Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the address to Seanad Éireann by MEPs representing the European Parliament South constituency, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; and No. 1a, on the Supplementary Order Paper, Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 - Second Stage, to be taken at 11.45 a.m., with the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, any other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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I join the Cathaoirleach and the Deputy Leader in welcoming Ambassador Grineviius, embassy staff and Deputy Dempsey. I would also like to wish all the Lithuanians in Ireland and around the world a very happy national day. I congratulate Lithuanians on their sustained independence. That is not a small achievement in our modern world and I congratulate them and salute them for that.

The Government recognises that Ireland deserves a capital that is safe, more vibrant and livable for everyone, and recognises the challenges faced by the capital. As a consequence, the Dublin City task force was established so that an holistic, all-encompassing and comprehensive approach could be taken to addressing the challenges and revitalising the city centre. The task force builds on a proposal that I first made back in 2018, as the Deputy Leader may recall. Deputy John Lahart was the Fianna Fáil spokesperson for Dublin. At that time, we did bring forward legislation for an inner city development authority. Unfortunately, it was voted down by other parties but the Dublin City task force builds on our proposal to bring together the community, businesses and the statutory authorities to address the challenges of deprivation and dereliction but, more importantly, to champion the inner city.

I welcome the progress that has been made this week because Dublin City Council has announced the establishment of a special purpose vehicle, SPV. I call for more ambition and urgency around the city task force. Our city is one of the greatest capitals in Europe. Our inner city deserves the championing and the combined focus of the statutory authorities, businesses and the community to work together under the city task force.

The expected budget for the task force is €1 billion. We need urgency and ambition to realise cleaner streets, a safer environment, a more vibrant city and, most importantly, a more liveable city. On that basis, I ask her to arrange a debate with the Taoiseach in the Seanad on the Dublin city task force so that we can, as a Seanad, engage and support its work.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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The ambassador is very welcome. I thank him and the people from Lithuania for what they have contributed to our economy and society over the past 15 to 20 years.

Today, I rise to address the revelations emerging from the recently released Epstein emails that should concern every democracy, including our own. It would be dangerously naïve to assume that the political fallout happening across the water has no bearing on Ireland.

We now know that Peter Mandelson, a senior political figure in Britain, maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein even after his conviction, passing sensitive information and sustaining a relationship far deeper than previously admitted. At the centre of the resulting political firestorm is Morgan McSweeney, an Irish-born aide to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, not because he had dealings with Epstein, at least that we know of, but because he was the one who pushed for Mandelson’s appointment to one of the most important diplomatic roles in the British state. I understand that this is a tangential connection but when the Epstein files show the scale of corrupt interpersonal networks operating informally across borders, we would be fools not to pay attention, especially when, separately, his father’s firm was paid €6.9 million by this State to house asylum seekers. No wrongdoing is alleged but the public deserves reassurance, not coincidence layered upon coincidence.

There are also emails outlining business discussions between Epstein and his associates concerning Irish businesses, including discussions about a $10 billion Allied Irish Banks' US property portfolio. There were also discussions about involving Mandelson himself in Irish-linked business ventures. There is also the far more disturbing Irish angle because among the released files are references to women trafficked into Ireland. There is one email where a correspondent asks Epstein, “Are you going to send me names and numbers of people to play with in Ireland?” There is one email from a woman claiming to have been trafficked to Ireland at the age of 13, which the Garda announced yesterday that it was not going to investigate. That is absolutely disgraceful.

This is not the time for silence or handwringing; this is the time for action. When Britain and other nations see resignations at the highest levels of government over Epstein-linked associations, Ireland cannot simply shrink its shoulders. We must protect our own institutions, our own reputation and, most importantly, our own people. That is why I call today for the formation of either an Oireachtas investigative committee or a Garda inquiry, or both, to examine the full set of Epstein emails for any Irish connections.This is not to sensationalise or point fingers but to ensure that if any links touch our jurisdiction, our politics, our nation, our agencies or our vulnerable citizens, they are brought to light. Ireland cannot afford to look the other way when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein.

Mark Duffy (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Lithuanian ambassador to the Chamber on his country's national day of celebration. It is good to see him.

I wish to highlight the local community safety partnerships, LCSPs, that are being established. I am a former member of the joint policing committee of Mayo County Council, which was always an excellent forum for airing views in a constructive way on behalf of one's community. It gave a voice to communities on antisocial behaviour and various issues that fall under the remit of An Garda Síochána. There was always a positive and constructive approach, with county councillors, gardaí and agency stakeholders attending.

The new local community safety partnerships have been established in Mayo and there is some discontent about the lack of media attendance at the meetings. The chairperson has clarified there is no media ban as such. It would be helpful if the Minister for justice could clarify exactly what role the media has in LCSPs. In an age of disinformation, the media has an important role to play. Local newspapers and radio stations have had a difficult few years but it is becoming even more important to have strong local media attending and reporting on all public meetings that are in the public interest. I ask that clarity be given such that we have a clear understanding of the role of media within the LCSPs. It is not right that they be excluded from the initial meetings or any meetings. They have an integral role in reporting county council meetings and strategic policy meetings.

In this age of disinformation and sometimes populism, people can run off with a story. It is local journalists who hold the truth and can bring it to bear for local communities, especially on sensitive issues to do with policing, where a lot of fearmongering can go on within communities. Journalists play a really important role in reporting on those matters. I would appreciate clarity on this from the Minister. I support the inclusion of media at all meetings of public interest.

Lynn Ruane (Independent)
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The draft publication of the new national drugs strategy was announced last week. I preface my comments by acknowledging that a public consultation will follow the publication of the draft strategy. It is extremely positive that the proposals will be opened up to a wider input. However, after reading the document several times, I have lots of concerns. There is positive language in it and positive measures that can be added to and built upon. However, readers who have spent a long time working in drugs policy and are embedded within it, as I have been, will spot issues and ask whether certain measures need to be added or fleshed out a little more. I hope the public consultation allows for that.

One of my concerns relates to the health regions. There is an understanding that facilities historically known as methadone clinics have not moved with the changing nature and landscape of drug use in Ireland. Unfortunately, that conversation is at risk of being caught up in a conversation about drugs task forces, which have changed how they work over the years. I can speak most confidently about the canal communities of Bluebell, Inchicore and Rialto, so I will focus on that area. The methadone clinic there is now in a primary healthcare centre. All the services have moved and changed.

In 2010, an amazing report on those communities, A Dizzying Array of Substances, embedded a response to problem drug use in those south inner-city communities in relation to how we do our work. That response is embedded in community development, with a focus on prevention, intervention and pre-stabilisation. Some cutting-edge violence intervention work is about to begin there. The services are gender-specific. All the services across those communities fall under the banner of the Canal Communities Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force. I am sure there are other examples. I know a lot of great work is being done in Tallaght in terms of crack cocaine initiatives, being able to do detached youth and street work and all that type of thing.

The discussion on health service intervention from a methadone treatment perspective definitely needs to change in terms of its being the primary goal of drugs responses. Work within communities has moved and shifted and task forces have really acted as a container for some very exciting work. I cannot account for what is happening across the country. As I said, I am focusing on the communities I know the best. As we move forward in relation to community work, we must ensure we recognise that people are doing things differently in different parts of the country. We must not impose a health region model that potentially oppresses the exciting working that is happening on the initiative of people in some of those task forces because it removes their autonomy or changes how funding decisions are made and where the money is spent. We must ensure we uncouple certain elements as we go along in order to protect community work and drugs work in this country as part of the national drugs strategy.

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Fianna Fail)
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I would like to invite the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon, to the Chamber to give us an update on the bluetongue virus. It very important that we be proactive rather than reactive. As the Deputy Leader knows, there was one case and we thought it would be confined to that, but and all of a sudden there were three more. It is spread by midges, and as soon as the weather gets warmer, they will be more active. I am very concerned that we are going to leave it too late. Perhaps we should discuss a vaccination programme. It is also very important to discuss the moves we make so that this will not effect trade with either the European market or the non-European market. It is important that the Minister come here and lay out his plans.

Linda Nelson Murray (Fine Gael)
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Last November, I mentioned that I had met representatives of Johnstown Football Club. I spoke about its desire to provide a football club in the Johnstown area of Navan. I mentioned that there were around 4,000 homes in the area with 12,000 people living in them, without even a playground, never mind sports facilities. There is nothing really there in Johnstown. It is larger than many towns across Ireland but does not have anything close to the community facilities that other towns have.

I am delighted to be able to say that an application has been lodged by Albert Developments Limited for an 83-home development with a sports pitch and woodland walk in the Johnstown-Athlumney area. It was great to read it in the newspaper. This will be a game-changer for the area. I am not the only political person to speak up about this. Far from it. I know every other political representative in the Navan area has expressed concern about having facilities, including sports facilities, in Johnstown, and particularly my county council colleagues, Councillor John Duffy and Councillor Yemi Adenuga.

This is very positive news, but we need to ensure that Johnstown Football Club is at the core of this development, that it will be a huge part of the development of these community facilities to get the space it so badly needs. I ask the Deputy Leader to get our Minister for sport, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, to liaise with Meath County Council and ensure that Johnstown is part of this huge plan. I would like to thank Meath County Council for the work in this area, but it simply cannot come fast enough. With sports capital grant applications about to be open soon, it would be incredible for Johnstown Football Club to be able to make an application, so time is of the essence in this.

Joe Conway (Independent)
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I would like to use my few moments to beseech the Deputy Leader - she will know where I am coming from - to ask the Minister for Education and Youth to come to the Seanad to talk about what is now becoming a critical issue of teacher supply, particularly in our cities and bigger urban areas. In this month's INTO magazine InTouch, the editorial states that an increasing multiple of teacher salaries on point 5 of the scale is going to finance the buying of a house. As all of us in politics probably know, it makes the idea of getting a house in, say, Dublin or one of the other major conurbations around the country very difficult for even joint salaries on point 5 of the scale. When I was a young teacher in Tallaght out the road back in the 1970s, it was not uncommon for me and most of my colleagues in the school to stay until as late as 4.30 p.m., 5 p.m. or sometimes 6 p.m. doing games or extracurricular activities. That is not a feature that comes easily to young teachers at the moment. To put a roof over their heads, they are moving further and further out and, consequently, facing long commutes. They leave school pretty much at 3 p.m. and the idea of knitting into the community is more or less a thing of the past. If we want a steady supply of good teachers in our urban areas, we need to look critically at this whole idea of teacher supply. It is very important at this stage and the problem should not be allowed to fester.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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Recent opinion polls have shown that our neutrality and the triple lock are supported by a significant majority of Irish people. It is extremely concerning that the Government seems to be dead set on dismantling the triple lock and neutrality protection on deployment of Irish Defence Forces abroad. The argument that abolishing the triple lock is vital for sovereignty is complete nonsense, in my view. If the Government is really concerned about sovereignty, then the obvious thing it should do is put it to the people and have a referendum on whether the public favour the abolition of the triple lock. Neutrality has been a defining characteristic of our foreign policy, and it has allowed Ireland to punch above its weight significantly on the world stage. Ireland will always be a small country. We will never be a major military power but we have been able to exercise influence way beyond our size because of our reputation as peacekeepers and the dedication of our Defence Forces on UN missions abroad.

The triple lock is a protection that ensures that when Irish peacekeepers are deployed abroad, it will only happen on the basis of international law and not in any kind of adventurism. We are clearly living in a dangerous and volatile world and Ireland's place in the world must be as a country that stands up for international law. At a time when we see international law being dismantled by the big powers, our military neutrality is centrally important and must be protected. If the triple lock were removed, Irish troops could be deployed to any situation that the Government of the day sees fit. The Government will have a position of getting rid of the triple lock, the Opposition - this side of the House - will have a view to maintain the triple lock, and there will be that debate. Ultimately, why is the Government so fearful of putting the question of getting rid of the triple lock to the people? Let the people decide by having a referendum. I ask that the Minister come here to have that debate and ask him why there will be no referendum on the triple lock.

Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I want to raise the issue of the research published by Revolut this week that estimated that social media platforms earned €32 million from serving scam advertisements to Irish users in 2025. Those who fall victim to such scams in Ireland tend to lose approximately €1,500 and Irish users are seeing over 160 scam ads per month. There is also the psychological effect on victims to consider, as they tend to suffer from a loss of confidence and a lack of certainty. The Revolut report concluded that these platforms should invest resources in better detection systems in order to ensure their reputation is not damaged, but these social media platforms are the source of these crimes and it does not seem just that, for their hosting, they should be taking tens of millions of euros as a result. We need to enhance our legislation and such revenue should be confiscated and redistributed to those who can show they were the victims of these crimes. It is clear that under current legislation, these social media companies are not making a sufficient effort to stop these ads and they will only do so when laws are introduced that make a real impact on their bottom line. I would be grateful if the Deputy Leader raised this matter with the Minister for justice.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I wish to raise the issue of the footpath between Carrickart and Downings and seek an update on its progress. It is a lovely and scenic part of Donegal. A lot of visitors visit these two towns. This is a very important piece of infrastructure for the local community. It provides a safe walking route for residents, families, schoolchildren and visitors along a busy, scenic stretch of road. The development of the footpath has been widely welcomed and has already made a meaningful difference to safety and accessibility in the area. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the tremendous work done by Hugh Harkin and his team who have carried out the first stage. They have done an outstanding job in delivering the first stage section to a very high standard. The local community are very grateful. I also want to acknowledge the work of council engineers, particularly James Kelly's ongoing engagement on, support for and progressing of this project. Will the Minister provide me with an update on the project and, in particular, outline a clear timeframe for completion of the remaining section of this footpath?It would be great if we could get it done before the tourists start to come in early May and June. It is a very important piece to get done. I thank the Deputy Leader.

Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)
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My colleague, Melissa Byrne, has been contacted by parents in Newbridge who are devastated that the Patrician Secondary School will have a reduction in SNAs between 2026 to 2027 from 6.75 posts to four posts. I know this too will concern the Deputy Leader and I am sure she will look for the Government to intervene. We have written to the Minister for education because this is an issue in schools across the country. In the Patrician Secondary School, there will be one SNA for 232 children and that is unacceptable. It is a let-down for families and their children.

I also wish to address some of remarks made by Senator McDowell in the Seanad yesterday. He has every right to stand up for Larry Murrin but once we move into the arena of Portaloos, things get a bit ridiculous. Taking exception to a Portaloo on the pavement is bizarre. Does the Senator expect farmers to pee on the side of the street? They are not animals. They also use the loo. Nobody is questioning the role of Mr. Murrin. The role he has played in Bord Bia has contributed to Bord Bia's success and he is a very good astute businessman. However, he is the chair of an organisation that enforces onerous regulations on farmers. If you truly believed these regulations were needed to protect consumers, you would surely follow or insist on those regulations yourself. The one or two organisations of which the Senator spoke represent more than 80,000 farmers; the same farmers who pay €6 million a year to Bord Bia. They absolutely have a right to protest and to stand up for themselves. Some farmers cannot simply opt out of Bord Bia. If a dairy farmer does not get quality assurance then he cannot sell his produce. Why someone would be more outraged over a Portaloo on the streets than the hypocrisy of a chair enforcing regulations on farmers that he does not himself follow is a question I will ponder.

Dee Ryan (Fianna Fail)
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I raise my very serious concerns about the lifting of the passenger cap at Dublin Airport without parallel measures to divert non-core traffic and develop new routes into regional airports and in particular into Shannon Airport. Dublin now accounts for the overwhelming majority of passenger traffic into the country. In 2025, Dublin handled 83% of all flights into the country in quarters 1, 2 and 3. We do not have the final statistics in quarter 4 yet. Some 8% went to Cork and only 5% went to Shannon. Shannon Airport is underutilised by approximately 2.5 million passengers per annum so we have capacity to handle a further 2.5 million passengers. Dublin, already at an estimated 36 million passengers, wants more.

This is not simply about tourism route development. This is about regional economic imbalances. How can we expect our young start-ups in Limerick and the mid-west, and our fine businesses in the mid-west, to develop, expand and to reach their potential when we do not offer them daily business connectivity into our EU marketplace? We are members of the EU. Companies come to this country and invest in this country because of our EU membership. Yet, for the businesses in Limerick there is no daily connectivity into our EU marketplace. That is a disgrace. It means that the hands are tied behind the backs of the businesses in the mid-west. Does the Government expect the entirety of the population of the mid-west to up and move to Dublin to get a job or to develop a business? We absolutely need a debate on this matter and I would like to ask the Minister for enterprise to come into this Chamber and to tell us what measures he can take to ensure that businesses in the mid-west and in the regions in Ireland are given the same opportunity to develop, thrive and succeed that businesses in the east are given.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Before I call on an Seanadóir Rabbitte, I welcome pupils from Lucan Educate Together National School. They are very welcome here along with their múinteoirí. As customary here in the Seanad, they will have no homework for the rest of the day. I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House.

Anne Rabbitte (Fianna Fail)
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I give a warm welcome to Lucan Educate Together National School. Today, I am raising an issue to do with national schools. I would like a debate in the Seanad on education but particularly regarding the provision of additional classrooms that are required in rural national schools in particular. I know of a rural national school that has only two classrooms but three teachers and they are expected to teach four classes in each. They are being asked by the Department to do team-teaching and they also have to do the special education down in a very small classroom. What the Department has asked of the school with its allocation of the third teacher is to go and find accommodation in the local community hall. There is no footpath to the local community centre. I am talking about a rural setting here. The local national school I am talking about is Tiernascragh National School in County Galway. The principal asked the Department if the school could rent a Portakabin but said the school would need to be able to rent it straight away because of planning permission and everything else. The answer from the Department of education was "Absolutely not". I am sure the Minister is not aware this is going on. This is the planning unit within the Department of education. What needs to happen here is that the go-ahead needs to be given to be able to rent a Portakabin to keep the children all on the one site for play, learning, education and inclusion. We have moved away from that segregation. It is about the integration of children in the one yard. When you have a small rural place it is about the sense of community and of getting to know your neighbours. I am sure I am not raising the case of the only school with such provisions. I compliment the teachers, the parents' association and the board of management for having grown the numbers. The growth of the numbers is down to the fact that people are choosing to come back, live locally and at the same time want to educate their children locally. My ask here is funding for Portakabins in time in order that all children can have access to education on the one site.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I propose we have a debate on the issue of public procurement and how difficult, regimented and how tight it is and how very much cost-based it is. We all know from getting work done in our own homes that sometimes the cheapest is not always the best. What concerns me is that there is only a small percentage in any contract set aside for quality of work - workmanship, track record and so on - whereas the bulk of it is on price. Price is absolutely important but the one thing I have found in recent years, and I am sure the Deputy Leader finds the same, is the number of public works that are taking forever to conclude. A streetscape project in County Clare recently went on for over two years. There is always a reason these things are delayed. Something is found, cables had to be put in when they dug up the ground or there was more there than what they had anticipated. I am thinking of the street project in Ennis. There is no doubt that the streets in Ennis look lovely since it has been concluded but the problem is it took two to three years to finish it and businesses faced enormous pressure during that period. On rates, I note the rates went up 8% in Ennis this year. However, there was no real embracing of businesses during this project. My fear is that some businesses did not survive and that was probably one of the reasons. In general, we need to talk about the time it takes to do these works and examine the contracts to see if there is a better and more timely way of doing them. In my home town of Ennistymon, a €1.5 million upgrade on footpaths is being proposed on the streets. Ennistymon is doing exceptionally well at the moment as a town and has huge potential to do even better. My fear is that these works will go on far longer than anticipated. I call on a debate for this issue but I am particularly calling on Clare County Council to make sure these works are done in a timely manner to respect small business, which struggle with the increase in costs.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I now call on the Deputy Leader to respond.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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We started this morning with Senator Fitzpatrick, who spoke about the importance of our capital city and said that Ireland deserves to have a capital that is safe to live in and safe to visit. She also spoke about the Dublin city task force and the importance of its work on revitalising the city. Senator Fitzpatrick has put a lot of work into the development of the task force and brought forward legislation a number of years ago with Deputy Lahart, which pre-empted this task force. The point of it is to bring all stakeholders together, including businesspeople, to address dereliction, antisocial behaviour, etc. There was progress this week because Dublin City Council announced that it plans to establish a special purpose vehicle. That is important, though the Senator highlighted that we need more ambition and more urgency. She wants a debate on the issue in this House. I understand that this task force lies in the Department of the Taoiseach. We will request that the Taoiseach comes to the Seanad in relation to this issue. It is important to all of us, not just those who live in Dublin.

Senator Keogan spoke about the Epstein situation. As it unfolds, it is completely shocking. We always have to put the victims front and centre. What we are learning about that odious man is that there were a lot of vulnerable young women who were trafficked and there was essentially child sex abuse. I listened to Alastair Campbell's podcast last week and it was on the topic of how Epstein's tentacles reached out to so many people and how still no one knows where his money came from or how he was able to host lavish parties everywhere and send private jets to collect people. A lot of innocent people were caught up in all of this too by association and, by being at an event or whatever, their names are tainted. We have to be careful and conscious of everyone's reputation, but it is clear that where there is evidence of wrongdoing, it should be investigated.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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There is no innocent person caught up in a 13-year-old being trafficked into Ireland.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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The Leader must not be interrupted.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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Sorry.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I never mentioned anything about people caught up with sex trafficking being innocent. I am talking about Epstein's tentacles in terms of social gatherings. People who got caught up attending social gatherings had no idea of the horrific activities that he was responsible for. Of course, there were those who attended gatherings and were complicit - absolutely. The point I am making is that not everybody who is now being associated with Epstein is guilty of this type of crime. We have to remember that. I know one girl's name was mentioned in social media. Her name is out there in the public domain, but it escapes me at the moment. She said that there was evidence. I encourage that individual to go An Garda Síochána and to make a statement. Where any evidence comes forward of these crimes being carried out, An Garda Síochána should absolutely treat this as a priority. As a country, we need to show that we will not stand for this and we will not condone it at any level.

Senator Duffy spoke about the local community safety partnerships. I agree with him that the joint policing committees were always an excellent way of stakeholders coming together, including members of An Garda Síochána, elected representatives and those involved in communities. While it is good that local community safety partnerships have been established, the same set of rules does not seem to apply around the country and we need clarity on that. Oireachtas Members are invited in some counties and in some they are not. I think that is wrong because it was always an opportunity to raise issues that concern our constituents and our communities. It was also an opportunity to learn what is going on because it was always valuable to get the statistics from An Garda Síochána. To be fair, in my experience, if any members of the press that were present were asked to treat something confidentially, they always did so. The Senator is right: it is important that a light is shone on this collaborative work to make all of our communities safer places to be. We will look for that clarity. Journalists play an important role in terms of highlighting issues and concerns. We will ask the Minister for justice, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to come here to address that.

Senator Conor Murphy spoke about all-Ireland healthcare and about the excellent areas of collaboration that are there, particularly around cardiology and cancer services. He said that there are some barriers, particularly around data sharing, etc. The Senator also spoke about the tragic case of Catherine Sherry, who, unfortunately, had to travel abroad and died there without family because she could not access the necessary cross-Border care in Dublin. That all-Ireland programme of collaboration is important and it is certainly worthy of debate. We will ask the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to come to the Seanad and have a debate in relation to this issue.

Senator Ruane spoke about the national drugs strategy. While she acknowledged that there is now public consultation, she expressed concern around the way the country is divided into health regions. The Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, was in this House last week to address a Commencement matter put down by Senator Fitzpatrick that was related to this. I know that the Committee on Drugs Use, which Senator Ruane is a member of, is discussing this issue at the moment. She raises important points. The whole area of drug addiction is complex and multifaceted. There is no community, village, town or city that is immune. We cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach. When the committee makes its recommendations and observations in relation to the task force, that will be the opportune time to have a debate in this House on this issue and we will look for it.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony spoke about bluetongue. As we know, there are three confirmed cases in Ireland now. It is spread by midges. It is unfortunate that it has travelled here but the fact that neighbouring countries had it meant that it was not totally unexpected. It is important to say that there is no impact on human health. Unfortunately, it affects some of our beef exports. After we put a lot of work into getting exports into China again, it is unfortunate that they have now halted. It needs to be treated seriously, and we will look for the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon, to come in and give us an update on it.

Senator Nelson Murray spoke about Johnstown Football Club and how important volunteers are to the core of the community. It is great that there are going to be newly expanded facilities for the club and I wish it well in its application for the sports capital grant.

Senator Joe Conway spoke about the critical issue of teacher supply, particularly in cities. He is correct that it is linked with the price of houses in Dublin. As many teachers now have to commute long distances, they are not available for the after-school extracurricular activities that many of us did in the education sector. It is a problem. I have always felt that we need to have some type of price control for essential workers, such as teachers, nurses, gardaí, etc., in our cities so that they are able to afford housing. We still need to do that.

Senator Andrews spoke about neutrality and the triple lock. I would not have necessarily put the two together the way the Senator has.I think they are two separate issues. As he said, Ireland is world renowned for neutrality and always stands up for international law, and correctly so.

The Senator raised separately the issue of the triple lock. I understand that the Government legislation is going through scrutiny by the defence committee. I look forward to the recommendations from that. The Senator looked for the Minister to come to the House. I will point out it is a female Minister - Deputy McEntee is the Minister. Once it comes through the committee and the committee makes its recommendations, we will have the opportunity to have that debate. It is an important debate. The Senator and I have different views on it. Everybody's voice needs to be heard.

Senator Crowe spoke about an important issue. There are a lot of scams online where people are cheated out of money. He said Irish people had been scammed out of about €33 million, approximately €1,500 each time. That is a huge amount of money. Apart from the financial impact, it has a huge psychological impact. Platforms should be responsible. We need to hold them responsible and try to extract that money, which I understand could be very difficult. The Senator is right, in that we need to enhance legislation. The Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, is doing a lot of work in this area. We will bring the matter to her attention. The Minister for justice is very relevant to that topic as well, and he is the Minister the Senator wants to come to the House. We need a debate around that whole area. Senator Rabbitte has done a lot of work and had an excellent session in the audiovisual room relating to Internet safety day. This comes into that whole role. It something we all have to be concerned about.

Senator Boyle spoke about footpaths for the community in Donegal. I suggest he speak to Donegal County Council. He has a good relationship with the area engineer. Footpaths are very important and we need them to be completed.

Senator Sarah O'Reilly spoke about the situation in Newbridge yesterday. I had a Commencement matter yesterday about that. The Patrician Secondary School in Newbridge, which at present has an allocation of 6.75 SNAs, received word that, in September, the number would go down to four. It is a reduction of 40%, which is huge. When the school had 150 fewer students, it had 6.75. It is a school that really prides itself on a positive role of inclusion. It was an awful blow. It was devastating to the whole school community to hear this news. The Minister of State was in yesterday. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, makes these decisions. There is a process whereby an appeal can be made and the school is doing that. We will hope for a positive result.

The Senator also spoke about Larry Murrin. I would point out that he is the chair of the board, not the CEO, in terms of the implementation of the rules and regulations. Farmers have a right to protest. I understand their concerns. There were meetings all around the country during the week. I understand their concerns when they have many rules and regulations, but Bord Bia is an excellent organisation. Through Bord Bia, total Irish agrifood exports are in the region of €21 billion a year. That is incredible when one thinks of all the jobs that supports. We have to be very mindful of that. The board has expressed its confidence in Larry Murrin as chair. There was a robust exchange in a meeting of the agriculture committee last week. It is going to make recommendations from that this week, which I have not seen yet. It is an important issue. There needs to be collaboration. People need to sit down together and work on a way forward.

While that is happening, the eye has been taken off the big ball, which is CAP and multi-annual financial framework, MFF, funding coming down the line. At the moment, there is a reduction of 20% in CAP, which means so much to farmers and rural communities that depend on CAP in the economy.

Senator Dee Ryan spoke about the lifting of the cap in Dublin Airport and rightly talked about needing a parallel plan to support regional airports. I know she is a strong advocate of Shannon Airport in terms of businesses, start-ups and tourism. It is a fine airport. I have had the opportunity to go in and out of it a few times. It is under-utilised. Shannon and the mid-west area need daily connectivity to Europe and England. We will look for a debate. The Senator is right to say it should be the Minister for enterprise as opposed to the Minister for Transport because he needs to ensure there are balanced opportunities in every area in the country.

Senator Rabbitte spoke about additional classrooms needed, particularly in rural Ireland. The school she mentioned was told to go to the community centre but there is not even a footpath. That is something I had to do as a child. So many years later, children should not have to do that. There was a time when rural roads were quiet and there were not many cars. There is no road in Ireland now that is quiet and safe. I imagine there is no pedestrian crossing there either. There are a lot of issues there. The care of the student has to be at the centre. I think it was when Mary Hanafin was the Minister for education there were a lot of prefabs in schools. To be fair, she made a commitment that there would be no more. As a society, we were trying to eradicate them and we needed permanent buildings and structures. She led the drive on that, which has very largely been successful. Occasionally, though, situations arise where a prefab is needed. The Department of education needs to change, especially when the accommodation is temporary. The problem in the past was that, when these prefabs were put there - I am sure Senator Joe Conway saw it in his teaching life - they became permanent and were still there 30 years later. It is a completely different model we need to consider now. We will write to the Minister on that. The Senator should submit a Commencement matter on that possibility for the school. When we have the opportunity, we will raise it as well.

Senator Martin Conway spoke about needing a debate on public procurement. He is right, in that it is very rigid. It should not just be about money. It should be weighted for other considerations. A then colleague, former Deputy Frank O'Rourke, drafted legislation to try to ensure there was a local element in the criteria such that if a local firm or company could provide the service, it would get a higher weighting in the consideration. There is a lot of merit in that. Things are taking far too long. We will see if we can have a debate on public procurement. It is in all of our interests when we see weekly debates on the children's hospital.

I thank all of the Senators who raised those important issues.