Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call on the Leader to outline the proposed Order of Business, I welcome the guests of the Leader, Paul Stewart and a group from Oughterard active retirement group. The guests of Senator Seán Kyne are most welcome here to Seanad Éireann.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025, changed from the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2025 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 4.30 p.m. or on the conclusion of the Order of Business, whichever is the later, and to adjourn at 5.30 p.m. if not previously concluded; and No. 2, Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 5.30 p.m., and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 9 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by Government.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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Last Thursday, when I was taking the Order of Business, people were talking about their various football teams and I talked about wearing our jerseys. Today, I am very proud to be wearing my jersey of nearly white to congratulate the terrific performance of the Kildare footballers in Croke Park on Saturday where they won the Tailteann Cup. I give a huge congratulations to the manager, Brian Flanagan, and to Kevin Feely from Athy, who captained the team. Of course, that goes along with cementing the great win we had in hurling with the winning of the McDonagh Cup. I congratulate Brian Dowling, the manager, and Rian Boran from Naas, who was the captain. Yesterday, we heard that Brendan Cawley from Sarsfields in Newbridge will be refereeing the All-Ireland final between Kerry and Donegal. It has been a great season for the Lilywhites.

On Friday, I had the opportunity to visit Kildare Village, which is always a pleasure. In this particular instance, the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, officially launched the Kildare Village Assured programme. That is a new educational certificate for retail staff at Kildare Village. That is a collaboration with the retail complex. It was the idea of the incredible Maureen Bergin and the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board, KWETB. The programme is certified by City & Guilds. It offers a formal recognition of on-the-job learning in retail. That is really important. It provides a digital badge and career development within top-class brands. It is a great model of how industry and education can work together to support workers and strengthen the economy. It is a great blueprint we could copy and it absolutely should be adapted to the hospitality industry. We should extend it to the hospitality industry. In September, we should have a debate with the Minister, Deputy Lawless, as to how we can do that. This was the warmest weekend of the year, as we are all aware. Thousands of residents in north-west Kildare were again left without water with a decision to turn off the reservoir in Allenwood. It was very challenging for families to keep hydrated and very difficult for farmers. I get that Uisce Éireann has to ask people to conserve water, absolutely, but to once again have a situation where people are left without water signifies a real lack of planning, and we need to have a debate.

I raise the issue of the N81, which runs from Tallaght to Tullow through west and south Wicklow and through south Kildare and Carlow. It is the only national road leading to our capital city that has not been upgraded in the past eight years. It is totally inadequate for traffic, it is unsafe and it does not help economic development. It is beyond time that we had an upgrading of the N81. I would like debate with the Minister in that regard too.

Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
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Today, I will follow on from my colleague and congratulate each of the four senior inter-county men's teams leading into their All-Ireland finals. I wish them all the best - to Cork and Tipperary in the hurling, and Donegal, but primarily and particularly Kerry as well, in reaching the All-Ireland final. I really want to wish all four teams competing the best. We have seen a resurgence in our national games this year with unbelievable hurling games and, thankfully, Gaelic football is back, which leads me on to the issue I need to raise today regarding Irish Rail.

With such a resurgence and with supporters backing their county teams now because it is a level playing field on the pitch, everyone in their own county is starting to gather at train stations and bus stations or whatever to get to Dublin to support their teams. I am, therefore, raising a very serious matter and calling on Irish Rail to urgently provide additional train services and proper facilities for Kerry supporters travelling to Dublin for the upcoming All-Ireland football final. With thousands of fans set to make the journey, unless action is taken now, supporters could face the same unacceptable conditions that occurred last weekend when fans were left with overcrowded trains and insufficient services. Indeed, it was Kildare and Limerick in the Tailteann Cup final when Kildare and Limerick supporters found difficulty in getting to Dublin. There were three trains from Kerry but, unfortunately, one of those was leaving at 7 o'clock. The game started at 5 o'clock, so everyone came to Heuston Station for the 9 o'clock train. It was uncomfortable and people stood for four hours on a train trip to Tralee. It was totally unacceptable.

I am calling on Irish Rail to add more trains both to and from Dublin to match the expected demand; ensure all passengers have seats because no one should be standing for their four-hour journey; provide onboard customer service staff for assistance and safety; and very importantly, something that has broken down as well, communicate clearly and early with the public about finalised schedules. With the two biggest days in the GAA calendar fast approaching, the call is clear: supporters must be treated as a priority. I am calling on the Minister for Transport or the National Transport Authority, NTA, to do whatever it takes to sort this. I tried to raise a Commencement matter on this yesterday but due to the day-to-day runnings of Irish Rail, it could not be communicated here. I call on the Leader to get whoever we can get to debate this before the week is out to make sure that every supporter who gets to Dublin in the next two weeks does so safely.

Rónán Mullen (Independent)
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Last week, I spoke about the ridiculous report of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW, and how it wants us to rerun our care referendum on mothers in the home. That committee was not satisfied with the overwhelming rejection by the Irish people of tired modernist thinking and thinks we should try again.I now draw attention to that same committee's commentary on abortion in the Republic of Ireland. The advice it provided predated by days the release by the Department of Health of the annual abortion figures for Ireland, which seemed to have been smuggled out on the last Friday evening in July very shortly before the Oireachtas closed for business. The figures are appalling and distressing. If I were in any of the parties of government of recent years, I would be ashamed and would feel inclined to bring those figures out under the cover of darkness. In 2024, there were 10,852 abortions in Ireland, which was certainly a doubling or more of the pre-2018 figures. So much for the Fine Gael "Safe, legal and rare" mantra, which has led us to where we are now. Is this really what people wanted or expected when they voted to remove protection from unborn children some years ago?

I remember well when Irish media would not carry any advertisement that had the claim that the pro-life clause in our Constitution saved more than 100,000 lives over 30 years. They said it was misinformation. We are a mere six years on and now we know because the abortion death toll has reached more than 55,000 lives lost. Let us think of the children who would now be alive if we had not taken that step in 2018, but CEDAW prefers to lecture us on what it calls persistent barriers to local, timely, equitable and accessible services. Let us imagine talking about barriers to services when one in six children is now being aborted annually. Can there ever be enough abortions for the UN?

The Government does not stop at letting the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women tell us what we should do. The Irish representative on CEDAW has called on Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic to decriminalise abortion. We have pressurised El Salvador and Malta to broaden abortion access as well. Not only do we abandon our own children, but we seek to influence other countries to abort theirs. It is a truly shameful situation that having embraced death and destruction itself our Government seems to want to drag others into the darkness on this and to further ensure the pace of killing. In very recent years, through the Irish Aid programme, millions of euro in Irish taxpayers' money has been provided to the internationally discredited abortion provider Planned Parenthood.

Some 55,000 children have died since we passed our laws a mere six years ago. The population of Waterford, almost, has been disappeared. It is a tragic and shameful situation. It is an affront to any decent person of conscience and we have to say enough is enough. When will we be big enough to have a debate in our society about whether we made a mistake with this legislation? When will we face up to the reality that this appalling abuse of human rights must be revisited?

Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein)
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Today, the Sinn Féin team will bring the first ever motion on endometriosis care to Dáil Éireann. I am so proud of this motion. Since I first rose to speak about endometriosis and Women's Health Week on 5 March, so many women have reached out to me. We have held nine public meetings and engaged with thousands of women. We heard harrowing stories of the failures they experienced from women and girls, some nine or 14 years old, including women missing parts of their vital organs because we do not have the care in Ireland. I look forward to the debate this evening. I really hope that the Government will support the motion and will support these women.

Endometriosis affects one in ten women in Ireland, so this is not just a small number of women. They are our mothers, sisters and daughters. We all know ten women. We have to stop leaving these women suffer in silence. It is taking an average of nine years for these women to get a diagnosis and it is not acceptable any more. These women have to leave the country on a daily basis to get the care they should be able to get in Ireland. Their stories are just harrowing. The motion was built on the lived experiences of these women. No one can debate those lived experiences. I really look forward to having a debate, hopefully, in the Seanad on the care of endometriosis patients in Ireland.

The second issue I will raise is the passport application process. It is very specific to a query I had in my constituency of Laois, where a mam reached out to me a number of weeks ago. She had applied for a passport for her baby.However, the passport was rejected because the Passport Office was not able to get in contact with the Garda station. She then moved it to the Garda station in Portlaoise and applied again. Last week, she was going to get the passport cancelled again because the Passport Office could not get in contact with the Garda station. Portlaoise Garda station is working to the best of its ability. They are in a temporary station while their station gets done up. Obviously, safety comes first. We do not expect them to sit and man the phones all day. This mam went into the station and asked the garda to call the Passport Office, which they did. The Passport Office said it could not accept a call from the garda calling them. They needed to ring the Garda station. The garda asked if they could call within 45 minutes and they said, "No." It is really farcical. We are expecting gardaí to be responsible for queries in a Passport Office when these are our front-line workers. There has to be a way to have a better process. This woman will end up losing out on her holiday and lots of money because a contact could not be made in a Garda station. It is just unacceptable.

Alison Comyn (Fianna Fail)
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This past Sunday, like many of my Oireachtas colleagues, I had the honour to attend the National Day of Commemoration at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. It was a really moving and dignified ceremony remembering all those who died in past wars and on service with the UN and honouring all who have served in our Defence Forces. While I stood there, I found myself thinking not just of those we lost, but also of those still with us, many of whom are struggling. After the parades and ceremonies, too many of our veterans face serious challenges like homelessness, PTSD, poor mental health, unemployment and family breakdown. Often, they face these struggles in silence. Yesterday, I visited Brú na bhFiann in Smithfield in Dublin city centre, the veterans' hostel run by Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann, ONE. It is a place of real care and respect, helping former Defence Forces members who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. However, they are doing this essential work with limited resources, and that needs to be addressed in the budget. Too often veterans fall through the cracks. The services they need like housing, healthcare and pensions are scattered and difficult to access. That is why I am supporting the call for the establishment of a central veterans support bureau, located in the GPO, a place rich in national symbolism. This bureau could be a one-stop shop offering support with housing, mental health, pensions, job training and access to Defence Forces organisations like ONE and the Irish United Nations Veterans Association. There is also a clear and growing need for a regional veterans support centre in my home town of Drogheda, County Louth. The north east and east Meath have a strong Defence Forces tradition and there is an active ONE branch in Drogheda and Slane. However, veterans there have to travel to Dublin or Dundalk for help, a hurdle that leaves many of them without the services they need. A local centre in Drogheda would make services accessible and show that our commitment extends well beyond the capital. It was a proud and patriotic day on Sunday, but if we are serious about respecting services we need to prove it in our actions, not just with medals and parades but with housing, healthcare, support and human dignity. I feel a debate would be timely, perhaps ahead of the budget, to discuss these matters.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I rise to speak about a worrying development in our medical policymaking sector. Last week, the Professional Association for Trans Health Ireland, PATHI, welcomed the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, decision to advocate for adopting the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, WPATH, standards of care, an organisation criticised for its ideological, unscientific approach and activist-heavy leadership. The motion reportedly passed with 97% support. While I am sceptical of such conformity in any vote, it is sadly common in our nation. Of course, people will vote with near unanimity when they have only been exposed to one side of the argument and told that the opposing side is morally reprehensive when they hear of it at all. Twice in the past two months I have stood in this Chamber calling for the Oireachtas to lead an open discussion on gender and sex policy especially regarding treatment of minors with gender dysphoria. I warned that our silence and often monolithic stance is steering us towards endorsing the affirmative care model whose basis in theory - I use those words loosely - faces global criticism for lacking robust evidence and causing irreversible harm to vulnerable youth.Treatments like puberty blockers, which are heavily restricted in the UK, are still claimed by WPATH to be reversible. We are still allowing a small clique of NGOs and policymakers, who should really be seen as ideological activists, to dominate, thereby turning a national conversation into an elitist monologue. I call on the Minister for Health to appear in this Chamber for an open debate on this issue and for her to clarify her position in light of the growing global reassessment.

Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail)
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I raise a matter of urgent public health concern, which is the continued use and abuse of sunbeds in Ireland. Last week, the Institute of Public Health published a troubling report that provided an overview of sunbed use in Ireland and policy options to reduce skin cancer risk. I will take this opportunity to commend the institute on its critical work and to acknowledge the depth of research and analysis that went into this publication. The findings are stark. Ireland has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. More than 13,000 people are diagnosed every year. European data now confirms that we have the seventh highest prevalence of melanoma in the EU. Melanoma is a deadly disease. Just one single session on a sunbed can increase a person's risk of developing melanoma by 20%. That is a shocking statistic that we just cannot afford to ignore. The UV rays emitted by sunbeds can be up to 15 times more intense than the midday Mediterranean sun. These are levels of exposure that no person would encounter in Ireland or anywhere else in Europe without the artificial and hazardous intervention of a sunbed. That is why I welcome the comments by An Taoiseach last week. He said the Government is actively considering a ban on sunbeds. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, on her swift and serious engagement on this issue. Her announcement of a cross-departmental working group to examine the banning of commercial sunbed use is both timely and necessary.

In the meantime, we are facing an even more urgent danger, which I find deeply disturbing. The IPH report reveals that children as young as ten years of age have used sunbeds here in Ireland. Let that sink in. This is illegal. It is a criminal offence to sell or hire a sunbed to any person under the age of 18, yet this law is being breached and children are being exposed to carcinogenic UV radiation as a result. I will send a clear and direct message; the health of our young people is not negotiable. This is not just a beauty fad or a harmless indulgence. It is a gateway to serious illness and lifelong consequences. We in Fianna Fáil are beginning to work on a campaign to explore legislative options to fully ban sunbeds in Ireland. This is about more than regulation; this is about protecting lives.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Before I call on the next speaker, I welcome Andrew and Gavin to the Gallery. They have been working very hard in my office over the past number of weeks in fairly warm weather. They are all the way from Kansas and have been doing a lot of envelope packing as well as a lot of research. Thanks for that, lads. Thank you for all your work in the office and throughout Seanad Éireann.

Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)
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I raise the issue of carer's payments in families where more than one person has qualifying care needs. As the Leader will know, carers currently receive half a carer's allowance on top of the full carer's allowance for any additional people they care for. Some families may have two, three or four children with qualifying additional care needs. Much of the time, the position of these families does not allow the person who is caring for those children to go to work, leaving the household with one wage. In the case of a single-parent family, the family can be left with no wage and dependent on that one and half carer's allowances. Is it possible for the Minister for social protection to review this issue? I am not talking about a blanket measure but a mechanism to address exceptional circumstances. Not every single person who is on carer's allowance will have that many in the house but there will be a few and the current provision seems to push these families into poverty. Perhaps it is something we could have a debate on.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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There is a motion before the House today in respect of the Planning and Development (Street Furniture Fees) Regulations 2025, to be taken without debate. It is important. I ask the Leader to convey this to the relevant people and the relevant Minister. Is there an issue with it?

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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It is tomorrow.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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It is before us tomorrow, but I am going to speak about it now. This will give me the opportunity to convey an email about it to the Minister this afternoon. Every year, I stand up here because this is a statutory requirement to bring this motion to both Houses of Oireachtas. It needs Oireachtas approval for such a minor detail. I have no difficulty with the restaurateurs, or anybody using the public realm outside to maximise their business. I see the health, goodness and the community benefits of having the public realm used in terms of social interaction. My main concern is that of people with disabilities. Advocates for the disability sector and the visually impaired sector constantly tell me they are confronted with challenges in navigating the public realm. There has to be democracy attached to the public realm and public space and, therefore, to be told politely to "F off" basically when they are asked to get out of the way.

All over Dublin, the suburbs and the country we have extended tables and chairs way beyond the parameters of this legislation. People with disabilities, people with young children and tricycles and elderly people cannot navigate our streets. This motion is going ahead, and I am supporting it, but with that comes an explanatory memorandum telling the local authorities it is their responsibility to police this and work with the disability sector. It is important that everyone and every sector of society and community are entitled to equal access to the public realm. That needs to be borne in mind in relation to this legislation.

Aubrey McCarthy (Independent)
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I raise attention to an escalating issue of the unchecked spread of ragwort across Ireland. I am from the countryside in County Kildare. Even though it is deceptively attractive, and it blooms with bright yellow flowers that attract pollinators, it is classified as a noxious weed under the 1963 Act and it poses a lethal threat to horses and cattle. Landowners who own the land where it grows can face fines up to €1,000. Its spread is a scandal when we see it along the motorways, farmlands and housing estates under the control of the council. Shamefully when we look out the back window of Leinster House, we can see it growing on our lawn. Its spread signals widespread non-compliance and a breakdown in the enforcement mechanisms that once were held in line. We must act decisively. Even though it looks attractive, it is a noxious weed and it is dangerous.

I call on the Leader to ask the Department of agriculture to strengthen its inspection regime and increase collaboration with local authorities. Let us ensure public aware of the danger of ragwort to livestock, but also ensure its symbolic invasion does not affect our public space. For ourselves, it is not a good sign that if we look out the back window of Leinster House onto our Merrion Square side, it is growing. There is no honour in permitting it to bloom freely on the lawn of Irish democracy.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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I raise an important issue. For the past 6,000 years we have enjoyed free and unrestricted access to boating on the River Shannon. Last year, Waterways Ireland attempted to bring in new by-laws, which went largely unnoticed by the boating community before they came before the housing committee last year. As well as attempting to impose a charge on the use of the River Shannon for boating people and their families, there was also contentious consequences for members of the canal and barge living community in Dublin city. I have endeavoured to get the issue listed on the agenda of the housing committee and I understand it will be taken early in the new term. However, it behoves us to write to the Minister for housing because it is his remit and to impress upon him the need that these by-laws are not signed off until the housing committee, and indeed, this House and the Dáil have had an opportunity to revisit them. They are contentious and take away an inalienable right we had even before we were under British rule.For 6,000 years, we have had the right to navigate the River Shannon freely and unrestrictedly. Any change to that will not be tolerated by boat owners, and nor should it be tolerated by Irish society in general. I ask the House to write to the Minister as a matter of urgency on this important matter.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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I thank all Senators for their contributions this afternoon.

Senator O'Loughlin spoke on several issues. She congratulated the Kildare manager and players on winning the Tailteann Cup. She also raised an issue regarding Kildare Village. She called for a debate on matters relating to on-the-job learning with the Minister, Deputy Lawless, in September. I will certainly endeavour to facilitate that. The Senator also raised issues regarding water reservoirs in Allenwood and the N81 Tallaght-Tullow road, which is in urgent need of upgrading. Perhaps the housing committee is the best place to raise issues relating to Uisce Éireann. The Senator might also table a Commencement debate on either of those issues to get a better answer than I would.

Senator Kennelly wished all the teams playing in the all-Ireland football and hurling finals well. Maybe he did not wish them equally well but he wished them all well and safe travel. He also raised the issue of Irish Rail and the increased demand in services with the all-Ireland finals coming up. He has called for additional services, more trains, more seats, catering and proper planning by Iarnród Éireann in the timing of additional trains. There is no use in putting them on just as the final whistle goes. There needs to be a bit of time to allow people to get to Heuston Station, Connolly Station or wherever they are going. I certainly agree with that.

Senator Mullen raised the issue of the 10,852 abortions in 2024. He is right when he says that behind every one of those figures is a tragic situation for the unborn and, I suspect, a very difficult decision for each woman - in some cases, a child or teenager - and family who found themselves with a pregnancy and made a difficult decision. It is important - this was discussed in the committee - that women and girls who find themselves pregnant are fully aware of their options. The option chosen may not always be termination. They should be made aware of other supports as well as abortion. Concerns have been expressed to me regarding whether those supports are being provided and whether women and girls are being told of the supports and options available to them, not just termination. I know that legislation was being talked about. A review took place at the health committee, organised by the Minister for Health, in the last term. I am sure this issue will be discussed in the Oireachtas in this term as well.

Senator McCormack mentioned that a Sinn Féin motion on endometriosis care will be debated in the Dáil today. I do not know what the Cabinet decision in that regard was. I hope there will be a positive debate on this and I am sure there will be. The Senator also expressed concerns about passport queries, particularly one we come across often where someone gets the form stamped in a local Garda station which may not be a 24-7 station and may therefore be unmanned when someone from the Passport Office rings if nobody is there to answer the phone. As the Senator said, sometimes some of the busier Garda stations can have issues in this regard. Perhaps there is a need for a centralised, staffed Garda line where all passports that have been stamped can be submitted. That would possibly be a better way to deal with this issue. I will certainly raise it with the Minister.

Senator Comyn spoke about the National Day of Commemoration in Kilmainham. I know there were various commemorations. I was at one organised by Galway City Council in the quadrangle at the University of Galway. They are very nice and important events. It is worth people attending where they can. She also raised issues regarding veterans' supports, such as housing and healthcare support and dignity.She called for a possible veterans support bureau, possibly located in the GPO. She is right about veterans support, something that has been touched upon at the defence committee and we have it on our agenda for the next term. It is something that needs greater examination.

Senator Keogan raised INMO decisions on the WPATH standards of care. I am not fully familiar with that group. I would hope that in any vote within any union that there would be a debate and that all information would provided, and I must assume that it was in that case. I will certainly request a further debate in this House on gender and sex policy.

Senator Costello again made an impassioned contribution regarding the use of sunbeds and the illegal use of sunbeds by those under the age of 16, indeed by ten-year-olds in some cases, as she mentioned. She expressed grave concern about high exposure to UV rays and said that Ireland has one of the highest incidence of melanoma. Again, I will bring this to the attention of the Minister and we will see what decision can be made on how best to deal with this as a public health matter. That is important.

Senator Collins raised the issue of the full and half rate carer's payments. She called on the Minister for Social Protection to look at cases where there are a number of disabled persons in one house. That is a valid query and perhaps the Senator should raise it on the Commencement. If she can give a real-life example without using names, it may bring home to the Minister the reality on the ground in certain situations. As I said, it is not very prevalent but it does arise in a small number of situations.

Senator Boyhan raised the motion about outdoor dining which is due to come before the Houses of the Oireachtas. He expressed concern regarding people with disabilities and young children being impacted by outdoor furniture. It is a valid point. As I understand it, these went before the committee last week for agreement. I am not sure if there was a thorough debate on that or whether it is a roll-over from year to year. He has raised valid concerns on that and it is something the Minister needs to take account of each year when these are being reviewed.

Senator McCarthy talked about the spread of ragwort, which is of course a noxious weed. It is not a nice sight to see because in many cases it arises on abandoned land or disturbed land around the country. We see it on road margins, including motorway margins. In many cases the Department of agriculture needs to do more to step in and notify the local authorities that there is a noxious weed growing on their lands. There may also be an issue with farms.

Senator Flaherty raised the issue of boating on the River Shannon and asked me to write to the Minister for housing regarding by-laws. He might contact me regarding which exact by-laws he is talking about. It is important that there is consultation and that anything that might happen only happens after a proper debate on the matter at the appropriate committee. If he contacts me regarding that, I will certainly alert the Minister for housing in this regard.

Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)
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We have had a much shorter and less contentious Order of Business than usual.