Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, Appropriation Bill 2025 – All Stages, to be taken at 11.45 a.m., with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed eight minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, all other Senators not to exceed four minutes, time may be shared, the Minister to be given not less than seven minutes to reply to the debate; and Committee and Remaining Stages to be taken immediately thereafter; and No. 2, motion regarding the earlier signature of the Appropriation Bill 2025, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 1 without debate.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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On our final sitting of the Seanad this year, I thank Martin, the staff in the Seanad Office and everybody working in the Leinster House complex for the support they have provided to us, the elected Members. We could not do our job without all of their talent, energy and commitment. We are hugely privileged to serve in Leinster House and we greatly appreciate their support. All of their efforts make ours so much more effective, so I thank them. At times, it can be stressful, demanding and challenging, but they always make it look easy. I thank them for doing that, for keeping calm and for keeping the place running in such a smooth fashion. We really appreciate it. They are doing an enormous service, not just for us but for the country. I wanted to acknowledge that at the outset on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group. We are tremendously appreciative.

I will raise two issues. There is a warning out, and it is really important that every Member of the House and every public representative raises awareness of this, about the very potent levels of illegal substances that are being distributed and will be available over the festive season. We all want to enjoy the holidays, but we want to enjoy them safely. It is really important for everybody to remind themselves that illegal substances are just that. They are illegal and highly dangerous. Water testing indicates that our public water system in Dublin has among the highest levels in Europe of ketamine being detected. Between ketamine, MDMA and other synthetic substances, there is a huge public health issue out there. It is obviously a huge threat to human life and human well-being. We should all as public representatives raise awareness on that issue.

I will return to the subject of The Complex. It is not just an arts venue. It is vital public infrastructure in the capital city. Cities that thrive and are successful invest in spaces that support creativity, community engagement and cultural production. The Complex delivers on all three of those vital public infrastructures. For more than a decade, it has offered affordable spaces for artists and cultural employment. It has revitalised an underutilised and underpopulated area of the city. It has delivered programmes that are building social cohesion, social capital and youth engagement. It contributes to the cultural vibrancy of our capital city in terms of tourism, investment and talent. I appeal to the Deputy Leader to appeal to Government to step in before the end of the year to save The Complex from closure. It is essential vital public infrastructure in our capital city. It is infrastructure that is essential to Dublin's competitiveness, liveability, our economic success and, most importantly, our identity, our cultural identity and our soul. Will the Deputy Leader appeal to Government to save The Complex?

Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)
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I sit on the enterprise committee. We spend a lot of time debating the increased cost of doing business and the pressures a lot of businesses are under. As today is 18 December and there are still six shopping days left, I ask people to visit their local businesses and shop local. When they do, they keep more money in their local economy, celebrate the uniqueness of their community, support local jobs, encourage community and invest in entrepreneurship. Shopping locally is about more than convenience; it is about community. When we choose to spend our money in local shops, cafés and businesses, we are investing directly in towns and villages. Local businesses create jobs, support families and keep our high streets alive. Money spent locally stays local, helping to fund sports clubs, charities and community events. Most importantly, shopping locally means personal service, trust and pride, knowing the people behind the counter and supporting those who support us every day. Your fingers do not need the exercise, but your hips and your belly might, so put down your tablet, walk around your town or village, meet the shopkeepers, have a mulled wine in your local bar and a mince pie in your café. Enjoy and happy Christmas.

Aubrey McCarthy (Independent)
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I will take the Senator up on that advice. I certainly need the exercise.

Recently, "Prime Time" featured a senior garda from the National Cyber Crime Bureau. He issued a stark warning about young people and children in Ireland who are being groomed on online gaming platforms. He went on record saying that it is happening at an alarming scale. The issue here is that parents assume the everyday games that children play in Ireland are safe, as they are in the safety of their own rooms. However, these cartoon avatars are basically predators deliberately grooming and targeting children, gaining trust and, in some cases, manipulating them into sharing images and then using those images to control or extort them. In just 15 months, the Garda has said it is dealing with 55 Irish children who were victims. It is dealing with thousands, but 55 Irish children were actually victims of online sexual abuse. Those are real lives and real trauma that families have to deal with. The fallout from that will be huge.

The threat seems to be shifting. Offenders are now using all of the AI-generated images, fake profiles and in-game chats. They are reaching children and parents are not able to control this. They are not able to carry this burden alone. We need proper leadership in the area. We need a joined-up national child online safety plan. I saw one, It Takes A Village, in Greystones, which is an absolutely phenomenal initiative that should be rolled out nationally. We also need mandatory safety standards on gaming platforms, which have been discussed in this House previously. Education is also huge for children to know that when they are in their rooms on their own, this is a potential issue that could affect them. We need real penalties for the companies that are in breach of this and fail to protect young users. If this were happening outside the school gates, we would all be up in arms here. The fact it is happening in silence, and affecting children silently, does not make it any less serious.

Will the Ministers for justice and communications, because this is an interagency piece, come before the House to address this as a matter of urgency? Children in Ireland need protection. Those 55 children were let down by us. At this stage, offenders know that Ireland is a potential soft target. I wanted to leave that with the Deputy Leader. We have had the warning; now we need to act on it.

On behalf of the Independent Group, I thank so much the Seanad team, led by Martin, and all the team in Leinster House, for looking after us all year. A happy Christmas to all.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome Hansfield Educate Together National School from Barberstown, Dublin 15, who are guests of Deputy Emer Currie. I hope they enjoy their visit today. As is customary, there will be no homework for the rest of the day.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I join in the Christmas wishes. I thank all the staff in the Seanad for their support and patience with me and everyone.I thank the Deputy Leader, Senator O'Loughlin, and the Leader, Senator Kyne, for their patience. A lot of patience is required. I thank everyone. I also thank the ushers, who are always very supportive and kind.

While we are getting a break, it is important to remember homeless families here, in the West Bank and Gaza in Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan. I encourage people to make a small donation at some point over Christmas.

I wish to raise the unfortunate reality that Baggot Street hospital is being sold on the private market instead of being used for a public or community purpose. It is an absolute scandal that this building was allowed by the HSE to stand derelict for years. It is a magnificent building. The site is in such poor condition that massive investment would be required to bring it back into use. The Land Development Agency, LDA, has already decided that the building is not viable for affordable housing. At the height of the homelessness and affordability crises, it is hugely disappointing that a building as beautiful and historic as this one cannot be kept for public use. If the site had been maintained properly and if there had been a clear plan in place for its future use after the hospital closed in the 1980s, we would be having a completely different conversation about this facility, but that never happened. It is shocking to think that staff, management and the Government never thought of putting a plan in place to ensure it would be protected and saved. The building should be the centrepiece of the Baggot Street area, either as affordable housing or as a community resource centre, like St. Andrew's Resource Centre on Pearse Street. Instead, it has been allowed to rot. The unfortunate reality is that the State all too often neglects our historic buildings and allows them to crumble or be torn down around us. We have seen this with Boland's Mill, O'Rahilly House in Ballsbridge and now Baggot Street hospital. Given the track record of this Government, it will more than likely be left derelict for years into the future again, showing a blatant disregard for the local community.

We have a real problem with the protection of our built heritage in this country, as well as with the efficient use of State-owned sites. You do not need to look any further than the site on Kevin Street, which has been empty and derelict for a number of years, a developer having spent millions or euro on it. That site could have been used by the State for the community and for housing. I urge that we would have a debate in the new year on the Government's approach to protecting and making the best use of our historic buildings.

Anne Rabbitte (Fianna Fail)
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I wish a good morning to the Deputy Leader. I, too, want to be associated with the good wishes for the season of goodwill. I thank the Deputy Leader, the Leas-Chathaoirleach, the staff of the Seanad Office and the ushers for the support they have given not just me, but everybody here for the past 12 months. It is greatly appreciated.

I have something for us to put in the calendar for when we come back in the new year. Can we have the Minister with responsibility for local authorities - perhaps it is a matter for the Minister for justice - before the House? In many old towns around Ireland, we do not have by-laws. When you ask a local authority to address a particular issue, its representatives sometimes say it does not fall under their jurisdiction. If you talk to An Garda Síochána, its members tell you that they cannot help. The reason they cannot help is because there are no by-laws and issues are no one's responsibility. Those issues might include antisocial behaviour or illegal parking. In actual fact, in many of our vibrant towns and small villages, there are really good Tidy Towns groups. They are totally and utterly frustrated. They go out, day in and day out, to keep the place tidy. They are part of that competition. However, they are doing that work in isolation without support from the arms of the State, whether the local authority or An Garda Síochána. Those two entities cannot assist because the issue is outside their jurisdiction. In the new year, the Deputy Leader might invite the relevant Minister to discuss by-laws and how we can address an issue that in some cases appears to be over 100 years old. We should audit and modernise the by-laws and make them applicable to 2026.

Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael)
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I, too, would like to be associated with the seasons greetings to all of the staff of Leinster House and the Seanad. There was a moment when Senator Andrews was giving out his greetings that I thought he was about to extend them to Government Members. I would like to send greetings to everybody in this House.

One of the first times my name was mentioned in this particular House was in relation to safe routes to school. I believe it was Senator Ahearn who raised it when I was looking for access for some local schools to that particular scheme. I welcomed the announcement this week of safe routes to school. A lot of the schools had been on that list since 2021. Gaelscoil de hÍde in Roscommon, Roxboro National School, St. Patrick's National School and St. Michael's Special School in Castlerea were all included in the recently announced programme for Roscommon. It is a very important programme. We must also be aware of the fact that a large number of schools were never taken in and able to apply for that particular programme. We have commitments in the programme for Government to expand it. The safety of kids getting to school and the provision of safe routes and access are very important. These are issues on which we should be focused. I hope we can deliver the expansion of that particular programme a little earlier than currently scheduled. Happy Christmas.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I wished everyone well for Christmas yesterday and reiterate that today.

The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, announced today that he was not going to split the Road Safety Authority as had been recommended by a consultant retained by the previous Minister. I agree with the decision of the Minister of State, Deputy Canney. We do not need two quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, quangos, with two CEOs, two boards, two chairs and so on to deal with road safety. We need to implement the common-sense approach and the good work that has been done over the years to escalate it. There is no point in creating a scenario whereby waiting lists for driving tests and so on will increase during the process of creating a new structure.

I am saying this while bearing in mind that a person lost their life in Limerick last night, as did another person in Tipperary. Those deaths are appalling. The fact that the number of deaths has increased this year is very worrying. I also spare some thought for people who are injured because, sometimes, their injuries are life-changing. These statistics highlight the impact on the lives of the people who are hurt and, indeed, their families and loved ones. We have a problem with road safety. I appeal to people. Everybody has a role to play when it comes to road safety. I, unfortunately, do not drive. However, I appeal to all of those who do to be extra careful. Statistics show that most accidents happen within 4 km or 5 km of the home. People probably lose a little concentration because they are so familiar with the territory. Obviously, there is also substance abuse. I support the increased visibility of An Garda Síochána in that area.

Perhaps in the new year the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, would come to the Chamber for statements on road safety so that we might get his thoughts on what changes he will bring to the Road Safety Authority without splitting it up.

Dee Ryan (Fianna Fail)
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It is appropriate as we approach the end of the year to reflect on what we have been through economically in the course of 2025. It has been another turbulent year for business owners and business leaders. We started the year with a lot of uncertainty around tariffs. There were fears of a potential trade war between the US and the EU.I commend all of the business owners and business leaders who steered their organisations through that turbulent time. I also commend our political leaders on the hard work they did in getting us through that. By no means would it be safe to say there is certainty as we look to 2026. That is why I call for a debate in the House on diversification of our markets, specifically the crucial role that transport, air access and connectivity have for us, as an island nation, in developing our economic links with other markets. We in the mid-west call for increased daily connectivity to the EU marketplace from Shannon Airport. We would also like to see the development of links with the UAE and the Gulf states. It has been a market of national focus for us. We have an embassy in the UAE and we have opened Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland offices there. There is a real business case for developing closer links, with air access from the UAE to Shannon Airport, to help economic growth in the region and sustainability and resilience in coming years.

Tom Clonan (Independent)
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I raise again a case I have raised many times this year and in 2024, namely, that of Caitlin Hassan whose mum Louise Hassan has raised her case repeatedly here. Louise's daughter Caitlin was raped while in State-funded care as a vulnerable 27-year-old adult. Despite repeated attempts and pleas, no report has been furnished to Louise Hassan, her mother. Her daughter has been discharged from the service and is now at home, most of the time in the foetal position in their one-bedroom apartment. She is a single mother. This is a situation of absolute extremis. Louise Hassan tells me that the State-funded carer is now refusing to provide any support or care for her daughter simply because they raised the concern about a rape. This is in defiance of the instructions given by the CEO of the HSE, Bernard Gloster, to that service provider to provide the service. In the time we have left over Christmas and the new year, I prevail upon my colleagues to ask the Minister to intervene and give this young lady the supports she needs.

I also raise an issue brought to my attention by a journalist, Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird. She lives with Friedreich's ataxia, a progressive illness that leads to muscle deterioration and, sadly, premature death. It has been successfully treated by a drug called omaveloxolone. The brand name is Skyclarys. The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics has decided that this should not be reimbursed. There are only 200 people in Ireland living with this condition. They are devastated by this decision of the NCPE. Ms Ní Hoireabhaird is asking, and I am asking, that the HSE ignore this unwise and ill-informed decision by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics and continue to reimburse Skyclarys for the sufferers of Friedrich's ataxia.

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Fianna Fail)
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The issue I raise today is the register of electors. After every election, people say the register needs to be reviewed and updated but it never happens. There has not been any sizeable work done on it for years. People who have passed away are getting polling cards, which is obviously upsetting for families, especially if it is a recent bereavement. It is hard to get people off the register. We must remember these families are mourning and have an awful lot on their plates besides ringing the county hall to explain their case. Something needs to be done.

The register of electors also results in false figures for turnout because many of the people on it are deceased. There are duplicate and triplicate entries. When we hear turnout was a certain percentage it cannot be accurate. In the new year, I ask that we bring in the relevant Minister to talk about what can be done once and for all? I know there are two by-elections due but, other than that, the local elections are a good bit away, as is the general election, please God. Now is the time to do it.

I also wish everybody a happy Christmas. It is important that we all look out for each other over Christmas. It is not always a happy time. In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

Mark Duffy (Fine Gael)
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I would like to highlight the benefit of community policing across the country. In my home county of Mayo, community policing has been an excellent way to provide security and peace and has been a positive touch point for gardaí and members of the public. We have seen brilliant benefits of that in Ballina, Castlebar, Westport and other towns in Mayo where the community policing team goes above and beyond looking out for people, being a touch point with youth services, checking in on the elderly, being a visible presence on the beat in the streets and a presence in rural areas. We need to remain focused on supporting community policing and the positive presence of An Garda Síochána in our communities.

In parts of Mayo there are vacancies for policing and community policing positions. I use this opportunity to highlight the vacancy in Belmullet Garda station. Councillor Gerry Coyle has raised this with me and it needs to be addressed. Belmullet and the Erris area is a sparsely populated rural area with a vibrant town. Belmullet is the base for a huge geographical area. The value of a community garda position cannot be overstated in terms of being a touch point for vulnerable elderly people living on their own in isolated areas and for the youth projects being developed in Belmullet. A community police position is so important to the Belmullet community. I highlight that and call for more resources to be supported for community policing, especially in Belmullet. I know Councillor Jarlath Munnelly is working to improve Garda resourcing in Killala, another area which would benefit from additional resources badly needed there.

I wish a happy, peaceful and joyful Christmas to my colleagues and all of the staff in Leinster House.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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I congratulate the Knockbride ladies who came to Dublin to play in an all-Ireland final last Saturday and won. They played superbly. In that game the winner was football. It was an absolutely brilliant game of football. I congratulate them. They came to Dublin with the cup on Monday and there were great celebrations.

I wish the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Leader a happy Christmas, and thank all of the staff in the Oireachtas for their help and good work guiding us during the year.

Last night, I could not get over the irony of what was happening, with People Before Profit putting forward a Bill to ban fox hunting while simultaneously pushing their extreme abortion Bill. To me, it is the very definition of cognitive dissonance. Over the past few weeks, we have seen activists in front on Leinster House with placards and images denouncing fox hunting. Their arguments are rooted in empathy for these small, defenceless creatures. Where is that empathy for the child in the womb? People Before Profit want to remove all legal protections for unborn children and legalise the provision of abortion up to nine months - a baby. Women are being betrayed by our abortion system. Between 2019 and 2022, there were 84 children born alive after failed abortion procedures.That is incredibly traumatic for the doctor, the parents and the baby. There is no clarity around the term "comfort care". In fact, what standards are in place for babies who are born alive? We do know in other countries that babies born alive have been left to die with no medical care. Is that happening in Ireland? It should be noted that the Minister for Health recently apologised to the family of Baby Christopher, who was aborted after a misdiagnosis of a life-limiting condition. It is the least that can be offered to with such profound grief. It is a very sad state of affairs that we have people who want to offer greater protection to foxes than to unborn children.

Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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I hope I do not drop dead with a heart attack in the next few minutes having rushed up here. I rushed up here to wish my colleagues, the Deputy Leader and the Leas-Chathaoirleach a very happy Christmas and a happy new year. We are living in tough times. As we go back to our communities, we will all be aware of the fact that there are people living around us whom we know are struggling hard as we come into this time of year. While it is festive for some of us, it is an awful, miserable time for others. Spare a thought for those who will be going through serious mental health issues over the festive period. I pray that all of them survive the period and come out the other side. I have seen hard times myself in my life. My heart goes out to people who are going through hard times now.

In particular, I thank the staff of the Oireachtas who make the wheels of this organisation run smoothly all of the time and ensure that we have every resource we need when and where we need it. That takes a lot of work from the stewards to the catering staff and right through to the staff of the Seanad Office, who keep a watchful eye over the rulebook and make sure we behave ourselves while we are here. I thank Martin and his staff. They do a wonderful job. I wish them well. Now I will sit down before I fall down.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Before I call the Deputy Leader, I too wish everybody a very happy Christmas. I know I did it yesterday, but I wish a very happy Christmas to Martin, Aileen and the staff of the Seanad Office, and the ushers, down to the catering staff, cleaners and everybody who works in the different departments. I wish a happy Christmas to colleagues in the Seanad and in the Dáil. I hope you all have a happy and peaceful Christmas. I look forward to working with you all in a collegial way into the new year. I now call on the Leas-Cheannaire to reply.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank every one of the Senators this morning who wished everybody a happy Christmas and gave their thanks and gratitude to Martin and the team, to the ushers and to all who work in Leinster House and have extended across both the Dáil and the Seanad. I want to be associated with that. I thank all of the Members for their collegiality in terms of every time I step into this role as Deputy Leader, mainly every Thursday, but also as leader of the Fianna Fáil group. I thank all of the other groupings within the Seanad for their professional way of doing business. We all hope that everybody has a good Christmas.

Senators Murphy O'Mahony and Craughwell spoke about people who have challenges at Christmas time. We all have to be conscious of those who have health challenges, those who have mental health challenges and those with different difficulties in their lives or even being alone. As Senator Murphy O'Mahony said, if you can be anything, be kind. Senator Andrews spoke about the families in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. I honestly believe that they are uppermost in all of our minds as they all face yet another Christmas with huge difficulties in their regions.

Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about the issue of illegal substances being distributed and the impact of that on many people and families, particularly over Christmas, when people meet, gather and party. We all know that illegal substances are highly dangerous. She mentioned the fact that there are traces of ketamine within our water system now in Dublin and they are among the highest in Europe. We have a huge problem. We all need to work together in society, both in terms of the judicial system, communities and families, and try to help and support and give the message that this is not acceptable.

Senator Fitzpatrick also spoke about The Complex and how important it is as infrastructure to support creativity and community and all of the wonderful programmes that are delivered through The Complex. We will write again to the Minister to ask him to step in to save The Complex. It would be an awful shame to see any building - it is more than a physical building; it is a community - lose something as valuable as that.

Senator Nelson Murray spoke about the increased cost of business that businesses have and encouraged all of us to shop locally. That does keep money and jobs locally. Local businesses keep our towns alive. We must all remember that and remember the wonderful personal service that we get. When we think of all the charity raffles that are happening all around Christmas, it is the local shops that are giving that amount of money to them.

Senator McCarthy spoke about a recent "Prime Time" programme which featured a very disturbing element in society, namely, children who are using gaming platforms. We all know that young people in our lives, at an increasingly younger stage, are using gaming platforms. It is a huge concern that people go on under a false identity. They can be predators. Over the last 15 months, the Garda has dealt with 55 children. This would tie in with what I have been talking about in relation to catfishing, where people take a false identity or another identity and adults pretend to be children. It is quite shocking. We need to have another online safety campaign in relation to this. We need education, not just for children but for their families and parents in how to detect and monitor. That is something that we will bring to Coimisiún na Meán. We will look for a debate, both with the Minister for communications and the Minister for justice after Christmas.

Senator Andrews spoke about Baggot Street Hospital being sold off. It is regrettable that it was let lie in disrepair for so many years. It could have been used for so many different purposes for the community. I am glad a decision has been made to sell it. The hope would be that something will happen with it, that a private company will purchase and that we will see life coming back into it. He raised the wider point about how we support the built heritage and how important it is not to have dereliction, particularly with significant buildings. We will look for a debate on historic buildings and how the State and the local authorities - the two have to work hand in hand - support them.

Senator Rabbitte spoke about the need for by-laws in some of our towns. That is one of the regrets with the changes that were brought in by a previous Government, the fact that we do not have town councils any longer. Town commissions and town councils were the ones who brought in by-laws in their own towns. When I was a member of both the town commission and town council, we did not bring in a huge amount of by-laws but important and significant ones that are still on the Statute Book. This ties in with the whole rejuvenation of local government and the commitment that is in the programme for Government to bring back town councils. The Senator is right. There are many elected public representatives and groups like Tidy Towns, etc., who do incredible work.They are doing it in isolation. We need an audit. It is a big job and needs to be modernised but we will ask the Minister for local government to come to the House to have a debate on the matter after Christmas.

Senator Scahill spoke about safe routes to school. It was great to see 140 schools being given the important news - not just good news, but life-saving news - during the week. The Senator mentioned three schools in Roscommon, although there are schools in Roscommon, Kildare and all of our constituencies that still need them. We look forward to seeing more delivery. There is a commitment in the programme for Government in that regard.

Senator Conway spoke about the Minister of State, Deputy Canney's announcement yesterday that he would not be splitting the Road Safety Authority, RSA, into two different organisations. He also spoke about the fact we needed to have a different approach to road safety. All of our sympathies go to the families bereaved by accidents last night in Limerick and Tipperary. I note that, in Limerick, three teenagers were very badly injured. The Senator was right, in that many people are not killed in accidents but instead have life-changing injuries. I know that from personal experience and from extended family experience. It is shocking to see the number of accidents we have had on the roads, considering we have not had very bad weather conditions; we have not had a lot of ice or frost. There most definitely needs to be a serious debate on this. We must appeal to everybody to be careful on the roads over the festive season.

Senator Dee Ryan took the opportunity to reflect on how we could support our businesses, which is very important. Our local businesses are the heartbeat of our local economies. As the Senator said, we started off this year with concerns about tariffs and trade wars. We have some, but not complete, certainty relating to that. I appreciate that the Senator commended business and political leaders on navigating to where we are now. However, there are still uncertainties. We need to look at diversification of our markets. The Senator mentioned the UAE and the wider Gulf area. I would also suggest Canada, having had the opportunity to visit there recently. Canada is wide open for business with Ireland and the rest of Europe. Senator Ryan made the valid point that we needed to have more connectivity with Shannon to serve all of those areas. We will certainly look for a debate in 2026 on that with the Ministers for enterprise and Transport, as this crosses those two areas.

Senator Clonan spoke very movingly about Caitlin Hassan, and our heart has to go out to her and her mum, Louise. In very difficult circumstances, Louise is doing her very best to care for her daughter, who sadly was raped while in care. She is now at home with no help or support from the service provider. We will urge the Minister to intervene directly and personally in this situation. It is completely wrong that Louise is on her own and trying to deal with a very traumatic situation.

The Senator also mentioned - I hope I get the name right - Friedreich's ataxia, which is a difficult condition that affects 200 people in Ireland, and the decision made not to support the funding for something that would help to alleviate that. It is quite difficult to get funding through for rare diseases but it is something we will have to continue to work at. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan has put a huge amount of work into this and has set up a cross-party group. That is something we will bring to the Minister's attention and the different groups that are being dealt with.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony spoke about the register of electors and the fact there is still talk about it at every single election but nothing sizable has been done on it. It is difficult for people whose family members have passed away to get the voting cards for them. The Senator also made the valid point that this inflated the numbers so that it looks like there is a much lower turnout, etc. That is something people are very quick to jump on. The Senator is right that something needs to be done about it. I have always felt that post offices are in an ideal position to do that. Years ago, the local postmaster or postmistress would know when somebody was 18 and they would go on it. I remember our postmistress, Molly Forde, doing that. It is something that post offices could validly take on as a service. We will look for a debate on the matter.

Senator Duffy spoke about the benefit of community policing. It is one of the best systems within the overall policing system. It provides a wonderful service to many people. I remember when Kildare had no community garda and I was looking for one. When I see what Brian Carroll, John Dunne and Seán O'Mahony of the Garda do on a daily basis, it is incredible. The Senator says there is a vacancy in Belmullet. Rural areas need to have that point of contact. In my experience, these community gardaí will go out into the community all the time and speak to all of the different community groups. They drive people up to Leinster House in buses to be in the people's Parliament. They do incredible work and I support the Senator on that issue. The Senator also mentioned Councillor Munnelly was trying to do the same for Killala. We will write to the Minister on that.

I have to congratulate Knockbride. This day last week, Senator O'Reilly spoke about the team coming up and wished them well. I noted the result over the weekend, so I congratulate them. It is wonderful to see small communities developing and growing up.

The Senator also spoke about what she called the hypocrisy of People Before Profit in relation to its differing stances on fox hunting and abortion. We have had the long debate on repeal and I do not propose to go into it now. The people spoke in the referendum and we had legislation go through both Houses to effect what they voted for. However, the Senator spoke about Baby Christopher, which was one of the saddest situations I have ever seen. For a family to go through that, it will never leave them and it is shocking something like that would happen.

That was it. Senator Craughwell wished everybody a happy Christmas. We are over and out for 2025.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy Leader.