out on the diversity of those taking part in higher education, and that has a knock-on effect for society which is deeply negative.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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We began with Senator Mary Fitzpatrick, who spoke about the decision announced yesterday by the Minister for justice on the recommendation that came from the Judiciary regarding a rise of 16.9% in personal injuries awards. He made the decision before the subcommittee met that he would not be recommending it. It is very welcome news, I have no doubt there was possibly an interesting voice note left for Fine Gael Senators and parliamentary party members in relation to that. I have always had belief in the Minster's judgement in terms of doing the right thing and he certainly did. It is not without its risks either. There is a concern that the Injuries Resolution Board may be bypassed now because payments will not be keeping in line with inflation and claims will go straight to the High Courts and bring costs up. We do always have to try to bring a bit of balance into it. To be fair, there is a concern regarding the action plan on insurance, which was successful at a level, and I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, on it and I know he is working on the second action plan now, that the cost reductions that have been achieved have not been passed on to the consumer. We have to work collectively to ensure it is the consumer, the businessperson, the individual who gets the benefit of the cost reduction. That is really important.

Senator Fitzpatrick also recommended we all go to see The Pillowman. Conor McPherson is an incredible playwright, and we are lucky to have someone of his calibre. I must check out how long The Pillowman is running for at The Gate and possibly take the opportunity to go.

Senator Nelson Murray also spoke about the Minister for justice's decision of yesterday. The Senator, along with many of my colleagues, did raise the issue and did a lot of good work in relation to the leisure business. I know Tracy Smullen has taken that on. I know Tracy and she is someone who had been in regular contact in that regard. There are a lot of people who rely on having a robust, effective and affordable insurance scheme to be able to keep their businesses going. It is important.

Around this time of year, we all wear our tribal jerseys. We have had good wishes to a lot of different teams. May the best team win is what we will say about all of them.

Senator Clonan spoke about his own peacekeeping work, along with the Defence Forces. I commend him and all of those who have served in peacekeeping. He spoke about the slaughter of the innocents which is shocking on every single lever. He also raised an issue about Baldonnel and that 100 members of the Air Corps, which is a very significant - 10% of those who are there, have passed away from cancer. Our deepest sympathies go to the latest gentleman who passed away during the week. I am not doubting Senator Clonan but obviously a lot of research needs to go into this particular allegation, but we will bring it to the Tánaiste's attention as Minister for Defence, ask for information on it and look for a debate on it in the autumn.

Senator Collins spoke about the Ryder Cup coming to Adare, which is a beautiful village, the great potential for tourism in Adare and around Limerick, and mentioned the fact that a number of the local castles have been closed for periods of months and years. We will ask the OPW and the Minister to look at this. The Senator is right that there is great potential there and it needs to be taken up, particularly in that part of the country.

Senator Stephenson spoke about a Journal Investigates article, and Senator Crowe spoke about this, about a national survey and targets for starting treatments for cancer patients not being met at all. Senator Stephenson pointed out it concerned women in particular.I totally appreciate that when someone gets a diagnosis, that person's life is in disarray. There are so many different things to organise and plan. It is life altering. All that person wants to do is start treatment as soon as possible. There are regional disparities. We will look for a debate with the Minister for Health on that.

Senator Crowe also mentioned that Ballinasloe needed to be a priority and that, in Galway, the figures went from 91% in 2023 to 76% in 2024. The figure for this year is approximately 73%. He mentioned that, for the first time ever, there would be an under-23 Camogie final in Limerick. We will wear our tribal colours for Galway versus Cork. I am sure Senator Rabbitte will also be shouting for Galway.

Senator Boyle spoke about the ambulance service, which he raised previously, and the fact the Minister for Health had referred the matter to the Minister for Finance. He asked whether these people understood rural life. Both those people are Fine Gael Ministers, so I assume he has taken the opportunity to speak to both. We all support what he is looking for. It needs to be sorted out. Donegal needs a good ambulance service, as does everywhere in the country.

I understand what Senator McCarthy is saying. He spoke about the Ukrainian ambassador being concerned that Ukraine was being forgotten about in the heat of Israel and Palestine. There was an interesting presentation from European Movement Ireland at the European Affairs committee yesterday. It commissioned a survey, which was carried out by Amárach. Ukraine was third on the list of concerns people had. Out of the top five areas of concern - I questioned this - Gaza was not there at all, which really surprised me. It was first in Northern Ireland for those who participated in the survey, but Ukraine was No. 3. We absolutely have to reaffirm through solidarity. We certainly hope that war of aggression by Russia ends soon.

Senator Rabbitte spoke about Portiuncula hospital, high-risk pregnancies and antenatal care. She is right that we have to have the best care and best protection for mum and child. This was raised in 2018, when a particular survey was done. I understand from what the Senator said that what is being suggested is potentially moving those mums to another hospital. She raised a concern about the capacity to then retain staff. It is a key issue. As she said, there is a commitment to a review of the maternity strategy in the programme for Government. We will look for the Minister for Health to come in on the national strategy and ask her to address the situation at Portiuncula.

Senator Kennelly spoke about the new respite day services that are needed in Beaufort. Apparently, there is a very good service there, which the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, recently visited. There is a clear demand and a growing need. It is certainly undeniable that the quality of life of the individual, and his or her family, is improved so much when there is respite care. In that context, we will ask for a full debate on respite care. We will ask the Minister to reference Beaufort in that. It is an issue that impacts on many throughout the country.

Senator Kennelly also mentioned the Shannon energy project and the need for security of energy supply, which is crucial for everything. The supply of energy gives us many answers to many challenges and issues. We need clarity. We will ask about it, but I suggest a Commencement matter, maybe next week, would be worthy in that regard.

I share Senator Andrews's dismay that those visas were not allowed. As he knows, I spoke about this earlier in the week and about another group from Lahiya, which is in the West Bank, whose members hope to come over. They have had delays and have now put out their timeframe for a longer period. I spoke to the Minister's office after I raised the matter. The Senator is right that we need to have a compassionate, humanitarian approach. At the same time, over the past few years, the public we represent have been very clear that they want to ensure there are checks and balances regarding anybody looking for a visa to come to this country. We are clear that we need to have a robust system. From talking to the Minister's office, my understanding is that, unfortunately, the paperwork was not up to scratch. It was not the Minister's decision, but the officials decided the paperwork that was presented was not robust in this particular situation. It is a question of balance. We need a humanitarian approach but we also need checks and balances for visas, no matter where anybody is coming from.

It was also a very frustrating situation, when I worked with Special Olympics and we were organising the World Games in 2003. The biggest headache was that process of trying to ensure people got visas, especially for underdeveloped countries that we really wanted to come and have a very positive experience in Ireland. Some just did not get visas. I remember having the task of telling eight host towns, which put in two years' work to prepare, about four days before the games started that those countries were not coming. I will always remember the disappointment and having to do that because of the whole visa system. It is very regrettable, but we will send the message that it is very important to have a humanitarian, compassionate approach to that.

Senator Davitt spoke about the need for the Minister for local government to come to the House to talk about the security allowance for councillors. I do not know the detail on it but I understand there was an announcement on this yesterday. It is very important. All of us worked collectively on that. Sadly, we are living in a difficult world where people think that any public representative is fair game. It is important that if we as Members of the Oireachtas can get a security allowance, then councillors can also have that opportunity. It certainly is very welcome news.

Senator Scahill spoke about the meeting with the Irish Hotels Federation, which represents a sector that employs 66,000 people nationally. He raised a very good point. I was also there and while the VAT issue is important, Ms Mary Fennin-Byrne from Clanard Court Hotel, Athy, which is an excellent hotel, raised the issue of staff training with me. I spoke to the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, about it last night. He is willing to look at that, to look at the sector and to look at what we can do to support it. Ms Fennin-Byrne raised the point that it was now quite difficult to attract chefs. Whether it is the hotel industry, restaurants or coffee shops, we need to support our hospitality trade because when we attract tourists, that is what they come for. They come for good food and good service, and we need to be able to deliver that. The Minister is certainly willing to look at it to see what he can do. We will look for a debate with him on that in the autumn. Senator Scahill also raised the situation in respect of insurance.

Senator Conway spoke about the issue of connections in Portlaoise and that the ESB had not connected houses. It is appalling, but the Minister, Deputy Browne, is looking into the situation. We have to have that. The Senator also spoke about farm safety. I understand from my colleague, Senator Rabbitte, that the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, launched a tractor safety scheme last Monday.Looking at the number of farm deaths around the country, we cannot be too careful. I know Senator Daly raised the issue the week before the last and I heard some of the radio debate about young people being able to drive tractors at 16 years of age. While not wanting to take away from the licence aspect, it is important that there be mandatory training for young people. Tractors are very powerful vehicles. The first vehicle I drove was a tractor, although I may not have driven it too far. Having been brought up on a farm, I know it is very important that we have mandatory training.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony spoke about the investigation the Minister, Deputy McEntee, announced. It is certainly very welcome but it is important that we have the opportunity to look at the terms of reference, etc. We will ask the Minister to come to the House in the autumn.

Senator Higgins spoke about the increase in the number of data centres. While I understand what she is saying, at the same time, if we are going to support the AI revolution and try to become a leader in innovation, technology and the changes taking place in the business world, we need to have data centres. Going back to the point about LNG and the Shannon terminal, it is about being able to provide energy and having that wider debate.

Senator Higgins also spoke about the cost of fees. The new limits for SUSI mean grants, including accommodation grants, are available to families with an income of up to €115,000. That is very significant and we cannot lose sight of it. The vast majority of young people going into higher education would be able to avail of those. When we are talking about the cost of higher education, we also need to factor in more than just the cost for students. Obviously, we need to do everything we can to support students but it is also about the investment in our campuses and staff. When I was chair of the Oireachtas education committee, we spent a long time considering the Cassells report, which was about the investment needed in capital and IT infrastructure in our third level colleges. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, announced welcome and much-needed investment in four universities three or four weeks ago. A balance is needed between what we can do for students, which we need to do, and State investment in the organisations that are providing third level education.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome to the Visitors Gallery Deputy Michael Murphy from Tipperary South and his guests, Seamus Doherty, Martha Kerton and Mary Harrington. I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House and the Seanad. They are very welcome.